Operation #BestBenedict

‘In Jerusalem’ sets out on a mission to find the best eggs Benedict in the holy city – and finds a surfeit.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Eggs Benedict (photo credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)
Eggs Benedict
(photo credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)
It was between the first and second cocktail at Menza that I truly appreciated the layout of the bar. In this open floor plan, the bartender was mixing drinks next to the tables, not cordoned off behind a chest-high partition.
But we weren’t there for the bar. We hadn’t gone to Menza for the Benedictine but the eggs Benedict.
And they were pretty good.
The origin of eggs Benedict is mostly known. The dish is American in origin and likely from New York City. A 2007 article in The New York Times says that it has been a “brunch staple in the city’s most luxurious restaurants and far beyond” since the 1930s.
Traditionally consisting of poached eggs and Canadian bacon slathered with hollandaise sauce atop an English muffin, it’s a beautiful dish. In 1894 when stockbroker Lemuel Benedict created the dish on demand at the Waldorf Hotel, he was suffering from a hangover, supposedly.
Who else would order a “pitcher of hollandaise,” according to one account? Benedict had included toast and bacon with his dish, but a different recipe at Delmonico’s iconic restaurant offered the dish with Canadian bacon and an English muffin.
It’s no surprise that the French culinary tradition insinuates its way into this story in some accounts, connecting the original recipe to the Continent.
Naturally, because croque madame comprises a poached or fried egg atop ham and toast, or the Norwegian version includes smoked salmon. Even famed British chef Gordon Ramsay has brought us his version that has the eggs and hollandaise over Parma ham on a muffin.
Eleven years ago, when I came to Jerusalem, this dish was a relative rarity.
When I set out to find it this last month, though, it seemed to have m u s h r o o m e d everywhere. At Derech Hagefen in Beit Zayit outside the city, it is one of the main breakfast dishes. Café Hillel has a version. In Tel Aviv, there is even a branch of restaurants named Benedict.
When I set out on this Lord of the Rings style quest, I had no idea that tweeting “searching for the #bestbenedict” would elicit so many recommendations.
Here are the four best.
#The Waldorf Astoria
In Jerusalem, the first place to begin is to go back to the origins of the Benedict at the Waldorf Astoria in the city center. Their New York location boasts of a “crispy, toasted English muffin layered with smoky, thick-cut Canadian bacon and a perfectly poached egg with a slathering of silky hollandaise.” The Jerusalem version is a little different, owing to kashrut. Executive chef Itzik Mizrachi Barak, resplendent in a white chef’s shirt and blue apron, is proud of his creation here.
“It’s an iconic dish we serve with smoked salmon instead of the usual. It’s the same principle, and people like it very much,” he says.
In his view, people will enjoy the salmon substitute more than the original. Served by itself in a deep plate, the egg is cradled by the ceramic and rests on a brioche with spinach and salmon.
The fresh spinach is a perfect amount, not overwhelming the egg or salmon, and the brioche is toasted and moist. The egg is properly runny, and it goes well with the fresh salmon.
The Waldorf is exquisite, and the breakfast area is located just off the hotel’s giant atrium.
Breakfast is served buffet style for NIS 155, and the eggs Benedict must be ordered from one of the wait staff. This means it’s a real treat and part of a much larger experience of stuffing oneself with the epic buffet of fish and other goodies.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel Kosher 26-28 Gershon Agron Street NIS 155 (all-inclusive buffet)
#Talbiye
Located in a nook almost beneath the Jerusalem Theater, Talbiye was highly recommended for its eggs Benedict.
The breakfasts here are all named after various people – Assaf, Papi, Nir – and for the Benedict, you’ve got to intone “Haboker shel Zafari.” The single egg atop a small brioche comes with bacon, half a tomato and spinach on the side. It is served with a cucumber and fennel salad. The presentation is very pretty, with the plum tomato basking in the sun. The outdoor seating is sunny, so try to find a bit of shade if it’s a hot day.
The poached egg is prepared well and the hollandaise is tasty, but there could be a bit more of it. It has a nice lemony flavor, as it should. The downside is the spinach, which is oddly placed on the side, and the side salad that doesn’t complement the taste of the Benedict.
The salad is fresh and tasty by itself, but it’s unclear why it is included.
Talbiye Not kosher 5 Chopin Street NIS 48
#Café de Paris
In the capital’s leafy Rehavia neighborhood and just a shout from the Prime Minister’s Residence, Café de Paris has excellent locational value. There is a chance, however slight, that Bibi might walk his dogs past as you wait for your eggs. Here the eggs Benedict comes with two poached eggs over spinach on an English muffin, with a large salad. Salmon is an extra NIS 14.
The eggs are large and fluffy, and the hollandaise portion is ample. The restaurant’s attempt to provide a muffin is a victory, but having to pay extra for the salmon is a bit odd. The portion is large, but the salad doesn’t really work with the dish. It’s too large, with giant carrots that detract from the mushy, buttery texture of the Benedict.
Cafe de Paris Kosher 1Ben-Maimon Boulevard NIS 56
#Menza
Menza has been open for a year and a half and is located at the top of Bezalel Street, next to the eponymous school.
With a spacious, clean and modern feel, it has a small breakfast menu that is served until 12:30 p.m. daily. It also offers mimosas for NIS 36.
The eggs Benedict is served with smoked salmon, spinach and hollandaise on a brioche and comes with a chopped salad. The dish is simple and elegant, served on a red ceramic plate. The hollandaise was excellent, although the spinach was a bit watery. The bread was toasted well but could have been a bit more buttery, while the salmon could have been a more ample portion.
Nonetheless, the real compliment here is that the side salad, instead of being some giant incongruous beast or disconnected item, was small and flavorful with a peanut sauce. The two eggs formed a good-sized portion, and the hollandaise had a nice lemon bite to it.
Overall, in terms of cost and flavor, Menza was probably the best choice.
Menza Not kosher 10 Bezalel Street NIS 42
Eggs Benedict is taking off in the capital. Many restaurants offer it or a version of croque madame that is basically the same, given the usual kashrut levels here. Martha Stewart, who suggests using half a pound of bacon to make eight servings, would not be pleased with the overflowing salmon swimming against the Benedict stream here in the holy city.
That’s okay. Maybe we should call our version Eggs Croque Jerusalem. Sounds appetizing.


Related Tags
jerusalem lifestyle