The latest addition to LA's food scene is apparently Top Chef winner Ilan Hall's Scottish/Jewish fusion restaurant The Gorbals. According to The Oklahoman (!), Hall is catching some flack:
Ilan Hall received his first piece of hate mail a couple of weeks ago. The writer expressed disgust with the chef's sacrilegious take on Jewish cuisine, specifically Hall's decidedly unkosher matzo balls wrapped in bacon.
Clearly some people have not been reading TfK. Bacon goes great with matzo.
On tonight's menu: latkes with smoked applesauce; marrow with mushrooms and walnuts; and Manischewitz-braised pork belly. "It's what I call 'sacrilicious'" said Hall, eyes darting around the restaurant to make sure his staff is buttoned up and the cedar-top tables are scrubbed down.
I didn't much appreciate Ilan on Top Chef, but that sounds plenty tasty. But why is the story relevant to this blog?
Hall was raised in a Conservative Jewish household on Long Island. His faith began to wane in Hebrew school when his teacher taught creationism, explaining to the class that dinosaurs were actually large dogs. "That was it," he said. "I was done with religion, but held on to tradition."
The mind boggles.
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Some time ago I had the mixed pleasure of visiting Israel. We stayed on top of Mt. Karmel. The restaurant down the road served us bacon and eggs breakfast on Saturday mornings.
Kosher schmosher.
Actually bacon goes better with blintzes.
My boys love latkes. Especially with ham or bacon and eggs. We server them every Hanukkah.
Took them a bit to understand what 'sacrilegious' meant. Eventually they took it as just another crazy belief held by some people.
They also enjoyed the stories of the Catholic Church declaring Capybara to be fish.
I guess I know where to go eat if Iâm ever in LA.
--
Giles