Tons of Central Jersey restaurants will offer Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals − just check out this list.
But if you’re Jewish, it’s a lot harder to find a local eatery planning to offer traditional Hanukkah fare, such as latkes and sufganiyot.
However, the Summit House, a New American restaurant headed by Chef AJ Capella who once earned a Rising Star title from the Garden State Culinary Arts Awards, is bringing Hanukkah to restaurant tables.
The eatery at 395 Springfield Ave. in Summit will offer a $75-person, three-course prix-fixe menu for available Dec. 26-28 and Jan. 2. While the regular winter a la carte menu is offered as well, full table participation is required for the Hanukkah prix fixe.
AJ Capella, executive chef of Summit House.
The first course kicks off with latkes (fried potato pancakes) served family-style with creme fraiche, apple puree and dill and individual-plated portions of matzoh ball soup.
The second course offers a choice of pan roasted king salmon with roasted cabbage, glazed turnip and salmoriglio sauce; or braised brisket with spaetzle, mustard jus and spinach.
Capella “knows his way around a brisket,” Summit House owner Dylan Baker said.
For the third course, sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are served family-style.
“We’re a New American restaurant, and we take cuisines of the world and we make them our own,” Baker continued. “And there’s such a great Jewish culinary tradition that this totally, totally makes sense.”
Inside the Summit House.
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While keeping the recipes “fairly traditional,” the Summit House Hanukkah menu stepped up to the fine dining status expected of the eatery.
“We’ve chefified it,” Baker said with a laugh. “Everything is made in-house. Everything is homemade. This is great comfort food.”
According to Baker, the idea to serve Hanukkah fare began during COVID-19 when restaurants were struggling.
“We were pivoting every day to survive,” said Baker, who bought the restaurant in 2017.
During that time, the Summit House offered Christmas and Hanukkah dinner to-go. It gave them the idea to later host Hanukkah dinner in the restaurant, and this marks the first year they are offering it in that format.
The response has been very favorable, Baker said, with many telling him that they appreciate the recognition of the holiday.
What does Hanukkah celebrate?
This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Dec. 25 and is observed for eight days and eight nights, until sundown Jan. 2.
The eight days of Hanukkah − the “Festival of Lights” − mark a miracle and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
The Hanukkah miracle − oil for one night lasted eight nights − was an enhancement of the rededication by the Jews of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after it was defiled by the Syrian Greeks. The event occurred at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.
At the time of the first Hanukkah, the Syrian Greeks, ruled by Antiochus, prohibited Jews from practicing their religion and tried to destroy their culture. Jews were not allowed to study Torah and the Syrian Greeks put a statue of Zeus in the Temple in Jerusalem.
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The Maccabees, a small group of Jewish fighters, fought the more powerful and bigger Syrian Greek army for three years. And the Maccabees won – a miracle.
When it came time to take back and rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem and relight the menorah, the Jews found only enough oil to last for one day. It was then another miracle happened − the small vial of oil lasted for eight full days, enough time to produce more.
As Hanukkah means “dedication,” it became the name for the holiday.
Go: 395 Springfield Ave., Summit; 908-273-6000, summithousenj.com.
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: The Summit House will offer a fine dining Hanukkah dinner
