In the fantasies of devotees of the Galilee, pieces of lamb sizzle on the grill and fish from Acre?s bay mean singing, olive oil and spices. The trip up North is made even more memorable by slices of aged cheeses, intoxicating glasses of wine in boutique wineries hidden away in lush vineyards, and unforgettable meals in inns and small chef's restaurants. In reality, visits to the North usually involve cheap meals that are easily forgotten and sometimes best repressed. It's not easy to maintain good restaurants, which are based on a professional staff and fresh, high-quality ingredients, in an area which depends mainly on weekend tourism.
Mitzpeh Abirim was one of the last communities permitted to build homes within natural forest areas. Ecologically, it may have been a poor decision, but it turned this small place into a B&B paradise. Behind almost every home two or three guest units were built, most of them in splendid isolation in the forest and overlooking the lovely landscape of the Western Galilee. When it comes to food, too, for a few years now efforts have been made to give the guests what they crave.
1. Lunch on thehonor system
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n a small forest clearing stands a little hut, wrapped in a layer of steel. The steel is meant to protect the site from wild boars, rabbits, foxes and other forest creatures. Human beings, however, are invited to make use of what's inside, to dine at the wooden tables or to swing in the hammocks scattered among the trees and rocks. Inside is a refrigerator filled with cheeses, olives, fresh vegetables, rolls, granola cookies and cold drinks, as well as an urn of hot water and herbal teas and coffee fixings. Instead of a cashier there is a price list, a small sign that, with a refined, foreign courtesy, asks customers to leave their payment in the place specified, and a small bowl of coins for change.
Some visitors search suspiciously for hidden cameras, in vain. Dear Kaffe is not the first example of Edna and Eyal Hefer's use of a service method copied from coffee wagons and patisseries abroad. For the past three years, a refrigerator has stood next to their front door, out of which Edna sells the yogurt and Safed and Circassian-style fresh cheeses flavored with onion, chive or za'atar (wild hyssop) that she makes with milk from their goats. A small refrigerator holds a selection of wines from Israeli boutique vineyards, and picnic baskets of cheeses and wine are also available. The money basket has never yet been shortchanged. When Big Brother isn?t looking the thrill of sinning is diminished and even avowed kleptomaniacs get confused in the face of the surfeit of freedom. The collective Israeli mindset, which insists that someone is always trying to screw us over, is flustered at the sight of this tranquil,liberated naivete.
Those who want to wake up in the morning with only a thin layer of thatching separating them from nature can do so in the shepherds' huts this hyperactive couple have built. Three lovely huts stand in the heart of the forest, each one isolated but equipped with a private shower and bathroom, among other amenities. It's a marvelous solution for anyone who can?t afford the high prices demanded by the B&Bs in the area.
Deir Kaffe, Edna's Cheeses and the shepherds? huts at the Hefer farm. Mitzpeh Abirim, 04-9870290,
052-8579601, www.makombalev.com ?(Hebrew only?).
2. Harmony with the Ronens
Habayit Be'abirim, which has not reopened since last summer's Second Lebanon War, has only five tables. From the outset, no one had any pretensions of getting rich as a restaurateur here. This tiny restaurant, like others around the world that got their start in inns and hotels, was intended to give overnight guests a culinary experience that would integrate harmoniously with the vacation experience in the area. Roni and Tal Ronen, whose professions are architecture and design, have built two luxury guest unitsinside their walled compound and they are among the most beautiful in Israel. They feature clean modern lines, a quiet color palette that blend with the green landscape the window walls let in, as well as a decor that evokes traditional rural European inns. The large, common kitchen, with its wooden knights? table, white crockery and gorgeous cookware collection, is the heart of the
entire site.Roni and Tal, who love food and hospitality, are still contemplating the right formula and menu for a Galilee restaurant. They want a cuisine that will take advantage of local ingredients, combine classic European techniques with the local cuisine, and, like their guest units, provide a well-
designed experience that strives for perfection together with a pleasant, homeyatmosphere.
In the meantime, their many conversations with local chef friends such as Haim Tibi from Muscat and Erez Komarovsky of the Lehem Erez bread chain, who has moved to the area, have yielded plans to host chefs for specialdegustation ?(tasting?) meals and intimate culinary workshops. This month, Komarovsky will spend three days preparing epicurean meals with guests and giving workshops on local produce and breadbaking in a tabun oven.
Cooking with Erez at Habayit Be'abirim, August 13-15,
04-9870141, 054-7612643,
www.habait.com ?(some English?).
3. French-Mediterranean at Morel
Most of the good restaurants in the North - those that maintain consistency and have a reasonable turnover of diners - are centrally located or on main roads. Abirim is too isolated to rely on drop-in traffic.
The hope is that the B&B guests will be enough to sustain a good restaurant over time. Chef Liraz Crispin, formerly of Claudine in Yehud and Habayit Be?abirim, decided to take the risk and to open a small, intimate restaurant nearby, with dinner service only. The limited menu includes classic French and Mediterranean-inspired fish, seafood and meat dishes.
For now, despite the pleasant atmosphere, personal service and the sense that the open kitchen is run by a knowledgable professional, it is not certain that the restaurant rates a starring role in anyone?s Galilee fantasies: Blame that on overcooked asparagus, or the use of commercial ravioli instead of homemade ones.
The restaurant also sells liqueurs, spice blends, herbal teas and other local products.
Morel Galilee Kitchen, at the
entrance to Abirim, 054-5863546
4-5. Liqueurs, jams and toys
Mirale Keidar makes
liqueurs − the best are the orange and lemon varieties − as well as jams from seasonal fruits.
Mirale Keidar, Abirim, 050-4703818
Soft pastels, the dominant colors of the wood and cloth toys made by Idit Kaminsky, imbue them with an old-fashioned, romantic look. This inviting furniture and gift shop also operates on the honor system. There?s a bell that will summon assistance if needed. Galilee Shop, Abirim, 050-8245501
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