I have always felt that Jewish food is underrepresented in the high end culinary scene. Just because something is typically seen as a comfort food doesn’t mean that it can’t be elevated and plated beautifully. Chef David Teyf is changing that at the newly opened LOX Café at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
You can find the museum on the water in Battery Park City, overlooking the Statue of Liberty. The café has been open 7 weeks and offers elevated museum dining. The menu features updated versions of old world classics. You can dive into sprawling platters of borscht, blintz, and babka (oh my). The sandwiches are piled high and arrive on freshly baked bread. Try the Lower East Side made with pastrami lox, Russian dressing, slaw & mustard for an excellent take on the reuben.
As the name indicates, they have a plethora of lox. More specifically you may find hand sliced versions of lox done 5 ways: pastrami, double smoked, sake-ginger, dill & vodka, or grapefruit & gin. Each variety possesses a different texture in addition to their wildly different flavor. The presentation of the platter, as with many of their dishes, is as much of a piece of artwork as anything hanging on the walls around you. Chef Teyf plans to add more variations as the seasons change. The man really knows how to make my little Jew heart sing. It was a pleasure to listen to him speak with such experience and excitement for his craft. I have no doubt he will continue to amaze. Here’s what we had:
LOX FIVE WAYS -A TASTING OF OUR DISTINCTIVE LOX SELECTIONS SERVED WITH WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE, SCALLION CREAM CHEESE, CUCUMBER, TOMATO, ONION & TOASTED BREADS
HERRING (SILOTKA) IN A FUR COAT WITH BEETS, POTATOES, ONIONS & A DILL AIOLI
CHALLAH & CAVIAR SANDWICH - SALMON ROE WITH BUTTER AND CUCUMBER ON CHALLAH, SERVED OPEN FACED
GIDEON’S LOWER EAST SIDE SANDWICH - PASTRAMI LOX, RUSSIAN DRESSING, COLE SLAW, DELI MUSTARD & ONIONS ON SEEDED RYE BREAD
WHITE FISH SALAD SANDWICH - ON AN ONION POCKET WITH TOMATOES & CUCUMBERS
JEWISH BENTO - SCHMALTZ, MATJES & PICKELED HERRING IN CREAM SAUCE SERVED WITH GARLIC DILL POTATOES, COUNTRY SALAD, SHOT OF BORSCHT, A MATZO BABKA BITE, FRUIT COMPOTE & BORODINSKY BLACK BREAD, SERVED WITH 3 VODKA SHOTS
SIGNATURE RUSSIAN COFFEE CAKE
Address: 36 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10280
www.mjhnyc.org/
