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In a sense, the rise of Jerusalem's "chef restaurant" scene, whatever that may be, can be understood as a reaction to the faceless mechanization of the global food industry. At franchise restaurants, the menu and décor are designed in board rooms to all be comfortingly similar, at the expense of flavor. At what the locals call "chef restaurants," on the other hand, all aspects of the restaurant - the concept, menu, design and overall character - are guided by the vision of the chef. At many of these restaurants, the chef is at least a partial owner as well.

Patrons at a chef restaurant expect a gourmet food experience in a high-end environment. Wine is often emphasised - 1868 has a sommelier and an extensive wine list. But chef restaurants are also readily accessible - there's no need to reserve weeks in advance or to dress formally. And unlike most their compatriots in Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem versions of chef restaurants - equally creative and talked about - are often kosher.

Whether it's a nod to the slow food movement or a devotion to eating only locally sourced ingredients, chef restaurants are the places to go to keep up with emerging food trends. "People want to try new things," Lior Heftzadi, the chef at chef restaurant Lara, explains to GoJerualem.com. "Special things that you can find only at a chef restaurant."

Some chef restaurants make a point of being on the leading edge of Israeli cuisine. Machaneyuda takes advantage of its location in the shuk to bring creative twists to the freshest market produce, meat and fish, adding an elegant grace note to the basic (though tasty) cuisine generally found in that area of town. Currently offering a special menu that features new dishes every day of the week, in honor of the three weeks leading up to the mourful Jewish day of Tisha B'Av, HaChatzer is known for its fine meat dishes, served with Mediterranean flavor and using locally sourced ingredients. The menu at Scala also puts an international spin on the finest Israeli ingredients. Like all chef restaurants, these dining rooms are ensconced in artfully designed and comfortable surroundings.

Because the restaurants' concepts and menus hinge on the chefs' preferences and not on standardization requirements, the chef restaurant "genre" encompasses many types of cuisine served in Israel. You can get a taste of Latin America at La Boca, where different meat dishes take on the flavors ranging from Mexico all the way to Argentina. Gabriela specializes in Italian food, but makes room for gourmet versions of Israeli brunch favorites like shakshuka. Eschewing fusion cuisine, Gourmet, on the other hand, is thoroughly French; its chef-owners are experienced French restaurateurs.

Because the chef is so closely associated with the food at these places, devotees of a given chef's prior stops will follow him or her to a new place. Fans of Erez Margi and Marcus Gershkowitz, formerly of Arcadia and Calena, can now dine at Angelica, where the relatively modestly sized menu changes regularly according to what ingredients are in peak season.

Lara's Heftzadi, who also spent time in these two well-known Jerusalem kitchens, believes that it's the chef's role to transport diners with their food. "We're cooking food from mama's house," he says, noting that the heritage of Lara's three chefs is Iraqi and Moroccan. "But we give it a fusion twist to be Israeli."

The spices, cooking methods and featured dishes at Lara may hearken to their culinary genes, but constant adaptations are made according to what is in season, or what is trending. "We use fresh ingredients; we change the menu about once a month. Fresh fish is one the best things we have here." Heftzadi compares Lara to a European bistro that is inviting, friendly and comfortable. The neighborhood bistro vibe reverberates across town at La Guta, a veteran of the Jerusalem dining scene; the magic of cozy weeknight dinners is offered for takeout on Fridays. A full menu of Mediterranean-style foods, from dips and spreads to fish and meat (and yes, wine too), is ready to transport directly to your table from their popular "Friday Market" events.

Back at Lara, the personalities of the chefs are inextricably intertwined with the dining experience. "We have an open kitchen," Heftzadi says. "You can sit and speak to the chefs while they cook," usually all three of them together. "It's a small kitchen, like a home kitchen," he notes. But there's a key difference: they're preparing dinner for hundreds on any given night.