I hope everyone had a safe, fun 4th of July. It's been so nice feeling like summer is finally here. It changes everything: people are in a good mood, the scenery is especially beautiful, and the local produce has been truly incredible. I've been subsisting mainly on fruits and veggies garnered at our incredible Farmer's Markets, and it feels wonderful.

 

Before I talk about this week's menus, I wanted to spend a little bit of time on one of my favorite places, my soapbox. As some of you may have heard, Fred Meyer/Kroger issued a huge recall of some 5.3 MILLION lbs. of tainted (E. Coli)ground beef last week, right before the holiday weekend. I received a lot of questions from customers, mostly regarding what I thought about it. I decided I would include those thoughts into this week's email. Now, I realize for most of you that I'll be preaching to the choir, but still, maybe some of you can bring this up in conversation amongst your friends, or even just mull over what I'm about to say. I am often struck by Americans' attitude toward the consumption of meat. Many Americans seem to hold the belief that daily meat consumption is on par with some sort of god-given right. That meat should be plentiful, and that meat should be cheap. Most people don't care where their meat comes from, just so long as it's inexpensive. This level of consumption has forced/enabled many companies to produce their meat, especially beef, pork and chicken, ata much lower standard of animal well-being and a need to do it cheaply as possible. So am I surprised that an event like what happened last week came to pass? Not at all. Perhapsthe American populace needs to take a long, hard look at what they put into their bodies, and what sort of practices are used to raise the food they consume. My reaction to these events is twofold. First, this is yet another example of why people should support their local butcher and treat themselves to a higher quality product. Unfortunately, and I know this better than almost anyone, a higher quality product is more expensive, as a higher level of care and love is needed to produce a healthier, happier animal. Which leads me to my second point, and this one may seem very strange coming from a butcher...maybe the high level of meat consumption is not the self-evident right most of us have been led to believe. I'm pretty sure there was no clause in the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights that referred to meat consumption. Maybe eating meat should be more of a special occasion. Instead of eating some crappy meat everyday, maybe you should eat something that costs two or three times as much (but with a quality at a much higher level of magnitude) once every two or three days. It may be more expensive, but it's not going to make you drop dead (or give you Mad Cow disease). Plus it tastes better. Just a thought. But really, aren't you worth it? I think so.

 

Anyway, thanks for listening. As for dinner this weekend, I'm afraid we only have dinner available on Saturday. Friday is sold out, with a private event. Saturday's menu is very nice, though. We'll be visited once again by our good friend Tommy Habetz, who is keeping in form while building a permanent home for his culinary talents. When I have some hard facts about his new project, I'll be sure to share them with you first. But for now, you'll have to be satisfied with what he'll be doing at Simpatica Dining Hall. Here's the menu:

Saturday,July 12th
Presenting Chef Tommy Habetz

Pork Liver Bruschetta with Grilled Fennel, Arugula, Pickled Cherries and Fernet Vinaigrette

Risi E Bisi (Risotto with Viridian Farms Peas)

Braised Rabbit Hindquarters with Black Olives and Hot Chilies, Served with Cavolo Nero with Garlic and 6-Hour Polenta

Italian Prune Plum Tart with Honey Cream

If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.

That's it, thanks for letting me proselytize. I really do think the American populace on the whole need to really take a long, hard look at how they consume. Fortunately, I feel Portland is a number of steps ahead of the pack. Not only are people more conscious here about their food, we are forunate in that we have plenty of opportunity and resources to do so, fueled by an active community of farmers, ranchers and (best of all) caring consumers (that's you). Have a great week, enjoy the beautiful weather. Until next week.

And a fine hello to everyone! I would like to start by thanking everyone who responded to last week's email. It's nice to know some of you are actually reading it, and even better to get some positive feedback. It really means a lot to me that so many of you actually took time out of your days to comment on the state of omnivorous affairs in this country.

 

But on to more pressing issues: this week's dinners. The magic number this week is two: two dinners, two guest chefs, and only two hands to eat with. After you read the menus, you may wish you had more. On Friday we will be fed by a fellow who by now should be very familiar to you, our man Scott Ketterman. Scott continues to please with his Iberian-inflected cooking style... It's as if you took Simpatica's usual fare and sent it to Spain for a few months. Just delicious and fits right in. And on Saturday, a face some of you may be growing to recognize (especially if you've dined with us any time in the last few weeks): Nick Wood. Before moving to Portland a year and a half ago, Nick spent six years living, cooking and eating in New Orleans, where he was the sous chef at Brennan's and the executive chef at Martinique Bistro. After arriving in our fair burg, he hooked up with Tommy Habetz (there's the connection...), working as his sous chef at Meriwether's. He is also helping Tommy put together his new project. So we're all fortunate to have him moonlighting at good old Simpatica Dining Hall.

 

Here's the goods:

Saturday,July 12th
Presenting Chef Nick Wood
Rabbit and Pancetta Gumbo

Tomato Salad with Fried Squash Blossoms and Crawfish Aioli

Crispy Pork Belly and Shoulder with Grits, Fava Beans and Pickled Mustard Seeds

Cane Syrup Cake with Blueberry Jam and Creme Fraiche

If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.

Hey, by the way... I don't know if any of you have noticed, but the berries have been rocking recently. I took some family in to Simpatica Brunch this last Sunday and got some killer blueberry pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup and chantilly cream. We'll have them again this week. You should really think about getting some.

Hey, all. Got a quick and easy one this week. I hope everyone's been enjoying the weather. Personally, I've been loving it... these cool mornings morphing into a beautiful sunny day have been stellar. Kind of like Goldilocks says, "Not too hot, not too cold, but juuust right."

Speaking of just right, check out Friday's menu. Still riding high from last year's trip to Provence, Dave and Jason have put together yet another French-inspired farm fresh dinner this week. As David so aptly put it, "I love this time of year... you can just lay out a table full of ingredients in front of you, then just mix and match flavors, and the ingredients are so good, you can't go wrong." Well put, Dave. The produce right now is simply incredible, making a cook's job sooo easy. It's awesome. The other thing about Friday... it's our only dinner this week. Unfortunately the Dining Hall is not available for a dinner on Saturday. So get in on this incredible feast we have lined up for Friday. Her's the lineup:

 

Friday,July 25th
Tomato, Fennel and Black Olive Salad

Squash Blossoms with White Bean Puree and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Roast Green Beans with Spring Onions and Bacon, Served with Brochettes Three Ways: Cattail Creek Leg Of Lamb, Pancetta-Wrapped Monk Fish and Summer Squash, all Grilled Over Cherry Wood

Blackberry Creme Fraiche Tart with Lavender Gelato

 

Saturday,July 12th
SOLD OUT

If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.

 

I don't know how many of you are planning to attend IPNC this weekend but if you are, we'll be there in full force. Jason, Dave and I will be providing the meat for Saturday Night's Salmon Bake(dinner for 1100 people... should be a blast). Swing by and say hi. Until next week...