Tenne offers gourmet kosher food for effortless holiday hosting - review

Tenne delivers an upscale Rosh Hashanah feast to your door, combining traditional holiday flavors, gourmet dishes, broad family appeal, and surprisingly reasonable prices.

When approached to review Tenne, I was initially skeptical. While I assumed a high-end food delivery concept would be perfectly edible, I was in the dark about its true culinary quality and the merits of recommending it to our Magazine readers.

My doubts evaporated upon the arrival of the fare. Tenne delivered a seriously impressive gourmet experience, enabling upscale dining in the comfort of one’s home with no shopping, no effort, and no mess.

With the tasting menu as an indication of the standard of operations, I cannot recommend this service highly enough.

Tenne is a delicatessen concept by catering group Ta’am VaTzeva, specializing in what it defines as “kosher homemade comfort food, deli meats, salads, and fresh baked goods.” It suggests the following ordering guidelines in grams per diner: Starters and salads: 150 gr.; side dishes: 150-200 gr.; and main courses: 150-200 gr. Tenne’s Rosh Hashanah menu reflects the same holiday focus.

The dishes arrived precisely at the agreed-upon time. Every item was appealingly packaged, perfectly garnished, and had visual appeal. All dishes that need to be heated came with precise instructions.

A meal for every generation

The meal was an absolute hit across generations, enthusiastically praised by my tasting guests. Mila, aged 10, a picky eater, said she gave 10 out of 10 to the cake and the rice, adding, “10 out of 10 to everything, actually. It was all really tasty.” Alma, 13, raved over how delicious everything was, and Ella, 6, said the Chicken Baklava was her favorite. Their father, famed for understating, particularly enjoyed the lamb ribs and simply said, “In a word: recommended!” His wife waxed poetic over the perfectly cooked sirloin beef: “Look at that color!”

The menu was a faynshmeker’s feast of all the traditional Rosh Hashanah holiday flavors, and the prices were very reasonable, especially for the exceptional quality provided.

The starters immediately set a high bar. The chopped liver with fried onions (NIS 28) was rich and classic. The beetroot salad (NIS 24) offered a delightful crunch with pecans and green onions; the chickpea salad (NIS 28) was beautifully bright with pickled lemon and olive oil; and the complex wheat salad (NIS 58) balanced roasted pumpkin, spinach, and onions with a sharp citrus vinaigrette cleverly served on the side.

The main courses and heavier dishes were where Tenne truly showcased its premium culinary identity:

• Chicken Baklava (24 pieces, NIS 149): delicate filo sheets packed with savory chicken, fried onions, and mixed nuts, with a spicy syrup and crushed pistachios.
• Roast Sirloin (serves eight, NIS 310): tender beef flavored with honey, mustard, black pepper, and rosemary, accompanied by chimichurri.
• Lamb Spareribs (serves four, NIS 245).
• Roasted Round Pumpkin (NIS 180): A gorgeous and delicious vegetarian centerpiece packed with bulgur, herbs, cinnamon, and orange vegetables. Those with cilantro intolerance beware!
• Tagine (NIS 125): A tangy stew of dried fruits, nuts, and cinnamon to be served over fluffy classic basmati rice (NIS 29).

A bottle of crisp Five Stones aromatic white wine (NIS 89) complemented the festive flavors. Of course, that one was not for the children.

Finally, Tenne premium wild honey at NIS 29 competes with supermarket chains price-wise but leaves them far behind in taste. All you need to buy are the apples!

The meal concluded with a sweet, festive Honey Kugelhopf baked in a rich nutty crust. A selection of other honey cakes (and more) range in price from NIS 44 to NIS 78.

A full holiday spread

This experience dispelled my doubts about ordering in for a holiday. Clearly, one can deliver a world-class gastronomic experience effortlessly, in the comfort of one’s home, with flawless execution, universal generational appeal, and highly competitive pricing.

I cannot recommend Tenne highly enough for the upcoming High Holy Days, future Shabbats, and any event you wish to host at home and really come across as the host/hostess with the most/mostest.

Additional food options include Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and Israeli evergreens: meat-filled “cigars” (five pieces, NIS 66), schnitzel (500 gr., NIS 60), gefilte fish with horseradish sauce (six pieces, NIS 96), and blintzes filled with minced meat, served with mushroom sauce (four servings, NIS 128); a selection of soups (800 gr.), ranging from NIS 59 to NIS 68; many more salads, both classic and adventurous, among them cauliflower salad with tehina, pomegranate celery salad, and edamame, cranberries, and green beans with pomegranate vinaigrette; several rice options; and special dishes such as Bulgarian Horseshoe Meatballs (eight units for NIS 78) and moussaka for four (NIS 104).

There is long-cooked asado, beef stew, and other types of beef, along with several varieties of chicken, fish, and even rice dishes. There are vegan dishes, too, notably fried Zucchini Cutlets (eight pieces for NIS 65) and Samla Curry made with udon noodles, green-curry-and-tofu stew, zucchini, and spinach (800 gr. for NIS 85).

While I could go on, all the necessary information is available at tenne-deli.co.il. The company’s delivery radius extends from Haifa to Rehovot and Modi’in.

Rosh Hashanah deliveries can be scheduled for September 10 or 11. The minimum order for delivery is NIS 600.

Restaurant info

Tenne
Hours: Sun., 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri., 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Shabbat closed
Order online: tenne-deli.co.il
Kashrut: Rabbanut Emek Hefer