Whipped Feta from Blondinit – Photo Ken Valenti
Editor’s note: Below is the first in an occasional series, “The Dish.” Each article in the series features one menu item from an established Westport restaurant. The dishes are chosen for their originality, brashness or singularity.
By Ken Valenti
WESTPORT–When you think of whipped cheese, feta probably isn’t the first variety that comes to mind. Not the earthy, crumbly cheese that gives Greek salads their distinctive flavor. The cheese even gets its name from the Italian word for slice – fetta.
So the whipped feta stands out on the starter menu at Blondinit, the Israeli restaurant at 29 Church Lane downtown.
If whipped makes the dish sound light as the topping on an ice cream sundae, it’s not. Its consistency is more like cream cheese, but earthier and saltier. That’s balanced with a light honey for sweetness. Pomegranate seeds add a bright pop with a tiny acidic note.
The menu says the whipped feta is served with za’atar chips, which are typically toasted or fried triangles of pita with a Middle Eastern spice blend. But on a recent day, the appetizer was served beside a copse of potato chips rising from the white mound of cheese.
It’s enough for two. It may not look like a large portion – it is a starter, after all – but with whipped cheese, you want a small taste each time, not a mouthful.
Blondinit opened in March 2024, run by the Sade family from Israel — owner and proprietor Solomon, his wife Inda and their two daughters. They see their cuisine as Israeli soul food.
“Soul food is based on the idea that every human being has a unique soul, and each soul inhabits a distinct body,” the website says. That’s heady stuff for an eatery, but it combines “local spices, herbs, and flavors from cultures and nationalities all over the Mediterranean.”
And schnitzel. The eatery has several menu options with schnitzel.
A closer look shows several departures from the Mediterranean. The warm pita served first came with a tray that included a smooth-blended hummus and a Mexican-inspired touch – jalapeño-based salsa.
Feta, of course, is an ancient Greek cheese, falling squarely in the Mediterranean. The cheese’s Italian-inspired name stuck to it in the 1600s.
Blondinit’s whipped version is also served with the pomegranate harissa wings and the Israeli omelet. But if you’re looking for a taste to start your Israeli culinary experience, the whipped feta alone is a good choice.
Ken Valenti
A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.
Dining and Cooking