Thanks to the fact that my companion/driver missed the turn to the Roots restaurant in Acre, we arrived later than planned and were ravenous. This has nothing to do with the conclusion we reached after our meal that Roots must be one of the best kosher restaurants in Israel.
It’s also a perfect model of coexistence, as the place is jointly owned by a Jew, a Christian, a Muslim, and a Druze.
This information was supplied by the chef of Roots, Darry Ben Levet, who came over to see how we were enjoying his food and stayed for a chat. He told us he had studied at the Culinary Institute of Manhattan, which sounded promising.
New additions at a fantastic restaurant
The menu included several new dishes since our last visit two years ago; at least that was the ostensible reason for the new invitation. Having enjoyed eating at Roots in the past, we settled down to what we knew would be a very good meal in the historic surroundings of the Knights of Acre halls.
Before any food reached us, we each received a small glass of ouzo to drink a le’chaim. The anise-flavored liqueur set just the right mood.
Several starters came to our table. The presentation of the filo cigar filled with ground lamb over a tomato sauce was pure art, with black and cream-colored “balloons,” made from hummus and eggplant skin, as garnish. It tasted as good as it looked (NIS 49).
The second starter was carpaccio locus (grouper) – very thin slices of raw fish with a garnish of cucumber, olives, and green onion in a vinaigrette. Some kind of vegan cream completed the dish.
The next dish was another carpaccio, this time of beef. The dish is called Bresaola and originates in Italy. The kosher version consisted of very thinly sliced rare beef, served with pine nuts, basil leaves, and coarse salt. Very good if you are a rare beef aficionado (NIS 74).
A fish course came next: Fried grouper on a very pungent green horseradish leaf. Powerful stuff. It came with a very good tomato sauce with mini pitas for dipping, and half a roasted garlic bulb. The strong flavor turned out to be dukkah, an aromatic spice of Egyptian origin, made from crushed nuts and seeds, with cumin and coriander added.
Then came a dish of lamb shoulder, slow-roasted and very tender, with homemade ptitim (Israeli couscous), Jerusalem artichoke, and parsley root – all very earthy. My companion was in heaven. It certainly was a serious comfort food. (NIS 122).
Besides iced water, I had a glass of Gamla Cabernet Sauvignon (NIS 39), and my companion had his beloved local beer.
Although we could barely move by this time, we had to sample a dessert. A pineapple parfait arrived, another work of art, with great lemon flavor and an edible flower garnish.
We departed for the journey home with very full stomachs and warm, grateful hearts for having enjoyed such a superb meal.
- Roots
- 1 Weizman St.
- Acre
- Tel: (04) 884-8040
- Hours: Sunday – Thursday, noon – 11 p.m.
- Friday, noon – 4 p.m.
- Kashrut – Local Rabbinate
- Wheelchair accessible
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.