Chef Bob Rogers from Masselow's at Northern Quest decided to have a bit of fun with the theme for our March 12, 2012 industry dinner.  Here is what he has planned for his Tongue n Cheek dinner:

Passed Hors d’oeuvre
Lobster Canapés
fresh Mango, jalapeño, English cucumber
 
First Course
Beef Tongue Sous Vide
Port wine demi-glace, frizzled Russets
 
Second Course
Creamy Wenatchee Apple and Celeriac Soup
Brioche crouton
 
Third Course
Sous Vide Halibut Cheeks and Beluga Lentils
Belgian endive, caramelized shallot and champagne vinaigrette
 
Intermezzo        
Fresh Lemon and Lavender Sorbet
 
Fourth Course
Braised Kurobuta Pork Cheeks
maple and white truffle glace, pear and cherry chutney, sweet potato mash, braised rainbow chard
 
Fifth Course
Chocolate Chip Cashew Pie
Brie ice cream

KEVIN WRITES: For several years before Big Table, I worked both as a restaurant critic and a pastor, and the fastest way to end any conversation with people working in the restaurant industry was to mention my second job.  It took me a while to figure out what had gone wrong in those conversations, but I finally did, with the help of Annie, a waitress who grew up in the same Montana church I did.

"I beg not to work Sunday shifts," she confessed.  "We all do."

A friend this morning sent me a link to a blog post that suggests that Annie's experience is far from the exception.  It just may be that the people most easily identifed as Christians are often the stingiest tippers on the planet.  Here is a quote from the larger post entitled The Bait and Switch of Contemporary Christianity:

"The point is that one can fill a life full of spiritual activities without ever, actually, trying to become a more decent human being. Much of this activity can actually distract one from becoming a more decent human being. In fact, some of these activities make you worse, interpersonally speaking. Many churches are jerk factories.  

Take, for example, how Christians tip and behave in restaurants. If you have ever worked in the restaurant industry you know the reputation of the Sunday morning lunch crowd. Millions of Christians go to lunch after church on Sundays and their behavior is abysmal. The single most damaging phenomenon to the witness of Christianity in America today is the collective behavior of the Sunday morning lunch crowd. Never has a more well-dressed, entitled, dismissive, haughty or cheap collection of Christians been seen on the face of the earth.  

I exaggerate of course. But I hope you see my point. Rather than pouring our efforts into two hours of worship, bible study and Christian fellowship on Sunday why don't we just take a moment and a few extra bucks to act like a decent human being when we go to lunch afterwards? Just think about it. What if the entire restaurant industry actually began to look forward to working Sunday lunch? If they said amongst themselves, "I love the church crowd. They are kind, patient and very generous. It's my favorite part of the week waiting on Christians." How might such a change affect the way the world sees us? Think about it. Just being a decent human being for one hour each Sunday and the world sees us in a whole new way.  

But it's not going to happen. Because behavior at lunch isn't considered to be "working on your relationship with God." Behavior at lunch isn't spiritual. Going to church, well, that is working on your relationship with God. But, as we all know, any jerk can sit in a pew. But you can't be a jerk if you take the time to treat your waitress as if she were your friend, daughter or mother."

The author, Richard Beck, is skeptical that this will ever change.  If you attend church and eat out, you can change that.  How about setting 20% as your standard tip and round up from there?  If you already tip generously, thanks.

By the way, the cartoon at the top is a sketch I based on one commerically available by Elmer Parolini.  The credit for the line and the layout are his.

Chef Sylvia Wilson from Feast Catering had a creative idea for our next Big Table dinner.

"What about an all white menu?" she asked.

I was skeptical. "Wouldn't that be a bit bland?"

She assured me it wouldn't, and from the looks of the menu for this Monday, she is right.  It looks wonderful and anything but bland.  Wilson pulled in Tony Brown from Mizuna to help and asked Gina Garcia from Chaps and Cake to create the dessert course.

Passed Hors d’oeuvres
white bean tartine, white pesto, fried mint and lemon
goat cheese gougeres, pinenut butter, apple, celeriac
 
First Course
seared jumbo sea scallop
with parsnip puree, rosemary oil, meyer lemon
 
Second Course
winter white salad with endive, pear, fennel, stilton blue cheese,
marcona almonds, and a white balsamic vinaigrette
 
Third Course
cauliflower bisque with sage, brown butter
and a garlicky crouton
 
Intermezzo
spanish white gazpacho, almonds, verjus

Fourth Course
white miso black cod, smoked shiitakes, potato sun choke mash,
pearl onions, enoki mushrooms, and a truffle vinaigrette
 
Fifth Course
poached pear napoleon with ginger sabayon

Great news! The Seattle Wine and Food Experience selected Big Table this year for their 2012 featured charity.  The Giving Grapes Foundation that works with the Wine and Food Experience has a mission remarkably close to ours.  They asist local charities who provide financial assistance to service industry professionals who have to take time off work due to injury or illness.

We are delighted to partner with Giving Grapes and the Seattle Wine and Food Experience.  Kevin will be on site at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall from the moment the doors open (noon) until the time they close (5pm) on Sunday, February 26.

Your purchase of a ticket helps support Big Table and gets you in the door for great wine and food.

Twenty local chefs will be serving up gourmet tapas plates.  Audi is hosting a oyster bar and bubbly lounge. There will be wines from around the world and a special focus on Oregon wines as well as a local and national beer and cider exhibit.  Northwest distillers will be offering sips of their wares.

Stella Artois and Viking will host a chef demo stage with Chef Thierry Rautureau.  Fonté Coffee Lounge will be open for small batch crafted coffee shots, and local venders will be sampling and selling artisan food.  Add in live music and you have a SEATTLE WINE AND FOOD EXPERIENCE.

Ticket are $49.

Make sure to stop by the Big Table "table" to say hi.

Mary At November's Table"I had never heard of Big Table until I was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of their generosity.  Last year, just before Christmas, I was having trouble with my car and it looked like I needed a new engine. Bad timing!

I nursed it through the holidays and then it was time to fix it. My initial estimates were between $1500 and $2500 to rebuild the engine of my 14-year-old car and we were in the slowest month of the year in the restaurant industry; things were not looking good. I knew God would take care of me, He always does; I just didn't know how!

Some friends of mine, Rhonda Rey and Lallah Marston, knew of my situation and contacted Big Table to see if they could help, and soon Mitch Silver was involved as well. One night at work I got a call from Jill Lemon telling me that Big Table wanted to help get my car fixed! I was completely surprised and just amazed that these good people would so generously give of their time and talents. Mitch contributed financially and also offered up his ace mechanic, Jay, who worked long and hard to find the problem and get my car running just like new. Many others, some of whom I don't know, also contributed, so my out-of-pocket expense was minimal. I felt so humbled and blessed by this whole experience; it really is hard for me to describe how much this has meant to me. What Kevin and Jill and those who are committed to BigTable are doing is awesome and so beneficial to many who are struggling in this industry.
 
Since my initial Big Table encounter I have had the opportunity to serve at one of their amazing dinners, participate in the Big Table auction last May and enjoyed being served as a guest at the November Big Table dinner, compliments of Fleur de Sel and Madeliene's. What a feast!

Big Table exemplifies community in giving and sharing and offers so much, whether you are giving or receiving. I am thankful for what Big Table has meant to me, and that I am able at this time to donate toward another person's needs. I know from first-hand experience that Big Table is a life changer! Thank you."

Here was the menu for our November 7th 2nd anniversary dinner for Big Table thanks to Chef Laurent Zirotti of Fleur de Sel and Chef Joshua Martin of Madeleine’s.

Hors d’oeuvres
Rillette of pork
Beef tartar
Petites crudités

First Course
Smoked salmon carpaccio with celery rémoulade,
basil oil and grains of paradise

Second Course
Lobster crêpe with a saffron Chardonnay beurre blanc

Entremet
Vichyssoise

Third Course
Stuffed quail with a white truffle cream sauce

Fourth Course
Pork cheek “á la Bourguignonne”, Yukon gold tart

Cheese Course
Normandy Camembert “Le Pommier”, mixed greens

Sixth Course
Chocolate caramel  á la fleur de sel
coffee Parisian macaron
choux Chantilly
Cointreau cake brulé

This fall the students from a Whitworth University class on art and community worked with Big Table to design and build three special art tables.  The one above sets a wooden relief of our logo under glass.

The second table is modeled after a section of the actual BIG table but adds an interactive art feature to the center of the table: an inset that holds glass tiles.  Each tile represents an image related to Big Table and are designed to be rearranged by guests like a puzzle.

The third table uses a wine barrel (thanks Odom) as a base for a wrought iron post with arms that each end in an LED light and a wine bottle.

Thanks to Professor Katie Creyts and the all the students who served at our September dinner and then translated their experience into art.

We filled the table last night inside the barn at Cherry Hill Orchard up on Green Bluff.  Chefs Jonathan Sweatt and Ryan Stoy from Downriver Grill and Juli Norris from Simply Gourmet served up a memorable seven course feast that highlighted produce and fruit picked with a mile of the table: peaches, apples, greens, herbs, sweet corn, eggs. 

Thanks to Ronda and Jeff Bosma of Cherry Hill for hosting Big Table #13.

We are on the hunt for a truck load of pumpkins to use as decoration for our next Big Table dinner this coming Monday night (November 8).  Anyone know of a great place to pick up pumpkins post Halloween?  A local farm?  Elsewhere?