Where to Celebrate Rosh Hashanah Around the DMV

A number of D.C. restaurants are featuring Rosh Hashanah specials this year, honoring the two-day Jewish celebration scheduled to begin at sunset on Wednesday, September 20.

Traditional holiday favorites focus on the sweet, including apples dipped in honey, challah studded with raisins, and festive honey spice cakes. The rest of the meal tends to be standard Jewish fare; Some local restaurants have put their own stamp on standbys such as gefilte fish, tzimmes, blintzes, and potato latkes.

For those who aren't up to the task of smoking brisket or hand-rolling matzo balls, here are a dozen eateries that will be offering special meals to welcome year 5778.

Alta Strada

465 K Street NW

Schlow Restaurant Group executive pastry chef Alex Levin is making holiday sweets via a special pop-up at Alta Strada. Featured baked goods include honey-raisin challah, apple butter-honey cake, and hazelnut-chocolate crunch rugelach. View the full menu here. Individual items are priced between $10 and $36. Orders must be placed by Sunday, September 17, for pick up in Mt. Vernon Triangle on Tuesday, September 19, or Wednesday, September 20. Delivery service is available inside the Beltway for an additional fee.

Celebrity Delly

7263A Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, Va.

This neighborhood deli offers holiday specials (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) including chopped liver, matzo ball soup, brisket, green beans almondine, and potato kugel. $22.95 per person; 10 person minimum.

Commissary

1443 P Street NW

Commissary will be offering a three-course prix fixe menu including a glass of red or white wine for $35 per person. The menu is available at 5 p.m. daily from Wednesday, September 20, to Friday, September 22. The holiday meal includes challah, tomato-mint soup, Vidalia onion fritters, braised brisket or poached salmon, and spiced honey cake for dessert.

DGS Delicatessen

1317 Connecticut Avenue NW

DGS celebrates the new year with a special three-course holiday dinner, available on Wednesday, September 20, and Thursday, September 21. Chef Eric McKamey is serving items including mushroom kasha with coddled egg, crispy shallots, and black truffle; braised lamb with chickpea tagine, apricots, and almonds; and ricotta blintz with apple compote, walnuts, and honey brown butter. Dinner is $40 per person, or $55 with wine pairings. Reservations can be made online or by calling (202) 293-4400

Dino's Grotto

1914 Ninth Street NW

Dino's Grotto is serving a prix fixe meal ($44 per person; half-price for children 12 to six) on Wednesday, September 20, and Thursday, September 21, including matzo ball soup, braised short ribs, and roasted Asian pear with spiced nuts. A la carte items will also be available.

Equinox Restaurant

818 Connecticut Avenue NW

Equinox is offering a vegan holiday meal from Wednesday, September 20, through Friday, September 22, featuring Manischewitz spritzers, apple beignets, smoked onion matzo ball soup, chickpea and eggplant cassoulet, and apple quince cake with "honey"-caramel gelato. The prix fixe meal is $50 per person, or $70 with wine pairings.

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab

750 15th Street NW

This expense account standby is offering a three-course holiday meal ($45.95 per person) featuring challah with sliced apples and honey, gefilte fish with red beet horseradish, matzo ball soup, braised brisket with red wine bordelaise or wild Alaskan halibut, and a choice of apple pie or flourless chocolate cake for dessert.

Kapnos/Kapnos Kouzina

Multiple locations

The Greek side of brand builder Mike Isabella's family of restaurants is preparing carry-out meals from Wednesday, September 20, through Friday, September 22, featuring challah, hummus, potato dumplings, smoked brisket, braised cabbage with pastrami-style lamb, and apple kugel. Orders can be picked up in D.C. or Bethesda, Maryland.

Little Coco's

3907 14th Street NW

This Petworth restaurant is offering a three-course meal ($30 per person) featuring gefilte fish and black truffle matzo balls, challah, family-style brisket, and honey-apple cake.

Mon Ami Gabi

7239 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, Md.

The Bethesda branch of this corporate chain is doing a prix fixe menu ($41.95 per person; $16.95 for children 12 and under) featuring gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, choice of chicken paillard, braised brisket or salmon, and apple tarte tatin or flourless chocolate cake.

On Rye

740 Sixth Street NW

Homegrown deli On Rye is offering catered meals for those able to order at least 48 hours in advance. Featured items include challah with raisins, corned beef and Swiss quiche, cinnamon babka French toast, and bagels with lox. Additional deli offerings (served by the pound) and sandwich platters are available by request. Orders must be picked up by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20.

Teddy and The Bully Bar

Executive chef Demetrio Zavala is doing a three-course dinner ($50 person) on Wednesday, September 20, and Thursday, September 21, featuring a choice of chopped chicken liver, potato-butternut squash latkes, smoked trout, roast chicken, honey cake with date ice cream, or apple-caramel sundaes. Reservations are recommended.