Tentative First Night Rosh Hashana Menu

There is a custom in the Jewish religion to eat symbolic foods called Symonim (translated as signs) on the first night of the new year holiday Rosh Hashana. Instead of just serving them as is I like to incorporate them into composed dishes. The list includes beets, apples, leeks, honey, cabbage, pomegranate, carrots, black eyed peas, dates, fenugreek, fish, and meat from the head of an animal, usually a fish, and gourd.
Here is what I am going with this year:
Beet carpaccio with apple and leek slaw and honey vinaigrette
Herb and onion topped gefilte fish
Beef and rice stuffed cabbage in a pomegranate tomato sauce
Pomegranate BBQ sauce Braised beef cheek with date, carrot, and sweet potato tzimmus
Honey baked turkey breast with apple and butternut squash stuffing
Sauteed beet greens
Black eyed peas with fenugreek

Recipes and pictures to follow early next week.

Another one bites the dust...goodbye Kosher Subway

Chicago is not kind to its kosher restaurants.  We lost our kosher subway.  Food was OK, but prices were a bit high for deli sandwiches.  Still a loss.  See the announcement from their Facebook page below:

Kosher Subway

Yes, it's official. Skokie Kosher Subway has officially closed it's doors today. Unfortunately, Walgreens bought the strip mall where we were located. We considered moving locations, but it took us 2 years to find this location and we did not want to go through the process again. We did not expect it to happen so soon, but another Subway has purchased our franchise and was eager to close the deal. We are so thankful to all of you who have been so supportive!
Shabbat Shalom!

New York Trip Restaurant Round-Up

On my recent trip to New York I decided not to go to any fancy steak places.  I hit three restaurants while I was there below are my reviews:1. Smokey Joe's in Tenneck, NJ: Food was OK but nothing special.  I had the pulled brisket sandwich and the meat seemed a bit a stringy and dry.  My wife had the burger that also seemed a little dry and both our buns did not seem fresh.  For a BBQ place their house BBQ sauce leaves something to be desired, maybe a little bit of heat.  There fries seem fresh and good.  the include corn brad and onion jam as a free started that is excellent.  I also had a couple of their sausage as an appetizer, and was very disappointed.  The hand no sear on them, the texture was grainy, and they fell apart as soon as I cut into them.  The decor was cute but I could hear the owner yelling at someone on the phone.

2. Olympic Pita in Midtown:  Pretty typical middle eastern place, but honestly I was to full from lunch to enjoy it.  I order the chicken soup and it was inedibly salty.  It tasted like it came for a mix.  I order a falafel plate that was decent.  The place wine and sparkling water on table trying to get you to buy it which I find tacky.

3. Carlos and Gaby's in Brooklyn:  The food was good but the service was horrible.  Their web site says they open at 11 but they do not open the doors until noon and even then they are not really ready.  The lunch specials are a pretty good deal.  I had the two taco ordered on soft and and one crunchy both were tasty.  I also ordered  the Philly egg roll but they forgot to provide the sauce.  My wife ordered a chicken fried steak sandwich that was supposed to come with nacho, which they forgot.  When did finally get them they were just a sad little bag of flour tortilla chips.