Dear, dear Feastlings,
A couple of years ago we catered an event that was positively brimming with carnival atmosphere. There was popcorn, There were sno-cones. there was cotton candy. The lovely people at Uncle Bob’s rented us a cotton candy machine, and, since we had it for the whole weekend, after the event we hauled it back to Feast and monkeyed with it. And so a ridiculous appetizer was born. We made chipotle cotton candy. We made wasabi cotton candy. White pepper. But the biggest hit was the ginger-garlic cotton candy. Now all we needed was an excuse to make it all the time. We put a dish on the menu that lit up our faces like seven-year-olds: shrimp, on a stick, glazed in oyster sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds, wrapped in ginger-garlic cotton candy. It was a delight. For a day.
For the remaining two months and 29 days, we cleaned cotton candy off of every shelf and every pantry cook in the kitchen. Berenice emerged from her shift with a delicate white sugary shroud each day. So now, when someone requests the dish, we offer it a bit more judiciously. It’s on the menu for the next week, the sticks poked into a cucumber that I would be neglectful if I didn’t mention was delicious when sliced and eaten with the cotton candy shrimp in which it’s served. There’s more to be had this week- our take on a Reuben, the fresh and fried lacinato kale and Brussels sprout salad, the chocolate polenta cake, and half a lobster (in fitting with the aforementioned carnival theme) in a vanilla-popcorn cream sauce with sea beans, candied lemon and tiny potatoes. The menu is here for your perusal.
I’d also note that there’s a wine tasting this Saturday that’s tentatively sold out, but they invariably have a cancellation or two, so if you’re feeling lucky but flexible, here’s the information on that.
There’s also a tasting next week on the Last Sunday of the month that merits consideration:
And if weeknights are more your speed, we’re celebrating the Summer Solstice a couple of days after the tasting with a Spanish twist.
No actual bonfires will be lit at the event, but the food and the Spanish wine should be pretty good. We hope you can make it. Meanwhile, we wish you air-conditioned comfort, health and happiness.
Love,
Your friends at Feast