Eyal Shani
Born(1959-01-06)January 6, 1959
Culinary career
Television show(s)

Eyal Shani (Hebrew: אייל שני; born 6 January 1959) is an Israeli celebrity chef noted for creating the Miznon restaurant chain.

Culinary career

Shani, a self-taught chef, opened the Israeli fine dining restaurant, Ocean, in 1989.[1][2] After closing Ocean, he spent several years as a restaurant consultant.[1]

Shani opened the first restaurant in his contemporary casual chain, Miznon, in 2011.[1] It has since expanded to an international chain with restaurants in Paris, Vienna, Melbourne, and New York.[3]

Shani's signature dishes at Miznon include whole, roasted cauliflower, [4][5] and “run over potato”, a baked potato mixed with garlic, green onions, and sour cream and served paper-thin.[6][7]

Shani opened HaSalon in Tel Aviv and Givatayim in 2008. Eyal is the head chef at the restaurant, which opens only two nights a week.[3][5] Richard Vines, restaurant reviewer for Bloomberg, described the food at HaSalon as "simple but epic."[5] Gault Millau named it one of the top restaurants in Israel in 2018.[8]

HaSalon

In April 2019, Shani and longtime business partner Shachar Segal opened HaSalon in Hell's Kitchen, New York City.[9] In July 2023, HaSalon opened another location at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.[10]

Shmoné

In May 2022, Shani opened Shmoné, meaning "eight" in Hebrew, in New York City. The restaurant featured a new menu every day. Shmoné earned a Michelin Star in March 2023, Shani's first.[11]

Media

He is a judge on MasterChef Israel.

During the 10th MasterChef season in 2022, Shani was criticized after he discriminated against a contestant who lives in Bat Ayin based on his residence. Critics called for Shani's removal from the show.[12][13][14]

Reception

Shani's unique presentations, twists on famous dishes and street food, and colorful, even pretentious, language have drawn both praise and criticism.

Writer Liel Leibovitz called Shani "Israel's most celebrated chef", and concluded that "Eyal Shani is a genius."[15] Another critic claims he had one of the worst meals in his life at one of Shani's restaurants, saying "It feels like you're being scammed. He doesn't even deserve the title of 'Chef'. His mannerisms are only there to cover for bad cooking."[16] New York Post's Steve Cuozzo noted that on a trip to Israel, many chefs he spoke to said Shani is "regarded as a joke" in his home country. [17]

While HaSalon enjoyed moderate popularity since opening, it drew criticism for its high prices. Shauna Lyon from The New Yorker wrote "The prices are so high that you might find yourself straining to calculate the best deals."[18] Cuozzo was also critical: "Many of the Mediterranean menu’s scandalously priced stinkers were just meh", and concluded "HaSalon translates as the salon or, as applied to this venue, the living room. But it might as well mean, Ha, suckers! The joke’s on us."[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c Fabricant, Florence (8 January 2018). "Eyal Shani, an Israeli Celebrity Chef, Makes His New York Debut". New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  2. ^ Ansky, Sherri (2012). Food of Israel: Authentic Recipes from the Land of Milk and Honey. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462905423. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b Handwerker, Haim (17 September 2018). "Israeli Chef Eyal Shani to Open Branch of HaSalon Restaurant in New York". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. ^ DuPree, Greg. "Miznon's Whole Roasted Cauliflower". Food & Wine. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Vines, Richard (18 April 2018). "Israel Is the World's New Dining Hotspot Tourism surged to a record last year and is rising even faster in 2018, the nation's 70th anniversary. Here's where to eat, with tips from global star chef Yotam Ottolenghi and local hero Eyal Shani". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  6. ^ Goldfield, Hannah (30 April 2018). "Miznon Secures Pita Primacy at Chelsea Market (restaurant Review)". The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  7. ^ Dai, Serena (30 January 2018). "Miznon, Now Open in Chelsea, Dreams of Capturing New York in a Pita". New York Eater. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  8. ^ Maimon, Rotem (20 January 2018). "The 20 Best Restaurants in Israel Right Now, According to Gault & Millau". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  9. ^ Vianna, Carla (4 April 2019). "Israeli Celebrity Chef Behind Miznon Brings His Tel Aviv Hot Spot to NYC Next Week". Eater New York.
  10. ^ https://hauteliving.com/2023/07/hasalon-opens-at-the-venetian-las-vegas/733626/
  11. ^ Doherty, Risa (2023-03-10). "With his New York restaurant Shmoné, Israeli chef Eyal Shani earns his first Michelin nod". New York Jewish Week. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  12. ^ Article from 2022 in Ice]
  13. ^ Article from 2022 in Israel Today
  14. ^ Article from 2022 in Mivzaklive
  15. ^ Leibovitz, Eyal (2 February 2018). "Eyal Shani, Israel's Most Celebrated Chef, Opens New York Restaurant". Tablet. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  16. ^ Shechnik, Raz (19 October 2016). "מנקה שולחן" (in Hebrew). Ynet.
  17. ^ Cuozzo, Steve (17 December 2019). "The 10 worst NYC food trends of 2019". New York Post.
  18. ^ Lyon, Shauna (21 June 2019). "A Tel Aviv Restaurant Brings Bacchanalia and Technique to Hell's Kitchen". The New Yorker.
  19. ^ Cuozzo, Steve (2 July 2019). "Restaurant charges $24 for a single tomato". New York Post.
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