One Jewish mother has hung out with Hootie & the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Think I’m lying? Think again.
Jewish Mother is a combination concert venue and Jewish deli in Virginia Beach. Its primary audience seems to be jam-band fans and acoustic rockers (the venue bills itself as “the home of the East Coast blues”). But it doubles as a restaurant with more than a few Jewish touches, including “liquid penicillin” (that’s chicken soup to you), on the menu, and a dictionary on their website of Jewish culinary terms for the unenlightened (pita is “round flatbread also makes a nice Frisbee for grandchildren”).
The restaurant serves a few dishes that might raise your Jewish mother’s eyebrows, including a bacon & cheddar cheeseburger and steamed shrimp with broccoli. It seems that even bubbies are harder to scandalize these days.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.