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A kosher ‘kind of Chinese’ restaurant in New Jersey lands on NYT’s 2023 list of eateries ‘we’re most excited about’
(JTA) — Fat Choy was a critic’s pick for its flavorful, inventive vegan Chinese menu when it opened in Manhattan’s East Village in 2021. But pandemic and inflation pressures forced its closure the following year, and its chef, Justin Lee, considered exiting the kitchen to become a teacher.
Now, Fat Choy has reopened in suburban New Jersey, with a Jewish partner and kosher certification. And this week, the restaurant landed on the New York Times’ 2023 Restaurant List — the 50 restaurants across the United States that the newspaper’s dining critics are “most excited about.”
It’s not the only vegetarian restaurant on the list: New York City’s Superiority Burger, which recently reopened with a revamped menu, is also a pick. But Fat Choy stands out as the only eatery with kosher certification to win the distinction — though the newspaper didn’t note that in its blurb.
“If we’re lucky, the future might look something like Fat Choy,” dining critic Pete Wells wrote, saying that the restaurant offers an antidote to the lab-grown meat that is seen as the vanguard for plant-based dining. He added. “Dishes such as Not Quite Beef and Broccoli, made with roasted mushrooms, and Mr. Lee’s homage to General Tso, in which battered fried cauliflower takes the place of chicken, will make instant sense to anyone who’s ever been to Panda Express.”
Fat Choy’s resurrection came after Jonathan Krieger, the Jewish cofounder of Australian cafe chain Bluestone Lane, convinced Lee to reopen in the bedroom community of Englewood. Krieger, who moved to the New Jersey suburbs during the pandemic, is Fat Choy’s CEO. He has also opened a community space and spa in the area.
Named for a Cantonese new year’s greeting and describing itself as “kind of Chinese, also vegan,” Fat Choy displays a kosher insignia, in Hebrew, at the top of its website. It also includes a link to its certificate, which shows that its current status is guaranteed through the end of August 2024, except during Passover, along with a statement by Krieger.
“We are proud to be certified Kosher by the International Kosher Council, who uphold the strictest standards in Kashrut,” the statement says. “We believe in upholding the highest standards in food quality, cleanliness and treatment of our employees and guests.”
Operated by Rabbi Zev Schwarcz, the International Kosher Council specializes overseeing kosher regulations in vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Schwarcz, an Orthodox rabbi ordained at a haredi yeshiva in Ohio, has made himself the go-to certifier for such restaurants, which use very few potentially non-kosher ingredients, by offering lower-priced services, often to restaurants that aim to serve a diverse and not primarily Jewish clientele.
The agency has faced criticism from other certifying agencies for not requiring constant supervision by an in-person inspector and for working with restaurants that operate on Shabbat; some kosher-keeping diners do not eat in restaurants that it certifies.
Still, Fat Choy has generated some buzz among kosher-keeping diners, with multiple people posting in a prominent Facebook group, Great Kosher Restaurant Foodies, that they had enjoyed their meal at Fat Choy. “Had the General Lee’s Cauliflower — it was delicious,” a group member wrote in mid-August, shortly after the restaurant’s opening. “Hit the spot.”
Englewood, the city where Fat Choy has opened in a strip mall, is home to a significant Jewish community, as are several of its surrounding towns, including Teaneck. Residents can choose from a wide range of both synagogues and kosher eateries. Fat Choy’s location had originally been advertised as the future home of Urban Shuk, a kosher food hall offering a range of cuisines from different vendors.
Landing on the New York Times’ best-of list can be transformative for restaurants. After the newspaper placed Falafel Tanami in Brooklyn on its list of best meals in the city earlier this year, the family-owned kosher restaurant experienced a surge of customers, sold out of some of its signature products and began contemplating an expansion.
What’s coming for Fat Choy? If Krieger’s track record is any indication, more locations could be in the future: Bluestone Lane now has 50 sites across the United States, and he also previously ran a taco chain with eight locations. The restaurant itself was not available for comment: Its phone line was busy all day Tuesday.
It did post a note to its website about the New York Times accolade.
“Being ranked as the number 1 restaurant to try for New Jersey is a testament to our passion and commitment to reimagine what vegan can taste like and bring our flavor of Chinese delights to every plate,” the restaurant said.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
The post Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
The post Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.