Modern Kosher Mediterranean & Israeli Fare at Gveenah, West Hartford

Roi Graber is a long way from home, but has brought a taste of Israel and the fresh, healthy flavors of the Mediterranean to his new residence in West Hartford.

In January, Graber opened Gveenah, a modern kosher “Mediterranean fusion” restaurant, taking over the former Black Bamboo space on Farmington Avenue as owner Sonny Chen moved his popular Chinese eatery to a new location. Gveenah means “cheese” in Hebrew, Graber said.

Graber owned restaurants in his home country, but he and his wife and children fled after the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023 and came to the United States to stay with family members. He thought it would be a temporary measure for a few months, but the Jewish community in West Hartford helped them settle in, finding them a home and getting the children into school. Graber began thinking about a longer-term plan. 

Just a few months after arriving in Connecticut, Graber was on track to open his first American restaurant, with the help of business connections in West Hartford. Less than a year later, Gveenah opened its doors, welcoming guests in for a fusion experience blending “the rich traditions of Mediterranean and Italian cuisine,” according to its website.

Gveenah’s kosher menu focuses on dishes with vegetables, cheese and fish, with vegetarian and vegan options. The choice to exclude meat wasn’t necessarily a kosher-related decision, he said, but was more to highlight the availability of great fish in the region.

“You’ve got good fish here, good quality fish, and you can get it fresh every day,” he said. “So there’s no reason why there can’t be a Mediterranean fish restaurant.”

The menu offers freshly baked focaccia bread with four daily housemade dips, including smoked labneh with eggplant, tahini, schug (a mild-spicy green sauce) and Mediterranean tomato salsa with aged balsamic. Small plates include Mediterranean “fries” (roasted cauliflower and sunchoke with tahini), a mozzarella salad with stracciatella and roasted artichoke and salmon gravlax, a dish of house-cured salmon served with labneh, fennel and arugula. Handmade matbucha tortellini features pasta filled with the Moroccan tomato dip, enhanced with chickpeas, roasted tomato and lemon cream sauce.

Pastas make up a large part of the entree options, including fresh gnocchi in rose sauce, creamy salmon pappardelle and green tortellini, filled with ricotta and spinach and served with cured lemon sauce. Fish dishes include an oven-baked branzino with gnocchi in kohlrabi sunchoke and lemon cream sauce, seared fresh ahi tuna tataki with black lentils and chopped herbs and herb and Dijon salmon prepared with leeks, fennel and peas.

Brick-oven flatbreads feature the Tunisian, with fresh tuna, cured lemon, potato, hard-boiled egg, schug, tahini and harissa, and the Tuscan presents Italian flavors with roasted artichoke, gouda cheese, dried tomatoes, fresh arugula and a hint of truffle. Graber also re-invented the sabich pita sandwich as a focaccia flatbread, with roasted eggplant, hard-boiled egg, amba-tahini sauce, schug and cured lemon paste.

Other specialties include shakshuka, the North African dish of eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce, and Gveenah’s take on Greek moussaka, a layered dish of roasted eggplant featuring Turkish Tulum cheese and smoked feta. Graber’s version leaves out the traditional ground beef sauce. 

Since the restaurant is small with limited seating, Graber sees a lot of takeout customers, and he’s added pizzas to the online ordering menu to accommodate more guests. Toppings include a variety of vegetables and proteins like fresh tuna and salmon.

Desserts are made in house, like an “iced pistachio” crème brûlée that is torched while partially frozen, a semi-sweet olive oil chocolate bar and a personal-sized coffee caramel cheesecake.

Gveenah also offers a full beverage menu, with coffee and tea options including espresso drinks, matcha and chai; shakes in flavors like tahini and mocha and non-alcoholic sippers like a cucumber lime fizz and fresh lemonade. It’s a BYOB spot, and popular shop Harvest Wine & Spirits is right next door, with a variety of kosher wines, Graber said.

Graber said he’s grateful to the people of West Hartford for welcoming him and his family at a difficult time, and he wants to return the favor for the kindness they extended.

“After last year, I want to give back something to the community,” he said. “They’ve helped me a lot.”

Gveenah is at 844 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.860-322-6322, gveenah.com, @gveenah_wh.