Let’s face it: Not everyone has time to whip up a full Seder dinner for their ten
closest relatives. Thankfully, a number of Washington restaurants and markets put
together menus for the holiday, offering everything from a traditional multi-course
meal to Manischewitz sangria at the bar.
In keeping with the new-wave deli theme (cocktails! House-made everything!), the Dupont
restaurant offers a modern Seder menu.
Grab friends, a date, or your bubba for house-made matzo soup with bone marrow, bitter-herb-crusted
halibut, braised lamb, and an assortment of interesting beverage pairings (never started
Seder with sherry? Now you can).
Details: Monday, March 25, through Sunday, March 31; $40 per person, with a $20 pairing option.
It’s BYO Haggadah at this Cleveland Park Italian eatery, but owner
Dean Gold has you covered the rest of the way. You’ll find a full five-course Seder menu with classics like matzo-ball soup and house-made gefilte fish in honor of Gold’s
mother. There’s even a Seder plate available by request on the first two nights.
Details: Monday, March 25, through Monday, April 1; reservations accepted starting at 5 PM
for those attending sunset services. $59 per person; $25 for children. An optional wine pairing costs $29.
Owners
Todd and
Ellen Gray just came out with their first cookbook,
The New Jewish Table. If you’re not up for cooking the recipes yourself, leave it to the experts, who’ll
whip up a five-course menu with dishes
such as roasted beet salad with capers and pistachios, and “Todd’s modern-day brisket.”
Details: Monday, March 25, through Tuesday, April 2; $45 per person, or $60 with an optional
boutique Israeli wine pairing.
Celebrate Passover on P Street with a four-course menu at this casual eatery. Expect familiar suspects like
charoset, matzo-ball soup, and brisket.
Details: Monday, March 25, through Saturday, March 30; $32 per person.
The pickle bar isn’t the only Passover draw at this old-school family favorite. You’ll
find a three-course dinner menu with traditional items such as chopped chicken liver and brisket with gravy. Homebodies,
look for a full takeout menu for large and small orders.
Details: Sunday, March 24, through Wednesday, March the 27; $16 for the three-course menu.
Takeout items are priced à la carte.
Say
hola to Elohim over a Mexican Seder dinner at either the Penn Quarter or Chevy Chase location. There are plenty of choices on
the four-course menu, including tropical
charoset, matzo-ball pozole soup, barbecue brisket wrapped in banana leaves, and of course,
a tequila-based Passover cocktail.
Details: Monday, March 25, through Saturday, March 30; $42 per person.
The Seder meals are sold out at this community gathering place, but you can still
find a place at the table for Passover Shabbat dinner on Friday. A full kosher meal is $8 if you buy tickets in advance, or $10 at the door.
Details: Friday, March 29, at 7 PM; $8 tickets are available online.
In the market for a no-fuss, slightly untraditional holiday? Head up to this Jewish-Irish
pub on H Street, which is serving red and white Manischewitz sangria (kosher, of course),
alongside a lamb-burger-themed post-Seder plate with roasted garlic and bitter herbs.
Keep things kosher with a bunless patty or a version served atop latkes.
Details: The specials are served on Monday, March 25, and Tuesday, March 26; items are priced
individually.
Want to host a Passover dinner but haven’t scheduled the cooking time? Wagshal’s has
a whole roster of prepared items like smoked salmon latkes, matzo-stuffed chicken, and glazed brisket, and will even
put together a Seder plate with all the traditional features.
Details: Orders must be placed by noon on Friday for pickup on Sunday and noon Saturday for
pickup on Monday. Orders should be placed 48 hours in advance otherwise.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
