I’m sometimes hesitant to order steak in a restaurant, since I (or let’s be honest, my favorite husband) can make a good steak at home. As an aspiring foodie, I feel like I should order something out of my comfort zone that I have never tried before.
But there is a reason that there are so many steakhouses around the world. There is something special about a good steak, and when you pair it with whiskey it’s even better.
The Whiskey Bar and Museum is situated in an old Templar building in the Sarona market in Tel Aviv.
Enjoying whiskey and meat in an old Templar building
We began our evening with a whiskey cocktail called Pina-Co-Whiskey (NIS 48), a nice mix of bourbon, coconut, pineapple, and lime. What could be bad?
For appetizers we ordered bread and dips, and the smoked sirloin. The bread and dips dish (NIS 28) was unique: all three dips – burnt tomato salsa, garlic confit, and a green aioli – were served in one small pan rather than in individual dishes. They were excellent.
The smoked sirloin (NIS 56) was a visually arresting dish of very thin slices of sirloin steak on top of a bright purple beet-and-cashew cream, with pickled onions. The portion was not too large, so it left room for the main event – the steaks.
We initially thought we would share the prime rib, which was NIS 66 per 100 gr. But the only size available was 1.4 kg.; the steak alone would have cost close to NIS 1,000.
My husband had been here with friends a few months ago, and they considered ordering it. But it didn’t work out because the person who was ordering asked for it to be cooked medium-well. “No!” shouted my scandalized husband, who couldn’t bear to see the meat ruined.
ON OUR visit, my husband ordered the 350-gr. aged entrecote (NIS 195), which was cooked over a charcoal grill. I chose a new dish that had just been introduced, a 300-gr. sirloin steak (NIS 170) served medium-rare on a bed of bright purple sweet potato puree, with a little jug of whiskey glaze to pour over the meat. It was all excellent, although I would have preferred the sweet potato puree on the side rather than under the meat.
Now for the whiskey. The choices are endless, with more than 1,600 different “whiskey expressions,” according to Grisha, who is in charge of the whiskey at the restaurant. The most expensive is a 72-year-old Macallan – you have to buy the whole bottle, and it goes for NIS 650,000.
If you like to read, settle in with the restaurant’s whiskey menu, which is more like a book. There are more than 20 different flights you can order with whiskey from around the world. The prices range from NIS 99 to NIS 199, with four glasses per flight. Each glass is 25 ml., about half of the amount of a shot served in a bar, meaning each flight is about two shots. It is a chance to taste whiskeys from places like Japan that might not be on your radar. There are two flights of whiskeys that were bottled specifically for the Whiskey Bar.
Grisha also gives workshops for NIS 350, plus the cost of the whiskey, which must be arranged in advance. There is also a very good wine list by the glass or bottle, and I was surprised at how many people were drinking wine.
There are several desserts on the menu, but we were too full by the end of our main course and instead began the train trip back to Jerusalem. Next time you’re in Tel Aviv, plan to dine here, but make a reservation. You won’t be sorry.
- The Whiskey Bar and Museum
- 27 David Elazar St., Sarona Complex,
- Tel Aviv
- Sunday-Thursday, 6 p.m.-11 p.m.
- Phone: (03) 955-1105
- Kashrut: Tzohar
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.