In recent years, 29 Montefiore Street has housed a succession of restaurants. In the beginning there was Tukanos, and that begot Spaghettim, which gave way to Frank and then Times Square. Now it seems to be the turn of Basar, which might be considered the reincarnation of Carni Bar, a super-casual steak joint that justly earned the name "meat temple" when it was located on Najara Street, on the fringes of the Carmel Market.

Basar is set in an attractive building, with three dining areas and a large bar. This is a pleasantly informal place, with red, brown and orange walls and a wood floor. We opened with several first courses. The first and best was a well-made chicken liver pate, which was appealingly peppery and firm enough to spread on the soft, tasty home-baked bread served with it. Eaten with red onion jam, the dish was very pleasant.

We continued with three other first courses, each of which disappointed. A green salad, for example, contained far too wilted greens tossed with grilled peppers and bits of mushrooms, and came with a somewhat anemic balsamic vinaigrette that was attractive neither to the eye nor to the palate. A dish of three stacked portobello mushrooms topped with grated feta cheese proved largely flavorless except for the brown balsamic vinaigrette sprinkled on top, and the grilled, split eggplant with pickled lemon and tahini was so full of seeds that very little was edible.

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From here we switched to the main courses, and things improved dramatically. My 200-gram entrecote steak, prepared medium-rare as requested, had a nice rim of fat and came with a sauce of herb-infused olive oil. The steak, tender and full of flavor, was served with a grilled onion. This was a lovely steak and probably would have been even better had I ordered the 300- or 400-gram portion, but it was quite satisfying as it was. Although the thickly cut chips a la plancha were crisp on the exterior, they disappointed somewhat by being a bit too grainy inside. The 280-gram hamburger we tried was excellent - just dense enough, rich in flavor and topped with fried onions. It was fine with nothing more than a bit of Dijon mustard.

Our food bill came to a reasonable NIS 136 (we were not charged for the eggplant, as it went largely uneaten). Half-liter Heineken draft beers added NIS 18 each. At this stage, this is a place entirely for carnivores. Stick with the meat and you will not be disappointed, especially because the service is pleasant, the place comfortable and the prices quite reasonable.

Basar: 29 Montefiore Street, Tel Aviv. Open daily noon-2 A.M. Tel: (03) 525-2569.

Back to the Meat Bar

Since opening in 1995, Tel Aviv's Meat Bar has taken on a comfortably well-worn look. The wood and tile floors, although still nicely polished, are showing marks of regular wear, the dark wooden beams and arches are beginning to scuff, and even the overhead fans seem to move a bit more slowly now. All of this is fine, for that is precisely the kind of appealing look that successful meat restaurants should have. If I have any complaint whatsoever regarding the decor, it is only that the heavy wood tables have been replaced by Formica.

I opened with two first courses. What the menu called a Caesar salad indeed contained the traditional romaine lettuce, fried croutons, garlic and grated Parmesan cheese, but instead of anchovy fillets, it was topped with a grilled half chicken breast. Like far too many of the chicken breasts served these days, this one was too dry, too tough and had far too little flavor. Thankfully, it could simply be pushed to the side. The salad itself, by whatever name one cares to give it, was refreshing. I continued with the chicken liver terrine, which was served with slices of toast and a stewed, caramelized pear. The terrine itself proved very pleasant - it was pleasantly peppery and firm enough to spread on the toast. The sweetness of the pear made a nice contrast.

The house specialties here include not only steaks and burgers but also several varieties of homemade sausages, so I chose that direction for my main course. The pork sausages I received were firm and plump, and had been enriched with white truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. True to their peasant roots, the fatty sausages were just coarse enough, rich, peppery and full of flavor. They went splendidly with a dab of Dijon mustard. The sausages arrived topped with thin, crisply fried onion rings and were served with a thick, tasty potato puree and a generous pile of sauerkraut, made properly with vinegar and sugar.

The apple pie I had for dessert was excellent. The crust was firm and full of flavor, the apples were just soft enough, and the hints of sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top added a nice touch. The mint vanilla ice cream accompanying the pie was far too commercial, and was best simply pushed to the side and ignored. Including a closing espresso, my food bill came to NIS 165. A glass of Stella Artois draught beer added NIS 15.

Meat Bar: 52 Chen Boulevard, Tel Aviv. Open daily noon-1 A.M. Tel: (03) 695-6276