Spice-smuggling?
Steven Cook and Michael Solomonov aren't satisfied with the spices available in Philadelphia and New York. Enter their buddy Rami. That's all we know about him, other than that he's known Solomonov for some time.
Rami arrived from Israel on Wednesday, and whipped out a newspaper-wrapped stash of what the partners swear were bags of spices they will use not only at their other restaurant, Marigold Kitchen, but in testing recipes for Zahav.
He pulled out baharat (a blend of cinnamon, allspice, cumin and mace), tahini (sesame paste -- but the raw, unhulled version), zataar (dried wild savory with sesame seeds and sumac), some kind of Yemeni curry, and Turkish coffee (need that caffeine).
Cook and Solomonov are still in pre-demo. That is, they're in that neverland between signing the lease and getting the keys, which is Dec. 1. They're also lining up the financing (10 investors, plus a bank loan). Cook says he's wrestling with a Catch-22. The investors are waiting for the bank to come through with money, while the bank is waiting for the investors to cough up dough. Cook has faith that it will work out soon.
Like boys about to turn 16 and get their first cars, Cook and Solomonov have been stopping by to borrow the keys from the Society Hill Towers management office. On one visit, they brought along their kitchen designer, plumber and electrician -- all of whom worked on the Italian restaurant Osteria and other local projects. "Checking out the bones" is how Solomonov described the trip. Most of the kitchen equipment inherited from former tenant Sfizzio is in good shape, they think. One grill will have to come out, as will a reach-in fridge. The wood oven seems usable. The refrigeration seems to be in working order. One question for the plumber involves the moving of the bar. It's a one-story building with no basement, so they pulled up the carpet in search of a trap door. "We'll have to do some more digging," Solomonov said, hopefully.
Next up: A visit to Conshohocken to research stone floors.
Here's a video, shot yesterday.