In the new issue of Edible Manhattan (it hits the streets today) we feature the hanukah table (the holiday starts in exactly one month) of Julian and Annie Medina. Julian is the Mexican-born chef and owner of the modern Mexican restaurant Toloache in Midtown and the pan-Latin Yerba Buena and Yerba Buena Perry, both downtown. He converted to Judaism six years ago for his wife, an observant Jew native to the Upper East Side.
The classic Seinfeld line might be that he did it for the jokes, but we know he did it for the food. How else would he get to make stuff like mazto tortillas turned into Negro Modelo and chipotle chile-braised brisket tacos, requeson latkes with chipotle-honey salsa, zucchini fritters paired with tomatillo-apple salsa instead of applesauce, and Mexican doughnuts with dulce de leche filling. The best part is we scored the recipes too, and you can download all four by clicking on those friendly links above.