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If memory serves me right ... By Daniel Rogov Tags: dining, Tel Aviv There are three basic reasons why critics re-review a restaurant. The first and saddest is if one returns because there are reasons to think the restaurant has deteriorated; the second is the hope that things are as splendid now as they ever were, and the third is the hope that things will be better than they were the previous time around. During my first visit to Lucas two years ago, I found the food overall acceptable but not at all inspiring. Frankly, I returned with the hope that a brasserie this attractive would have raised its culinary standards. As the weather was pleasant when I visited, my companion and I decided to dine on the outdoor terrace. The first thing we noticed as we chose our table was that there was a distinct moldy aroma that permeated the air and could not be escaped no matter where on the long terrace we chose to sit. That was not a good omen, especially as the interior of the restaurant, on our first trip, had smelled of bleach, as if someone had cleaned the kitchen a bit too close to dinner time. One adjusts and we went on to order. Because the menu has changed dramatically since our last visit, we did not try any of the same dishes. We ordered several first courses. The first to reach the table was shrimp coated with panko. I continue to be amused by "panko" on the menu, as, for many years, that supposedly Japanese coating was known more commonly but perhaps less fashionably as nothing more than "dried, seasoned breadcrumbs." Advertisement Nonetheless, the shrimp and their coating, although crisp, lacked flavor and the salad of baby leaves on which they sat was so intolerably salty that we ignored it. The sauce that accompanied the shrimp, as reported by our waitress, was a curry-seasoned aioli, the curry far too strong and dominant. We went on to a quinoa salad, which was not especially tempting, although it was made up of a hodgepodge of ingredients, including bits of celery, red onion, cranberries, nuts, mint and coriander along with oil and lemon. We did better with a simple but pleasant portion of three small baladi eggplants, which were sprinkled over generously with garlic and sour cream. At this point, things took a distinct turn for the better, our final first-course choice being of four beef marrow bones baked in a beef stock. Rich in soft, fatty marrow, sprinkled over with coarse salt and each bone topped with confit of Portobello mushrooms on which sat a whole roasted and peeled garlic clove, the dish was a treat. Because the specialty of the house is now entrecote steaks, served in portions ranging from 200 to 600 grams, I selected this as a main course, opting for the 400 gram version. Thick, with a generous rim of fat left intact, the well-aged beef was served medium-rare as requested and was full of flavor needing nothing more than a bit of black pepper to make it irresistible. Our closing espresso coffees were good but dessert, alas, was a catastrophe. We had opted to share a portion of what the menu lists as a "Babylon." What this turned out to be was a far too dry Belgian waffle topped with a hot chocolate cake that was far too sweet, that in turn was topped with a grainy hot chocolate sauce and surrounded by a red berry sauce. To add insult to injury, the dish was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Even though the menu boasted that it was made with Madagascar vanilla beans the ice cream had no noticeable flavor. Our food bill for two came to NIS 280. There is a fairly good wine list but we had brought our own wine and were charged a reasonable corkage fee of NIS 30. At first the service was somewhat clumsy but improved later on. What is obvious, however, is that the elegant atmosphere of a modern brasserie that was in evidence when the restaurant first opened has now vanished and the place has taken on the look of a Mediterranean diner. Although I cannot recommend the general menu, the beef marrow and entrecote steaks are quite good. One can say that the meat dishes were quite good. Dining on the marrow and a 300 gram steak for lunch will cost a very reasonable NIS 50 to which a glass of wine will add about NIS 30. Lucas: 5 Mazeh Street. Open daily 10 A.M.-last person. Tel: (03) 525-2565. Doing the Sloppy Joe After decades of popularity in the United States, the Sloppy Joe sandwich has made its way first to Paris, then to Italy and finally to Israel. Several days ago, I made my way to Tel Aviv's Maya Taco Bar to see just how close we Israelis could come to producing the real thing, a sandwich on which I have feasted many times in the past. Just who was the first to make the sandwich that carries this name is unknown but some swear it originated at Sloppy Joe's bar in Havana during the 1930s. In any case, there is a near consensus that the basic ingredients are of generously-seasoned chopped beef and onions, which are grilled on a flat surface in the style we have come to know today as a la plancha. Once cooked, the ingredients are piled on a hamburger-style bun, sprinkled over very generously with a barbecue sauce that has been sweetened by brown sugar and seasoned with at least a modicum of hot pepper. Whether the sauce contains a bit of mayonnaise is a legitimate option but after the sauce, tomato slices and shredded lettuce are piled on, and the sandwich is closed. The version I received was just fine, the chopped entrecote steak having a fresh, clean taste, the sauce with just the right touch of piquancy, and the roll, although rectangular in shape rather than round, was just soft enough to sponge up much of the sauce. As it should be, just enough of the sauce and the meat made its way out of the sandwich to the paper placemat beneath it, this trait giving the sandwich its well known reputation for being "sloppy." It should be clearly understood that there is nothing delicate about eating a Sloppy Joe, and those in the know will sit far enough from the table or counter and lean over at a rather precipitous angle to avoid blots of meat and bbq sauce dripping on their shirts, skirts or trousers. And then, as was the case here, because the ingredients are so good, to finish off the bits that have fallen with the fingers or, if one wants to maintain a genteel appearance, with a fork. Great fun to eat and providing a filling lunch or snack, the version I tried costs a reasonable NIS 25 to which a bottle of Tuborg beer added NIS 14. This taco bar also offers what they call an "Israeli version" of the Sloppy Joe, featuring lamb, eggplant slices, tomato salsa and tehina. In a phrase, that ain't a Sloppy Joe but I may actually work up my courage and try it on my next visit. Maya Taco Bar; 54 Ibn Gvirol St., Tel Aviv. Open daily 12 P.M.-1 A.M. Tel: (03) 696-0304. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Clear, present danger Survey : 52% of youth believe Israel faces existential threat. Feeling guilty Europe's criticism of Israel is more than just anti-Semitism.

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