November 09
"When a child calls Tata he is seeking warmth, love and good food" says the menu. This is what you will get at Tata Israeli Bistro & Grill. Chef Nir Fromer his partner Avi have created a comfortable and casual meat restaurant where you get value for your money. The dishes are tasty and creative and the dining experience is very pleasant. Note that the menu favors meat dishes but there are non-meat salads, sandwiches and fish dishes if you come early enough.  There are also absolutely amazing desserts. So if you stop to gas up the car and you don't plan a whole meal, be sure to have at least a cuppa with a dessert.
My companion and discovered a very comfortable and welcoming atmosphere when we visited the restaurant with friends mid week. The decor is retro with whimsical art and posters. There is an outdoor area with a modest but charming garden.
Preferring the indoors on that cool evening we shared the space with a group of diners celebrating a reunion. This is an appropriate restaurant for groups and they seem to be enjoying their choice.
A very charming waitress explained the many unusual menu items and took our order. She then delivered a nice warm focaccia to our table, served on a wooden board with several dips.
We chose three appetizers to begin our dinner: the obligatory (for my dining companion) chicken wings, and the restaurant specialty dishes Salmon Ositashi and Gioza. The salmon was a plate of lightly cooked salmon rounds looking very sushi-like, coated around the rim. The Gioza was a platter with pockets of thin crust, filled with mushrooms. Meat Giozas are also available. Each of these dishes was served with an appropriate sauce. The portions were unusual, delicious and generous and three starters served the 4 of us comfortably.
Our main courses were unique and quite different from one another. The cast-iron "Hot Pot" sizzled with nuggets of chicken root vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce. A tortilla with salsa and guacamole were served alongside this dish.
The Gnocchi stuffed with sun dried tomatoes served with strips of entrecote and the house sauce was another original dish. Grilled chicken livers with onions, on a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes with the house sauce. This dish was full bodied, rich and a slightly sweet. distinctive flavor.
Non meat eaters will also find satisfaction at Tata Bistro choosing from the many salads available. I chose the salad with tofu cubes which we all enjoyed.
Who needed dessert after all that food? Certainly not us. At Nir's insistence and our waitresses recommendation we settled on the chocolate and the halvah dessert. These were absolutely delicious, proving beyond an doubt that desserts need not be dairy to be delicious.
Appetizers:Salmon nis 37, Chicken wings nis 24, Gioza nis 38. Salads approx nis 40 - 50. Additions: nis 24. Hot Pot nis 41, Grilled chicken livers nis 59, Gnocchi nis 74. Desserts 24 - 26.
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