SEPTEMBER 2008 ARCHIVES
This week's email
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by Ben
Howdy all. Well, Labor Day is now behind us. No more white clothes. Time to pack up my white linen suit and my white Panama hat and mothball them for another season. A moment of silence while I shed one solitary tear.
...
Ok, now that that's done with, let's get back to business. Now that summer is officially over, I want to talk about the holidays. (What was that scream? Too soon? I'm already planning my Halloween costume...) As you begin to plan your holiday parties, keep us in mind. We can seat 53 people in the Dining Hall or fit 75 people for a standing coctail party. Give us a call at (503)235-1600 or email
inquiries@simpaticacatering.com for more info. It's never too soon to plan for the future!
As for the future that is now, I've got a special event to announce for this week Thursday. We're going to be throwing an extra dinner your way, and this is generally one of the people's favorites: Simpatica Burger Night! Join us on Thursday while we throw down on some burgers, onion rings and rootbeer floats. See below for the full menu. And on Friday and Saturday Scott Ketterman has put together two more fine menus. Here's the goods:
Thursday,September 4th
Simpatica Cheeseburger Night
Radicchio, Your Kitchen Garden Heirloom Tomato and Roasted Beet Salad with Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette
Simpatica Cheeseburgers with Housemade Bacon and Zucchini Pickles served with Walla Walla Sweet Onion Rings and House Tomato Ketchup
Root Beer Floats with Ginger Ice Cream
Price is $25 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. Friday,September 5th
Savory Masa Crepes with Shrimp, Corn, Poblano Chile and Torpedo Onion Escabeche
Traditional Romaine Caesar Salad
Red Mole with Braised Chicken, Cilantro and Tortillas
Ibarra Chocolate Flan
Price is $35 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. Saturday,August 30th
Fresh Tomato Soup with Parmesan Croutons
Spiced Spare Ribs with Lemon Cucumber, Tomato and Basil Salad
Roast Poussin on Braised Chard with Siena Canellini Beans
Warm Huckleberry Buckle with Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Price is $40 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
That's about it. I hope everyone had a great summer, I know we did. Thanks to all of you who had us be a part of one of your parties or dinners. We look forward to a great holiday season and a fresh new year. Until next week...
-Benjamin Dyer
This week's email
Tuesday, September 9, 2008 by Ben
Good afternoon! And a fine afternoon it is; warm andsunny with a
light cool breeze flowing by. Gorgeous! I hope everyone has been enjoying their week. I have... the kids are back in school, the weather has been really pleasant and although it's a bit early, I've got visions of stews and fall dishes dancing in my head. I'm not saying that now is the time, but once the weather changes, I'll be ready for the culinary transition. I have to admit, once the summer is over I'll definitely miss things like the peaches and the tomatoes and the berries, but luckily we've got apples, pears and citrus coming down the pike. I'll let you know when I start seeing some real beauties on the shelves.
As for the here and now, we've got two darling little menus for you to peruse. Hopefully at least one of them will meet your fancy. I won't waste too much of your time, I'll go ahead and get down to it.
Forest Mushroom Terrine with Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Romaine Lettuce with Grapes and Ricotta Salata
Duck Confit, House-Cured Pancetta and Braised Greens Agrodolce
Italian Plum Tart with Sage Ice Cream
Price is $35 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday,September 13th
Frisee Salad with Fresh Cannelini Beans, Oil-Poached Albacore Tuna and Tarragon Vinaigrette
Semolina Tagliatelle with Corn, Shrimp and Purple Basil
Wood-Fired Pork Loin with Viridian Farms Sweet Peppers, Mint and Preserved Lemon
Peach Crostada with Blackberry Ice Cream
Price is $40 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Fini.
-Benjamin Dyer
This week's email
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 by Ben
Hello to all of my good friends. And my bad ones, too. Hello everyone! I hope this email finds all of you well (even you bad friends...).
It's been a time of transition, recently, that seems to have affected the city in general. The kids are back in school, which always seems to have a huge impact: everyone is getting back into their school routines. The city has seemed odd recently, like a ghost town. I think everyone goes through a period of catharsis, hunkering down for a few weeks while they adjust. Or maybe it's just the back-to-school colds all the kids come home with that's just forced everyone to take to their beds. I know I've got one... thanks kids! Well, I'm ready to come back out in full force, spreading my butterfly wings for all to see. (What the heck am I talking about? Must be the congestion has put too much pressure on my brain, lowering my intellectual capacity to just above nil...)
Back to business. I wanted to mention some brunch notes. The boys wanted me to let you know that they've just finished their annual batch of Italian Plum Syrup, which will be gracing our famous Belgian Waffles (you can see a picture of them on our website...), and that you need to come and get some of this late summer deliciousness. 'Nuf said.
Two dinners this weekend, with some great looking menus. Scott Ketterman has put together another one of his top notch menus this week, bringing back a crowd favorite - Marmitako (Basque Fisherman's Stew). If you haven't had Scott's cooking yet, you owe it to yourself to come down and get some. And on Saturday, our old friend Nick Wood will be sharing some of his talents with all of us. The menu speaks for itself, so I'm just gonna shut the heck up. Here's the goods:
Seared Scallop, Fresh Viridian Farms Pocha Beans and Mixed Peppers
Leafy Greens, Your Kitchen Garden Heirloom Tomatoes and Cracked Green Olive Vinaigrette
Marmitako - Basque Seafood Stew with Oregon Albacore, Sauvie Island Organics New Potatoes and Choricero Chilies
Italian Plum Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream
Price is $35 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday,September 20th
Fried Chicken Livers on Toast with Pepper Jam and Arugula
Summer Melon with Country Ham and Mint
BC Clams with Viridian Farms Pocha Beans, Housemade Andouille Sausage, Your Kitchen Garden Tomatoes and Fennel
Sweet Grits with Bourbon Roasted Baird Family Farms Peaches
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Done. I hope everyone enjoys their week and this fantastic weather we've been having. Take care, everyone.
-Benjamin Dyer
This week's email
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 by Ben
Hey all. Kind of a hectic week around here at the ol' Simpatica Dining Hall. There's been a flurry of activity which seems to be pushing us all into a bunch of different directions, so I apologize if this week's email seems a bit scattered. I'm going to try to keep itbrief; next week I'll definitely have more to talk about, I promise.
Before I dive into the menus for this week, I wanted to mention that I'll be down at the PSU Farmer's Market this Saturday doing a cooking demo. I haven't nailed down what I'm doing just yet, but I'm working on it... either way, however, it would be great to see you folks down there. There's a ton of great produce still working it's way to the markets, and because of the late summer, we're still seeing produce that should have pooped out a few weeks ago.
For this weekend, two really nice menus. On Friday, Scott Ketterman wanted to squeeze one last batch of Paella in before the summer ends. Good stuff. And for Saturday, our man Nick has crafted another one of his fine menus, featuring some of those awesome piquillo peppers from Viridian Farms (love those things!).
Basque Style Porrusalda - Savory Squash, Potato and Leek Soup
Butter Lettuce Salad with Creamy Tarragon Vinaigrette, Shaved Ham and Ossau-Iraty Cheese
Wood Fired Paella Valenciana with Rabbit, Chicken, Viridian Farms' Garrafon Shell Beans, Red Peppers and Saffron
Glazed Gravenstein Apple Tart with Caramel Ice Cream
Price is $40 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday,September 27th
Goat Cheese-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Beets and Mizuna
Rock Shrimp Risotto with Corn and Basil
Roast Pork with Summer Beans and Tomatoes
Lemon Pudding Cake with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream and Mint
Price is $30 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Okay, gotta go. I look forward to having more to chat about next week. Take care, everyone.
-Benjamin Dyer
This week's email
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 by Ben
Last week, I promised I would have more to talk about in the next email. Well, I wasn't lying. I've got some very exciting news to share, and I wanted to let you folks hear it from me first.
As of tonight at midnight, Jason, Dave and I will be the proud owners of a building on East Burnside. It's definitely a diamond in the rough, emphasis on the rough, but we're hoping to turn it into something beautiful. We're thinking restaurant. And butcher shop. We're thinking restaurant with a butcher shop inside of it. How does that tickle your fancy? I'm tickled pink. But before you go running for the reservation line, take a deep breath... it's not going to be open for a while. Spring-ish. But I wanted to let you folks know what's up. Right now that's all we're comfortable divulging, so no emails or phone calls asking for more details (you won't get any). And for those of you who do know more, please keep that privileged info to yourselves, we would appreciate it. No leaks, please. We'll let all of you know more as we're ready to let loose. Oh, and to answer a few more questions, Simpatica will stay exactly the same. We will continue doing our weekly dinners, Sunday Brunch isn't going anywhere (what, start a riot? No way). We'll just be adding on another phase of our business. It's all part of our plan for total global domination, one small step at a time.
Thanks for all of the support, everyone, you continually to make me feel abashedly grateful for the love and continued affection. We couldn't do any of it without you, and we hope the next part of our expansion will be providing you with something you need (like Simpatica every day).
But as easy as it is to get sucked into the excitement of tomorrow, let's not lose sight of the today. We've got two really nice menus this week (Cassoulet, anyone?), I think you'll really like both of them. Also, I want to give a little teaser about a special dinner next week.
Viridian Farms is a name that should be familiar to those of you who actually read our weekly menus. Or go to the farmer's market. Or eat at any of the finer restaurants in town. Manuel and Leslie are two of our favorite folks for two reasons. First, they are just really nice people, always a pleasure to do business with, armed with ready smiles and conucopiae that overfloweth. Second, they grow some of the most fantastic produce around, and that's saying a lot. They grow a variety of regional Spanish peppers and beans, many of which are from the Basque region of Spain, so we thought, Basque Dinner? On Saturday, October 11th, we will be doing a dinner featuring their fineries and the culinary talents of our man-in-much-demand, Scott Ketterman. I don't have a final menu, but here's a few highlights/ideas: Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Braised Oxtail, Alubias de Tolosa with House-Cured Chorizo and Piparras and Cream-Filled Almond Pastel Vascos with Apple Compota. How's that sound? To make reservations today, call the Dining Hall at (503)235-1600 or email
rsvp@simpaticacatering .com.
Here's the menus for this weekend:
Viande's Venison Pate with Chanterelle and Baby Carrot Pickles
Frisee, Heirloom Apple, Red Potato and Soft-Boiled Egg with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Cassoulet with Duck Confit, Toulouse Sausage and Viridian Farms' Fresh Tarbais Beans
Chocolate-Hazelnut Gateau with Vanilla Ice Cream
Price is $40 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, October 4th
Tomato Confit with Camembert Gallettes
Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp with Housemade Guanciale, Late Corn, Chanterelle Mushrooms and Polenta
Milk Braised Carlton Farms Pork Shoulder and Red Russian Kale with Lemon and Piment d'Espillette
Oven-Roasted Figs with Honey Ice Cream
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations. If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
That's the short of it. I promise that as the project progresses I'll share more of the facts with you. Talk to you next week, have a great weekend. Much love.
-Benjamin Dyer
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