Chef Michael Solomonov, James Beard Award winner for best Mid-Atlantic Chef 2010, puts his spin on modern Israeli dishes at Zahav. Photo: J. Varney
Opened in 2008, Zahav has been on the radar of some of the most discerning food critics. Esquire Magazine named Zahav one of the best new restaurants in the nation and was placed in the Top 50 Best New Restaurants in the US by Travel & Leisure Magazine in 2009.
Chef Solomonov, a James Beard award-winning chef and formerly of the kitchens at Vetri, is Israeli-born but Pittsburgh-raised. In his late teens, he returned to Israel and began to work in a bakery, where he discovered his passion for cooking. Recently highlighted in the New York Times, Solomonov explains his personal journey, culinary inspiration and why he brought his Israeli roots back to Philadelphia in Zahav.
Favorite bites include the warm and plentiful Laffa bread served with freshly-made hummus, the must-try Crispy Haloumi prepared with dates, mustard greens and almonds and the Fried Cauliflower (recognized as one of the best dishes in 2008 by Food & Wine Magazine) with strained yogurt, oil, chive, mint and garlic.
