What should we do with the “extra day” this year? We are thinking about combining the old English, Irish and Scottish traditions for the day with Dogpatch’s own Sadie Hawkins Day, which Al Capp made into a November event so that it could be celebrated annually.

What do you think girls? Is this a day that you could muster the gumption to ask your man out? We are willing to buy dinner for any couple if the woman makes a legitimate marriage proposal at the Table that night and the man accepts. What do you think? Will there be any takers?

Here’s a little history for you:

St. Bridget’s Complaint

It is believed this tradition was started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.

February 29th in English Law

According to English law, February 29th was ignored and had no legal status. Folks assumed that traditions would also have no status on that day. It was also reasoned that since the leap year day existed to fix a problem in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust custom that only let men propose marriage.

The first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.

According to lil-abner.com: Sadie Hawkins Day, an American folk event, made its debut in Al Capp’s Li’l Abner strip November 15, 1937. Sadie Hawkins was “the homeliest gal in the hills” who grew tired of waiting for the fellows to come a courtin’. Her father, Hekzebiah Hawkins, a prominent resident of Dogpatch, was even more worried about Sadie living at home for the rest of his life, so he decreed the first annual Sadie Hawkins Day, a foot race in which the unmarried gals pursued the town’s bachelors, with matrimony the consequence. By the late 1930′s the event had swept the nation and had a life of its own. Life magazine reported over 200 colleges holding Sadie Hawkins Day events in 1939, only two years after its inception. It became a woman empowering rite at high schools and college campuses, long before the modern feminist movement gained prominence. The basis of Sadie Hawkins Day is that women and girls take the initiative in inviting the man or boy of their choice out on a date, typically to a dance attended by other bachelors and their aggressive dates. When Al Capp created the event, it was not his intention to have the event occur annually on a specific date because it inhibited his freewheeling plotting. However, due to its enormous popularity and the numerous fan letters Capp received, the event became an annual event in the strip during the month of November, lasting four decades.

There is actually quite a bit of work that remains in order to fully incarnate the restaurant. But it’s working now. The people come and they enjoy their experience. The staff is happy and they are able to support their families. The bills get paid. Hooray!

Janet’s biography is one that has always had a restaurant and cooking as part of its story. Janet is a restaurant lifer. I am not. I often say that my qualifications for the job as Director of Customer Experience are based on 35 years as a grumpy diner. However, my ability to channel Janet’s creativity and talent into the creation of the business that provides her satisfaction and fulfillment was made possible by my 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur. I love being a restaurant owner, but I’ve never wanted to be a restaurant manager. Janet and I tried for a while to divide the labor of managing the restaurant operations. But the prospects for these two strong personalities and war tested battle-mates to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder and steer the business happily through calm waters became problematic. As a team, well, “…there’s bound to be a fight!” Just too much horsepower for cruising I guess. Janet is perfectly capable of running the business on a day-to-day basis without my meddling. These last two months I backed away to create the space for her to step fully into that role, which she has done beautifully. I moved my office to the house and focused on picking up the administrative details that were scattered about my desktop and knitting together the frayed edges of our home life.

I’m grateful for the spaciousness that allows me to get back into my writing and focus my efforts on behalf of Janet in the areas where I can do the business the most good. Meanwhile, I contemplate the next big thing. Something like: funding a micro-finance initiative to support businesses in the Philippines in their efforts to remediate the effects of climate change, changing weather patterns and rising water levels on their island communities. You know, something easier than starting a restaurant.

I am in the restaurant most days from time to time and I try to be there during busy dinner hours, especially Friday and Saturday night. I am spearheading the work to reinitiate regular winetasting dinners. If you haven’t seen me for a while and would like to, just mention this to the staff when you make your reservation and I’ll try to make a point to come in while you are dining. It is a good thing that we are taking these next steps as it makes both our professional and our personal lives more sustainable. I am excited to be off on my next adventure. But I do miss my friends and I hope to see you soon.

Restaurants usually define the realms of their operations as front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH). I believe that you would be able to consistently distinguish those restaurants whose focus is on hospitality by looking at the way they regard their BOH staff. If you are a hospitality business your focus must be on creating a great experience for your customers. If you are a service business that pays lip service to hospitality the focus is more on getting people what they want or need without giving them cause for complaint. Of course, these things occur on a spectrum. There are a number of subtleties to creating a great experience for your customers. If you are a business, like we are, that focuses on cultivating relationships with “regular” customers, these subtleties become more pronounced. The gesture of hospitality requires that we meet our customers where we find them with who we are. If the fundaments of this meeting are missing or untrue, the true spirit of hospitality is compromised. If I don’t meet you where you are but instead set out rules you have to follow in order to be my customer, then I have compromised hospitality. If I don’t meet you with who I am but instead offer you an artifice of who I think you want me to be, then I have compromised hospitality. It’s our work to find out who our customers are and learn their criteria are for choosing us, their desires, preferences, etc. It’s also our job to know who we are, understand our own values and the core beliefs that determine our decision-making, and then strive to make ourselves and those around us better.

This brings us back to the BOH versus FOH equation. For I believe that we cannot be an organization of people who purport to truly care about the needs and preferences of our customers and have within our organization a class system for how we treat our employees. Likewise we cannot expect our FOH staff to emanate warmth and enjoyment to our customers if the operations behind the curtain are not resonant with these same qualities. That’s why we pool tips at Bethany’s Table. And that’s why you’ll often see the kitchen staff delivering food and drinks to the tables. What also occurs, that the customers don’t see, is the extent to which the servers also help out the BOH staff and the warmth and humor that characterizes these relationships.

We have had individuals working out front that were competent servers but not particularly skilled in the art of hospitality. Perhaps they weren’t good at tuning into their customers’ needs and unique considerations. Or perhaps they were not inclined to bring themselves genuinely to these relationships, or when they did it wasn’t particularly appealing. Similarly, we’ve had people working in the BOH who were diligent and hard-working but not able to interact well or support their coworkers. The FOH staff can readily step out into the dining room with a smile on their faces, and meet customers with warmth and joy, as the kitchen is filled with that same energy. A restaurant whose focus is hospitality must be staffed with people who enjoy what they do and treat each other well. At Bethany’s Table we are in a very fortunate place in our biography. We are not perfect and we are not staffed with perfect people. But we are all getting along wonderfully these days, enjoying our work and enjoying each other. Correspondingly, breakdowns have become less frequent and our well of regular customers continues to fill. It’s a nice place to be.

We are now offering Mid-Week Wine Flights Tuesday through Thursday all day. You may select 3 of 4 wines to taste for $14. It’s a fun way to try some new wines!

This month’s theme is “Local Vines” and includes a Bergstrom Riesling, an Elk Cove Pinot Noir, a Cana’s Feast red blend, and a Seven Hills Syrah. These are all from the Willamette, Columbia, or Walla Walla Valley, giving you a chance to sample something from each region.

We hope you’ll join us for this fun, ongoing event!

Here you can read the bulk of the review, but more details can be found here on Willamette Week’s site.

Janet O’Connor and David Bowles jokingly refer to their Northwest bistro and wine bar as a “gem in the culinary desert of Washington County.” They’re right. If Bethany’s Table were jammed in along one of the eastside’s restaurant rows, its simple, tasty cuisine would get lost in the shuffle. But since it’s hidden in an upscale strip mall in the land of Walgreens and Subway in Bethany, it’s an absolute oasis of fresh ingredients and deft cooking for westsiders who don’t want to motor across town for a crisp-skinned roast chicken (recently served with a sticky molasses bourbon sauce and peaches) or a juicy no-fuss burger with tasty potato wedges. Most everything here is better than you expect it to be, from the mess of creamy beans and tomato jam under the tender pork shoulder to a rustic, slurp-worthy tomato soup. Pastry chef Amelia Lane makes the best flowerless chocolate cake in Portland, its suburbs and maybe the world.

Wow! There are so many excellent eateries in this town, and we are so honored to be on this list. Thanks to Willamette Week!

Fall has arrived! Season changes are busy times for the kitchen, and even though Janet loves hot weather, she admits that fall is one of her favorite “food times.”Produce deliveries are looking less like strawberries and more like butternut squash, wild huckelberries, and chanterelles.

The butternut squash pannini is back!

Comfort foods are back! The panini grill has come down off its lonely shelf, and as requested by customers, our butternut squash panini has returned to the specials board. No one can get enough of Janet’s warm beet salad, served with creamy chevre over swiss chard. Our dessert menu has shifted towards tummy-warming bread pudding and Oregon berry crumble, which pair well with the tasty hot drinks we’ve added to our cocktail list.

It’s a beautiful time of year, and no place is more cozy than our dining room!

Photo courtesy of L.A. Times

It’s ancient, oddly-shaped, and vibrant. It’s shockingly tannic- biting into one immediately sucks all the moisture from your mouth. Quince is widely believed to be more ancient than the apple, and many have speculated that Eve’s forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was not an apple, but a quince. In Greek mythology as well, Aphrodite’s “golden apple” is thought to be a quince, crowning it the “fruit of love.”

Most commonly, quince is used in marmalades or jellies. It contains a lot of natural pectin, which encourages a jam-like consistency, plus the addition of sugar brings out the flavor while mediating its raw astringency. We have had a big bowl of quince out on the big table all week, allowing their lush yellow color and knobby shape to be on full display. This week, we’ll probably cook them into a jam to serve as an accomaniment to our cheese plate. Janet has been collecting other suggestions, as well, so feel free to share them!

Ken Wright has been making wine in Oregon for twenty-six years. Over this period of time, the Wrights have established a reputation for creating exceptionally beautiful Pinot Noirs. They have mastered the art and science of winemaking, and as a result their fan base is vast and well-informed.

We are thrilled to be offering the following four of Ken’s wines on our wine list, all of which scored over 90 in Wine Spectator:

Abbott Claim Vineyard 2007 Pinot Noir: This vineyard is in the Carlton-Yamhill AVA. Here soils are high in sand and therefore offer the excellent drainage necessary for pinot grapes. This particular wine is described as balanced and lively, with aromas of smoke, spice, and and raspberry. Portland Monthly just named this #4 on Oregon’s 50 Best Wines!

McCrone Vineyard 2008 Pinot Noir: Also located in the Carlton-Yamhill AVA, McCrone faces more to the west than Abbott Claim. Each year, this vineyard produces about 700 cases of wine that is described as lush and powerful. It’s described as exotic, succulent, and deep. 

Carter Vineyard 2009 Pinot Noir: This vineyard is located in the Eola Hills. The soil is volcanic and shallow, allowing fruit to ripen more quickly. Grapes generally have a higher acidity, producing wine that evolves to “show dark fruits and fresh, healthy earth scents.”

Willamette Valley 2009 Pinot Noir: This is the first blended Pinot that Ken has ever produced. It encompasses grapes from nine of his vineyards. Wine Spectator describes it as “Light and satiny, with modest tannins around a delicate core of cherry, raspberry and coffee flavors, fleshing out more on the long finish.”

Billy teaches his son, Wyatt, appreciation of the outdoors. The most recent addition to our kitchen staff, Billy Dachtler, grew up in San Diego. As goes for anyone who grows up in San Diego and is physically able, he spent most of his years surfing, as well as snowboarding, golfing, hiking, fishing, and generally being outdoors. Eventually he began to seek a career, and found himself in the magnetic pull of fine dining restaurants. When I asked Billy why he got into cooking, he smiled inwardly and responded, “I always liked eating!” The love of good food helped fuel his success in culinary school and in his many restaurant endeavors in Southern California. He credits well-renowned chefs such as Gavin Kaysen and Michael Mina for teaching him the kind of dedication, discipline, and skill that have made him an excellent asset to Janet’s kitchen staff. When he’s not cooking, he is usually spending time with his son Wyatt, who was born last November, or exploring other Portland eateries. He has a particular fondness for Japanese food. True to his roots, Billy is a devoted fan of the Chargers and the Padres. Don’t worry: working at Bethany’s Table (and being a reasonable person) have led him to become a Ducks fan as well.

Don’t be fooled by the stoic facial expression… John loves the outdoors. John Bowles’ role at Bethany’s Table is a big one. As David’s oldest son, John has been involved with the business since its inception. Now he is our star Pantry Chef. When he isn’t creating masterpiece salads or artfully plating desserts, he is taking classes at PCC, skiing, biking, climbing, and coming up with very clever puns. His favorite foods include Vietnamese dishes, salads of all types, and pancakes. He loves to read. No matter how a conversation with John begins, it always seems to end in a literary reference. His favorite books include the Art of Racing in the Rain, the Fountainhead, and Love in a time of Cholera. Nothing drives him crazier than authors who write long, 8-volume series and then die before finishing them.

Kyle Wilson is our Sous-chef and Resident Alien. He grew up in New Zealand, moving to the United States at the age of ten. Kyle’s interest in food sprouted from a pure, childhood love of sweets. “My grandma always had sweets, but when I was home, my mom wouldn’t make them as much.” Kyle found a way around that by sneaking ingredients like sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and butter into the backyard, where he would mix them together. “Then I would run inside, microwave them, and get back outside to eat my creation before mom noticed.” Fortunately, Kyle graduated from microwaved cocoa powder and became an incredibly talented chef. Kyle has been around from the very beginning, keeping everyone in line and motivated. His favorite foods are Chinese food and the breakfast BLT from Petite Provence. He can also double-dutch jump rope. Alone.

Allea hiking in Eastern Oregon. Allea Martin’s food career really began last fall when, after finishing her Political Science degree from U of O (go Ducks!), she skipped out to Tuscany to work on a farm for a few months. She spent every afternoon working alongside the farm’s cook, who had been born on the farm more than 60 years before. What she loves most about cooking is that there is always something new to learn. When she’s not at Bethany’s table, she write the blog Table Lessons, camping, hiking, snowboarding, reading, and cheering for the Ducks. Her favorite foods are crab, raspberries, and cheese.

The driving force of the kitchen is our chef-owner, Janet O’Connor, whose full bio is here. Though Janet was born in Chicago, the truly character-building years of her life were spent in central Oregon where her family “Little House on the Prarie’d It”, meaning they bought 35 acres of wild property and built a house on it. Her belief in Real Food comes mostly from her father, an avid fisherman, mushroom forager, and hobby cook. Janet worked in restaurants her whole life. After graduating high school, Janet lived in Switzerland for a year, speaking French and eating delectable cheeses and baked goods. She moved to Portland in her early twenties to attend Le Cordon Bleu, and has since worked at a number of Portland locales including Ringside, Atwaters, Zell’s, the Heathman, and Meriwethers. As our Head Chef, she co-owns Bethany’s Table with David, whom she met while waiting tables at Zell’s, where he was a regular customer. When I ask the couple how they met, they reminisce longingly, unable to stop smiling at each other. Many of our regular customers have witnessed this same loving gaze exchanged in the midst of a busy dinner service. It’s part of what makes Bethany’s Table so special: the foundation of the restaurant is as much David and Janet’s love for one another as their passion for delivering excellent culinary experiences.

This recent Ahi special happened to be without gluten or dairy.

During that time, I became intimately aware of the difficulties that come with food allergies, sensitivities, and eating out. I began to avoid eating out altogether, feeling that no one understood my situation and that restaurant menus had little to offer me.

Janet gets it. Just yesterday a customer came in to ask what menu items lacked dairy products. Janet explained, “I make everything from scratch, so that I can always tell customers exactly what is or isn’t in each dish.”

These days, it seems that everyone has some kind of food allergy, intolerance, or specified diet to follow. Vegetarian and vegan diets are becoming ever-popular, further encouraged by the Meatless Monday campaign, Oprah’s vegan for a week promotion, and Mark Zuckerberg’s “eat only what he kills himself” diet. Even without the extremes, the fact is, many people are either making choices towards alternative health, or being forced to make serious lifestyle adjustments as they discover food allergies or sensitivities. One that we discuss often in the kitchen is gluten intolerance, which as anyone with eyes has noticed, is on the rise.

Angeline’s Bakery in Sisters supplies our delicious gluten-free bread. As the chef, Janet works carefully to ensure that our menu can meet a lot of these alternative needs. Of course, we can’t cater to every special diet out there, but a little effort goes a long way. Janet”s understanding and creativity mean that customers can always find vegetarian and gluten-free options on both our lunch and dinner menus. We also feature vegan soups on the regular, and I swear, they are just as amazing as Janet’s non-vegan soups. Some, like the curried cauliflower, might even win out in a contest against its conventional soup competitors. Our flexibility in catering events means that we can create party menus with plenty of special options for those with gluten, dairy, or meat-free diets.

David likes to say that you can’t make lemonade without lemons. In this case, Janet uses what could be “obstacles” of special diet requests and uses them to add a little more creative depth to the menu. The results benefit everyone.