Would you like some caviar on your latkes? How about chipotle mayonnaise?
Those are just a few examples of the twists local restaurants put on the popular Hanukkah dish at the fifth-annual Latkepalooza, held yesterday afternoon at the Gershman branch of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Philadelphia.
More than 600 people of all ages and ethnicities attended the event, where they had the opportunity to sample latkes made by 12 local restaurants. Each restaurant prepared latkes that reflected its style of cuisine.
For example, Mediterranean restaurant Estia served a latke made with spinach, leaks, scallions, dill and feta cheese, topped with tzatziki sauce to reflect its style. Steven Nothnagel, the restaurant's floor manager, said that their goal was to make a latke twist on spinach pie.
Bar Ferdinand, a Spanish tapas restaurant, made its latkes from potatoes, Spanish onion, and smoky Spanish paprika and egg, garnished with safron aioli and salmon roe.
"I wanted to do something Spanish, and I knew the ingredients would go well together" said the restaurant's chef, Blake Jaffe.
Other vendors, including comfort-food restaurant Jones and French restaurant Loie, took a decidedly more traditional approach, preparing simple potato pancakes with condiments of applesauce and sour cream.
"We knew there would be a lot of variety and people liked the traditional," said Elizabeth Durkin of Four Corners Management, which owns Loie.
Latkepalooza was conceived five years ago by the Gershman YM/YWHA as a way to reach out to the community during the holiday season.
"We thought it would be fun to have an event for Hanukkah that was something different," said Program Director Debbie Fleischman. Plus, she added, "it's a nice way for the restaurants to showcase elements of their cuisine."
The restaurants enjoy participating in the event as well.
"It's an event we look forward to every year," said Nothnagel. "It's always on our calendar."
There were also balloon animals for children, tables selling books and accessories, and a performance by Nashirah, the Jewish Chorale of Greater Philadelphia.
The event was co-sponsored by Cabot Cheese -which had a booth with cheddar cheese latkes - and the Kline family.
