And how could we forget —the foundation of any great Zahav meal is the laffa bread, baked in a wood-fired Taboon, accompanied by homemade hummus. Don’t skimp on dessert, either. Pastry chef Camille Cogswell won last year’s James Beard Rising Star Award, given to those chefs under 30. She serves up confectionary creations like olive oil cake and chocolate konafi with mint ice cream. Don’t have any plans to visit Philadelphia? Well, you may want to make them. But until then, enjoy this recipe for Lamb Shoulder from their critically-acclaimed cookbook, Zahav. The Zahav Lamb Shoulder Serves 8 Ingredients Generous 1/4 cup kosher salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoons fennel seeds 1 teaspoons black peppercorns 1 teaspoons allspice berries 1 heads garlic, halved crosswise 1 cups dried chickpeas 1 teaspoons baking soda 1 bone—in square—cut lamb shoulder (about 5 pounds) 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses Persian Rice, optional Directions Combine the salt with the sugar, fennel seeds, peppercorns, allspice, garlic, and about 2 quarts water in a large pot. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and allow the brine to cool completely. Combine the chickpeas with the baking soda in a large bowl and cover with water by several inches. Let soak overnight. Put the shoulder in a large (6- to 8- quart) container and pour the brine over the lamb. (Ideally, the lamb shoulder should be submerged, so weight it with two plates. But if that’s impractical, cover the lamb with a clean cloth that’ saturated in the brine.) Refrigerate the lamb shoulder in the brine overnight or for up to 48 hours. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a rack on a baking sheet. Drain the lamb and pat dry. Put the lamb on the rack and roast until well browned on the exterior, about 30 minutes. (Or sear the lamb over a medium-hot grill for 15 minutes until well browned on all sides and nicely charred in places.) Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Transfer the lamb shoulder to a large roasting pan. Mix the pomegranate molasses with 8 cups water in a bowl and add to the pan. (The liquid should come about halfway up the shoulder; add water if needed.) Drain the chickpeas and add them to the liquid. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the lamb and cover the pan tightly with foil. Braise in the oven until the lamb shreds easily with a fork and the chickpeas are tender, about 5 hours. Let the lamb cool in its braising liquid in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Roast the lamb, uncovered, spooning the braising liquid over the lamb every 5 minutes, until the lamb is hot through and glazed with the liquid, about 30 minutes. The Zahav Lamb Shoulder from Zahav, © 2015 by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.<doc-sep>The James Beard Foundation's annual awards — considered the "Oscars of the food world" — named its Outstanding Restaurant for 2019, and it's not in foodie meccas New York City or Los Angeles. Zahav, which serves modern Israeli cuisine, is in Philadelphia. "I remember thinking how during the first few months we were open, we thought there was no way we were going to make it to our anniversary," Zahav co-owner Steve Cook tells CNBC Make It of the restaurant, which celebrated its 11th anniversary on Sunday, the day before the award was announced. "To go from nearly rock bottom to the absolute pinnacle is almost unbelievable." The restaurant is helmed by chef Michael Solomonov, who was nominated for the Outstanding Chef category in 2016. One of the signature dishes at Zahav (which means "gold" in Hebrew, according to Cook), is the whole-roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate and chickpeas.<doc-sep>Zahav, the longtime eatery in Philadelphia is focused on Israeli cuisine. It has won the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant. (CNN) — A trip to see the best restaurant in the United States will take you to … Israel? Well, sort of. Zahav is actually in Philadelphia, but the longtime eatery is focused on Israeli cuisine. And on Monday night, it won the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant. The winners were announced at Lyric Opera in Chicago. courtesy Alexandra Hawkins/Zahav Turkish Hummus at Zahav For those who aren’t familiar, the James Beard Awards are like the Oscars of the food world. Since 1990, the nonprofit James Beard Foundation, named after “the father of American cuisine,” has been honoring outstanding names in the food and beverage industry. There is no cash reward, but a win – or even a nomination – can substantially increase the buzz for business. Zahav, a Hebrew word for gold, opened in 2008 and strives to bring “the authentic flavors of Israel’s cultural heritage to Philadelphia,” according to its website. Other notable winners include Ashley Christensen, who was named the outstanding chef for her work at Poole’s Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina; New York’s Frenchette was named best new restaurant; and Frasca Food and Wine of Boulder, Colorado took the prize for outstanding service. Here’s the full list of the remaining winners if you want to check them out when you travel: Outstanding Baker Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread (Chicago) Outstanding Bar Program Bar Agricole (San Francisco) Outstanding Pastry Chef Kelly Fields, Willa Jean (New Orleans) Outstanding Restaurateur Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, Boka Restaurant Group (Chicago) Outstanding Wine Program Benu (San Francisco) Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine) Rising Star Chef of the Year Kwame Onwuachi, Kith and Kin (Washington) Best Chef: Great Lakes Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, Parachute (Chicago) Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Tom Cunanan, Bad Saint (Washington) Best Chef: Midwest Ann Kim, Young Joni (Minneapolis) Best Chef: New York City Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, Via Carota (Manhattan) Best Chef: Northeast Tony Messina, Uni (Boston) Best Chef: Northwest Brady Williams, Canlis (Seattle) Best Chef: South Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar (Oxford, Mississippi) Best Chef: Southeast Mashama Bailey, The Grey (Savannah, Georgia) Best Chef: Southwest Charleen Badman, FnB (Scottsdale, Arizona) Best Chef: West Michael Cimarusti, Providence (Los Angeles)<doc-sep>Zahav was named the best restaurant in the country by the James Beard Foundation on Monday in a first for Philadelphia's restaurant community and Israeli chef Michael Solomonov. Co-owners Solomonov and Steve Cook took home the biggest award of the night, winning the 2019 James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant at a ceremony held in Chicago. Several Philadelphia restaurants and chefs were finalists for various awards this year, but Zahav proved to be the only local restaurant to win. Solomonov and Cook previously won the 2016 James Beard award for Cookbook of the Year for "Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking." Solomonov also was named Outstanding Chef in America in 2017, and has been nominated and won other James Beard Awards. In 2018, Zahav's pastry chef Camille Cogsworth took home Philly's only honor in the Rising Star Chef category. More than a dozen Philly restaurants like Monk's Cafe, Suraya, Laurel, Heirloom, Vedge, and South Philly Barbacoa were named semi-finalists this year, among categories like best chef, outstanding bar program, outstanding pastry chef, and best new restaurant. Heading into Monday night's award ceremony, the city had finalists in six categories. Here's a full list of the 2019 James Beard winners. This award comes on the tails of Solomonov's announcement that he and his team have three major projects in the works. Follow Emily & PhillyVoice on Twitter @emily_rolen | @thePhillyVoice Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Add Emily’s RSS feed to your feed reader Have a news tip? Let us know.<doc-sep>
You Can Find the Best Restaurant in America in Philadelphia The best eats in America can be found in one of the country’s most historic cities. Sure, New York and Los Angeles have some good restaurants, but the best restaurant in the entire United States can be found right in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia restaurant, Zahav, focusing on traditional Israeli cuisine in a casual and modern atmosphere, has won the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant, according to CNN. Philadelphia Restaurant, Zahav Credit: Alexandra Hawkins The James Beard Award is by far one of the most prestigious awards in the food industry, so you can safely assume that you can get a truly excellent meal at Zahav. According to Lancaster Online, the James Beard Foundation chose the restaurant due to its “consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, service, and operations.” The restaurant originally opened in 2008 in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood and has won other James Beard acclamations over the years, according to Lancaster Online, including Rising Star Chef of the Year for Chef Camille Cogswell in 2018 and Chef of the Year for Chef Michael Solomonov in 2017. Solomonov co-authored a cookbook, entitled "Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking," which also won the James Beard award for Cookbook of the Year in 2016, according to the Philly Voice. Philadelphia Restaurant, Zahav Credit: Michael Perisco While many Philadelphia restaurants made it into the semi-finals this year, Zahav was the only one to come out with an award (but an important award nonetheless), according to the Philly Voice. Some other notable wins in other cities include Frenchette in New York City for Best New Restaurant, Greg Wade from Publican Quality Bread in Chicago won Outstanding Baker, Ashley Christensen from Poole’s Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina won Outstanding Chef, and Bar Agricole in San Francisco won Outstanding Bar Program, according to Forbes. Philadelphia Restaurant, Zahav Credit: Michael Perisco