Fodor's Expert Review Zahav

Chef Michael Solomonov’s Zahav is steeped in the milk and honey and hummus and lamb of his native Israel, as well as the cultures that have left a mark on that Promised Land. Taking advantage of its dramatic perch above one of the city's oldest streets, the restaurant relies on picture windows and soaring ceilings to create spectacle, but the open kitchen is the true stage. There, a small staff mixes and matches a melting pot of flavors for a modern menu whose highlights include colorful salatim and fluffy house-baked laffa (flatbread); kebabs of impossibly tender chicken or lamb merguez cooked over hot coals; and addictive florets of fried cauliflower served with a lemon-and-dill-spiked lebneh (yogurt cheese). The legendary smoked and pomegranate-juice-braised lamb shoulder should be reserved in advance.