Tel Aviv’s Cucina Tamar is a little haven of authentic Italian cuisine.
By JASON MESKIN
Located deep in Tel Aviv’s industrial area, Cucina Tamar is the home restaurant and culinary platform of chef Tamar Cohen-Tzedek. From the relaxed decor to the meticulously selected ingredients, some of which are imported exclusively from Italy, it is clear that a lot of thought and preparation went into developing this restaurant’s design and menu. All the dishes are made from scratch on the premises.The interior consists of an enclosed patio (with a casual, come-as-you-are atmosphere), a downstairs dining area (with a window into the kitchen and bar) and a wooden upper deck.At the entrance to the kitchen there’s a blackboard with the menu items printed in chalk. The bar is wide and serves as a centerpiece for the place.For openers, we were treated to the ravioli tartufo – fresh homemade pasta filled with ricotta, Parmesan and truffles in a butter and truffle sauce. The ravioli melted in the mouth and was full of rich flavor. The second dish we tried was the tortellini – small pasta pockets which, in this case, were filled with a mixture of artichokes and Parmesan cheese and served with a garlic and olive oil sauce. The pasta was fresh and heavenly and cooked to al dente perfection. This was followed by the equally delicious Parmigiana budino – Parmigiana soufflé served with champignon and tartufo mushrooms and shallots.In between the pasta dishes, we nibbled on a refreshing green salad with root vegetables – a colorful dish of greens, shredded beetroot, carrot and kohlrabi.For our main course we enjoyed the homemade tagliatelle ragout – three types of ground meat served with long narrow pasta; and the veal scallopini, which consisted of a veal cinta in a white wine sauce of butter, sage and lemon. Both dishes were a treat.Then came dessert. Cucina Tamar is well known for its homemade ice cream, and it did not disappoint.The dish consisted of three flavors – coffee, chocolate and vanilla. My dining partner, who claims to be a connoisseur of everything ice cream, joyfully proclaimed that this was the best chocolate ice cream she had ever tasted. This was followed by a deeply espresso-flavored and mascarpone-rich tiramisu, which was just as good as it sounds While there is a plethora of Italian restaurants in the Tel Aviv area, for truly fresh pasta and sauces there’s only one place to go. In terms of cuisine, Cucina Tamar is a genuinely Italian experience.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
Cucina Tamar Not kosher 10 Hatzfira St.
(03) 639-0407 Mon.-Thurs. from 6 p.m. Fri. from 5 p.m. Sat. from noon. Closed Sundays.
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