 | I dispute that it's always more expensive. I think you have to shop strategically and be prepared to cook. -Michael Pollan |
| Volume XIV, Issue 3 - All the News That's Fit to Eat - Since 1996 | December, 2008 |
With weather like this, it's best to pour a nice glass of wine and settle in... The Devotay eNewsletter - December 2008 We have a jam-packed issue to round out the year here, so pour yourself a nice Rhone wine, settle by the fire, and cuddle up with your laptop for a multimedia look at all the Iowa food world has to offer, as well as a few other tasty tidbits I just threw in 'cuz I felt like it. <hr> Double-Good Anniversary Wine Tasting So on Monday the 8th we'll hold our regularly scheduled December tasting, this time with a sampling of some Rhone varietals (my favorite French region). Call 319.354.1001 right now to get a seat at the tasting table. Here's what we'll try:
All this with a tasty bite from the kitchen and the usual sparkling conversation. All the nitty-gritty details are below. Oh, and the anniversaries? Well on Thursday, Dec. 4th, Devotay will turn 12 years old (an adolescent in mind and spirit). That same date also happens to be the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Volstead act, ending Prohibition and returning good cheer to the nation. Ought to be a national holiday. Call and reserve your place right away - 319.354.1001 Caveats & Fine Print: For those who are unfamiliar with how we do things at these tastings, it's really quite simple, and a whole lot of fun. Listen, we know this holiday season is a little more challenging than most. Banks are tanking, retail sales are low, even car company CEOs will only make a dollar a year (yes, we're all broken up about that one). We decided that since all our retirement funds are worth half what they once were, then one night a week our wine is gonna cost half what it once did. Starting on Dec. 9th, and until this economy thing rights itself, every wine on our list will be 1/2 its usual price. Every glass, every bottle, all day every Tuesday. It's just our little way of helping everybody celebrate the good things, and drown the sorrows. <hr>Just released a couple of weeks ago, the 9th (can you believe it? 9th?) issue of Edible Iowa River Valley is once again chock-full of delicious stories from all over Iowa. In it you'll read about flood recovery efforts in Cedar Rapids restaurants and NE Iowa livestock farms. There are features on Niman Ranch Pork, K&K Popcorn, and even an excerpt from a great new book (how'd that get in there?). Rob Cline commits another fridge raid, this time on Cornell College Presidet Les Garner and his wife Katrina, and Brian Morelli is in Mount Vernon too seeing what else there is to eat. So pick up a copy soon, and be sure to thank the advertisers in it who help keep it going. You can find copies at Devotay, at New Pioneer, and basically at all the places you'd expect to find them. If your favorite place doesn't have any, please tell them to call me and I'll get some there toot sweet. Also, you can always subscribe by clicking here. <hr> Winter Farmers MarketsSo, ya though just because the snow was here that meant you coudn't get to enjoy the best the local farmers have to offer. In fact there is burgeoning demand for winter farmers markets, and many folks are stepping up to meet that demand. Kim and I had a wonderful time shopping for her birthday dinner at the November Winter Market in Iowa City, and now you can have just as much fun this coming Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9am to noon at the Rec Center downtown. Stop by for everything from meat to mushrooms. Don't live near Iowa City you say? There are winter markets all over!
Still can't find one near you? Try checking out www.LocalHarvest.com - with listings on local food all over the USA. It's never too cold to eat local. <hr>Let's see, so far the book tour has taken us (that's me & Kim, not the royal "we") to San Francisco, Fairfield, St. Louis, Iowa City, Madison, St. Paul, Kansas City, Lawrence, back to Iowa City, Des Moines, Ames, Iowa City a 3rd time, Louisville and Columbus. But wait! It ain't over yet. We're heading back to our old college stomping grounds, Cedar Rapids, IA for a reading/signing at the Barnes & Noble on Dec. 6th from 11am-1pm, and I hope t But that's not all - one more visit back home here to Iowa City for all my friends who work at the UIHC - I'll be at the Wild Rose Bookstore on Dec. 9 from 11:30am to 12:30pm. And if that were not enough, I'm hitting the Bright Lights Big City of Chicago, IL, at the Book Cellar (4736-38 North Lincoln Avenue), where they'll also be raffling off gift certificates to Bistro Campagne and Chopping Bloc as fundraisers for Slow Food Chicago. <hr>'Tis the season, deck the halls, fa la la, and so on. As some of the long time readers may have gathered by now, the Holidays are all about the food for all of us at Devotay. So while you're gearing up for all the festivities, don't forget that your favorite foodie would love a gift certificate from Devotay. So would you, for that matter, so if you get $100 worth of GC's from us, we'll throw in an extra $10 one (call it a stocking stuffer for yourself). Also, don't forget to make your reservations now for New Years Eve, during which we'll have our full regular menu plus a special celebration menu (TBA later this month in your email box). Please reserve now at 319.354.1001. We always sell out well ahead and I'd hate for you to be the one calling at 3pm on the 31st asking for a table of 4 at 7pm. <hr>Still looking for a really easy way to get fresh local food? Those of you in the Des Moines area, and soon the rest of us in Iowa can enjoy the amazing efforts of the Iowa Food Co-op. These folks have built a web-based platform for easy local food procurement, with such a big variety of food that you may not need to shop anywhere else. Become a member for $50 (or better yet a founding member for $250), and then shop for everything you need. It'll all be waiting for you to pick up at their shiny retail space in the Merle Hay Mall in West Des Moines. As demand grows, they hope to have distribution sites all around the state. So lets get the interest to peak out here in the east. Sign up now at their website, and support your local farmer! <hr> Move Over, Kurasawa Indulge me for a moment if you would in a pinch of fatherly pride. My son Devon (the "Devo" in Devotay) has wanted to make movies since he was 7 years old. He recently started studying at the Los Angeles Film School, and has posted his first assignment on YouTube. The assignment was: In one shot your character must lose, and then find something. And by the by, the "Dominic" mentioned in the film is one of his instructors at the school. <hr>Most of you are familiar with the brilliant work of Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, and his most recent book, In Defense of Food. Pollan has become one of the Slow Food Movement's most vociferous and capable advocates because of his command of the facts and his ability to make the issues clear and easy to understand. This past weekend he was on Bill Moyers' Journal, and it is a truly enlightening piece that explains, among other things, why we should dig up the White House lawn and why Pollan does not want to be Secretary of Agriculture (and if you think that's a crazy idea, you should see who at least one blogger want as White House Chef!). <hr>? OK, you know you've reached a certain point in your life when your kids are ridiculing your interest in a new-fangled internet gadget. Twitter is best described as blogging for the attention-deficient set - each post can be no more than 140 characters. I first heard of it through a news report (CNN Or something) when an American kid traveling in the Middle East was arrested by Egyptian authorities. He managed to type "arrested" into Twitter before they took his phone. His friends saw it, alerted the State Department, and he was out in a few days. More commonly though, Twitter is used to alert friends to interesting web finds or to pass along inane chatter such as "OMG I'm at the coolest mall!" It's most useful though for marketing, and I've been using it to draw folks to my book readings and such. What I'd like to know from you is, if we set up a Twitter account where you could learn the daily specials at Devotay, would you sign up for such a thing? And before you ask, no, it doesn't fill your email box - it's a separate site. Anywho it's just a thought I'm toying with, lemme know what you think. <hr>That's all from Devotay World HQ! Here's hoping the Holidays find you surrounded by family, friends, and wonderful food.
"If you eat you are a part of agriculture" - Wendell Berry | Forward this message to a friend In This Issue: |
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Comments: 3
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch more than the first 11 seconds of Devon's film. I think this is a Safari browser issue. I'll try it again with Firefox later.
As far as Twitter goes, I don't think I need another electronic tether right now.