Dearest Feastlings,
I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but these are strange times. We’re all a bit on edge, somehow public health and politics have become intertwined, and the future is, although not always bleak, always at the very least uncertain. So when the opportunity came today- yesterday, really- to fling open the doors to Feast and welcome all comers as long as they remained six feet apart, we took a jaunt to the Pima County Health Department’s web page, the poetically named “Criteria for phased resumption of business” page. If you’d like to follow along at home, the page looks like this.
Now, while there was a two-year period in the early Oughts where our particular health inspector was a woman who inspired the chattering of teeth and a bloom of perspiration on our foreheads, the other seventeen years of Feast’s existence have been peppered with smart, caring individuals who became health inspectors because they care about public health. Go figure. So we’ve come to love the health department because they’re entrusted with keeping us safe, and frankly, they’re on their game. Plus now that our nameless inspector has retired, nobody there gives us the jitters anymore. Anyhow, as of this morning, of the nine criteria they’re suggesting for a phased resumption of business during the pandemic, Pima County has met one so far. Yes, there’s progress toward meeting some of the other criteria, and we’re encouraged by it; we’re just not encouraged enough to hang out our dine-in shingle yet. What can I say? We just love you too much and love this city too much to choose to be the petri dish we think a restaurant could become right now, so we’re sticking with takeout and delivery. When will we reopen the dining room? We couldn’t say- remember, the future is uncertain. But we’re here for you in the meantime, and you’re welcome and encouraged to keep picking up food and drink, as we’re all still hoping to remain at least somewhat gainfully employed and I’m still finding writing you all daily more than a little therapeutic.
I have at least three items of news for you today:
1) we’re happy to keep accepting donations for our delivery runs to front line hospital workers around town. this week, we’ll be delivering 286 meals donated by you and your friends and neighbors, and by us as well. Here’s some information about that delivery.
2) we’re also making a delivery run this Saturday, though of a different sort. If you live in the northeast part of Tucson, or the far east, or even the west, we may very well be coming to a delivery hub near you, so it’ll be less pricey and more convenient to grab a little something from Feast, be it food or wine, beer or spirits. Here’s a list of delivery hubs and what time we’ll arrive at them this Saturday. If you’ve had your fill of Feast for now, we’d still be grateful if you mentioned to your neighbors that we’re doing this, as it’s volume that makes these trips keep happening. The more people order from us for these deliveries, the more likely we’ll be able to keep offering them.
3) the wine tastings continue. This Saturday we’ll pour you tastes of four different Chardonnays, all hailing from New World producers. As the number of you joining us grows and we have a more difficult time getting the containers back in time to wash/sanitize/refill them and turn them around and get them back to you, our costs keep increasing, so I’m sad to report that we’re going to have to bump the tasting price up to $12.50, even if you’ve returned your jars. Please, though, we hope you’ll keep returning them, as it’ll keep the price from taking another jump. Thanks for that. Here’s what we’ll be tasting.
We should know soon what dishes we’ll be offering as specials this weekend for those of you availing yourselves of the hub delivery this Saturday, and you’ll find a list of them on the menu just before today’s specials. We’re hoping to get that posted in the next day or so. But meanwhile, here’s the menu if you’re feeling peckish.
Thank you, as ever, for everything, you lovable creatures.
Your friend and comrade-at-arms,
Doug