Few couples loom larger in Jerusalem's history than Anna Ticho and Avraham Albert Ticho. She was a painter whose still-lifes and depictions of Jerusalem inaugurated the modern era of Israeli art. He was one of the first modern medical practitioners in pre-state Palestine, an eye doctor who treated all Jerusalemites regardless of background.

The Tichos arrived in Palestine in 1912 and eventually moved into a former Arab manor right off main Jerusalem thoroughfare Jaffa Road (one of the first houses built outside the walls of the Old City), which they turned into an eye clinic. While her husband treated Jerusalem's residents, Ticho played host to a constantly revolving cast of dignitaries and painted – and that tradition of hospitality lives on almost 30 years after her death. The Ticho house has been converted into a museum with an attached kosher dairy restaurant, Little Jerusalem.

Visiting the family-operated restaurant, managed by a veteran of the luxury King David Hotel, is like entering a secret oasis of calm in the midst of bustling downtown Jerusalem. Tucked away in an alley, Little Jerusalem's venerable Jerusalem stone architecture and bucolic gardens will transport you back a century.

Little Jerusalem features both indoor and outdoor seating sections, and the extensive menu draws equally on Middle Eastern and European fares. There are multiple breakfast combos (from 10:00 until 12:00), soups, heaping salads, stir fries, omelettes, quiches, baked potatoes, sandwiches, pasta, fish and more, including both children's and seniors' menus. Acclaimed offerings include onion soup served in a bread bowl, stuffed artichoke, sea bream in olive oil and herbs, and a killer dessert lineup including Anna's apple strudel served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Happily for observant guests, the kitchen is mehadrin kosher.

In addition to the ample menu offerings, Little Jerusalem is home to regular musical performances in its courtyard, including special nights for jazz and Jewish soul music.