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This MOJO’s is Austin Powers worthy, baby. Oh yeah! Beeehave! Get over to this treif-feel but actually kosher and shagadelic place right away!

Rabbi Adam Feldman (z’l) and I, along with a few others from our hevra, would regularly veer off from our studies while in rabbinical school and play a game called Yom Treif.

The concept behind the game was that Adam would name a city and allow a random amount of time and we have to share what we would eat on Yom Treif, that is obviously not kosher, without punishment from our deans or the Almighty.

As one of the few in the group who never ate non—kosher food by design or knowingly, I had no idea what I was missing. But others who had tasted the forbidden fruit and chosen later in life to abide by the laws of kosher, craved things like Philly Cheese Steaks, Lobster or pepperoni pizza.

This was always a fantasy based mind-exercise that was never actualized. Until tonight.

For so long, like wandering in the desert, it was inconceivable to enjoy those delectables and keep the tradition we have chosen to uphold.

Enter MOJO’s. This fun eatery is founded by Tzvi Maller who is no stranger to tantalizing forbidden foods that are permissible. This time, his restaurant is located on the Shlomzion HaMalka Strip not far from Ben Yehuda and Mamilla.

Maller has taken his gift of different meats that usually sound forbidden (think bacon - but he has to spell it Ba-Ken because the Rabbannut is nuts, and pepperoni spelled the normal way because, well, the Rabbanut is nuts) and added pareve cheese and created some phenomenal meat heavy pizzas that will give you a taste of the promised land without having to sell your soul for entry.

I had the pleasure of eating and reviewing this restaurant with the one and only Linda Gradstein, the food critic for the Jerusalem Post and her favorite husband, Cliff. It was like seeing a movie with Siskel and Ebert. Cliff and Linda had been before but this was my first time. We were joined by my first wife, Dori and our dear friends.

Interestingly the opening appetizers of this place seemed more fitting for a sports bar. Sliders and crispy chicken and KFC (fried chicken balls) and deep fried olives did not strike me as a pizza joint opener. But we tried them all.

The KFC, which was dark meat chicken, rolled up and battered with a thick, almost Hawaiian barbecue sauce and crunch with some kick and tang was good. Not amazing. The crispy chicken was tasty dark meat as well. The fried olives tasted like an appetizer one would get at Applebees or TGI Fridays - where the staff would offer service ‘with a grin to win.’ The olives were very interesting and unlike anything I had ever eaten before but nothing that will change the trajectory of my life. The Wagyu beef sliders however, were some of the most delicious tasting burgers I have ever enjoyed. This is reason alone to visit MOJOS.

The menu offered a 600 shekel Tomahawk steak which frankly, stuck out like a sore thumb. If you want a serious steak, you have ample choice in Jerusalem. If you are coming to MOJO’s it is for meaty-pizza. I would jettison that from the options soon.

Then the pizzas came. We ordered 3 pizzas, which offered 8 pieces each and were about the size of a Dominos or Little Caesars Medium pie.

The first was the “baken” which has onions and lamb bacon. The second was the threesome, which had bacon, pepperoni and sausage and the third was just a traditional pepperoni pizza.

All of the pies had a perfect blend of cashew based cheese with a delicious and robust sauce. The pizza dough was soft and chewy and baked to perfection. The meat atop the plate of deliciousness was plentiful, especially on the pepperoni. For those in our midst who remember the pre-covenantal tastes, they all agreed the pepperoni was uncanny to the real-deal and they were prepared to order two more pies beacuse it was so yummy. They could not get enough.

As someone who has only enjoyed phony-roni and does not know the ‘real’ tastes of that blend, thew meat pizza pies were excellent but I have no treifbar to compare it to.

Good news and bad news on dessert. They have slim pickings for manah-achronah. You had your choice of lemon curd (like a key lime pudding with cherries and pistachios on top) or bacon…oops, I mean ‘baken’ (silly Rabbanut) chocolate chip cookies. Yeah. You read that right. ‘Baken’ chip cookies.

We ordered both. While expecting to HATE the cookie I was wildly mistaken. It was the perfect blend of savory and sweet and was something I will not soon see again. We all loved it. The lemon curd was incredible. There was not a morsel to be found in the bowl.

Best part was for six people who ordered loads of appetizers and 3 pizza pies and 3 desserts, the bill was VERY reasonable. Under $39 per person, including tip. Not bad for Israel these days.