Where to Eat During Rosh Hashanah 2015

With Labor Day come and gone, fall (and yes, even winter!), holidays always seem to pop up at a fast and furious pace.  And the first on the docket is Rosh Hashanah — aka the Jewish New Year— lasting from September 13th-15th.  Like many Jewish holidays, it actually has a strong foodie throughline, such as eating sweet dishes like apples dipped in honey — thought to portend a sweet new year.  Another important aspect of Rosh Hashanah is that you’re not supposed to do any work during it, so let the following spots prepare some delicious eats for you, from an appetizing spread at the newly opened Sadelle’s to a sticky babka (crossbred with donuts!) from Dough.

Sadelle’s: Yet another venture from the Torrisi team, Sadelle’s plumbs the long, proud NYC tradition of Jewish appetizing, with freshly-rolled, boiled and baked bagels from Roberta’s alum, Melissa Weller, as well as house-smoked salmon and cream cheese made from scratch.  Unsurprisingly, the lines have been impossibly long at the Soho storefront, which is why you’d be much better off placing an online order for the High Holidays, at least 48 hours in advance.  In addition to bagels and lox, you’ll also find tuna and whitefish salads available, as well as challah, honey cake, babka, bear claws, raspberry walnut rugelach and more.

Harry & Ida’s: This is Ducks Eatery’s Will Horowitz’s idea of a Jewish deli, so expect a lot more than standard pastrami on rye. Piled on crusty club rolls from Pain d’Avignon, tender, fire engine-red hunks of house-smoked beef get layered with rounds of buttermilk fermented cucumber and smears of anchovy mustard (you can also try a Pastrami Hot Dog, with dill and shitake mayo), Bluefish Salad is paired with pickled celery, spring onions and watercress, and there’s even a sandwich comprised of Smoked Eel, gobbed with kale kimchee, drizzled with maple sauce, and lined with parsnip, onion and horseradish relish.

B&H Dairy: Finally reopened after the devastating East Village explosion, you won’t find better than this 75-year old kosher vegetarian spot, if you’re in search of some serious Jewish soul food.  And there are plenty of options to help you stay within the sweet theme; try the famous Challah French Toast, eggy Matzoh Brie, Cheddar and Apple Omelet or Cheese and Fruit Blintzes for breakfast, or Stuffed Cabbage with tomato sauce, Sweet Potato Knishes, or Kasha Varnishkas thoughout the day.

Timna: Just opened this summer, this East Village charmer serves Israeli/Middle Eastern fare with a thoroughly modern twist.  Think an elegant Warm Freekah Salad, tossed with root vegetable confit, preserved lemon, raw tahini and date molasses, Sweetbreads prepared “shakshuka” style, with quail eggs and housemade harissa, Sea Bass Panzanella with roasted tomato puree, knobs of local burrata, and tidbits of “lost bread,” and even a Porcini Mushroom Brulee for dessert, topped with tonka meringue and paired with honey and sage ice cream.

Bar Bolonat: Since Einat Admoney’s well-loved, homestyle Israeli restaurant, Balaboosta, is inevitably packed during the high holidays, it might be a good time to visit her newer small plates spot, Bar Bolonat, for oblong Jerusalem Bagels with za’atar seasoning and olive oil, roasted Cauliflower with bamba and peanut tahini, Short Rib Tagine slumped atop couscous with almonds and herbs, and a savory stew of Lambs Neck, sweetened with preserved lemon and dates.

Dough: An impossibly dense and rich Eastern European cake, generally ringed with chocolate, or crystalline trails of cinnamon and sugar, babka is a favorite Rosh Hashanah sweet.  And while New York City boasts plenty of truly stellar traditional babkas, from places like <em