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Local Event Premier Host
Cost: $20
This month's popular BYOB Twenty Dollar Dinner falls on the eve of the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. It is customary to have a big feast on each of the two nights that Rosh Hashana is celebrated (starting at sundown on Sunday, September 29th), and many of the foods served are intended to be symbolic. We look forward to your company on Saturday, September 28th for a trendy yet traditional version of this Jewish New Year feast.
We start off our evening together with a cocktail containing pomegranate juice, rooibos tea, lemon juice and balsamic syrup blended with bourbon and house-made ginger/lemon liqueur. I've renamed this unique and intriguing cocktail, originally called "Borrochón", "Di Shikur" (which is Yiddish for "The Drunk"). It is traditional to eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashana because, with their numerous seeds, they symbolize fruitfulness. Pomegranates are also said to have 613 seeds, which corresponds with the 613 commandments of the Torah.
Our appetizer is a cup of rich, delicious homemade chicken broth, vibrant, thinly sliced celery and grated carrot, and plump, lighter than air matzo balls. Finished with a sprig of fresh dill, this is a traditional Holy Day feast favorite, served in a modern way but still very much the way Bubbie did it.
When we come to the table, Apple, Carrot and Cabbage Salad with Toasted Almonds and Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette starts off the meal. Apples symbolized faith; apples and honey together symbolize to the Jews the relationship between God and his people. Carrots (because the Hebrew word for carrot sounds very much like the word for "decree") symbolize the hope that God will nullify any negative decrees against us in the New Year and almonds are significant because they are the first fruit to blossom when spring arrives. We eat these symbolic foods together in a way that nourishes, and is also modern and beautiful to look at.
Our main course is a traditional Jewish main dish for special occasions: beef brisket. But here, it is seasoned with plenty of garlic, fresh oregano from our garden, cracked peppercorns and juniper berries, then roasted until it has a crisp crust but remains succulent and tender, and served with a garlicky fresh lemon and oregano sauce. The accompaniment: your own Personal Potato Kugel--with all the eggy, oniony goodness of the traditional pan version, rich with olive oil, and crispy all the way around.
Adult beverage selections: an herbal, concentrated full-bodied red is really the ideal way to pair wine with this meal. Look to Spain, Portugal and Washington State for these big reds--many will be under $20 bottle. Beer lovers, we still want you to enjoy this meal, so you can choose a dark lager, a Dunkel, perhaps a Porter. A strong ale or an Abbey Dubbel would also work well here.
Dessert is also a presentation of traditional and modern. Honey Applesauce Cake with Fried Honeyed Apples is pure, sweet, incredibly moist, and simple, made with love and warmed with cinnamon. The fried honeyed apples are the gilding on the lily and are my modern twist to a classic Jewish feast day dessert. Honey and apples also symbolize a sweet and fruitful new year--and we hope you have one. You can also have a bottomless cup of Community Coffee or your own personal pot of hot tea.
Then we invite you to linger around the table with us, finish your wine, ask for an after dinner drink and enjoy the rest of your evening with your dinner companions. You've been well-fed. Life is good. The new year is coming and with it, hope, renewal, and reconciliation.
If you wish to join us, please RSVP before sundown on Thursday, September 26th by following the link to email The Voluptuous Table, or call 512-55 EAT 44 to make arrangements to purchase your seats in advance by cash or check. Or you can purchase tickets on this website.
We look forward, as always, to hosting you. And thank you for supporting The Voluptuous Table.
Hosted by
C Huston
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