NOLA, Tel Aviv

NOLA, 197 Dizengoff, Tel Aviv

My favorite word in the Hebrew language is “oogi’ah.”  It is not only incredibly fun and just rolls off the tongue when you say it:

Oooogi’ah

It’s one of those words that not only sound great but means something even better –  Oogi’ah is cookie in Hebrew.  When I first came to Tel Aviv, I had read an article on the top Tel Aviv eateries of 2012 and NOLA was on the list.  I immediately added the three restaurants to the list and was very excited to check out NOLA, or more honestly, NOLA’s baked goods.

Tahyo avec a P’tit boug boug

NOLA comes across as an oasis in a middle eastern dessert…I mean desert.  Its kitchy, homey Southern style kitchen — with its black and white tiled floor and mismatched chairs — give off a calming and inviting aura.  And the large display of baked goods is such sweet temptation – from cookies, mud pies, brownies, blondies, cupcakes, cookies, so so savory bagels and cheese muffins.  Did I mention cookies?

Ginger molasses cookies and more.

In my first trip there I found the baked good choices so overwhelming I got myself a very rich and dense brownie and one of my favorites – a ginger molasses cookie.   I had worked at Starbucks for a brief time while living in Vancouver and was a fan of their ginger cookies and the addiction stuck.  NOLA’s cookies are better because they are baked fresh right there, from oven to cookie tray being only a matter of meters apart.

In A Dark Brown Voice She Said Nola

In my mission to be an olympic level bruncher I’ve been to NOLA a couple of times.   Their breakfast and lunch are fairly decent, and I’ve had the spinach salad which was nothing out of the ordinary – crisp, fresh vegetables in a bowl.  I feel that would be a great starter if you were making space for cookies later.

On this recent trip with a few classmates we mainly focused on the NOLA and House Breakfasts, which in traditional diner standards is pretty good.  Their take on the hash browns takes a little getting use to, since it’s more like a rectangular latke. The Blackstone biscuit is what I ordered, with salmon, and it’s definitely worth it – the fresh biscuit with the poached egg and salmon is hearty, soft yet savory and with every bite  oh-so-satisfying.   If you want something a little less expensive and without all the fixin’s you can just get the Build-A-Biscuit to feed your craving for freshly baked Louisiana goods.

The famous blackstone biscuit at NOLA on Dizengoff.

On another occasion my friends Daniel and Kesem both ordered pancakes and wouldn’t stay silent about how good they were.  While I have been tempted to get the buttermilk pancakes, I usually save my sweet tooth for the end of the meal.  But the pancakes have a reputation for being worth the trek, so it’s a great place to satisfy your weekend flapjack cravings.

The “compost” cookies.

Suggestions

I love the cookies here.  That can’t be overstated.  Try the Po’boy or the MacN’Cheese, since they are suppose to be authentically prepared as it would be in New Orleans. Definitely go for the NOLA favorite the Blackstone biscuit, but take a cookie or two or some baked good home with you for later.

They have this “compost” cookie that is worth its weight in cookie gold. When they first told me the name I was expecting something much different, but they described it as a mixture of a traditional cookie with bagel dough and pretzels in it.  Salty, sweet and so damn delicious it’s making me wean myself off my ginger molasses fix. I might never look at composting the same way.  I might start dating an environmentalist and she can say “I’m really into composting” and I’ll reply “me too” even though we are probably talking about two very different things.  Okay I’m getting ahead of myself.  What I do know is that it might make the new Cookie Monster with his vegetable eating and “cookies are a sometime food” seriously reconsider his new lifestyle.

The blackstone biscuit with salmon, just the way I like it.

Cookie monsters aside…coming with friends is a great idea, since they have more space in the back to accommodate groups.  It does get busy so be prepare to wait for a bit, but it’ll be worth it.   On our last visit there the weather was a bit down so a few of us indulged in some samples of hot chocolate.  A lil’ Southern Hospitality while you wait.

Dishes

• Blackstone Biscuit 48NIS
• NOLA Breakfast 49NIS
• Build-A-Biscuit 8NIS + toppings
• House Special 48NIS
• Spinach Salad 46NIS
• Buttermilk Pancakes 45NIS
• Americano small 10NIS
• Cookie 10NIS

Blarg!

Professor NomNom: It’s so nice to have an authentic American Bakery here in Tel Aviv.  On my home planet it was so difficult to get something authentically human… I mean human made.  Lovely atmosphere, and friendly staff. They do seem a little slow on tending to people at the counter wanting To-Go items.  

Captain Blarg:  It seems like a great place to relax after a long work week of blarging and counter-blarging.  Troops really appreciated the good mix of brownies and blondies, and the coffee really hit the spot.

Gary:  Ooooooggggiiiiiooooooot!!!!! (Cookies)

Blarg:  Gary’s right – I scarfed down so many cookies I used that energy to build trenches fifteen feet wide and twenty feet deep.

NomNom: That seems a bit excessive.

Blarg: In retrospect you may right.

Gary: ?!?

Rating