5th Avenue Eilat really does offer something for everyone.
By JONATHAN GILAD5th Avenue Eilat.(photo credit: Courtesy)
Located minutes from the large luxury hotels on the north beach strip of Eilat, 5th Avenue Eilat is a new and welcome addition to the culinary scene of the southern city.The large and impressive complex (three levels and about five square meters) was opened by local restaurateurs Shlomi Amar and Oved Kima, who hired Cecil Weizmann to design the three dining areas – the bar, the central area and the side porches. The color scheme is black, gray and brown, and the lighting soft, with lamps hanging from the high ceilings, illuminating only the dining tables. The lighting and the music change throughout the day to suit the changing clientele.The main dining area is divided into different levels, allowing for privacy, despite the large size of the place. We arrived at a relatively early hour, so the bar area was not busy; but by the time we left, the popular area was rapidly filling with young, hip customers.Located in a tourist destination, 5th Avenue Eilat caters to a changing crowd. And it seems that the owners have found a solution for what is an ongoing conflict among groups of diners – what to eat. Some always want Italian, while others may want more local flavors or a burger and fries or maybe Asian. Well, here you can have it all.The menu is divided into cuisines.Chef Einat Lubaton Aharon oversees five types of cuisine: Asian street food, classical Italian, New York style American, Tex-Mex and Mediterranean. Diners can choose dishes from different cuisines or stick to what they like the most.For my dining partner, it was a beef fillet carpaccio from the Italian menu (NIS 46) as a starter and a juicy hamburger with French fries from the American menu (NIS 56) as a main dish. I decided to go with Mexican – something I rarely do – and took the ceviche (NIS 48) as a starter and the tacos with fish as a main dish.All the dishes were satisfactory – not too authentic perhaps, but very tasty and very generous. The hamburger was very flavorful, and the chips were fresh and crisp. The ceviche spent a little too long in the marinade and was almost cooked through, but the fish was fresh and the flavors well balanced. And the tacos were not very Mexican but satisfying. I could see how a group or a family could enjoy the fact that there was something for everyone. As a restaurant that caters to people on vacation, this approach seems like a good one.One of the fortes of the place, as we were told, is the bar. We tried a couple of cocktails, but since in Israel they seem to think that cocktails are for the ladies and ladies (didn’t you know?) like it sweet, we had to ask for the sweetness level to be toned down.They were very accommodating, and we were served two dry and refreshing cocktails that certainly put us in the mood.As we were considering what to have for dessert, the bar was filling up, the lights dimmed, and the music changed. The family restaurant was rapidly changing into a night hangout. For dessert we decided on crème brulee (NIS 39) and coffee to round out the evening. The rich coffee arrived quickly, and the dessert was delicious.The meal was very filling and fulfilling, so we were grateful that we had only a short walk back to the hotel.All in all, 5th Avenue Eilat was a good choice. The service was excellent, the food tasty and reasonably priced, and the diverse menu was an interesting concept that seemed to work.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.5th Avenue EilatNot kosherOpen daily 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., expect Sunday5 Pishtani Street, EilatTel: (08) 633-3303www.eilat.rest.com
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store