uri buri in acre (akko): a beautiful experience

The port city of Acre (or Akko).

One of the many joys of traveling is meeting someone completely fascinating. Such was the case when Mr. Sazy Rock and I went to the beautiful port town of Acre (or Akko) in the northern part of Israel. There, by way of a Twitter introduction from Noga (a journalist and now a real-life friend), who, in turn, was introduced to us by Mel (another real life friend via Twitter), we met the inimitable Uri Jeremias, the owner of the popular seafood restaurant, Uri Buri.

Uri is one of the most gracious, friendly and hospitable people I've met in a long time. As a self-taught chef, he showed plenty of enthusiasm about his food and their provenance. He introduced us to the front and back of the house staff. He showed us the fresh fish his sous chef was expertly filleting. He fed us (and refused to accept payment because we were his guests) and showed us around his kitchen and his nearby hotel, the Efendi Hotel (a gorgeous hotel, which took him nine years to renovate as a labor of love, with stones dating back to the Templars era and the Byzantine Empire). As we walked around Akko, he knew everyone and everyone knew him. His friendliness just shown through. He also had the fiercest facial hair I've ever seen in person (see picture below).

Uri Jeremias of Uri Buri.

Because we did not pay for our meal, I cannot review Uri Buri. But, it seems a shame to not share our beautiful experience eating the fresh seafood that were perfectly prepared by Uri and his staff. So, below are pictures of some of the dishes Uri kindly shared with us.

Persimmon with mascarpone, tobiko and caviar
- a great combination of crunch and sweetness.

Mackerel (scumbria) with olive oil.

Salmon with soy wasabi sorbet.

Riceless sushi - salmon with marinated nori, pickled fennel and pea shoots.

Shrimp and artichoke curry in butter, lemon and turmeric.

I have to say though that if you get the chance, visit Uri Buri because our meal there was one of the highlights of our trips to Israel. And, if you can, do say "hi" to Uri. He is a fascinating man and I am honored to have met him.