Ra’anana's Pastaria: Pasta, pizza & a whole lot more
While Pastaria does a great trade in pizzas from home-made dough and every variation on pasta, we decided to go more for vegetable options for the first course.
By GLORIA DEUTSCHPasta, pizza and a whole lot more(photo credit: JONATHAN SHMUKLER)
To see Hilton Block, the owner of Pastaria, in oversize kippah and tzitzit (ritual fringes) very much in evidence, it is hard to imagine that his previous venture into the restaurant business involved several unmentionables in kosher circles.“I saw the light”, says Block by way of explanation. The South African-born Block settled in Israel some 15 years ago, and his previous restaurant in Tel-Aviv, called Rustico, was not a bit kosher but very popular with the trendy in-crowd.“My wife who is from Morocco came under the influence of Rabbi Peretz, the rav of Ra’anana after listening to his lectures, and became observant. I said to her ‘Leave me out of it,’ and carried on taking the children to the beach on Shabbat for a while. But eventually it got to me too, and I decided to leave Tel Aviv and open a kosher place here.”We sat outside one balmy autumn evening recently where the diners are shielded from the Ahuza main road by flower boxes of abundant and cheerful geraniums, matching the red gingham tablecloths. Hilton recommended his signature dishes, pointing out en passant that his young chef, Amit Cohen, had worked with the great Yonatan Roshfeld himself.While Pastaria does a great trade in pizzas from home-made dough and every variation on pasta, we decided to go more for vegetable options for the first course. I chose a dish of baked tomato halves topped with a mixture of three cheeses, Mozzarella, feta, and parmesan (NIS 38). As I adore any kind of melted cheese, this was a gastronomic high for me, especially on discovering some chopped sun-dried tomatoes lurking at the bottom.My dining companion chose a starter of layers of roasted aubergine topped with a spicy tomato sauce and cheeses, including Grana Padano an Italian hard cheese similar to Parmesan. It arrived in an oval dish in which it had been cooked, was piping hot and garnished with basil. The verdict from the other side of the table was that the dish was delicious (NIS 36).For my main course I decided to try the fish, but my companion went native with a plate of fettuccine in house sauce. However he also consented to up the health factor with some baked sea bream.My dish was called “Taste of Tonno Rosso” and consisted of seared fresh tuna chunks, mixed baby salad leaves, capers, garlic and chili (NIS 62). It was very piquant thanks to all the flavorings, and a squeeze of lemon turned it into a real delicacy. My companion enjoyed the baked fish fillets on a mix of roasted vegetables as the fish was as fresh as can be (NIS 98).The house sauce on the pasta contained mascarpone, Parmesan and parsley with some cream and tomato added (NIS 56). For liquid refreshment we had several glasses each of Har Bracha Cabernet Sauvignon, a rich and fruity red wine aged in French oak (NIS 29 a glass.)Looking around at our fellow diners it was clear that this is a favorite venue for families with children, groups of teenagers, and even a good site for trying out a shidduch (match). Hilton agreed, telling us that some families come three times a week. And while what we ate was gourmet standard, the restaurant does a non-stop business in pizzas of all kinds and pasta, as its name implies. Another important plus – the service is quick and professional.
Rounding up our meal with a touch of sweetness, we shared an apple crumble with vanilla ice cream (NIS 34). The crumble was crispy, the apple chunks not over-sweet and the ice cream was Ben and Jerry’s. What more could any diner ask?PastariaAhuza St. 184, Ra’anana.Phone: 09-773-4383Sun.-Thu.: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.Fri.: 11 a.m.-2 hours before Shabbat.Sat. night: 1 hour after Shabbat until 11 p.m.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
