Dear Feastlings,
Despite the fact that the vast majority of my emails can be interpreted as grievances and laments, I’m acutely aware that, at least up to this point, I’m lucky to live where I live. As such, and as people are inclined to certain prescribed behaviors on Independence Day, Feast will be shuttered this Saturday. A handful of us will take the opportunity to come in this weekend with sleeves rolled up for a deep cleaning of the kitchen, but as to opening the doors, in a risky move that may offend some, we’re keeping them shut and I’ll debate myself about the wisdom of turning it into political commentary and hope I have the restraint not to alienate anyone I haven’t already alienated. But you and I know that I don’t.
I can’t help but compare Emma Lazarus’s The New Colossus with the spate of emails I received this morning from E-Verify, telling me that the Temporary Protected Status of people from Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Ethiopa, having previously been revoked, has been extended, thanks to Dahlia Doe v. Noem, all the way to July 10th, whereupon they’ll be back to being rescinded, along with the status of people from Myanmar, Somalia, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela and El Salvador. So while our doors will close on the 4th, the US will keep them open for another six days, and beyond that will depend on various lawsuits and judgments. Mind you, our doors will reopen on the 7th, with a July menu ready to go, and we’ll keep the doors open, I hope, significantly beyond that. Come the eleventh, we’ll see how the attempt to scrub out the melting pot goes elsewhere, but our own pots will be bubbling away, simmering dishes to celebrate the country who gave us Lady Liberty, and without whom we’d have lost the Revolutionary War, on Bastille Day, July 14th.
On the 14th, we’ll offer a menu of traditional French fare alongside our regular menu, and that $15 we tack onto the standard retail markup in the dining room will be waived on any bottle that hails from France. The menu looks rather like this:
So no wine tasting here this weekend, but next Saturday, the 11th, our pal Emilie will be here with wines yet to be selected, but we’ll get back to you on that, along with the July menu and much more, I’m sure.
Meanwhile, we encourage a reservation on the 14th if you’re planning to join us, because we do tend to fill up.
Happy Birthday, America.
Love,
Doug