Photo courtesy Rosa Mexicano.

A traditional Passover food takes many forms, including the Sangria Haroset.

​
Charoset -- also spelled haroset, charoses, haroses, charoseth and so on, depending on your phonetic preference -- comes in many forms and textures. Some traditions cook and pulverize dried fruits, nuts and spices into a paste suited for spreading, which is all the better to symbolize the mortar the Jews used to build Pharaoh's pyramids in Egypt. Other Jewish culinary customs take the chunkier route, chopping apples and other ingredients and mixing with a sweet wine.

And now for these cocktail-obsessed times, we have a liquid option. The Sangria Haroset, a drink by Alex Day and David Kaplan that will be served at Rosa Mexicano, combines sweet and a touch of sour flavors with aromatic spices, and gets around the Pesach five-grain prohibition by using a spirit that's appropriate for what's essentially a Mexican Jewish cocktail. (Remember, Passover-observing cocktail drinkers have a special friend in tequila.) And who knew a "Manischewitz reduction" would be part of a mixologist's ingredient lineup.

More >>

J. Ritz

Traditional Venetian sweet-and-sour Pesce in carpione at Angeli Caffe.

​
Los Angeles chefs and restaurants approach Passover with respect for tradition, while applying their own unconventional and unexpected touches. There will be plenty of matzo ball soup. And then there will be Thai-style gefilte fish, macaroons and macarons. Most of the following holiday options on April 18 and 19th, however, aren't the strictest of kosher meals. But they're guaranteed to be pretty good, and will save you a ton of prep stress and clean up from what's one of the more dish-and-utensil-intensive ritual holiday meals. If you do plan to entertain at home, check back later for a Passover cocktail recipe from Rosa Mexicano. Turn the page for our list (in no particular order) of 8 Ways to Celebrate Pesach in a Restaurant.

More >>

Robert Wemischner

Pistachio Citrus Torte

​
Now that everyone's a food critic, creating a dessert worthy of a Passover feast can get extra challenging. The Jewish holiday meal requires cooks to adhere to a shortened list of kosher ingredients, which excludes leavening or any grain that can ferment.

That means dessert can get dry, flat and tasteless fast. Never fear, pastry expert Robert Wemischner is here. He's coming to the Skirball Museum on April 3 to show how the restrictions don't have to limit your dessert repertoire. The first seder of the eight-day holiday is April 18.

More >>

Photo: Platine Cookies

Macaroon madness at Platine.

​
So you've decided to boil and peel the eggs, experiment with different charosets, broil the chicken, brisket, and find an approved grain. But some blanks might still need to be filled for your Passover meal to be complete.

Wine: It's OK to put a bottle of Manischewitz on the table for old time's sake, just as long as it's not the only fruit of the vine that accompanies the seder. So try Israeli wines from the cooler Galilee region from Domaine LA, for example. Golan Heights Winery Sion Creek Red is a blend of Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Syrah, while the Sion Creek White combines Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Both are priced at $15. The kosher for Passover stock at Silverlake Wine includes Galil Mountain Chardonnay 2007 ($18), Golan Chardonnay 2007 ($17), Galil Mountain Shiraz/Cabernet Blend 2005 ($18), Baron Herzog Old Vines Zinfandel 2008 ($14.50)

More >>

Photo: J. Ritz

Evan Kleiman's matzo ball soup at Angeli.

​

The two nights of Passover seder 5770 fall on Monday, March 29 and Tuesday, March 30. Our local, trusty, sophisticated Passover mavens honor the broad Jewish culinary diaspora while hewing to some familiar traditions as well. Bottom line: for those who don't want to cook and prefer to share the holiday out with family and friends while making new acquaintances, you've got terrific options. And the oft-repeated "drink the next glass of wine" directive in the Haggadah helps move things along socially.

More >>

Photo credit: Barbara Hansen

Alain Cohen and his pretzel challah

What do pretzels and challah have in common? Not much. At least until the two met at Got Kosher? Provisions, a take-out shop on Pico Boulevard just west of Robertson. Chef-owner Alain Cohen introduced a pretzel challah in January, and has watched sales zoom. He's had to double oven capacity and add a night shift so that customers can have all the pretzel challah they want (there's traditional challah too).

The pretzel version isn't ordinary challah twisted into a pretzel. It's a lighter dough braided like classic challah, then immersed in a baking soda solution and sent to the oven, emerging with a glistening, deep mahogany crust and pretzel flavor. "I've always loved the pretzel," says Cohen, so that became the first in his line of gourmet challahs.

More >>

Evan Kleiman cooks up a delicious hybrid Passover at Angeli with an emphasis on Italian traditions, as evidenced by cianfotta green veggie stew and one of Evan's faves, pesce en carpione. But you won't have to miss out on pot roast and chicken matzo ball soup either. Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m., $40 per person and advance reservations are required. And please note that technically the dinner is a family style "food celebration," not a Seder. 7274 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 936-9086.

Jar opens its doors on Passover with a ritual-intensive meal. The dinner and service begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8. Jar's aesthetic might remind some of an upscale interpretation of Jewish social club culture, but the food by Suzanne Tract has evolved light years past that. Wonder what Jackie Mason and Uncle Miltie would make of lemongrass in the chicken soup, haricot vert with chanterelles, lamb shank with roasted spring vegetables, and halibut with English peas and horseradish-laced mashed potatoes. ($120 per adult, children 12 and under $50; includes tax, gratuity, wine, coffee/tea.) 8225 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Fairfax district, (323) 655-6566. For more info, check www.thejar.com.

Wolfgang puts on a major Seder -- totally legit and serious, with rabbi and cantor included -- for Spago's 25th annual celebration on April 9. The $175 cost doubles as a fundraiser for Mazon, a very worthy hunger relief organization. 176 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, (310) 385-0880.

Spring holidays are afoot, and restaurants are ready and willing to help out people who don't want to cook and clean up at home. In advance of Passover, the Let My People Eat!
gathering at La Loggia Ristorante is "a Pre-Passover Gathering of Song, Spirit & Food for Thought" on Sunday afternoon, April 5. Featured guests include local religious leaders and musicians, and tapas and sangria will be served. Tickets are $100, or $18-$100 sliding scale donation for Jewish Family Service Food and Hunger program. La Loggia Ristorante, 11814 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. RSVP to dklee@jfsla.org