Suddenly Chic -Passover Dining Out

Once upon a time, Passover was a dreaded holiday, devoid of bread, rice, cake, cookies and all things yeast.  But times have changed and New York’s best restaurants and chefs are finding inspiration in the holiday and, more importantly, its food traditions.  With the sudden popularity of Jewish deli cooking, there’s a whole new world of reinvented classics, the likes of wild halibut gefilte fish and chopped duck and chicken liver.  But it doesn’t stop there.  There’s brisket tacos at Rosa Mexicana, smoked trout potato latke at Telepan, and jalapeno matzo ball soup at Toloache .Whether you celebrate or not, you’ll want to get in on the inspired Seder dinners New York’s best restaurants are offering this year.  Here’s a few of our favorites…

Balaboosta –  Gefilte Wannabe
Address: 214 Mulberry St.
Phone: (212) 966-7366
Website: balaboostanyc.com
With its Israeli-influenced Middle Eastern menu, Balaboosta is a perfect spot to celebrate Passover.  Afterall, chef Einat Romy knows her mezze.  Even if you’re not Jewish, you might consider making a reservation here on April 7th to sample this team effort of Romny with guest chefs, Alex Raij and Fany Gerson. It’s so serious there’s even an Israeli wine pairing with each course.   Dinner begins with a Passover cocktail, a blend of rose, pomegranate, cardamom and sparkling wine, followed by a roasted beet and candied walnut charoset.  Then move on to the “gefilte wannabe,” fish cakes in a spicy Moroccan sauce.  In lieu of Matzo ball soup, there’s a Gondi soup with chicken and chickpea flour meatballs.  One of our favorite offerings is the spring lamb with roasted potato and sunchokes and an orange and pistachio meringue cake.

Rosa Mexicano – Red Snapper Gefilte Fish 
Address: 61 Columbus Ave. at 62nd St. (and additional locations)
Phone: (212) 977-7700
Website: rosamexicano.com
A Mexican Passover anyone?  We’re up for anything, especially if Jonathan Waxman is behind the menu.   Famous for his roast chicken at Barbuto, Waxman is lending his talents to Rosa Mexicano, offering a fresh and inspired take on Mexican cooking and Passover.  What to expect? Red snapper gefilte fish with habanero tomato sauce and pickled vegetables, for starters. Waxman’s inspired twist on a Seder plate results in charoset uniquely flavored with coconut, tangerine, pomegranate, almonds and a maror of roasted beets, scallions and avocado with a creamy horseradish dressing.  We’re in.  There’s pulled beef brisket tacos, cooked in Tecate beer, topped with charred red onions and pomegranate, toasted almonds and grilled baby leeks.  Save room for dessert because there’s a date-lemon cake. You can tuck into this menu from April 6th through the 13th at all of Rosa Mexicano’s New York locations.

JoeDoe – Jewish Wedding Soup
Address: 45 East 1st St. 
Phone: (212) 780-0262
Website: chefjoedoe.com.com
Chef and owner Joe Dobias first dabbled in Jewish cooking to impress his girlfriend’s family, and now he’s putting those skills to use at JoeDoe for their annual Progressive Passover.  Now in its fourth year, JoeDoe hosts a Seder with traditional touches, like a cup for Elijah, the Passover Playlist and even hiding the Afikomen. The four-course menu starts with Elijah’s punch, a blend of English Harbour rum, Manischewitz, lemon and soaked cherries, and a Seder Sampler with maror (bitter herbs), charoset (a mix of apples nuts, spices and wine), chicken liver and fried Matzo.  One of our favorite things on the menu is Joe Dobias’s Jewish wedding soup with matzoh balls, chicken meatballs and pickled vegetables.  Other highlights include brisket with horseradish potatoes and parsley sauce and Komish chocolate cookie sandwiches with cherry filling.  Available on April 6th, 7th, and 8th for $65 per person, we’re thinking we might make Progressive Passover an annual holiday tradition.

Kutsher’s Tribeca – Chopped Duck & Chicken Liver 
Address: 186 Franklin St., btwn Greenwich St. and Hudson St.
Phone: (212) 431-0606
Website: kutsherstribeca.com
Jewish-American cuisine is having its moment in the spotlight thanks to restaurants like Kutsher’s Tribeca, which is reimagining classics with luxe ingredients, like the wild halibut gefilte fish. On April 6th and 7th, you can get in on Kutsher’s, $78 five-course Seder dinner, complete with Seder plates, haggadahs, and Matzo. Guests start with chopped duck and chicken liver with pickled vegetables followed by Mrs. K’s Matzo ball soup. There’s artichokes alla Judea and your choice of roast chicken or braised brisket and chocolate covered macaroons.

Telepan – Smoked Trout Potato Latke Chopped Liver 
Address: 72 West 69th St., near Columbus Ave.
Phone: (212) 580-4300
Website: telepan-ny.com
Passover’s not exactly a seasonal affair, that is, unless you’re dining at Telepan. A pioneer of Greenmarket cooking, Bill Telepan has created a $75, Seder-inspired menu for April 6th and 7^th with some dishes so imaginative we wouldn’t mind seeing on the menu all year round, like smoked trout potato latke “chopped liver” with dried fruit chutney-apple salad.  His Matzoh ball soup is brightened by fresh, spring vegetables and a drizzle of dill oil and the chicken comes two ways – both roasted and braised chicken with a buckwheat potato blini and osetra caviar.  For dessert, there’s a flourless dark chocolate cake with coconut sorbet.

Francois Payard – Chocolate-Covered Matzoh Sandwich
Address: 116 West Houston St., btwn. Thompson & Sullivan Sts., and 210 Murray St., btwn. West St. & North End Ave.  
Phone: (212) 995-0888 and (212) 566-8300
Website: payard.com
Leave it one of the premier French pastry chefs to come up with an ingenious Passover dessert: A chocolate-covered Matzoh sandwich with caramel.  And there’s more where that came from on the bakery menu of Passover-approved desserts, including flourless chocolate walnut cookies, Passover petit fours, and a Passover macaroon collection.

Oh!Nuts – Coconut-Covered Rum Balls
Address: 4923 13th Ave. AND 1503 Ave. J, Brooklyn 
Phone: (718) 853-5158 and (718) 951-6039
Website: ohnuts.com
Oh! Nuts has an arsenal of kosher for Passover sweets, including cakes, artisanal marshmallows, cookies, chocolate and candy. But our favorites are the jelly fruits, homemade halvah, and killer rum balls, rolled in coconut shavings–they’re only available this time of year, but you’ll wish you could indulge year round.

Lansky’s Deli – Beef Brisket
Address: 235 Columbus Ave. btwn. 70 & 71st Sts.
Phone: (212) 787-0400
Website: lanskysnyc.com
For a classic Jewish deli meal during the holiday, try Lansky’s Deli on the Upper West Side. On April 6th, Lansky’s is offering a Passover menu stocked with classics, like gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, beef brisket, and macaroons.  For $32.95, it’s definitely a deal and there’s a take-out menu as well.

Toloache 50 and Toloache 82 – Short Ribs With Matzoh Potato Croquettes
Address: 251 West 50th St., and 166 East 82nd St.
Phone: (212) 581-1818 and (212) 861-4505
Website: toloachenyc.com
When you’ve had enough gefilte fish and brisket, consider a Latin look at Passover at Toloache 50 and Toloache 82.  The holiday menu is available from April 6th through April 13th. We’ve always been fans of Julian Medina, so we’re excited to sample his Matzo ball soup, an unusually vibrant bowl, stocked with zucchini, carrots, espazote and jalapeno chicken consommé. Also on our list of favorites is the guacamole con pescado ahumado, a chunky avocado dip with achiote smoked white fish salad, horseradish and habanero, served with Matzo, of course, and Costilla del Res, braised beef short ribs with a Matzo-ball potato croquette.  While Toloache offers several kosher wines, we’re more interested in the Sabra Margarita, with Don Diego kosher tequila, prickly pear, agave and lime.

RG Writer: Donata Calefato