Downtown is cutting loose like a virgin on Prom Night and the burgeoning culinary scene is a large part of a pioneering movement to integrate this neighborhood beyond the hours of 9-5. The growing fashion district has proven a major draw for up and coming restaurants. Although models may not eat, the people who dress them do and they eat well on 9th street! Just below the teeming floors of showrooms housed in The New Mart, you’ll find some of the best lunch spots in the city. Bar-B-Kosher is the latest rising lunchtime star. In honor of L’Shana Tovah (for my dear Gentile readers that means Happy Jewish New Year in Hebrew) I’m giving my peeps and our fine cuisine a shout out. My mother will kveil!

The name, mixed with the faux wood paneling that covers every inch of the space, may be kitschy but Bar-B-Kosher comes to play. Seating is limited and there is rarely an available table so you might want to consider a to-go order. Regardless of where you dine, be prepared when you take that first bite…it will change your life. If food could solve world conflict, the Middle East would be at peace! It’s disarmingly delicious!

In a neighborhood dense with Israeli and Middle Eastern business people, David Dahan, a successful Kosher caterer from Washington D.C., saw the opportunity for a restaurant to meet their needs. From the bustling, Rabbi overseen kitchen (hey, this is Bar B Kosher, they keep it tight and right) they offer salads, low carb plates, and different roasted meats but the real draw here, besides the Glatt stamp of approval, are the sandwiches served on freshly baked baguette.

The Tunisian; a spicy blend of Tuna, Olive, Tomato, Harrisa, and Potato served with the Chopped Israeli Salad (when ordered, it comes inside the sandwich so don’t get confused), is mind altering. The Mix; Turkey, Chicken, Carrots, and Caramelized Onions in a creamy, curry like sauce (try it with hummus inside), will have you spinning. If you think you’ve eaten a Falafel, think again. The chickpea delights that Bar B Kosher produces will turn your table into a Wailing Wall as you weep with gratitude for the flavor. All sandwiches are served with spicy pickled cabbage that can (and should) be piled on as well. The wall to ceiling "wood" wallpaper may feel a little claustrophobic but your meal with send you flying to the heavens and back. Just don’t go on Saturday, it’s the Sabbath and these fine folks are taking a day of rest so the place is shuttered tight. Making food this incredible is a work out!

Happy New Year

Bar-B-Kosher
113 E 9th St (between Main and Los Angeles Streets)
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Mon-Thurs: 8am-5pm
Fri: 8am-3pm
Saturday: CLOSED
Sun 9am-5pm

My mother is many things; a true confidant, a wonderful writer, a ferocious tambourine player. She is not, however, a woman with a long attention span and she finds cooking quite boring so she’s never invested herself in it. Having burned many a pot because she forgot it was on the stove and being less inclined to bake than to microwave, her culinary repertoire is short BUT very sweet. My mom happens to make the most incredible roast chicken anyone could ever have the pleasure of eating. For as long as I’ve been alive, that’s what I’ve enjoyed every Friday night we’ve spent together. It is my family’s Shabbat dinner and in honor of Rosh Hashanah and a looming Yom Kippur, this is my version of my mom’s recipe (she has no recipe, she just does the damn thing).

With love…

Miki’s Shabbat Dinner
Serves 3-4

2 heads Garlic
1 large chicken, 3-4 lbs.
3 Onions, sliced
4-6 Carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch sections
8-12 Yukon Gold Potatoes (or other small potato) cut into chunks
1 handful Rosemary, preferably stolen from a neighbor’s yard (if you really want to do it like my mom does), store bought will do in a pinch
Kosher Salt
Cumin
Paprika
Soy Sauce
Olive Oil
Lemon or white wine…optional or if you have it

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the bottom stem off of one head of garlic and reserve for later.
3. Slice several cloves of garlic from the second head. Lift up the skin of the chicken near the breast and place garlic slices under the skin. Make several small incisions on the underside of the chicken as well (the dark meat side) and slide slices into cuts.
4. In a large roasting pan place onion slices, carrots, potatoes and reserved head of garlic. These are just vegetable suggestions, try any combination. My mom once threw in broccoli and it was actually really good. Beets, leeks, cauliflower, fennel, anything that will stand up to 2 hours of roasting is a good addition.
5. Dress vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pilfered rosemary. Toss to coat.
6. Sprinkle chicken with salt, cumin, rosemary, and paprika. Rub into skin on both sides.
7. Place chicken on top of vegetables and lightly drizzle with soy sauce and olive oil.
8. If you have it, put half a cut lemon in the cavity of the chicken. If you don’t..no worries.
9. Roast at 350 until skin is golden, chicken leg wiggles slightly when you jiggle it, the house smells amazing and juices run clear, about 1 ¾-2 ½ hours. Baste if you remember. If you have it, add a bit of white wine halfway through cooking for some extra juiciness. If the skin browns too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
10. Remove from oven and allow chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes.
11. Carve and serve with roasted vegetables and pan juices. The roasted head of garlic is meant to be divided into cloves and spread on Challah or any other bread just like butter. Add a tossed salad and bada-bing, bada-boom, you’re in business!
12. Enjoy!

Remember, none of these things are rules. If you like something else or have different ingredients in the house, use those instead. Sometimes just rubbing a chicken with Dijon mustard, salt, garlic and rosemary and roasting it is enough. Do what is easy and makes you happy. That’s how my mom rolls.