Birman is nothing less than a good idea. A downtown restaurant/bar on the pedestrian mall, Birman serves up sophisticated, Middle East-meets-West versions of bar food, a whole lot of premium, hard-to-find booze, and nightly live music, heavy on jazz but dipping frequently into ragtime, blues, soul and classical.

The bar, befitting a jazz-oriented club, features an impressive selection of liquors and wines, including what has to be some of the first cachaça to make it to Jerusalem (two brands, no less). The kitchen, which is kosher-style but lacks certification, churns out salads, gourmet wings, soups, sandwiches, burgers, kebabs and chicken nuggets, as well as a house specialty, veal sausages cooked in beer. Many dishes are served with the house pickles and sauerkraut.

And you can be guaranteed a fitting musical accompaniment with your dinner.