FARMER
JAC
SPECIAL WINTER SAVINGS!
FRESH EMPIRE KOSHER POULTRY
Chicken Cutlets 5 99.,
4-5 lb. Roasters $2191 ,
Chicken Breasts $3!
Turkey Wings . . 99,'b
Whole Fryers .
8 pc. Cut-Ups .
Leg Quarters . ..$1 2!
Chicken Drums $2 2.9
Chicken Thighs $1 69.
Turkey Drums .
100% All Natural
Empire Kosher!
• Free Roaming
• Double Inspected
• Free of Antibiotics
• lArinner of Taste Tests
• Cold Water Processed
• Raised without Growth Stimulants
EMPIRE
Available at These Farmer Jack Locations:
■ Greenfield at Lincoln ■ 10 Mile at Coolidge
■ 1 1 Mile at Lahser
■ Southfield at 12'h Mile
■ Orchard Lake Rd. at Maple
I All Items On Sale February 28 Thru March 7, 1997
Coupon.
Coupon
We'll Pay Your
Deductible
FREE
Loaner Car
For Collision Repairs
Over $1000
We'll Pay Up To $100 on Any
Theft Loss Over $1000
Maximum of 5 days. Must present at time of order. Not
valid with any other coupon. Expires 3/31/97.
Maximum of 5 days. Must present at time of order. Not
valid with any other coupon. Expires 3/31/97.
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-------------------
Collision
Specialists To
Handle All Your
Insurance Needs
We Repair
ALL Makes
And Models
Coupon
Coup on
$50 OFF
$100 OFF
Any $100 Deductible
On Collision
Over $500
Any $250 Deductible
On Collision
Over $1000
Must present coupon when order is written. Not valid with
any other coupon. Expires 3/31/97.
Must present coupon when order is written. Not valid with
any other coupon. Expires 3/31/97.
LASSMAN COLLISION CENTER
20
, 22250 Telegraph, Just South of 9 Mile
X
TELEGRAPH
810-350-1020
Kosher? He's Game.
Kosher takes on new meaning at Avrum
Kirschenbaum's New York City restaurant.
RUTH MOSSOK JOHNSTON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
W
hat's a religious Jew
doing running a fancy
eatery in midtown
Manhattan?
Dishing out 100-percent glatt
kosher fare.
Avrum Kirschenbaum, own-
er of Levana, is not a chef, nor a
culinary consultant, nor a cook-
book author. Rather, he is an in-
vestor in real estate and an
accountant who hangs with his
brothers, one of whom works at
Levana.
Fifteen years ago, Mr. Kirs-
chenbaum opened Levana on
West 67th Street, moving to the
current location at 141 West 69th
Street 11 years ago.
"I needed to get into the restau-
rant business; I wasn't sure what
kind of kosher food I was eating
when I was eating out," he said
by way of explaining what
prompted him to get into the
restaurant business.
"[Levana] was only dairy in
those days. I used to live next
door," said George Gross, a
kosher New York caterer who
owns Negev Foods Inc. in Brook-
lyn.
Intense about all things, a de-
vout Chasidic Jew and father of
10, Mr. Kirschenbaum is ba'alei
teshuvah, or one who has re-
turned to the faith. Both quali-
ty control and kashrut are
monitored closely by his over-
seeing eye.
What separates him from the
pack, even beyond his gourmet
bent, is his menu. Levana fea-
tures wild game, some of it raised
and slaughtered at a deer farm
owned by Mr. Kirschenbaum. He
calls his deer "venison fit for roy-
alty: ,
"Jews don't like to eat Bambi,"
said Mr. Gross. Not so. Venison
is prominently positioned on Lev-
ana's menu in the appetizer and
entree selections, along with bi-
son and whatever wild game has
been prepared according to the
glatt stipulations and the cre-
ativity of -Chef James Lenzi.
Game is popular among Levana's
clientele.
Other Levana delicacies in-
clude an appetizer of griddled
duck on a bed of mixed greens;
an entree platter of sweetbreads;
a huge morel mushroom stuffed
with chicken and venison
mousse; a ravioli stuffed with a
delicate meat mousse in wine
sauce; striped bass with porcini
mushroom crust and a saffron
vermouth broth sauce set upon
grilled risotto; and peppered veni-
son saddle with venison sausage
and juniper berry sauce, sauteed
Chef James Lenzi and Avrum
Kirschenbaum of Levana.
baby carrots and miniature as-
paragus.
Desserts include platters of
coconut mousse, Levana's signa-
ture flourless chocolate mousse
torte, white and dark chocolate
roulade and mango sorbet.
This fare doesn't come cheap:
Entrees and appetizers range
from $12 to almost $60.
Chef Lenzi, whose presenta-
tion is simple and elegant, is a
graduate of the Culinary Insti-
tute of America and a practicing
chef with 25 years in the busi-
ness.
Levana has established its
reputation based on quality, the
strict observance of kosher di-
etary laws and the pleasing
of sophisticated palates belong-
ing to kashrut-conscious baby
boomers. According to the Zagat
survey of New York, there are
over a dozen upscale-trendy
kosher restaurants to choose
from: fusion cooking, French,
Italian, Persian, vegetarian, In-
dian and Japanese.
"Competition is a factor,"
Mr. Kirschenbaum says. "Any
restaurant is competition; every-
one (the consumers) wants
to have a change. You 'want
to rotate, to have different choic-
es."
Le Marais, a kosher French
bistro (now a chain of five) in the
heart of New York's theater dis-
trict, has jumped on the upscale
kosher bandwagon. It even of-
fers a cigar bar featuring live
jazz.
Other kosher establishments
in Manhattan include The
Kosher Tea Room, (212) 677-
2947; Haikara Grill, (212) 355-
7000; Madras Mahal, (212)
684-4010; and Jasmine, (212)
251-8884.
Levana is open Monday
through Thursday for lunch
and dinner, on Saturdays after
Shabbat and after 2 p.m. Sun-
day. The phone number is (212)
877-8457. ❑