Dear Feastlings,
First, let me thank the few dozen of you who visited us last week. We’re even more delighted than usual to have you here when things slow down and we find ourselves thumb-twiddling and hoping for more to do. For those of you who’ve found cooler climes for the summer months, good for you. Those of us who’ve remained here to hold down the fort look upon you with a slight envy, of course- it’s undoubtedly beautiful where you are, and likely green, and we’re in Tucson watching the mercury climb and anticipating it’s climbing further. But we do get a few perks here: traffic has thinned a bit, and the reservation you needed to join us at Feast, or anywhere else, for that matter, is no longer necessary, so you can make those last-minute decisions not to heat up your kitchen and come grab a bite.
But ultimately, while Feast may be a community and a fun place to visit, it’s also a business, and we’re now setting about the business of filling some of those seats that were so easily filled in February. So out come the secret weapons of summer. Today the June menu begins, with a few changes, though fewer than usual. Why? Because today we also begin the Summer Request Menu. If you made a menu request last month, thanks for your contribution, and know that we’ll do our level best to include as many of the dishes you asked for as possible. But you’ll note on the June menu that we’ve included a dish or two that people request in significant numbers. You know, like the softshell crab stuffed with double cream Brie and arugula and wrapped in prosciutto, drizzled with basil oil and garlic honey. But the June menu last throughout June, so we needed another means of building a sense of urgency. Consequently, you’ll see a week-long summer request menu that includes some dishes with a lot of pull. Yes. Udon noodles. Yes. Banana crumble. And turkey club salad, carrot-cauliflower fritters, and the fried calamari sandwich. Details are here.
We’ll still have our wine tastings- this Saturday there’ll be Chardonnays in great abundance and we’ll still be serving brunch. If I can get it all pulled together, you’ll get an extra email this week with an updated brunch menu and a reminder to listen in when I interrupt your radio time again this Friday morning at seven to remind people to donate to Arizona Public Media and to give away a couple of gift certificates.
Meanwhile, though, it’s time for the staff tasting, where we make all the new dishes and answer questions about them. This way they’ll know their stuff when you come in tonight for Udon. Or whatever. See you soon.
Love,
Doug and everyone else at Feast