While Passover is supposed to commemorate the departure of the Jews from slavery in Egypt, these days it seems like it more commemorates The Epic Making A Mess in The Kitchen, And Subsequent Post-Seder Meltdown. To offset that (and bring the focus back to the plagues), our picks for takeout seder options around town.
• Feast (both Gold Coast and Bucktown locations) is going to be offering Passover specialties for the entire duration of the holiday. Call ahead for takeout, or just swing by for matzo-crusted chicken breast, roasted potatoes and arugula, tomato and red onion salad, or Sephardic-style brisket. They’re also offering a matzo brei brunch, with both savory and sweet options.
• You can feed an army with the Passover menu at Steve’s Deli! All options are takeout and a la carte, and the epic selection includes mushroom-onion-potato kugel, apricot-glazed roast chicken, chopped liver (both vegetarian and real), a vast array of macaroons, and Steve’s own matzoh stuffing — which they’ll gladly sell you inside an entire perfectly roasted turkey.
• The Bagel is offering their entire Passover menu of traditional fare (gefilte fish, matzoh ball soup, brisket, green beans almondine, and more) for takeout, delivery, or — if you can’t even bear the prospect of clearing off the dining table, let alone turning on the oven — you can dine in at their Old Orchard location for $26.95/person ($10.95 for kids under 10) at their white-tablecloth, candlelit seder.
• DiPescara in Northbrook is setting aside their usual French menu on April 8 and 9, and offering a takeout or dine-in seder menu with classics like roast chicken, fresh asparagus, potato pancakes, flourless chocolate cake, and homemade macaroons — the full dinner is $29.95 per person, with kids under 12 half price.
• Swing by What’s Cooking for a seven-course seder that hits traditional notes (roast brisket, whitefish, chopped liver) but gets interesting with additions like short ribs and kishke. It’s $25.50 per person ($12.95 for kids), and you can also get the whole thing to go.
• Maxwell’s At the Club is doing Passover buffet-style, with a first-night spread on Wednesday the 8th including chopped liver, asparagus and beet salad, salmon with artichoke sauce, lamb meatballs with roasted eggplant sauce, and desserts including chocolate-dipped matzoh. Each table gets its own haggadah, so the feasting can be punctuated with the occasional four questions.
None of these restaurants are certified glatt kosher, though they may be using kosher products to make their Passover menus. Give them a call to see where they square up with your own dietary observance.
Visiting family for the holidays? Use our network to get Passover food options in Boston, New York, South Florida, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
Photo: adamsofen/Flickr]
