Ah, the dilemma of being an upright mammal. Each of us — excepting strict vegans, of course — must make peace with his or her spot on the food chain. Are we carnivores, herbivores, or pesci-vegetarians? Do we eat fowl but not red meat, because cows have sad eyes while chickens are mostly irritating? Is it enough simply to eat only humanely-killed beasts?
If you are an animal lover, the questions are particularly thorny. . . .or so it would seem. Yet, I know plenty of devoted horse people who like their steaks bloody. Cat ladies who wouldn’t dream of giving up their Easter lamb.
Which brings me to this year’s Chefs, Cats & Canines Fall Wine Dinner, a benefit for the Animal Humane Society, which will be held at the St. Paul Hotel on Friday, November 2nd. For $225 a head, luminary locals such as Scott Pampuch and Vincent Francoual will put together a six-course meal. The Humane Society promises $125 of each ticket is tax-deductible (which means these hard-working chefs are certainly donating their time and food products at cost), and proceeds will help care for more than 35,000 homeless animals.
The menu:
Scott Pampuch, Corner Table
Fall vegetable tasting – pumpkin, squash, turnip, parsnip, carrot, and beets
Vincent Francoual, Vincent A Restaurant
Pan seared scallops, leeks, fingerling potatoes, and orange sauce
Lance Kapps, St. Paul Hotel
Duck strudel with baby greens and ver jus vinaigrette
Mike Phillips, The Craftsman
Braised 1000 Hills beef shanks with a potato shallot gratin and smoky tomato chutney
Russell Klein, Meritage
Artisan cheeses from around the world with seasonal accompaniments
Sandra Sherva, Birchwood Cafe
Chocolate pear tart with ginger crème anglaise
Each course will be paired with a wine by The Cellars Wines & Spirits.
No question, these are amazingly talented chefs and the evening promises to be spectacular. Each and every course sounds exquisite to me. But I find it curious — don’t you? — that there isn’t an all-vegetarian option for dog people who also happen to be fond of ducks.
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