Sunday 9 June 2013

Belge ou/of Belgisch?

It's about time we get some Shuls back in this with the Shpayz. For too long, the lack of daylight savings time  during the winter prevented shul shopping because so many of the Friday services, especially the Orthodox ones were much too early to make on a Friday evening. Now that it's the summer almost, some of them are even so late that it makes you question whether to have dinner before at 6 or after at 10. We discussed this predicament briefly this past weekend and decided it's better to eat after. So finally after a packed May, birthday, Boston, and Pittsburgh, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend proved to be free, as did most of the weekend during which I did not have any predetermined plans for the first time in a few years. Since a bunch of people were headed out of the city for the weekend, and I wanted to go to Kabbalat Shabbat service, it seemed as though it would be difficult to procure a shul mate. Though I was ready to go to a service on my own, fortunately Mike came through. Thinking of possible places to go to, or perhaps those I could knock off without having much resistance from others, I chose the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue on the Upper West Side which  as an organized congregation is the oldest in the United States (founded in 1654) though its current building only dates to 1897 (the oldest synagogue in continuous use is the Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI from 1763). I wanted to go to Spanish & Portuguese also because it is unique as it is one of the few Sephardic congregations in the city, especially within Manhattan (not counting any Bukharian in Queens or Syrian in Brooklyn). Since there really is no denomination separations within Sephardic Judaism like there is in Ashkenazi (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc), it is simply Traditional and probably closest to Orthodox practice. When Mike and I walked inside, it was eerily quiet and the usher at the door who had appeared to be asleep suddenly awoke and told us the service would be upstairs all the way to the back and that the coat room was downstairs and all the way to the left, of course as we were looking around for the door he noticed this and bellowed down the stairs to look to the left: at last. The coat room had no coats in it, as it was raining and chilly out I thought this odd but it really was a result of the fact that no one else was there. We went upstairs to where we had been instructed and walked into a small chapel, with a lectern stood in the middle facing the ark with wooden benches running alongside along with a few freestanding chairs. In this room was no one except a man sitting in front of the lectern in a black robe and what could be described as a biretta (I looked it up later and apparently it is the Sephardic prayer leader's hat known as a mitznefet, which is like a turban that was once worn by the high priests). Behind the Hazzan was a small section separated by a rope you would expect to see designating the line for the tellers in a bank. This is the "women's section" rather informal and clearly just for symbolic purposes. The Hazzan greeted us but seemed to be engrossed in preparing for the service. He livened up a bit as other people shuffled their way in after 6:45. It was mostly an older crowd and there were a few women seated in the back area. Not sure what to expect, I noticed the siddur had most the same prayers that I was familiar with so I just tried to keep along as much as possible to avoid losing place. Probably the main thing I took away from the service is how much is communal. The prayers aren't going by like a sprint and some slurs and occasional sounds of life as in Ashkenazi services with 50% of the service done personally in silence. In this service the Hazzan had very intricate melodies and the congregation joined in for the good majority; I thoroughly enjoyed this public connection and wish that more Ashkenazi services could be as pleasant. Though much of the Minhah, Kabbalat, and "Arbit" (the Sephardic pronunciation of Hebrew is different than Ashkenazi pronunciation with Yiddish inflections: "ey" or "s" instead of "t"), was chanted together, it still finished in under an hour. After a few hearty Shabbat Shaloms, one congregant took a small group of us as apparently we were not the only visitors that evening and explained some of the history of the synagogue. The room we were in they just started doing Friday night services in that week as they change locale for the summer out of the large sanctuary with usually features a choir as well, he invited us to return for Saturday morning to see the choir (when I found out that it starts at 8:15am, I thought maybe another time). The Little Chapel has several relics from the congregation's past synagogue buildings, including some of the bench pews. The main attraction however is the main sanctuary which is supposed to modeled after the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, from where many of the original Sephardic Jews in America came. Having been there myself, I could attest to the similarities. Our impromptu tour guide seemed steadfast in letting us know that the stained glass windows were from none other than Tiffany. What I found most interesting was the difference in terms applied to synagogue architecture in the Sephardic community compared to those I knew growing up in Ashkenazi synagogue. For example, the platform on which the Torah is read or the service is lead is often known as the "bimah". In the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, it is known as the "tebah". Also, the ark, or aron kodesh, is known as the "heikhal" meaning palace or high place in Hebrew. After admiring the surroundings for a bit, we were ready to go, and surprisingly almost everyone had cleared out by the time we returned to the hall. As it was almost 8:00 I had to go back to my office to get my bag so we headed back down towards Times Square. I hadn't really thought about anywhere to eat so I thought about the Carnegie Deli since I'd never been there. Unfortunately, I missed going to the Stage Deli as it has been closed for a little while now. Though, Mike said he had been to the Carnegie and thought it was overpriced and that if you've been to Harold's in New Jersey, you're not missing anything.  So when all else fails, use the opportunity to eat international food. I knew that BXL Cafe is nearby on 43rd Street. Given the last time I had tried to suggest it to no avail, I figured it would be a good chance to knock it off the list. I did not realize it until afterwards, but the Benelux inspirations of BXL Cafe (and its sister locations BXL East and BXL Zoute) are related to the Sephardic Shabbat service from where we had just come. After the Inquisition, many Sephardim went north, to the Netherlands and Belgium, and some eventually made their way to America. The Hazzan at the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue for 40 years Abraham Lopes Cardozo was originally from Amsterdam. Unfortunately for us however this region of the world is not particularly known for its culinary masterpieces. With not a single Dutch restaurant (what is that?) in the New York City area and just BXL Cafe and a few others to represent Belgium (or Benelux), you basically have beer and chocolate and french fries and the love of mayonnaise as a dip as the prized elements (there is apparently a good pomme frites place in the East Village). So we get to BXL Cafe with a scooter parked out front and are promptly greeted by a French-accented hostess/waitress who is definitely from Belgium. The place is very dimly lit and we get seated; it's about 8:30pm and the place is not crowded, especially not for a Times Square area establishment. Yet another cuisine where my dietary restrictions limit my choices because Belgium is also somewhat well-known for their moules frites, or fried mussels. One of the better redeeming factors about BXL Cafe is that by representing Belgium (and the Netherlands to a lesser extent) the beer selection is rather impeccable. One of my favorites that I came to know while living in Rotterdam, particular at Locus Publicus on Oostzeedijk is Kwak which is ceremoniously served in a branded glass with a distinctive shape and held upright in a wooden stand. It is said that because while drinking from the glass the bulb at the bottom will remain filled for a long time as soon as air reaches it, the bulb with a large amount of beer will gush towards the drinker and be accompanied by a sound like "kwak". Anyway, I've been able to find Kwak in NYC but much to my dismay at Peculier Pub in the Village they did not have the wooden stand and instead served it in a regular chalice.  When it came to food, I had read that Carbonnade Flamande is considered a national dish of Belgium, which is a stew of beef cooked in beer or as their menu describes: "sirloin tips stewed in brown ale served with fries". Another dish I thought sounded good was the Onglet Aux Echalottes, of which I'm not entirely sure the translation other than Echalottes is Shallots. It is "sliced hangar steak with red wine shallot sauce". In the end, I ordered the Boulettes De Viande Sauce Tomate (or Dumplings/Balls Of Meat Tomato Sauce): "Belgian-style meat balls with fries." And Mike ordered the Pain De Veau (or Veat Meatloaf): "Belgian-style Meatloaf with mashed potatoes." Overall, the prices aren't too bad at BXL Cafe especially being in the vicinity of Times Square, as the ribeye steak is the only item on the menu which is more than $20. Somewhere I heard or read that Belgian food is basically French food served in German portions. At BXL Cafe, I can attest to this! Our dishes were huge and most notably absolutely drenched in sauce. Not surprisingly, the fries were the best part, they know how to make them nice and crispy. The meatballs were just OK, they were absolutely swimming in tomato sauce though. Nothing to write home about. Mike liked his meatloaf, but again it was so heavy in sauce and potatoes. Since he didn't finish it, he was going to leave it but I had to persuade him to get it wrapped up; after all, to have it for lunch or dinner the next day certainly makes it better.


 Congregation Shearith Israel: Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue
Main sanctuary of Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue
BXL Cafe of W 43rd St
Inside of BXL Cafe
Kwak!
"Belgian-style" meatballs with fries and MAYO!



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