Restaurant Review: Happy Passover Greetings!
My family’s ancestry includes many Jewish relatives, as we recently discovered through Ancestry.com. Last year, we celebrated with a special Passover Seder, home-made by my cousin and my kid, the two true ‘chefs’ in the family. However, Chicagoans are lucky to have many options for special celebrations throughout Passover Week. In 2024, the celebration began on Monday and lasts until April 30.
What is Passover?
The holiday of Passover, according to JCC (Jewish Community Center) websites, commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
An essential part of the Seder is eating ritual foods symbolic of the journey from slavery to freedom:
- Wine (four cups): symbols of joy
- Bitter herbs: reminding us of the suffering of slavery
- Green leafy vegetables: representing the growth of spring and the continuation of the Jewish people
- Matzah (a thin, crisp unleavened bread): which is both the poor bread of slaves and the symbol of our freedom.
Chicago restaurants serving Passover meals all week
While the first two days of Passover are primarily designated for special meals, a few Chicago restaurants are serving Passover meals throughout the eight-day celebration, April 22 to 30:
Take, for example, River North’s Ema, the Mediterranean restaurant serving such specialties as Beef Brisket and Apple Matzoh Kugel, in addition to your mezze spread. Specials will be available for dine-in, carryout and delivery during dinner service.
Kasia’s Deli in Ukrainian Village is also serving a Passover Dinner To-Go all week. For $30 per person, your family can feast on Matzo Ball Soup, your choice of Baked Wild-Caught Salmon with Spinach, Capers & Lemon or Roasted All-Natural Chicken Leg Quarter with Fresh Dill, served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Wild Rice, Latkes with Apples Sauce, Beets with Horseradish and Israeli Salad.
In Uptown,The Bagelis offering a $29 per person feast (dine-in only) of Golden Chicken Broth with Matzoh Ball OR a Salad with Oven-Baked Matzoh Dressing Old-Fashioned Macaroon; your choice of Oven-roasted Brisket of Beef au jus, Roasted Tender Spring Chicken, Wild Lake Superior Whitefish, or Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
Steingold’s of Chicago in Lincoln Parkhas puttogether a $150 Passover Package, which includes your choice of entrée, three sides, an edible Seder plate, a pound of Matzo with Sea Salt, Flourless Chocolate Cake and six Coconut Macaroons. Entrées include Whole Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Sumac, Braised Lamb Shank with Shawarma Spiced Dates, Saffron Poached Cod with Leaks, or Whole Roasted Eggplant with Pine Nut-Tahini Tarator Mujadara. Your three sides include a choice of Mujadara Rice Pilaf with Black Lentils and Caramelized Onions, Roasted Asparagus on Asparagus Baba with Preserved Lemon, Fingerling Potatoes with Roasted Garlic & Herbed Olive Oil, Arugula with Spring Radish, Strawberries & Pea Shoots with Avocado Dressing or Snap Peas & English Peas with Grilled Onions & Mint.
Helfeld’s Delicatessen and Catering in Wicker Park is serving a Passover menu that includes ala carte selections of Roasted Brisket, Roasted Chicken, Gefilte Fish, and Glazed Chicken, Brussels Sprout Salad, Potato Kugel, and Apple Matzoh Kugel.
To all who celebrate…Chag Pesach sameach!
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
