BWE 2022 Convention Friday Venue Change

[JoelD]

Hi all,

Over the weekend some hiccups arose with our original Friday night location choice of Black Salt. Long story short, I think the chef was struggling with doing such a large party on on a weekend night (they normally never do this and were making an exception for us). Pretty much out of the blue, he indicated that he wanted to cancel and while at first this seemed like a huge headache, I think it's for the best. They weren't the easiest to deal with for this type of event and while the food can be great there, some things can still be hit or miss.

So after consulting with Jim, David and Chris, we all came to the conclusion that it was better to move on to Bistro Cacao for Friday night. Since I had already done the due diligence with them and they still had the big upstairs room available (This is where we did the Saturday 2020 dinner) this became the clear choice. Rather than attempt to hold a stressed chef to a contract, better to move on to folks that are happy to have our business.

There's good reason why they were one of the top original choices as well.
-Should turn out a bit cheaper, ($250 instead of $290).
-They are better at accommodating for our 4-5 fish/shellfish allergies.
-The room is a bit bigger than the black salt room, and they will have a better setup table wise than 2020.
-They are also much closer to where everyone is staying (0.6 miles from bistro bis) and walkable from many of the hotels. Also it is a hybrid pre-fixe/ tasting menu which should look something like the menu below.

Some Hors d'ouerves/cheese to start.

1st Course
-Soup of the day
-Salade Santé
Baby Spinach, Strawberry, Dried Blueberry, Radish, Peppers, Pecan, Seeds, Honey Mustard Dressing

2nd Course
-Pâté de Campagne
Pork Country Pate, Dijon Mustard, Cornichon, Radishes
-Escargots au Beurre d'Ail
Sautéed Snail, Garlic-Parsley Butter
-Crevettes Pochées
Poached Shrimp, Creamy Cucumber Foam

3rd Course
-Magret de Canard
Pan Seared Duck Breast, Potato Gratin, Carrot Puree, Green Peas, Cherry Sauce
-Poulet French Airline
Airline Chicken, Broccoli Flan in Flavored Chicken Consommé

4th Course
-Grilled Mediterranean Seabass, Leek Confit, Preserved Lemon Sauce
-Roasted French Lamb Rack, French Beans, Rosemary Potato, Mint Flavored Lamb Jus
-Filet Mignon Grillé
Grilled Fillet Mignon, Mashed Potato, Baby Carrot, Asparagus, Red Pearl Onion Sauce

Dessert
-Vanilla Creme Brulee
-Suzette Crepe
Classic French Crepe, Orange Marmalade, Orange, Gramanier

I apologize to anyone who is disappointed about Black Salt but I believe that this will still be a very good Friday night location, and possibly should have been the first choice in retrospect. Even as much as I and many others love the food, especially seafood at black salt. The only slight hassle now will either be refunding the difference ($40 per person) or using that money to buy some extras from the group. A few options would be to source some quality Caviar for the first hour if the restaurant will allow it. Or some extra great Champagnes (not sure this group really needs any more wine though). I'm totally cool either way, and will likely just go with the majority preference for this of whoever gives input.

Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to contact me directly if you have any issues or concerns.

I'm very much looking forward to this weekend, seeing friends and meeting new ones. Many great wines. And now we have some slightly better pairings for those Napa cabs

[Winona Chief]

Thanks, Joel, successful pivot to an excellent alternative. Love to have some caviar in the mix if that works.

Anyone that wants to go to Black Salt, Thursday night or Friday lunch are possibilities.

Chris Bublitz

[DavidG]

Well handled Joel. This could have been a disaster with a late cancellation like this. Kudos for keeping options open!

Given the glut of food and wine, I'd recommend refunding the extra if it's not too much hassle. If it were me, I'd make an executive decision and not worry too much about everyone voting.

[JimHow]

Thanks again Joel.
Great work handling a tricky situation.
Can't wait!!

[stefan]

Thanks for your efforts, Joel. I agree with David--you make an Executive Decision about what to do with the overage.

[marcs]

I for one would love to try some caviar. Not very filling and good excuse for me to bring a 2014 Boillot Moucheres to the party

I have fond memories of the last time I set us up there in that room, which was our last per-Covid get together. Thought back happily on that night many times during the dog days of Covid

Good work Joel, thank you!

[barsacpinci]

This looks like a great menu! I’m excited. Both this restaurant and Bistro Bis appear to be walking distance from the Metro. I think Dave and I will do that instead of drive (if the area is safe?)

[JoelD]

Also I forgot to mention, if anyone has any change to their Saturday entree request since we are doing a different menu here, please let me know asap!

I'll see about sourcing some good Caviar if the restaurant will allow it, if not I'll just refund people during or after the events. Cash might be an easier option rather than track down the different zelle payments.

[marcs]

This looks like a great menu! I’m excited. Both this restaurant and Bistro Bis appear to be walking distance from the Metro. I think Dave and I will do that instead of drive (if the area is safe?)

Pretty safe. I wouldn’t be too overtly drunk going back late at night around union station but there is security there. Coming in sober earlier in the day is totally safe

[stefan]

We usually stagger after dinner in a large group. It is a mathematical theorem that we will get to our hotels in finite time when we are all drunk.

[Tom In DC]

Great job keeping things on the rails, Joel!

Do we need to make choices of the various courses ahead of time?

[JoelD]

Great job keeping things on the rails, Joel!

Do we need to make choices of the various courses ahead of time?

For Friday night that does not appear to be necessary until we are at the restaurant. Thanks for checking though, as I didn't make that clear.

[Jay Winton]

Thanks Joel. The joys of being the organizer-not!

[DavidG]

I for one would love to try some caviar. Not very filling and good excuse for me to bring a 2014 Boillot Moucheres to the party

Peggy and I could get behind this idea!

[Marco]

I vote for refunding $40 per. I think there will be more than enough excess as it is. Thanks for making what sounds like an excellent switch, Joel.

[Nicklasss]

Wish you a great weekend.

[Michael-P]

My $0.02: Although caviar would be nice, there always seems to be plenty of champagne and food each night, and Friday is not the “main” event anyway, so refund.

Michael-P

[JimHow]

You can’t bring food into a restaurant from an outside source… regulations.

[JoelD]

Actually they were going to allow it, but it appears a better choice at this point just to refund everyone the $40 per person difference. We will have plenty of food.

I'll take care of all that this week. If you paid by Venmo or paypal, you'll get it back on there. If you paid by Zelle or check, I'll contact you for your info or give you the cash on Friday.

[stefan]

I already got the refund, Joel. Thanks!

[JoelD]

I already got the refund, Joel. Thanks!

No worries, I already had your zelle info from last year. Maybe I'm not tech savvy enough, but is there any way to click on someone's incoming zelle payment and send money back to them like you can on venmo or paypal?

There's a few people that I don't have zelle info for that need to be refunded. All venmo, paypal and a few zelle payments have been taken care of. If you don't see an RF in bold on the main convention page, that means I'm still working on it. If you do see that, then you should have your refund already. If not, please let me know.

[Tom In DC]

Doing yeoman work, Joel. Treasurer is easier than in the old days (checks in other currencies!) but still a lot of work. Many, many thanks for all you've done!