One of my favorite dining companions, my son Netanel, came back from Thailand to do another stint of reserve duty before heading out again on his travels.
“I’m really in the mood for a good steak,” he said, about two hours after arriving.
Then I remembered the Facebook posts for the Meat Time restaurant in Mahaneh Yehuda, which offers all-you-can-eat for NIS 250. Beer and wine, or soft drinks, are included.
The owners are two brothers-in-law, Gilad Stern and David Eliahu. They opened the restaurant a year and a half ago and started with sandwiches. The war hit them hard, with the sandwiches delivered to patrons by Wolt.
Going from private catering to full-time restaurant
The two young men had done private catering and events but decided to devote themselves full time to the restaurant. Stern spent more than six months on the Lebanese border as a paratrooper, leaving Eliahu to run the restaurant. On the night we visited, Stern’s wife and adorable baby daughter – named appropriately, Or (“light”) – came to pick him up for a family event.
“Food connects people,” Stern said. “When I see people coming here and eating and enjoying themselves, it makes me feel good.”
The meat comes from Argentina, and the menu changes slightly based on what is available that week.
I’m a bit of a wine snob, and I thought the wine served with the all-you-can-eat option would be the cheapest available. There were two options for red wine (which I prefer with meat), both from the Jerusalem Vineyard Winery – a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbec-Shiraz. They were quite drinkable. Netanel was happy with his beer.
The all-you-can-eat option starts with seven salads, all homemade. They were quite good, with the smoked eggplant the winner for me. The chips were among the best I’ve had recently – thin and crispy. But I restrained myself, as I knew there was a lot more food coming.
Noam, our server, added to the positive experience. A third-year nursing student, she seemed to genuinely care that diners have an enjoyable time. It was a reminder that service can make or break a dining venture.
She first brought a platter of meat that included kebab, pargit, merguez sausage, and liver. The pargit was juicy and had a tasty marinade. The kebab was good, the merguez was a little too spicy for me, and the liver was overcooked, which is how Israelis seem to like it.
There was also a platter of lamb spareribs that were the surprise hit of the night. I’m not usually a fan of lamb, as I find it too fatty, but these spareribs had a nice amount of meat on them, and I could cut away most of the fat, which Netanel promptly snatched from my plate.
It was with the steaks that the restaurant really showed its quality. They forgot to ask me how I like my meat done and brought a platter of entrecote, filet mignon, and sirloin that was medium.
“Is medium okay?” Noam asked.
“Actually, I prefer medium rare, but I’m sure it’s fine,” I answered, as I hate wasting food.
“No, it’s our mistake that we didn’t ask how you wanted it done,” she replied.
A few minutes later, a platter of perfectly cooked steak arrived at the table. The filet was soft and the entrecote juicy. Just a nicely made piece of meat.
“Would you like another steak or refills of any of the meat?” Noam asked us. Even 24-year-old Netanel had to decline, but he did ask about dessert. There was homemade malabi and parve ice cream. I’m not a big fan of malabi, but this one was delicious, with a hint of arak and topped with pistachio nuts.
Overall, a great deal for NIS 250. Come hungry.
- Meat Time
- 2 Ha’armonim St., Jerusalem
- Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
- Saturday night after Shabbat, on a trial basis
- Phone: (02) 500-1787
- Kashrut: Rabbanut Mehadrin
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.