You couldn't want a more charming place for lunch or dinner -- a graceful veranda-circled building that's almost 100 years old. Chef Daniel Zissenbach's menu is sometimes classic, sometimes inventive, and praised by critics and the public alike. You're encouraged to order half portions and to try a number of Carmela's specialties at one meal. Dishes here are inventive without being forced. On the seasonally changing menu, look for appetizers that include incredible roasted eggplant with pickled lemon, techina, and olive oil; fresh herb salad with roasted cashews; crab bisque filled with assorted seafood; and a wonderful grilled pear in olive oil, black pepper, and blue cheese. Main courses include prawns and scallops in ouzo, olive oil, tomato, and olives; grilled fresh fish with lentils, cumin, onion, lemon, and green techina; and choice beef filet a la plancha with creamed Gorgonzola sauce. There is a very large list of boutique Israeli wines, and a dessert plate with assorted minisamples to linger over. A seven-dish tasting meal for two is served daily at lunch only for NIS 135 ($34/£17). There are also superb brunches. The staff is informed and attentive, yet very easygoing and not at all pompous; a wine specialist explains the wine list. The restaurant is nonsmoking.
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