by Krystyna P. on I love VIVA TORO! A few reasons: 1. THE FOOD IS AMAZING!Seriously the best mexican/ latin cuisine in Brooklyn. I was shocked o find out that the owners are actually the chefs! So great to know that a place exist where the owners really put their heart and soul into every ounch.. every day. I love the fish tacos and NACHOS! 3 tacos are like 10 bucks which really is like 3.33 each and thats totally a normal price anywhere else. And the NACHOS are HANDS DOWN the best in Brooklyn. I have gone out after work with friends to get drinks all around Williamsburg and always order nachos to split...its hard to find really huge covered in goodness nachos and THESE ARE IT!!! 2. The venue felt warm and inviting since the staff are always on point and really nice. It may seem large and quiet on a weekday but that makes it perfect for a date (which I have had the luck to experience) and it gets packed on their big party night on Saturdays. 3. SATURDAY IS THE DAY!!!I went last weekend on Saturday at it was a whole other experience. There must of been 3 large groups who booked tables for Birthday parties (which the space is perfect for) and I was there with a few people for drinks at the bar. ( HUGE FROZEN MARGS YAY!) The night starts of quiet if you get there early because by 10 pm their DJs hit the tables for a live set until 3am. The DJ is actually a group called TWENTYTWELVE a guy and girl who DJ together so that was really interesting to watch. They look really "Williamsburg" like and put a whole Brooklyn spin to the party. They play a set of Reggae, HITS, Old SCHOOL HIPHOP and some really interesting other mixes that all I know made me move and shake my butt. They made the space really turn into a dance party by midnight. Did I mention they have a disco ball!!!! 4.THE MECHANICAL BULL! Enough said! I love this place. I know people are saying it belongs in meatpacking or its too clubby but thats the beauty. Im more of a Brooklyn chick myself but this is the first of its kind in this area and its nice to have a place to go to that give me more of a Manhattan experience when I feel like not wanting to venture allllll the way into the city. Cheap drinks, quiet on the weekends, dance party on saturdays, sports bar on a sunday, its just an amazing experience. My own down side was that by 1 am the girls bathroom ran out of toilet paper and handsoap.... but I can over see that for the other amazing experiences anytime!
by Jonathan L. on Because I am a chronic malcontent, I hesitate to give anything five stars - but my recent experience at Zahav was perfect on every count. I went with a small group and had the Ta'yim (aka prix fixe, aka fixed price) meal. Among the plates we ordered were: - Hummus: Best I've ever had. . . creamy and flavorful. I didn't think hummus could be this good. - Salatim: Essentially 8 or so small salad type items (spicy chickpeas, beets, pickled curiosities) designed to be manhandled with a pita. Tasty. - Crispy Haloumi: UNBELIEVABLE. The sheep's milk cheese almost had the consistency of meat. The flavors of the cheese juxtaposed perfectly with the datey/figgy jam beneath. - Fried Cauliflower: Sounds boring, right? Wrong yo. So much spicy flavor packed into these little guys that you wouldn't believe it. A winner and a must-order. - Kibbe Naya (Raw Ground Lamb): One of the more adventurous plates. Had the consistency of a raw hamburger. Well-spiced and delicious. - Basturma with Pickled Garlic: Apparently Zahav air-cures their own beef! I never realized that a piece of meat could have such a complex flavor profile. I never realized that a piece of meat could give everyone at the table multiple orgasms! It had a looong finish (yes, a finish) comparable to that of an 89 Haut Brion. My favorite part of the meal. - Salmon Gravlax: Raw salmon. It was lox on steroids. I was a little underwhelmed by this one. I expected more creativity here. Skip this. - Jerusalem Grill: Ever eaten a duck testicle? A rabbit's heart? I have. And you can too if you go to Zahav and order this dish. - Monsieur Marguez: Lamb sausage. Quite a treat. By this point in the meal, I was full and tipsy. - The Sabra: Young chicken. I was promised great things, and it was good, but I would probably skip it next time. I don't remember too much about this one. - The Jaffa (Braised Branzino): Didn't expect much from this one, but it ended up being a highlight. It was so perfectly executed that one couldn't help but to love the hell out of this fishy. - For dessert, get the Konafi. If you must deviate, get the baklava. Don't bother with any others. These two are golden. - With dessert, I recommend the surprisingly good Moorish Coffee or a plain ol' Turkish coffee. I opted for the Turkish coffee, and haven't had a full night's sleep since. Potent, yummy... We clearly went with a lot of the meatier, heavier selections... so we went red wine and had the Ken Forrester Pinotage. . . whatever the newest vintage is. I was impressed by the versatility of this wine, though it wasn't as brilliant and round as the last vintage. The service was absolutely top notch. Our server was clever and informative, and was only there when we needed him to be. Firmly within the top 5 best dining experiences I've had in Philadelphia.
