My Foodie Road Trip

Last night I had a new life experience. And like all new experiences, I didn't know what I was previously missing, but now I think I am hooked. I went on what can only be called a Foodie Road Trip.

A foodie, in case you don't know, is an aficionado of food and drink. I didn't make up this word. Two people named Paul Levy and Ann Barr did in 1984 and then they wrote a book about it.

And here's a little trivia about foodies versus gourmets that you probably didn't know. Gourmets, according to my favorite source of information, Wikipedia, are "epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food.

So as of about ten hours ago, I am a foodie. And from I can surmise from the literature, it is much cooler to be a foodie than a gourmet.

One of my husband's friends, let's call him Seth because that's his name, took us to the winery that he recently invested in. We drove south into the Northern Negev's wine country. I didn't really know until last night that the Negev was wine country.

After several twists and turns in the road we ended up near a series of modern barns. It definitely didn't look like much on the outside.

We entered through a door on the side of one of the barns into a sort of terrarium and then into the restaurant itself. I am using the word restaurant very liberally here. It was an ocre, burnt orange and sand red room with a bar and one large table. I am not sure if that constitutes are restaurant or rather a really large eating area.

Fortunately Seth's partners who make the wine and the food -- Sandro and Irit -- were expecting us. I say "fortunately" because it was an hour drive from Ra'anana and I was hungry.

After a few brief introductions we sat down and the first course arrived. The first item to be placed on the table was a wild tangle of fried humus strips. They were quickly followed by several small dishes including a carrot and ginger mixture, a smoked eggplant dish, and the best offering of beets that I have ever tasted. There were also lemon wedges that had been soaked in what I think was a garlic mixture. Seth told me to eat one, so I did. It wasn't my favorite item on the menu but the taste was interesting.

The next course was a bowl of lentil and coconut soup that was delicious. The coconut was very subtle and muted compared to the lentils. On the side was a serving of fresh pasta and herbs. All I can say is: how can anyone ever eat another box of manufactured pasta again after a meal of real, freshly made noodles? Every thing that co-owner Irit brought to the table was better than the item before it.

The third course was comprised of five very thinly sliced pieces of beef. At first it looked like prosciutto to me but I guess that was wishful thinking on my part. In fact it was brasciola. Beside the brasciola was a small chicken and mint salad.

Is your mouth watering yet? If it isn't then you aren't reading this properly and should go back to the top and start again.

The funniest part of all of this was that I didn't even know I liked this kind of food. Which just goes to show that any food made with love and care -- and really well -- inevitably tastes delicious.

The final course was a raspberry and passion fruit sorbet. I think I noticed someone bring a salad to the table towards the end of the meal, but I was too busy with all the new food to even reach for it.

Irit is from an Indian family and the subtle flavours of southern India (not to be confused with the stronger flavours of norther India)were evident in almost everything we ate. Her husband, Sandro, is the Italian component of the couple and he comes from a well-known Italian wine family, The Pelligrinis.

All through the meal we drank the wine made on the premises. I never really considered how important it was to choose the correct wine for any given food. Last night, I noticed for the first time, how much the flavour of the wine enhanced the flavour of the food and vice versa.

I could keep talking about the food and the wine, but I think my best suggestion is that you go and try it yourself. La Terra Promessa is moving to a newer, larger location very soon. I guess that means they will have three tables, or even, maybe four. It's worth the drive if you love good and unique food. And particularly if you are foodie like me!!!

LaTerra Promsessa Winery
Moshav Shahar
08-6849093
050-5684775
Oh, and of course it's kosher -- what would I have been doing there otherwise???