I have two new restaurants to recommend. The first, a kosher Israeli restaurant, Zula Grill, is in Englewood, New Jersey. Best to go with a group so you can sample many of their delicious options like their Salatim Sampler,
a bit of all the staple dips and salads that compose an Israeli dinner table. My personal favorites are: Babaganoush, roasted eggplant and tahina dip, Matbucha, Moroccan stewed tomato dip, the Classic Chickpea hummus with warm chickpeas and lemon, an Israeli salad, and the best ever Falafel with tahina sauce, all served with traditional pita bread baked in house. Of course they have a full menu which includes lamb, chicken, beef and fish and a Kids’ Meal section. And, not to miss in Englewood is ShopRite, a mega supermarket right down the street. Excellent prices, a huge selection of groceries, and if you spend $100 and have a New York license, they will give you $6.00 back towards your toll.

The second is Veselka, a Ukrainian diner’s newest location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. My son and I went for brunch and really over ordered, wanting to try so much of their menu.

Their potato pancakes are quite good, served with sour cream and applesauce. They are large, crispy and fluffy – not like homemade- but enjoyable. I wanted to try their pierogis -Adam liked them, but I thought their “skin” was too thick. What we loved on this visit was their Ukrainian Borscht (beet soup), pickled red onions and cucumbers, their side of beets mixed with horseradish, and their blintzes, Ukrainian-style crepes filled with lightly sweetened farmer’s cheese and raspberry sauce. We want to return to try some of their classics such as: Beef Stroganoff, Veal Goulash, Chicken Paprikash, Ukrainian Meatballs, and of course, another order of blintzes.