A solid and delicious rock. Diner Meat Place (Photo: David Rosenthal)
About a year and a half ago, this column went on the air, and from time to time it comes up with the question "What is street food?" After all, it is clear that shawarma in a small nook meets this definition, but not on shawarma alone a section will be built (although why not, actually?). When is it permissible to expand the boundaries and include places that are different in nature and larger?
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The wonder becomes especially philosophical when it comes to burgers - street food for all intents and purposes, in the United States and in Israel, but for years already a significant part of the menus of prestigious restaurants, both there and here. In some it stands right at the forefront. And if we have already touched the culinary heart of the United States, how to refer to the concept of "diner"? Isn't this the perfect cross between the fast and the precise, between stopping after a party and having a night out on its own. Is Avi Efrati, the wonderful visitor of Walla! Food, would see such a place as a restaurant?
I struggled and asked (myself, of course, not him) and decided not to. Efrati won't come, but someone has to do it in his place. Yes, diners also need criticism, their moral right must be defended, and only a true justice fighter will understand this. And in translation with less pathos: I was hot on "Diner Place of Meat" in Hod Hasharon, and decided that nothing would stop me.
Looks good. And delicious đ Diner's Burger Meat Place (Photo: David Rosenthal)
As its name suggests, "Diner" is an extension of the legendary "Place of Meat" from Neve Tzedek, but while the flagship restaurant focuses on juicy chunks of steak by candlelight, here it is the younger and less interested brother, who puts burgers and sandwiches at the front along with a limited menu of courage.
Its location in the Sharonim compound (for those who are not familiar with this tangled and miserable mall with the annoying jingle in the universe, it is located at the intersection of Highways 40 and 402), which makes it even lighter or cheaper, depending on how you look at it.
I went in. The place reminded me very much of Nono, one of Hod Hasharon's strongest culinary symbols, with a wide area, a cheerful atmosphere and a varied menu, in this case meat and not Italian. If I sat at the table, I thought to myself, wouldn't the experience be a restaurant and that's where we don't want to go, no and no. I took a seat at the bar. Noam, a kind man from the first second to the last, served me the menu.
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French fries from and-s-l-m. Diner Meat Place (Photo: David Rosenthal)
I was focused, I knew what I wanted, after all, hamburger is the story I came for
I was focused, I knew what I wanted, after all, hamburger is the story I came for. I skipped the first ones and jumped straight to the point - diner burger (76 NIS, 200g patty) with lamb pancetta and Emmental cheese, with fries (15 NIS) and drinks on the side. The dish arrived about 200 minutes later, conveying juiciness and appetizing. The fries looked insanely crispy. Her scream?
Unequivocally: Yes. The patty was seasoned perfectly, with black pepper pickets showing presence, but not doing so with the brutality sometimes characteristic of the dominant spice. It was a superbly accurate dish that left me wanting more, because what to do, 10 grams always leaves me wanting more. The combination of the patty and the bun with cheese and pancetta aroused feelings of excitement and pleasure, and that's before we started talking about the fries.
I have eaten excellent burgers in my life, so despite its excellent taste it is difficult for me to categorize that of the diner in an exact location, although it easily entered the top <>. And the fries, oh the fries. There I can easily say that this is one of the best side dishes I have tried in recent years, with a perfect balance between the amount of oil and crispiness. In the days since, I've fantasized about French fries as much as I dream about meat.
Survived the road from Hod Hasharon to Givatayim nicely. Diner Meat Place (Photo: David Rosenthal)
Survived a 40 minute journey? And more how he survived. Yes, the fries too. Very non-trivial
And like every time I dine alone, the real test comes in delivery. My wife debated whether to take something different from me, but herself chose the same dish - a diner burger with fries on the side - and I didn't have the heart to tell her to change.
She decided at the last minute to try as an opening the merguez sausage (42 NIS) with sauerkraut and mustard. Survived a 40 minute journey? And more how he survived. Yes, the fries too. Very non-trivial. The sausage, by the way, was good, although while the other items kept warm, it quickly cooled down.
So C.M.A. came out?
In the quantity-price-quality index from 1 to 10, the character of the place must be taken into account this time. As you might expect, the diner is cheaper than a meat place, but more expensive than simple burgers.
A meal of a 200-gram patty with fries and drinks cost me more than 100 shekels. It's certainly not an affordable price, but, as mentioned, it's not a classic street eatery but a hybrid creature, so it makes sense. Still, expensive is expensive, and since price is also a derivative of quantity, both of these parameters are down a point and a half. Noam's quality, atmosphere and service were perfect. Thus the score of the place is 8.5.
On one of my previous visits to Hod Hasharon, I mentioned that it is not considered a culinary powerhouse. Months have passed since then and I am forced to repent for sin. In fact, in the triangle that also includes Kfar Saba and Ra'anana, I found it to be the most attractive. A rock as solid and delicious as the diner definitely contributes to this feeling.
"Meat Place Diner", Sharonim compound, Harkon 2, Hod Hasharon
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- Diner
- hamburger
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