Janet On Valentines Day
The Food Of Love!
I actually 
enjoy Valentine’s Day so much more since I have started Bethany’s Table. With a mix of customers that includes dining experts as well as novices, I have found a fantastic audience that has come to look forward to what crazy thing that might come up with this year. Play and explore with ideas and recipes to see what my staff and I can pull off.
Every year I like to have a theme. It’s fun to explore within those boundaries. This year my theme is simple, although it did not start out that way! I decided to do the theme, ”The food of love.” I wanted to find in history – great dishes made for love; maybe some poems about love, and about food. Well there wasn’t a lot I could find that resonated for me.
Coolness of the melons
Flecked with mud
In the morning dew
(Matsuo Basho)
Somehow this didn’t bring the inspiration I was looking for.
So then I moved on to my stock of well-loved food movies: Babette’s Feast, I Am Love, Mostly Martha, Big Night and The Hundred Foot Journey. I was sold! As I began to explore this idea I felt strongly that I could indeed create dishes from these! But then, Babette’s Feast has been done and – Turtle Soup – with live turtle? – I don’t think so.
Finally, I settled into the simplicity of “The Food of Love.” Some of these are simply known aphrodisiacs: oysters, asparagus, figs. Some are indeed inspired by movies, such as the Quail in Rose Petal Sauce from “Like Water For Chocolate.” There is food that speaks of love to me, such as Smoked Duck Consommé, or the spiced donuts I make for my family Christmas morning. And there are labors of love: fresh Dungeness Crap Stuffed Raviolo with house-made pasta and ricotta.
This year I will have all weekend to celebrate, as the 14th is on a Sunday. So on Friday and Saturday night we will have the regular menu plus a smaller version of my grand finale. On Sunday we will offer only the six-course, prix fixe menu. You can view a version of that menu here and you can make your reservation by clicking here.
Should you decide to join us, please remember to let me know in advance if you have any special dietary restriction. There is at least one vegetarian option for each course and with some notice we will be able to accommodate non-dairy and non-gluten requests.