Mizlala, Tel Aviv Closed
Meir Adoni has opened up a New York City restaurant Nur. As a result Chef Adoni has closed down high-end Tel Aviv restaurant Catit and his beloved Mizlala. It is very exciting to see Israeli chef’s making their way across the Atlantic to make a name for themselves. EatDrinkTelAviv wishes Meir Adoni the best of luck and all the success Nur will garner.
You can read the original review below:
Happy Accidents
There are moments when you realize when you let other people do the planning things just work out so much better.
Such was the case with Mizlala.
My brother Tamir and his wife Stephanie were visiting Israel for the first time; he went to great lengths to make sure she had a good time (I think that’s code for avoid Hamas rockets.) They had done copious amounts of research on where to eat in Jerusalem and elsewhere on their trip, but my brother thought he’d leave Tel Aviv restaurants up to me.
We had made our way to Wineberg on a Friday night, and on Saturday after spending the day at the beach, I had yet to come up with a solid plan for dinner. Tel Aviv gets busy quickly with dinner reservations so you have to make decision fairly soon otherwise you end up missing out.
I have a long list of restaurants that have been suggested to me so I had a lot to choose from and after mulling it over, incorporating a complex restaurant/distance algorithm with a four-dimension matrix application that included taking my brother and my sister-in-law’s dietary needs and desires into account (with accompanying SWOT analysis – my university degree would be proud) I finally came to the conclusion that I will take my brother and his wife to…wait a minute…what’s this text from my brother?
“Hey Alex, I made reservations at Mizlala”
Well it’s the thought that counts.
Go With the Flow
Stephanie visited Trip Advisor and this one peaked her interest. I admire what Trip Advisor is trying to do. Sadly though, some place’s reviews are all over the map – but what do you expect when you open it up to the entire world to review? (Some people are just way too pissed off to be let out of the house.)
Only a small portion of the very large bar that is in Mizlala.
We walked down to Nahalat Binyamin and enjoyed the peaceful and empty pedestrian street. The restaurant has a very modern clean design, with a large bar down the middle and tables off to each side. The hostess smiled and checked our reservation and we were seated immediately.
Menu
The menu seemed simplified by a simple 1-2-3-4 with 1 being the appetizers, 2 being cold dishes, 3 being pastas or grains (like risotto or papardella) and 4 being your heavier meats. At least I think. I’m not quite sure what the break down is after number 02, but it does give you a chance to try something from every section for those with OCD.
The three of us opted to each choose a dish and share, we are after all family (despite my attempts to convince my brother he was adopted). If you do go with a group you can all experiment and try something you wouldn’t normally choose. Tamir picked the Thai salad with calamari (02) I chose the goat cheese ravioli (03), Steph picked the beef kebab with Bulgarian chickpea stew (04). Out of instinct I asked for the bacon in the Thai salad to be put on the side, but not surprisingly I still ended up trying some of it (man is bacon tasty!)
Thai Salad and the Halva Martini
What’s wonderful about Mizlala is the creative dishes with very easy to understand ingredients. I’ve read that some people found Mr. Adoni’s mixes too many ingredients and in my experience I found that the Thai salad was fine without the bacon. Otherwise each dish was extremely well done and flavorful without being overbearing. The zest of the lemon in the chickpea stew was nice and offered a nice compliment to the hearty beef kebab. The ravioli was fresh and the cheese soft, although I’m hardpressed to recall anything else in that particular dish.
The Halva Martini Tamir ordered was an interesting use of tahini but we debated on whether or not they used the right alcohol. Steph hates all things halva but was still brave enough to try it. (She still doesn’t like all things halva, but don’t worry I’m told it’s not a deal breaker for my brother.) Tamir and I thought vodka wasn’t the right compliment to the earthiness of the sesame seed, and perhaps rum would work better. My chipotle margarita was an nice way to awaken the sense and if you’ve never tried a chili based drink you should. (Keep in mind I don’t recommend prairie fires — you aren’t in college anymore.)
Suggestions
I recommend the Thai Salad, it was very different from what I’ve had in the past and I found the flavors in it very satisfying.
This is the kind of restaurant you go for special occasions. It is pricey so take your date there if you want a lively, energetic, hip place to dine. Recently a friend went with his girlfriends parents, and they all enjoyed it – so I recommend choosing Mizlala if you want to impress someone.
Blarg!
Nomnom: The food was delectable, and the drinks were nice. I thought the service was attentive but not overbearing. The place was busy but not feeling packed. Good use of the space. A note to the bartenders: The mixed drinks arrived with some spilt on the base. It messes up the hands.
Captain Blarg: I’d like to take my wife to this place if she ever comes back from reserve duty. The desserts in the SWEETS section looked amazing, but I’ll have to be sure to save up for this special occasion.
Gary: Gr@#$!!tg
Blarg: I agree. Gary is upset he didn’t get to try any desserts. So be sure to save space, and it’s okay to share.
Rating
