Surprised Moi, Birthday Fun

I haven't been all that shy about telling friends and family that this year's birthday is to be celebrated. Hard to believe I'm seventy 70 and not seventeen 17. But somehow a bunch of my buddies, the ones in my Walking Anyone👍🏼 whatsapp group, totally surprised me yesterday morning. I really thought we were getting together for a nice morning walk.

All the "Where are we going to meet?" and "Which neighborhood will we walk in?" questions/answers made sense, were perfectly normal. Even when some of us were standing and waiting in front of Merlot, the lovely dairy restaurant across from the supermarket and mailboxes, and I saw two friends approaching, I didn't  think it more than just coincidence.

I really was surprised when they said that we were going to a surprise party for breakfast, rather than take a walk!

We all had Merlot Breakfasts, eggs, salads, spreads, whole wheat rolls and coffee. Totally delicious. Then we shared their special dessert, waffle with ice cream, whipped cream the works! All of this was flavored with friendship, the most heavenly flavoring in the world. Thank Gd, I am truly blessed.

Dinner at Merlot, A Real Dairy Restaurant in Shiloh

It's so nice to know that we don't have to travel at all to get to a nice dairy restaurant. When we had been renovating our kitchen last summer, the added expense of a few meals "out" was minor financially and made life much easier. Merlot is nicer than many of the chain dairy restaurants you find all over the country and on par with, or better than most kosher dairy restaurants in most cities and towns.

Our most recent visit to Merlot was just before Pesach/Passover, after Bedikat Chametz, the ritual searching for the forbidden chametz. There was nothing to eat in the house, especially after a long day cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen to turn it into Pesach mode. For many years, my husband has brought home felafel from Jerusalem for us to eat after the "search," but this year he was home that day. When he did some shopping that afternoon, he checked at the pizza store, which apparently is attached to Merlot, about felafel. They didn't have any on their menu, but he was told that Merlot would be open until midnight with its full menu available.

Once we finished with the ritual, I "spruced myself up" for our post-Bedikat Chametz "date night," and we walked down the hill to Merlot. For those coming by car, there's a parking lot behind it, and it's also near bus stops for the 461 and 463 Egged Taavura. Merlot is across the street from the Shlomo Levyatan Supermarket and the Kupat Cholim Leumit clinic. Yes, the location is central and convenient, even for those who don't live in Shiloh. And of course it's strictly kosher mehadrin.

Merlot is open Sunday-Thursday 8am - 11pm. Friday 8am- until 1pm (or possibly later during summer hours,) and after Shabbat until 11pm. Call 02-6284601 for more information.

My husband ordered the Asian Stir-Fry, and I had the Sweet Potato Salad. We were both very happy with the food, which was delicious. We didn't order dessert, though I've eaten their desserts other times, including parties. Merlot also has a Breakfast Menu, which is offered until 12 noon.

Yes, we definitely recommend Merlot, and it's worth the trip, even if you don't live in Shiloh. Shiloh is only about ten minutes from the Ariel University, Ofra and of course closer to Eli and all the Gush Shiloh Bloc communities, besides being off of Highway 60 and barely ten minutes from the Alon Road.

Merlot, Great Dairy Restaurant Here in Shiloh

Photo by Yisrael Medad

Thank Gd, we don't have to go far if we want to eat out. There's a wonderful dairy restaurant here in Shiloh, Merlot. It's just across from the main supermarket and Kupat Cholim Leumit. There are also bus stops in front and around the corner. And there's a parking lot, too.

The food is absolutely delicious, and Merlot is willing to accommodate for groups and those who have allergies/sensitivities. The hechshar in Merlot is Mehadrin dairy. You can call them for more information 02-6284601. Even though their site is all in Hebrew, there are menus in English, and the waitstaff speaks English.

I ate in Merlot twice this week with friends, and when we were redoing our kitchen, we ate there a few times.

I highly recommend Merlot. It's nice to have a pleasant, reasonably priced restaurant a short walk from home.

Feast your eyes on the photos:

As you can see, presentation is also top class.