**** This is another long one as I try to finish up our Israel posts; thanks for dropping by
I made sure to keep our last full day in Jerusalem open. I figured that we'd have seen enough over the last couple of days to figure out how we'd like to spend the day. And we started off at Machaneh Yehuda Market.
It was early and the food vendors weren't open yet, so we had a chance to check out the produce, bakery, and meat stalls....something we always enjoy and this was no exception.
We always learn so much about the culture and a region by just exploring the open air markets.
We stopped to check out the varieties of tea available in this shop and the very friendly young man started chatting with us. He was so nice and we came to find out that he is originally from new York City! Of course the Missus finding out he was from the states immediately started the "interrogation"....boy did the questions flow. And he was so nice, with a great sense of humor. I ended up getting a coffee and the Missus some tea....She even purchased some tea as well.
I asked the young man where to grab a Sabich and he made a recommendation.....he was so nice.
Machaneh Yehudah Market
Agripas St. 90
Jerusalem, Israel
From here we walked past Mamilla Mall and into the Old City.
This was a Monday and things seemed much quieter than the previous days.
And along with the now familiar sites.....
There were things we hadn't noticed on the previous day. At the Fifth Station of the Cross we saw this.
Apparently, this is where Christ stumbled and placed his hand on the wall to balance himself. And this is his handprint in stone along the Via Dolorosa.
We went ahead and followed the route in reverse from where we had started the previous day.
Until we arrived at the First Station where Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to die and the Crown of Thorns was placed on his head.
Right past this spot is the Church of the Flagellation where Pilate had Jesus flogged. We had wanted to see this area the previous day, but our guide would not take us because it as in the Muslim Quarter.
From here we decided to explore the Muslim Quarter for a bit.
Which seemed pretty mellow and relaxed. We stopped for some tea at this shop.
And just hung out with the old timers outside and watched the world go by.....
We were starting to get a bit hungry so we headed back to the area around Machaneh Yehudah Market and found the recommended Sabich Shop. We walked in and the menu was in Hebrew. There were no customers when we arrived so I asked about the menu....the two young ladies working were not very nice; I was told; "you read the menu and order....it right there..." And she walked away. I did a Google translate thing, walked back to the counter and was ignored. Two customers walked in behind me and their order was taken. So, I figured that they really didn't want my business so we crossed the street and went into the Market and stopped at this stand.
The Young Man working the counter was a hoot....he loved flirting with all the girls walking by.
There was something on the menu She wanted to try......
The Shakshuka. This was quite good; great acidic-sweet tomato flavors.....like sunshine in the form of food. The eggs were lovely, the Missus just loved the seasoning. She even enjoyed the bread!
I was told; "you better up your Shakshuka game!"
Hmmm.....
Me, well I got the namesake item; the Jachnun.
Man, this was quite good as well. Loved the pastry used to wrap the simple fillings; egg and eggplant was particularly tasty.
This was a very nice lunch...I'm glad we came here; I guess it was fate, huh?
Jachnun Bar
(Machaneh Yehudah Market)
We strolled back to the apartment and packed, we had a morning flight back to Paris, so there would be no time to dilly-dally in the morning. After which we had a nice afternoon nap.
For our last meal, I chose a highly recommended and very popular restaurant near Machaneh Yehudah Market named Machneyuda. I kept reading about the place and when Yotam Ottolenghi mentioned the place in several articles online; well it just seemed like the right pick for us.
We had 645 reservations and arrived at a hair past 630. The place was already packed and we were seated upstairs where the music and the discussions weren't quite as loud.
The menu is a single sheet; but there's quite a bit to choose from. The direction of our ordering was based on our previous meals and we also selected dishes that caught our attention.
And as we often do; we made a meal out of several starters as those menu items seemed the most interesting.
The first two dishes were easy to pick. We had really enjoyed the vegetables in Israel, so we made sure to get a couple of veggie based items.
Starting with the Turkish Tomato Salad.
Man, the wonderful sweet-acidity of the tomatoes; just perfect.
The Cabbage Siniya was also very good.
The cabbage had been charred thus creating a nice smoky-sweetness and wonderful textural contrast. The nutty-earthy tones of the tahini gave the dish some heft and the chilies added a bit of zip.
Our least favorite item of the night was the Shaour Tartare.
The tartare was delivered covered by spinach leaves; which were browning and getting discolored. The fish itself was quite chewy and very mild in flavor which was just over-powered by the aioli, herbs, and spices.
Meanwhile, the Sweetbreads were so delici-yoso!!!
Firm at first bite, giving way to a wonderful creaminess; the tomato and radish paired quite well, smoothing out any strong metallic-offal flavors with the dill adding in a grassy, slightly anise touch to things. The flatbread was crisp and nicely charred.
Our last dish was the Crispy Brain with Eggplant.
As if things couldn't get better; the brain was nicely fried; the interior so crisp then creamy, the tender eggplant smoky, the bread added a brioche like sweetness.
Overall, this was a excellent dinner and a great way to end our stay in Jerusalem.
Machneyuda
Beit Ya'akov St. 10
Jerusalem, Israel
After this wonderful dinner, the Missus treated me to a nightcap, stopping at the Beer Bazaar location in Machaneh Yehudah Market.
Hipster Jerusalem anyone?
Actually we enjoyed the vibe here; the bartender spent time in San Diego!
She told me to keep the coaster to remember our time here.
Cool folks!
Beer Bazaar Jerusalem
(Machaneh Yehudah Market)
Like I said, this was our favorite area in Jerusalem.
Back at the apartment, I sat on the porch for a while.
And tried to take in all that we'd seen and done over the last couple of days....whew.....
The next morning we were off to Ben Gurion International Airport. We had time to check out the lounge since we were flying Business Class on El Al.
And had a light breakfast.
And we got fed again on our flight to Paris.....
We arrived in Paris on time. We'd have one night before moving on to our next stop!
Glad the rude workers at the Sabich restaurant didn't ruin things and you spent your money somewhere that wanted your business.
Posted by: Jason | Friday, 22 April 2022 at 02:54 PM
glad the rest of your adventure was nice.
Posted by: kat | Saturday, 23 April 2022 at 04:59 AM
Thank you SO much for sharing all of your adventures!
Posted by: Kerri K | Saturday, 23 April 2022 at 01:40 PM
REALLY enjoyed your series of Jerusalem/Holy Land posts Kirk -- I'm not at all religious, but find religion fascinating. Remarkable history there. The food (and drink) was interesting too! Thanks for the journey!
Posted by: Peter | Saturday, 23 April 2022 at 04:05 PM
We do our best to just move on from folks like that Jason! And all did work out for us.
It was Kat!
Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and inspiring me to keep on typing Kerri!
There's just so much history here Peter! I'm glad you enjoyed these posts and do really appreciate your comments! Take care!
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 23 April 2022 at 09:00 PM
I'll have to get the Shakshuka too while I'm there.
Posted by: Omri | Monday, 25 April 2022 at 05:17 PM
Awesome Omri....if you do check this place out let me know what you think! Have fun!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 25 April 2022 at 05:38 PM