Superb food in a sizable cave-like setting

On our way home from the market, we had a determined destination for dinner: the highly-recommended Ima Restaurant, a family-run place whose name means "mom." The place was neat, with thick, rough rock walls and many small rooms lending a cool and homey air to the meal.

The first plate to arrive at the table was fresh pita, olives, and spicy tomato salsa. All were delectable. The pita was fresh and fluffy, still warm from the oven. The tomato salsa was an excellent take on a chunky, spicy gazpacho, with a bit of extra oil added. A terrific start.

Next was a set of three meze, clockwise from top left: matbucha, eggplant salad, and tabouleh. All were great, and each of us liked a different one best. The matbucha was a spicy tomato salad that had a good Middle Eastern spice to it. The eggplant salad was smooth and full of delicious eggplant taste without the bitterness. And the tabouleh blessedly had some olive oil added and was not dry at all, soaking into the pita with relish.

Then, a stuffed vegetable course, in this case a stuffed pepper. A fine rendition of a somewhat boring standard. Would be better to reinvent this one somewhat, adding some spice or some heat.

The kitchen quickly got back on track with the kubeh mustanfa soup. The kubeh, or meat dumplings, were chewy and flavorful, soaking up the tomato-based broth when opened. The squash that came roughly chopped was also hearty and excellent. Looks like red soup with beige filling, but tastes delicious!

And, lastly, there was the nightly special main, lamb meatballs wrapped in grape leaves with tahini sauce. Oh. My. God. These were transcendent. The lamb was perfect, spiced and seasoned and still quite juicy. The grape leaves were soft, able to be cut easily with a knife and providing a refreshing backdrop of greenery. And the tahini was diluted to the right consistency, not too viscous. So excellent, and so new. Delightful.

Of special note was the excellent Israeli wine we had there. It was a Syrah / Cabernet blend, from the Golan Heights region, and it was very nice. Not too thin and not too acidic, it helped the lamb be all it could be.

Also of special note was our waiter, Sonia. Out of many gruff servicepeople we've come across so far, she was friendly, laughing a couple of times, and helpful, telling us which dishes were note the best.

Ima may have just captured "best in Israel" from its Cafe Paradiso competitor.