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KOSHER REVOLUTION
A Taste of the Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, delicious
grilled meat, and exciting tales of Israel’s early years all can be
enjoyed at the Decks restaurant. by Yael Kalev
Tiberias has never
been considered a culinary center. Truth be told, other than its
religious and historic sites, Tiberias does not offer much to visitors,
especially those in search of the good life.
For the past two
years, however, the Kinneret Food Festival has brought the public’s
attention to the area’s unique agricultural products – the fish, the
dates, and the goat’s milk cheese. The festival was followed by a series
of weekends featuring culinary tours, cooking and baking workshops, and
lectures. Local restaurants joined the party as well by creating special
menus highlighting local delicacies for participants in the culinary
events. The festival apparently was the result of the pride that many
Galilee restaurants take in their region; every restaurant worthy of its
name brags about the local products it uses and a wine menu that
consists mainly of the best wines made in the Galilee and the Golan
Heights.
The dining room at Decks. (Tagist
Ron)
The culinary buzz in
the Galilee means that diners in search of a gourmet meal can find more
than a few restaurants that meet and exceed their expectations. One of
them is the Decks restaurant, which is located in Tiberias at the Lido
Beach on the Sea of Galilee. Decks offers an incomparable dining
experience. It has been operating for a decade, which is a lifetime for
a restaurant anywhere in Israel, especially in the Galilee. It has
become such a phenomenon that it is on the list of must-see sites in
Tiberias, along with the Scots Hotel, which is conveniently located
across the street.
Guards and Rioters
First and foremost,
Decks is the latest chapter in the story of a family that has made its
home on the shores of the Sea of Galilee for nearly a century. Eitan
Gross, the owner of Lido Beach, grew up in Mitzpe, an agricultural
community (moshav) that overlooks the Sea of Galilee. One of the first
moshavim founded in the Lower Galilee, Mitzpe was established in the
early twentieth century by young, fearless pioneers. They fought against
the odds to build a Jewish home in the Land of Israel in the midst of
Arab villages during a period when anti-Jewish riots were the order of
the day. Mitzpe’s founders included Tzvi Gross, Eitan’s father. There
are more than a few stories about him. Tzvi Gross is said to have been a
commanding figure and intrepid traveler – a sort of Alexander Zeid of
the Lower Galilee. He joined the Shomrim, an organization of Jewish
guards who defended the isolated settlements in the region. Riding his
beloved horse Abira (Hebrew for knight), Tzvi Gross would patrol the
highways, securing them against marauders and rioters.
Mitzpe is located
about 85 meters above the Sea of Galilee, on the Poriya Ridge to its
north. In the beginning, Mitzpe was plagued frequently by drought. When
the moshav’s wells were dry, Tzvi Gross would ride his horse down to the
lake, let her drink her fill, wash her, fill up canteens, and return
home. His ability to travel relatively easily gave birth to a business:
he would transport people and packages around the country on a
horse-drawn wagon.
After World War I,
when the British took control of the Land of Israel, life became
slightly more relaxed. In the 1920s, the Lido Club, a club for British
officers, was established on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The locals
weren’t welcome in this exclusive club, but Mitzpe’s representative to
the British authorities, Tzvi Gross, received special permission to
come. He sometimes even brought his young son Eitan.
...
As he grew older,
Eitan Gross joined his father in the transportation business. On one
trip, he gave a ride to Esther, who is the daughter of one of the
moshav’s founding families. She sat in the back of the wagon and, at
some point in the journey, she fell out of the wagon. Eitan didn’t even
notice. He drove all the way home before he realized she was missing.
When he went back to search for her, he found her sitting on a rock by
the side of the road and crying. This was the unlikely beginning of a
love story that ultimately gave birth to the phenomenon of the Lido
Beach and the Decks restaurant.
An
Empire is Born
When the British
left in 1948, the Lido Club was forgotten. Soon all that remained of it
was a ruin. However, Esther, who enjoyed fishing, loved the site of the
Lido and Eitan realized the site’s commercial possibilities. He bought
the property and opened an organized beach for swimming complete with a
kiosk and other amenities. He soon also bought a boat that would set
sail from the beach and offer dance cruises. The positive response led
him to buy another boat; today the Lido Beach has a fleet of 12 boats
that host cruises, parties, and special events for thousands of visitors
from around the world every year.
After the ships’
success, the Grosses tried their luck in a new area – restaurants. In
1986, they opened Pagoda, a kosher Chinese restaurant. For many years it
was considered the best restaurant in the area. Their next venture was
Habait restaurant (the house restaurant), a less-kosher version of the
Pagoda (since it is open on the Sabbath), followed by Decks, which
became a sensation.
Meat Anyone?
Ido Gross, a quiet,
introverted member of the fourth generation of the Gross family who
loves the sea and nature, is responsible for Decks. To a certain degree,
Decks is his work of art. It is a grill restaurant.
...
The idea of grilling
meat over coals came from the family’s desire to open a kosher meat
restaurant that would cater to the many tourists who come to the area.
The main problem with kosher meat is that the standard process for
koshering meat often dries it out and changes its flavor. Ido Gross
wanted to avoid this problem and found that one method for koshering
meats is simply grilling them over an open fire. When this is done, the
steps of salting and soaking it can be skipped and the meat maintains
its juicy texture. So Decks turned the main obstacle posed by koshering
meat into an advantage by deciding to serve grilled meat, poultry, and
fish. This decision, combined with the homemade charcoal that adds a
unique smoky flavor and aroma, guarantees that the meat that Decks
serves has no equal. ...
Deck’s portions are
generous. They are served with a smile by a small army of efficient
waiters. In general, grilling meat demands a certain degree of
theatricality in both presentation and serving. One of the special
dishes I tasted on a recent visit to Decks was mallard breast with wine
and honey sauce. The partially cooked meat was sliced before our eyes
and then finished on a small grill that was placed on our table. It’s a
wonderful experience to watch food cook when you don’t have to prepare
it. We watched the slices of mallard breast absorb the smoke from the
charcoal and listened to the sound of it cooking. The final step was
watching the sauce be poured over the meat. The result was absolutely
delicious; the sauce added a light, sweet touch to the meat’s smoky
flavor.
Along with excellent
cuts of different types of meat and poultry, the menu at Decks includes
fish, which the grill turns into a soft, juicy delicacy with a light
smoky flavor. Decks also serves an excellent fish appetizer that has
nothing to do with a grill – blue tuna fin carpaccio that is fresh from
the Mediterranean Sea. It also offers vegetarian dishes such as a tasty
onion loaf served with barbeque sauce and French fries with a special
herb sauce.
...
Parting Words
Decks is located on
the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The large dining area spills into a
huge wooden deck over the water. The location and the restaurant’s
resemblance to a ship make it a popular tourist site.
...
Decks, Lido Beach,
Tiberias.
Tel. (04) 672-1538.
The full
article appeared in
ERETZ Magazine 107. To read it,
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