There sure are a heck of a lot more people back here in Pennsylvania. The ease with which local food presents itself is a far cry from my previous residence in Idaho mountains. Great strides are currently being made in those higher altitudes, most notably in the development of an online local food co-op called Idahos Bounty. Orders are delivered every other week, with more frequency on occasion when bumper crops come in.
Roma tomatoes froma volunteer garden on the farm
But pulling into the roadside stands that dot the arterial car-paths around here, is not a straightforward purchase. Some of the items might be from elsewhere, maybe a state away, maybe several countries away. A unique resource presented itself to me just as I realized the need for an introduction to finding actual local food: Sovana Bistro.
It was that Friday night a couple of weeks ago when absolutely no leftovers could be transformed from third reincarnation to fourth. Given the 20 or so meals a week my partner and I regularly cook, it was time for a night out. To Sovana’s we went, feeling very hillbilly indeed with our chicken coop building workclothes still clinging to us.
We were actually seated, then treated to the most intense menu description from a waiter I have ever received. Any and every element on a dish was mentioned, and our choices were absurdly difficult. Ultimately I went for my usual when out: duck. I feel I owe this choice most of all to a fanatic French instructor who scolded me and a tableful of freshmen college students on a gustatory trip across southern France – we had all plucked the deep-fried fat off a duck dish served to us back then.
Or, who knows, I just felt like rich meat that night. The dish was listed under Sovana’s 100-Mile Diet menu. And here was where I experienced the local farm revelation. The waiter obliged me with some direction-giving, and I left that evening satisfied in tummy and mind.
Romas combined with gifted venison sausage - red sauce for a coming winter day!
Should anyone visit the Wood River Valley of Idaho in the near future, many a chef there are committed to purchasing local food for their recipes as well. Don’t miss: CK’s Real Food, il Naso, Rickshaw, Ketchum Grill, Glow, Vintage,
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