Any Jewish chef worth his or her salt knows that high-holiday meals come only in one form: from scratch. For those not up to the task of hand-rolling matzo balls or chopping chicken livers for Passover, we found plenty of restaurants that will do it for you. We didn’t, however, come across an eatery that offered to hide the afikomen, so you’ll have to save the games for home.
American City Diner
Jeffrey Gildenhorn’s annual Passover dinner includes à la carte options such as gefilte fish, chopped liver, matzo-ball soup, and matzo brei. The Passover options will be on the menu April 8 through 15; prices haven’t been finalized. Seder plates are available on request.
Dino
Much of the food at Dean Gold’s annual BYOH—Bring Your Own Haggadah—seder is made from recipes he learned from his mother. The meal includes haroset, matzo, and horseradish; chopped chicken liver; Jack’s Fish Market gefilte fish; matzo-ball soup; and a choice of entrée: braised brisket with onions and Barbera wine; rotisserie chicken with lemon, olives, and garlic; or wild Alaskan salmon with green sauce. All entrées are served with matzo farfel, spring green vegetables, and tzimmes.
Dessert options include Passover cake or sorbetti. Seder is served April 8 through 15, and table bookings last 2½ hours; $55 per person, $25 for kids, $30 optional four-course (non-kosher) wine pairing. Seder plates are available on request for the first two nights.
Hudson
This sleek restaurant in DC’s West End offers an à la carte Passover menu. Appetizers include matzo-ball soup with pulled chicken; gefilte fish with beet horseradish; potato latkes with apple sauce and sour cream; chopped liver with matzo and beet horseradish; and a warm spinach salad with dried cranberries, a goat-cheese crouton, and raspberry vinaigrette. Entrées are a roast half chicken with matzo, apricot-and-pine-nut stuffing, and asparagus; a roast leg of lamb with potato-and-artichoke gratin, sautéed haricots verts, and natural jus; grilled Atlantic salmon with apple-braised saboret lentils; and braised brisket with potatoes, carrots, and turnips. Two Israeli wines from Yarden Vineyard will be available. The kitchen can prepare a traditional Seder plate on request. The Passover menu is available April 8 through 10; appetizers are $7 to $11, entrées $22 to $30.
Ledo Pizza
5245 River Rd., Bethesda, 301-656-5336; 10301 Westlake Dr., Bethesda, 301-469-6700; 10058 Darnestown Rd., 301-424-2700
Three locations of this square-pizza chain make a dough without yeast but with flour. The prices are the same as regular pizzas, and the pies are available April 8 through 15.
Rosa Mexicano
This colorful Mexican chain infuses its Passover options with Mexican spice. Appetizers include tropical haroset, matzo-ball soup; and chipotle chopped chicken liver. Main courses are beef tongue simmered in a Veracruz sauce; roasted veal-stuffed poblano chilies; beef-tongue tacos; and roasted sea bass. Dessert ($7.50) is a warm pecan-date-and-bittersweet-chocolate flourless cake or a chocolate egg cream. The Passover options are available April 8 through 15; appetizers are $7 to $7.50, entrées $9 to $21.
Tragara
The Passover menu at this Italian restaurant is one of the biggest in Washington. Appetizers are house-made gefilte fish with horseradish; matzo-ball soup; mozzarella with tomatoes; roasted red peppers with olive oil and garlic; marinated and grilled portobello mushroom baked with tomato and mozzarella; and a mixed-greens salad. Entrées include grilled salmon with zucchini and saffron sauce; grilled rockfish with escarole and sun-dried tomatoes; chicken breast with red peppers and tomato sauce; matzo-crusted roast rack of lamb; veal chop with wine and rosemary; veal scaloppine with shitake mushrooms; and grilled center-cut Black Angus sirloin. Desserts ($8.95) are a Passover roulade with strawberries, whipped cream, and Sabra liqueur; sorbet with raspberries; warm chocolate cake with coconut sorbet and caramel sauce; hazelnut cake with milk-chocolate filling; haroset ice cream in a meringue shell with honey-caramel sauce; and a pistachio crème brûlée with pistachio ice cream. The Passover menu is available April 8 through 15; appetizers are $6.95 to $9.95, entrées $21.95 to $39.95.
