Dear Feastlings,
What crazy stroke of luck is it that made Dave come in thinking, “how great would it be to make köfte today?” on the same day that I came in thinking, “how great would it be to make börek today?” Admittedly, there’s no dramatic Turkish skewer to send out for takeout, so we’ll make do (times are, you’re aware, somewhat difficult now,) but the lamb is ground fine, the börek is hand-stretched dough that’s got a dozen paper-thin layers and it’s stuffed with mushrooms of various sorts. Mind you, you Turks and Albanians, neither the köfte nor the börek is what you would call a traditional preparation, but at least it’s heartfelt, and oftentimes heartfelt is all that’s required to make a satisfying meal.
It’s kind of fun that, during this period of being relegated to takeout only, we’ve had a chance to make dishes that normally we wouldn’t- maybe they’re not frilly enough, or maybe they don’t say “Feast” in that that quirky twist is missing. And while it keeps us from getting those cranky, all-caps reviews on TripAdvisor (‘WHAT KIND OF RESTAURANT PUTS CINNAMON IN THEIR MASHED POTATOES???!!!”) it’s also just heartening sometimes to cook in a less cerebral and more visceral way. But Coq au Vin, linguine and meatballs, crawfish etouffée- we’re living in times where we take our comfort where we can, and we give it where we can. The way I’ve learned to give it is to hand it over on a plate and hope for the best.
Anyhow, lucky me that I work with Dave, who hands his comfort out on a plate as well, and that the dish he wanted to make and the dish I wanted to make were destined to go hand in hand. And thanks, Njomza, for teaching me the right way to make börek , or pite, so that I could go ahead and make it the wrong way.
A bit verbose, I’ll admit, for telling you today’s special. And lamb’s not for everyone, nor are mushrooms. But we’ll have another special come tomorrow and you’ll get your turn. Here’s today’s menu, withe the specials on it.
Here’s a reminder about Kent and Todd’s #digitalwineresearch event this evening at 6.
Here’s a reminder about our tasting tomorrow at 2, and some sad (but not pandemic-level sad) news about it.
And here’s one for Mother’s Day, the dishes for which may or may not have been sold out due to supply line struggles by the time you call, though we were able to get a little bit more in for tomorrow.
Next week, likely Wednesday or Thursday, we’re speculating, we’ll be making another delivery run to a local hospital to feed some probably exhausted hospital workers, and you’ll soon see an addition to the menu of dishes you can order to donate for our trip to feed people at the VA Hospital.
Also next week, likely Saturday, we’re speculating, we’ll be making another delivery run to parts east, northeast and west, so soon you’ll see a list of delivery hubs and what specials we’ll be offering for you who live less centrally than Feast lives. So keep your eyes peeled and we’ll send something informative soon.
Thanks,
Doug, Dave and 46 other people who work here at Feast