Amilinda Celebrating Hanukkah With Themed Menu

Amilinda. Photo taken June 15th, 2021 by Jeramey Jannene.

For Gregory León, cooking is about more than flavor—it’s an act of storytelling. The chef and restaurant owner draws on his Venezuelan upbringing, San Francisco influences and passion for Spanish and Portuguese cuisine to create award-winning dishes at Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave.

Next month, he’ll showcase another part of his heritage with a specialty Hanukkah menu.

From Dec. 17 through 20—midway through the eight-day holiday—Amilinda will feature nine dishes inspired by Sephardic cuisine, the traditional food of Jewish communities who trace their ancestry to the Iberian Peninsula. The menu blends Spanish and Portuguese staples with flavors from North Africa, the Middle East and other Mediterranean regions, featuring vegetable-forward dishes that are heavy on fresh herbs, citrus and fermented foods.

That includes starters like creamy roasted eggplant with raw honey and flatbread; a cucumber and carrot salad with pomegranate, pistachios and mint vinaigrette; and pear and quinoa salad with walnuts, cranberries and lemon. Entrees range from Turkish-inspired mushroom manti to bacalao—dried and salted cod with tomato, roasted potatoes and chermoula—to rich beef stew and chicken sofrito flavored with preserved lemons and olives.

Reservations for the Hanukkah menu are required, with bookings available online.

On Monday, in response to a comment accusing the restaurant of “cultural appropriation,” León clarified that the specials are not meant to represent a single culture or locale, but rather are “rooted in history, migration and centuries of shared influence” across various parts of the Mediterranean.

“That is the reality of the cuisine, and we honor that lineage with respect and accuracy,” León wrote. “What is unacceptable is turning food into an excuse to spread hatred, rewrite history, or demonize entire peoples. That has nothing to do with protecting culture and everything to do with prejudice.”

The restaurant, typically open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., will remain closed through Dec. 2 as León and his team travel to Lisbon, Portugal for a week of education and exploration, he shared in an online post.

“Our hope is that this trip enriches all of us and brings back new energy, new ideas and new inspiration that will flow directly into the dishes we create and the hospitality we provide.”