Newly observant restaurateur Ori Melamed was having trouble finding a premium kosher hamburger.
“I know what an excellent hamburger tastes like,” says the ba’al teshuva, “and my search for a kosher one was unsuccessful. I knew the market was there, so I decided to make one myself.”
Melamed got to work on a recipe, found a location near the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and set up shop a few months ago. The hamburger meat is ground on the premises from four different prime cuts of beef, plus a little bit of fat for the flavor. The meat is glatt kosher, while the overall kashrut supervision of Memphis is overseen by the Rabbinate.
There is really only one burger on the menu, available in four sizes, with a choice of three toppings and two sides. For that reason, there is no printed menu but a blackboard with weights and prices. For the time being, the board is only in Hebrew; but Melamed, who has lived in the US, is happy to explain things in English.
The burgers come in patties that weigh either 180 or 250 grams (NIS 45 and NIS 55, respectively). There is also the option to double either size.
Meals consisting of a burger, fries and a drink start at NIS 55.
The Memphis burger lives up to the adjective “premium.” The thick burger has a slightly crusty exterior, while the inside is juicy and flavorful. It is served on a toasted hamburger bun with tomato, lettuce and red onion (if desired) but no pickle. The bun is moistened with a “secret sauce” devised by Melamed, using nine ingredients. No other condiments are necessary, but ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce are available.
After tasting an unadorned burger, we ordered one with a topping of entrecôte (+NIS 16), a razor-thin slice of the finest beef, which added even more delicious complexity to the basic burger.
Melamed has tested and chosen his toppings with care, so Memphis offers only two others: goose breast or a fried egg. It is not recommended to double up on any of them.
Similarly, there are only three side dishes: French fries, sweet potato fries and coleslaw. The rippled sweet potato fries are quite nice, and the coleslaw – in a zesty dressing spiked with wasabi – is excellent.
Memphis will not deliver because, according to Melamed, the burger won’t taste the same after 30 minutes.
Even if you ask for take-away, he will ask how far you’re going.
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