December 2- 8, 2004

mixpicks

The Biggest 'Looza

Festival

Other kids show up at school with brand new playthings, and you: a chocolate coin. Hanukkah can be rough when your parents don't believe in gifts. But don't blame them for steering you another way. See, Hanukkah's more about a teeny bit of oil that lasted eight days. Its celebratory treats can be found in the frying pan, not under the tree.

So take comfort in those crunchy little potato pancakes known as latkes. Eat your lunch and dinner's worth of them at the second annual Latkepalooza, a festival that puts the glamour back in Hanukkah. Never mind that it'll all go down in the gym at the Gershman Y: This Sunday, a handful of Center City's swankiest restaurants will offer up their own gourmet latke creations, including the wasabi latke from Continental Mid-town and Mexican latke from Lolita. While the comfort latke is already a menu item at Jones, you probably won't get another chance this year to taste Joseph Poon's ginger-cilantro latke. Admission gets you generous portions from each restaurant, in addition to an unlimited supply of traditional latkes (for less adventurous eaters) and a couple of music and theater performances. Show up early for maximum latke intake.

Latkepalooza, Sun., Dec. 5, 2 p.m., $8-$12, Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St., 215-545-4400.

—Tami Fertig