But on a recent visit to try the updated summer menu, I was surprised to find that I especially enjoyed some of the vegetarian dishes that were on offer.
By LINDA GRADSTEINHarvey's Smokehouse, Jerusalem(photo credit: ANDREW MALAKHOVSKY)
Like everyone else, I go to Harvey’s for the smoked meat. But on a recent visit to try the updated summer menu, I was surprised to find that I especially enjoyed some of the vegetarian dishes that were on offer.We were four diners as I went with another restaurant critic, my friend Yonatan Livny, and our spouses, so we got to try quite a bit of the menu. There is outside seating for those who prefer, but as it was a bit chilly, we chose to sit inside. Our waitress, Rena, wore her mask all the time, and told us the plastic menus are wiped down for each patron.We shared an order of popcorn chicken (NIS 49) while we perused the menu. It was small bites of chicken breast fried in tempura and panko, and served with both chipotle mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce. Highly recommended.Rena suggested we try both the tacos (NIS 43) and the baladi eggplant tower (NIS 42) for appetizers. The tacos were mini-tacos topped with pulled smoked beef ribs, a spicy pepper salsa and guacamole. I’m not usually a fan of spicy food, but these were only mildly spicy and all the components came together nicely. The biggest surprise of the night was the eggplant, a chunky spread served with roasted peppers, chimichurri and cherry tomatoes.“Wow,” Yonatan said. “This is amazing.”The smoked meat platter also offered some surprises. You put together your own combination, choosing whichever meats you want in whatever quantity you want. The meats are smoked slowly, usually for 18-24 hours. Since the sirloin was new to the menu, we asked to try that along with brisket, asado, chicken and chorizo sausages.The sirloin (NIS 30 per 100 gr.) was smoked for four hours with hickory wood. It was tasty and soft, but too well-done for me. It was served as thin slices, rather than a thicker steak.The chicken, which I had eaten on earlier visits, was a star. Unlike the meat, which you can order in smaller amounts, you have to order a half-chicken (NIS 78), which is smoked over mesquite and served with a tangy barbecue sauce. The chicken is tender and melts in your mouth.The pulled beef (NIS 32 per 100 gr.), which is grilled over mesquite for 18 hours, was also good, but the surprise of the meat platter was the chorizo. Each sausage weighs about 170 gr. and costs NIS 28. I was so full by this point that I couldn’t even look at more food, but Yonatan encouraged me to try it, saying it was almost as good as “treif” sausage from Germany. I can’t speak for the comparison, but it was very good.For those looking to trim the price a little, there are sandwiches (NIS 64), salads and burgers (NIS 58). For the pescatarians there is salmon that is smoked on a cedar plank (NIS 129).When it was time for dessert, I was too full to eat another bite. My companions shared a pecan pie, while I sank blissfully into a meat coma. Harvey’s SmokehouseKashrut: Mehadrin7 Shimon Ben Shatah; Tel.: 02-6246444Hours: Sun.-Thu. 12-11 p.m.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
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