"So what is it like to hang out in an Israeli party? Well, let's just say you get to meet a lot of happy friendly people dancing with all of their hearts..." Orly Farash Azoulay in Haifa's chef bar Alterman
Chef-bar Alterman resides in one of the most beautiful spots on Mount Carmel Ridge, a huge glass wall covering it exposes the Haifa Bay breathtaking view. A big bar located in the center of the space is surrounded by sitting tables – perfect for first dates, dinner with friends, business meals and family gatherings. In the morning and lunch time, you can find here some peace and quiet, but by evening time, the bar turns hot and dynamic; this is when Alterman's unique parties start.
Alterman opens every day, offering various surprises: menu discounts, Wednesday student parties, Israeli Saturday nights and others. The crowd is composed of tourists and travelers appreciating the Israeli atmosphere, alcohol, food and good company, as well as the local usuals, students, families, couples on dates and everyone else.
On an innocent Saturday night, we stumbled across an Israeli party. Israeli music welcomed us, along with blue and white balloons, waitresses handing out falafel and hummus, and many happy people.
The Israeli night's special menu offers many alcoholic choices such as cava, Lambrusco, cocktails, Goldstar beer, Arak, Jameson, Dewar's, Bushmills, Finlandia, Stoli and Smirnoff. While I'm the sensitive cava kind of gal, he's a true Goldstar man. Alterman's bar and restaurant menu also reveals some interesting food. We started out with a plate of tapas composed of Dim Sum, pate, roast beef, antipasti and chicken nuggets. All of this was served with fresh hot bread, butter and dips.
For our main orders I got the lamb kebabs that were served on a hot plate with finely chopped Israeli salad, pita bread and tahini, while my partner got the potatoes and chicken bites that were served in Alfredo sauce on a sizzling plate with salad and mini-toasts. We ate while the party was hitting up, and then got up and danced with everyone. So what is it like to hang out in an Israeli party? Well, let's just say you get to meet a lot of happy friendly people dancing with all of their hearts. After we've surprised ourselves and others on the dance floor, we sat down sweating, just in time for dessert. The Altermania is made of 2 huge chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream in between and tasty chocolate sauce on top. It was served with four scoops of sour ice cream, just to keep the dish fresh. So many surprises in one Israeli night.
