Open Sunday - Thursday: 11am till 11pm. Closed Friday and Shabbat.

November 2007
It's not every day that we are honored with royalty in Israel. The Israeli melting pot that has brought us the tastes of a hundred Diasporas, has brought us one more that we can be proud of. Marcel Hess, our host, really is the sausage king and has certificates to prove it. For seven generations, the Hess family of Zweston, Germany, and later Basel, have been purveyors of fine meat products. So fine, that Marcel has garnered many gold and silver medals, in blind taste tests, and has even been awarded the best "ham" in Europe. And, as the Zionist saga of this family unfolds, Basel's loss was our gain. The Hess family came on Aliya in 1998, bringing with them their secrets and traditions passed down over the generations. Son Doron, the seventh generation, now serving in the army, is the crown prince, waiting in the wings, to bring the family business into the twenty first century.

Let me emphasize—this is a family business. Wife Suzanne is a partner, and only Marcel and his daughter do the cooking in the spotless kitchen. Marcel and Suzanne are very gracious hosts and will immediately treat you like guests in their own home. Whether you come as a couple or dine alone, Marcel will entertain you with anecdotes and more info than you could possibly absorb about the sausage business. In fact, the restaurant itself is decorated with family memorabilia, Marcel's antique and old menu collection (JFK inauguration), photos of Marcel with Sharon, Peres, Katzav, and of course, his medals and honors.

MENU
Americans miss their Delis, Brits pine away for their salt beef, but the "real" thing started here, in family businesses in Central Europe brought to the New World. You could go to Hess's just for a sandwich, but when you see and hear the mouth-watering menu, you will want to stay for dinner. This is more than a dinner. It's an eating experience. Forget about small talk. All you do is talk about the food, as almost everything is new and interesting. If you happen to be of Central European background, then it's real comfort food and pure nostalgia.

The menu is built in such a way that "novices" can sample no less than 12 kinds of cold cuts, each pickled, smoked, cured, aged, dried in its own special way. Recommended for the first course is the Majestic gourmet platter (245 nis). We're not talking corn beef and salami here. We're talking about cold cuts with melodious names like Italian-style carne secco di manzo, salami tipo Milanese, German style brisket, Hamburg style smoked beef, pickled beef stuffed with pistachios, Swiss delikatess-aufschnitt made from calf-veal with assorted flavors, including wild forest mushrooms, sweet apricot and pistachios, duck pate and hickory smoked duck parfait with berry sauce and fried onions and specials of the day.

Every one was distinctive and different, and above all exuding quality and perfection. They were all noteworthy and you will forever be able to say that you ate ham, albeit glatt kosher. All the meats were cut paper thin. A perfectly, heavy, hearty, European style bread liberally seeded, accompanied the platter along with aioli sauce and a strong mustard. Lest you think this is artery clogging, I was reassured that the fat content was around 8%. You should also try the homemade (everything is homemade!) choucroute (22 nis) which is hot sauerkraut laced with smoked meats and juniper berries (arar).

While this appetizer is more than ample as a starter, you will be more than tempted to also order a hot appetizer (109-156 nis). You will find it hard to choose between sweetbreads served in a vol-au-vent prepared in a sparkling Riesling wine gravy and Swiss forest mushrooms or maybe stuffed spleen, prepared in the old fashioned German style, served with fried onions and homemade real white horseradish.

The most interesting item has to be escargots kosher style! This delicacy is prepared from veal brain, simmered in a garlic, rosemary and basil sauce. To add to the authenticity, it is served in the traditional way in a special pottery dish from Alsace. Like most of you, escargots have never crossed my lips, so I could be served anything and not know the difference. I can report, though, that whatever this concoction was or is called, it was very tasty and looked like the real thing. If anyone has tasted both, I would be interested in hearing your comments. According to Marcel, escargot had a very short season, maybe 3-4 months. When he asked the Parisian fishmongers how they coped with such a short season, he was told that they "cheat" and mix it with veal brains! Voila! If it's good enough for the French, it's good enough for us!

There are also soups on the menu, hearty and a meal in themselves (47nis). Choose from Hungarian style goulash soup, German style Grunkern soup, Dutch style pea soup or comforting chicken soup with kneidlach.

If you opt for a deli sandwich (about 47nis) be prepared for the most overstuffed sandwich you can imagine (add 23sh for the Goliath, Samson or Hercules!)

This is a meal that takes awhile, so you may want to accompany the meal with the best of Israeli wines and a full "schnapps" menu. We found a wine not readily available anywhere else. It is from the Segal winery and it is an unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon. All commercial wines are filtered to enhance their clarity and appearance. This wine is not, and retains a rustic flavor and color.

MAIN COURSE
Again, for novices, you may want a tasting menu to try as many hot sausages as you can. Order the choucroute garnier platter (150sh) and you will be treated to pickled brisket, garlic sausage, French saucisson, Swiss Landjager, Swiss veal sausage and whatever else is available on the day. This platter comes with German style potato salad and their famous choucroute.

All the items on the menu are mouthwatering! From exquisitely cut and aged three weeks, steaks on the bone and off, to veal cooked like schnitzel, or grilled to perfection. We didn't order steak but we did catch a glimpse of it. It looked amazing! How many restaurants do you know that offer filet mignons and filet rack of baby lamb?

Do I need to mention that this is really a meat lover's kind of place? Vegetarians need not apply. But if for some reason a vegetarian accompanies the carnivores, Marcel can whip up something with vegetables or fish for you. I had the grilled veal cutlet "Toscanini" (235 nis) topped with chicken pate, served with chips and coleslaw. It was a real treat, succulent and juicy. My partner had crispy house duck (190 nis), oven baked with an orange and honey gravy. It wasn't crispy like Chinese duck but more mellow and classic.

For those that read menus backwards, i.e., the desserts first, the offerings are limited but adequate for ending a meal with something sweet. There is a standard chocolate mousse cake and a European-style apple pie which was scrumptious. The sorbets also make a perfect ending to rich meal.

BOTTOM LINE
Hess, The Sausage King is an experience for all those who like to try new foods and appreciate good quality food. The experience will take you on a whirlwind tour of Europe and old world traditions at a price only slightly cheaper than an airline ticket to Europe. Though the experience does not come cheap, for your money you will have an unforgettable meal that you will be talking about long after you pay the bill.
The eLuna discount coupon applies from noon till 7:00pm.

GETTING THERE
For those making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem from out of town, Hess is located on Helena Hamalka St, in the Russian Compound adjacent to the Haganat Hateva building. Despite all the efforts of the city planners to keep cars out of Jerusalem, it is possible to get there by car and even find street parking, or at the Russian Compound. For those walking, it is one block off Jaffa Road, from the corner of Café Hillel.