Ditmas Boca Raton – A Lovely Kosher Experience
We are not sure if Kosher food gets a good or bad rep, but we are big fans of Kosher fare. Kosher meat has strict regulations in place so that animals are humanely killed and the entire process is blessed and clean. You can definitely taste the difference with kosher meat. We checked out Ditmas Kitchen & Cocktails in Boca Raton and were impressed. Following success of his Los Angels’s Ditmas location, Top chef alum Alex Reznik has brought one to Boca Raton.
Alex Reznik, a Top Chef alum and former chef of La Seine and FigOly explains that Ditmas is first and foremost an ode to New York — the restaurant is named for the avenue where the chef grew up in Brooklyn. It’s also kosher, joining a growing number of ambitious kosher restaurants that are popping up nationally.
A kosher menu puts many things off limits. Of course there is no pork or shellfish. Ditmas also is dairy-free, negating the need for the requisite separate kitchens and sets of equipment to handle meat and dairy. The restaurant is billing itself as something of a chophouse, with a whole section of the menu dedicated to steak, but the beef is only from the front of the animal, as kosher law dictates (it’s somewhat more complex than that, but in America this is how people keep kosher). A Rabbi is on premises to oversee things.
Chef Alex Reznik tapped Chef Joseph Reuter to run Ditmas Boca. The Kiev-born, Brooklyn-raised Reznik, was working at Cafe Was, a (non-kosher) celebrity hangout in L.A., when La Seine’s owner, Laurent Maslieh, approached him about his soon-to-open kosher restaurant. Reznik, a “Top Chef DC” alum was up for the challenge. He and the owners of La Seine hoped the appeal of La Seine would reach beyond the kosher clientele, and they’ve been able to attract both Jewish and non-Jewish customers. Reznik likes to think he achieves this by cooking great food that “just happens to be kosher.” We concur with the Chef and will highlight a handful of dishes that we thoroughly enjoyed…
Start with Golden Mango Bbq Drumettes – celery slivers | pickled onions. These drumettes were cooked perfectly with a golden crispy skin and juicy interior. The mango barbecue flavor was not too potent and made the table smile.
Probably our fave dish was the Tony Fries – machaca chicken | pico | guacamole | sriracha | citrus aioli | togarashi. These fries were overflowing with flavor! The avocado and lime were a beautiful new addition to fries and this sexy bowl was entirely devoured.
We also enjoyed the Mango Salmon – herbal black risotto | citrus aoili | mango cucumber salsa. The coating on the salmon was delightful and worked well with the enticing black risotto. It was another beautiful presentation and quite filling.
Bedford Burger – pretzel bun | house blend | sloppy joe | onion ring | fries. The sloppy Joe on top of this Burger was superb and soaked up nicely by the soft pretzel bun. You’re going to need a gargantuan mouth to bite into the whole scrumptious thing.
Wild Mushrooms – cashews | fine herbs | lamb bacon. These mushrooms were terrific! The lamb bacon really elevated the dish to another level and the cashews added a nice layer of consistency to the soft shrooms.
Chocolate Mousse -caramel custard I toasted fluff. How can you go wrong with this dish? Although there is no dairy in it, it was still delightful to finish off our meal with.
Ditmas also has a wide array of kosher wines to choose from and excellent service. Lunch is Monday -Thur 11:30am to 2:30pm, Dinner Sun-Thur 5-10pm. Closed Friday for Shabbat, but starting Saturday Nov 11th they will be opening 90 minutes after sundown with late night specials.
They also offer a “Shabbas Dinner In A Bag” for guests to order a complete Shabbat Meat for 4-5 people ($95). Details: https://www.ditmasboca.com/copy-of-lunch-menu-1
