A CARNIVORE’S PARADISE
Meat and Eat in Netanya is warm and welcoming
Meat and Eat, which is the English name for the Lechem Basar chain, is a carnivore’s paradise.. (photo credit: BEN YUSTER)
As its name suggests, Meat and Eat, which is the English name for the Lechem Basar chain, is a carnivore’s paradise. The Netanya branch which opened a year ago is a sprawling place but somehow manages to convey a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, with its wall messages and pleasant lighting.
Invited to taste the food on offer, we settled into a corner table and surveyed the scene. Young and not so young couples, large Israeli families and the odd tourist made up the clientele. Quiet background music and a wellstocked bar contributed to the mood of bien-etre.
For my first course, I ordered the carpaccio – wafer-thin slices of raw sirloin in a balsamic dressing (NIS 54). The gargantuan amount of meat proved impossible to finish but was very appetizing. My companion chose spring chicken salad – another huge portion of grilled seared pargit (spring chicken) on a salad which included green beans and garlic confit, as well as the usual ingredients (NIS 68).
Another choice was quinoa salad made with organic red quinoa, beets, hazelnuts, cranberries and herbs with pomegranate dressing (NIS 52). I can’t imagine a vegan or vegetarian feeling comfortable in a place like this, but full marks for offering this alternative.
The main menu offered a variety of steaks, ranging from NIS 126 to NIS 164. One could also choose mixed meat in lafa (a very large pita) for NIS 79 or a burger trio (NIS 81).
I chose a hamburger, and it was excellent – pure meat with no fillers and piping hot, which is always a good thing.
My companion selected a very interesting dish. It consisted of pastry baked around the pan and filled with minced lamb and chickpeas. The advantage is that the filling stayed very hot for the duration of the meal. It was very flavorful, but you have to be a huge fan of cumin to enjoy this dish.
The wine to accompany the meal was a 2013 Barkan special reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a robust and hearty accompaniment to the food being served (NIS 39 a glass).
Dessert seemed superfluous, but the manager insisted we taste the chocolate fudge with vanilla ice cream (NIS 46). I’m glad we did. It was a rich, warm, melt-in-themouth chocolate cake with some of the best parve vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted.
For a very satisfying gourmet night out in pleasant surroundings, Meat and Eat takes the biscuit.
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