Drinks on the house

Tel Aviv restaurants and bars mark International Women's Day with special deals for the ladies.

By ARI MILLER
traklin 88 (photo credit: )
traklin 88
(photo credit: )
Tomorrow is International Women's Day, and to use a slogan as unfortunate in its source as in its language: "You've come a long way, baby!" The holiday has its roots in the Socialist Party of America's desire to advance the cause of women in the industrialized workplace. Now, International Women's Day is more often than not an opportunity for men to beguile their lady friends with gifts. So the time has come for area restaurants and bars to roll out the red carpet and honor their female patrons . One of the more interesting events taking place this Saturday night is at the Traklin (Nahalat Binyamin 41, [03] 566-0013). This meat and wine bistro is hosting bartender extraordinaire Noa Margalit who, starting at 8 p.m., is running a cocktail workshop. For NIS 89, participants will learn how to prepare and then drink five different vodka-based beverages. To go with the drinks, Traklin is hosting guest chef Robin Tverya, who has put together a selection of Modern American inspired tapas. Reservations are recommended, as space for the evening is limited. In the not-too-far-away town of Ra'anana, the Edison (Ahuza 182, on the corner of 34 Jerusalem Street, [09] 772-8787) is featuring a fixed menu prepared by resident chef Tal Hershkovitz and guest chef Yuli Mizrahi. Priced at NIS 140, the first course is a salmon pastie with walnuts, ricotta cheese and a Dijon crème with thyme, and a main course features green risotto with seafood. To go along with the food, wine maker Tsina Avidan, who also co-owns the Avidan winery, will present a selection from the 2006 vintages. Again, reservations are recommended. Back on the city scene, a number of establishments are offering either a complimentary beverage or special deals on drinks. One of the more impressive deals is at Marmorek (Marmorek 10), where each female patron will receive two glasses of wine on the house beginning at 6 p.m. Just a couple of hours later, at 8 p.m., the ladies can fill up on Italian food at Pappa's (Hillel Hazaken 12, by the Carmel Market) and wash it down with either a glass of complimentary wine or cava. If it's romance you are after, Tchernikofski 6 (Tchernikofski 5) is an excellent bistro where each woman will receive a glass of Lambrusco. On the northern end of the city, Homeburger (Rehov Ibn Gvirol 137) has committed itself to two glasses of champagne per woman with the purchase of a first and main course. And on the Ethiopian tip over at Habash (Allenby 2) every female diner is entitled to a buy-one, get-one-free on alcohol. However, for the more serious drinkers out there, two establishments have kept your best interests in mind. First is the delightfully intimate Bar Giora (Bar Giora 4), where every cocktail that a member of the honored gender orders will be accompanied by a complimentary chaser of whisky or vodka. And over at Choya (Kreminski 2), any woman who sits at the bar to eat a full meal will be treated to a bottomless glass of Sake - all day long. So get an early start on celebrating yourself this year, ladies.