Museum Highlights
The Rockefeller Museum, built in 1927, houses archaeological treasures from the region, from eras ranging from the Stone Age to the 18th century. It's pretty great, and everything you want in a museum: beautiful objects in beautiful cases in beautiful rooms. A look at the outdoor model of Jerusalem in the Late Second Temple Period at the Israel Museum is a useful way to get your bearings before diving into the alleyways of the Old City. On view until January 15 is "Bread: Daily and Divine," which brings together the three monotheistic religions on a very human scale. The Judaica, ethnographic, and archaeological collections (which include the Dead Sea Scrolls) are superb; in terms of paintings, don't miss Rembrandt's St. Peter in Prison and Poussin's Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem.
Where to Eat
The Machane Yehuda Market (what locals simply call the Shuk), in Jerusalem's New City, spills over with alluring mounds of spices, dates, crystallized kumquats, olives, cheeses, nuts, coffee (Israel is the only country in which Starbucks has failed), splintery blocks of halvah, and, from the Yemenite Healer, juice blends (etrog and gat, anyone?) for mind and body. We made the rounds before stopping at a little shuk bistro called Tzachko (02-623-4916) for lunch, where offerings include seared eggplant with tahini, preserved lemons, garlic, and hyssop; sauteéed Saint Peter's fish (a.k.a. tilapia; it's farmed up in the Galilee, naturally enough); and spicy-sweet chicken wings.
One of the best hummus places in the Muslim Quarter is Abu Shukri (63 Al Wad Rd., next to the Damascus Gate): not fancy, but fresh and fast and very welcoming. If you're in the mood for something more substantial—a mixed grill, for instance, or "lasagne," actually more of a moussaka assembled with delicate handmade pasta—head to the Armenian Tavern (Armenian Orthodox Patriarchiate Rd. #79; 02-627-3854). It's filled with some terrific Armenian pottery, textiles, and cases of jewelry (everything has its price).
For dinner, we also ate very simply and very well. Pasha's (28 Pier Koenig St.; 02648-2220), a ten-minute walk away from the American Colony, is lively and served a vast, satisfying spread of Turkish salads and grilled meats (if you love chicken livers, order them here). It is one of several similar small and unpretentious restaurants on the block; when we were there, they were all crowded with press and NGOs. We loved the tagines and couscous at Darna (3 Horkanos St.; 02-624-5406), a very stylish Moroccan restaurant popular with the locals. Call for a cab before you pay the bill, though, or you might have to wait for one. (Alternative plan, which worked for us: Turn right at the restaurant's doorway and make another right at the corner; walk down the street to the major thoroughfare and hop in a cab there.) Our one fancy night out, in honor of Thomas's birthday, was spent at Canela (8 Shlomzion HaMalka St; 02-622-2293). The quiet, confident hand of chef Marcus Gerkovitz was present in every dish: Seared foie gras drizzled with date syrup, tuna tartare layered with paper-thin slices of crisp vegetables and caressed with a beautifully balanced dressing, and wild bass poached in olive oil and served with tomato confit and preserved lemon were standouts.
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