Restaurants in Berlin: An Abbreviated Guide

We may have only had a few days in Berlin, but we ate and drank our way through the city. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a compilation of the (mostly budget) restaurants in Berlin we came across and found worth recommending. Berliners love their Asian and Middle East street food and the city is renowned for its falafel, doner kebab, hummus and more. Coming from Israel, we tried to veer away from that in favor of German and Asian cuisine. If you’re in town on a Saturday don’t miss the flea market, as much for its food and atmosphere as for the amazing finds. Also note that the vast majority of restaurants in Berlin didn’t accept credit cards so be sure to ask first. Continue reading “Restaurants in Berlin: An Abbreviated Guide”

A Culinary Tour of Tel Aviv

I may live in Be’er Sheva, but since moving to Israel in September I’ve been a frequent visitor to Tel Aviv. It has quickly become one of my favorite cities in the world – it has the buzz and sophistication of New York, the pace and cafe culture of a European city, and soft white sand beaches on the Mediterranean. What could be bad? Of course one of the places in Tel Aviv I always head to is the Carmel Market, the city’s frenetic shuk filled with tourists and locals, produce and souvenirs. Continue reading “A Culinary Tour of Tel Aviv”

Tasting Notes: A Wine Tour of the Judean Hills

Although Israel isn’t exactly known as a world-renowned wine region (yet), wine has been cultivated in the area since pre-biblical times. And yes, it hasn’t been highly regarded in the past, but that is largely because the export market is very different than the fine boutique wines available here. This is all changing, slowly, and Israeli wine is finally earning some respect. Not that I’m a huge fan, but the famed American wine critic Robert Parker, for example, devoted an unprecedented nine pages in his most recent buyer’s guide (more pages than South Africa and on par with New Zealand) with 12 wines scoring 90 points or higher. Continue reading “Tasting Notes: A Wine Tour of the Judean Hills”