Before coming to Israel, I had never tasted it before. I remember the first time I tried foie gras. How did the time in Israel influence you as a chef?
Ema restaurant chicago professional#
You spent time in Israel as a professional volleyball player. I recently had the chance to chat with Chef CJ Jacobson about the influences behind Aba and Ema.
And for dessert? There’s a wonderful little date bar - that’s actually its name: A Wonderful Little Date Bar - and Seed & Mill halva with Medjool dates and candied nuts. Move on to the skirt steak shawarma, the lamb and beef kefta, or the grilled salmon with zhoug. Start by ordering one of the many hummus options and either the labneh or muhummara with the fluffy Jerusalem bagel. It is easy to put together a delightful and varied meal at Aba that is not so different from what you might eat in Tel Aviv. With names like Ema and Aba (meaning “mother” and “father” in Hebrew), these restaurants are undoubtedly assumed to be Israeli by some diners, but Jacobson prefers the broader term “Mediterranean” and eschews any claims of authenticity, reminding reviewers that he is a “white guy from Orange County.” Indeed, one can spot the influence of Jacobson’s Californian upbringing as much as his time living in Turkey and Israel in dishes such as bone marrow with grilled scallions and anchovy salsa or the shaved iceberg and arugula salad with graviera (a Greek cheese), Marcona almond and dates: California meets Mediterranean all the way.īut for Chicagoans craving refined Israeli fare - something this great restaurant town inexplicably lacks - Aba may be their best bet. The newly opened Aba looks over the downtown skyline from its lush, made-for-Instagram roof deck and serves Chicago’s bright young things - at least those savvy enough to score a reservation - crudo, grilled meats, and inventive cocktails, including “groupies,” large-format drinks designed to serve six to eight.
Two years after he opened his first Chicago-area restaurant - the vegetable-focused Ema - Top Chef alum CJ Jacobson has planted a flag in the white-hot West Loop/Fulton Market neighborhood. Influenced by his time living in Israel as a professional volleyball player, still-rangy chef CJ Jacobson brings mezze, kebabs, and one heck of a Jerusalem bagel to Chicago’s buzziest neighborhood.