Eat, drink and be Jewish: Klezmer night at Saul’s

Stepping into Saul's Deli is like stepping back in time to a simpler, warmer place. At least that's how it was last Thursday when the restaurant hosted a klezmer night. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, but my eperience was far from underwhelming.

The klezmorim -- Mike Perlmutter, Dave Rosenfeld, Emunah Hauser and Hudi Brenman -- palyed outside at first, drawing in passerbys as the farmers' market accross the road wound down.  Back inside, they continued to play to a packed restaurant. I couldn't get over all the people: it was so nice seeing folks of all ages gathered around tables, eating good food and listening to klezmer.  There are traditional aspects here, yes, but any sort of happy communal gathering is bound to give you a fuzzy feeling.

Now, let me make a confession. This was my first experience with klezmer, so this experience was like a lesson of sorts. First of all, hearing klezmer live is different from listening to a recording or seing a video on YouTube.  Sure, they may be good quality, but so is the picture of the Mona Lisa an an art history book.  Nothing is better than the real thing, which in this case meant a quartet of musicians weaving in and out of the chatter of people and the clinking of forks and knives.  It's a huge sensory experience, with all the good food on your table, the aroma of food from your neighbor's table, the chatter and, of course, the music. 

But the part that made it all come together was the conversations, which I had plenty of when the musicians finished playing and gathered in a booth to have a well-deserved meal.

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