Restaurants and stores are gearing up to commemorate one of the holiest of Jewish holidays, Passover, which begins at sundown March 29.
At Epic Roasthouse in San Francisco, just a short walk from the Hotel Vitale, Chef Jan Birnbaum will create a five-course, prix-fixe, non-kosher dinner of contemporary interpretations of childhood Passover favorites his mother, aunts and grandmother made. Wine pairings will be included.
The festive evening, 6 p.m. March 30, will begin with hors d’oeuvres, then a traditional Seder service with four ritualistic blessings, the drinking of “the four cups,” and the lighting of the candles.
Dishes include honey-red wine marinated apple salad with spiced pecans, Laura Chenel aged goat cheese, and brandied cherries; and braised brisket with “Aunt Ruth’s paprika potatoes,” wild mushrooms and fennel horseradish salad.
Price is $95 per person; for children ages 1o and younger, it’s $45.
Mission Beach Cafe in San Francisco, a short drive from the Holiday Inn Civic Center, is teaming with hipster Heeb magazine for its annual Slow Food Seder, April 5. The four-course dinner will be a mix of Old World and New World dishes — all made with seasonal, local and organic products.
Sit down to such inviting fare as smoked black cod with potato kugel and chive creme fraiche; and roasted duck with Israeli couscous, Jerusalem artichokes, pea shoots and orange sabayon.
Price is $55.
Sweet Jo’s Cafe at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, a short hop from the Best Western Tomo, is offering an extensive list of Passover dishes to-go, including a traditional Seder plate ($12.50) and an “Instant Seder Dinner” of braised Kobe beef brisket, mashed potatoes, broccoli with rosemary, and asparagus with hazelnuts ($9.50 per person).
Sweets are on the menu, too, with the likes of lemon cheesecake with matzoh meal crust ($54 for a whole, $13.50 for a quarter), and a raspberry-chocolate flourless cake ($36).
Across the Bay in Berkeley, Saul’s Restaurant and Delicatessen will be closed March 29, but open for Passover dinner on March 30. The a la carte dishes will include classic matzoh ball soup described amusingly as without “sinkers or floaters”; house-made dolmah with beet yogurt sauce; and braised and pulled brisket with vegetables and latke.
Saul’s also will offer a selection of Passover dishes to-go.
In addition to antibiotic-free, kosher chicken and turkey from Kosher Valley, Whole Foods Markets also has added two new Kosher items exclusive to their stores just in time for Passover: Aviv organic matzo, and Yehuda organic and whole wheat matzo.