From the Blog

June Step Two Event at St. Clouds Restaurant

Written on Wed, 27 May 2009 by Karl Bischoff

From John and Pablo at St. Clouds Restaurant:

We hope you can join us for our monthly Salon on the first Tuesday of the month, June 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 at St. Clouds. This month’s topic is a "futures" or "visioning" exercise:

Your personal hopes for what will be accomplished or will change in our country and world in the next five years. This conversation can stay very local or go very international, as you wish.

Join us as we put a bit of effort into our democracy. With “placemats” designed by our friends at Phinney-Bischoff Design House to help promote discussion, and food and drink to help forge community bonds, we push tables together to encourage conversation. In the best American tradition, the dinner table ought to be a place where we share not only food and drink but rich conversation. We’ve been inspired by President Obama and by the nation’s hunger for finding our way forward through our rich diversity, rather than spending our time stalemated by our differences. Here’s a chance to talk with your family and neighbors about the issues that effect us all, while keeping in mind the power of a good meal and fine drink to keep us all happily connected. Check out www.steptwo.org for more information on this event and others like it. Let’s shoot for a 6:30 start time, easy to join the discussion if you need to come a bit later. Reservations welcome.

1131 34th Ave.
Seattle, WA  98122
206-726-1522

Comments from April StepTwo/Seattle Salon at St. Clouds

Written on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 by Karl Bischoff | No comments

St. Clouds Restaurant in Madrona area of Seattle hosted another Step Two event. The subject this month was: What should be the United States' role in our global society? Here are some comments from the event:

Thanks so much for the salon invitation to think globally and eat locally!  It is a great concept and I hope you decide to continue them.  Perhaps this will spread to other restaurants and venues and we will start getting the masses to reengage in meaningful conversation.

Our table mostly agreed that it is no longer United States’ role to police the world, but we do have a responsibility as one of the world leaders to encourage dialogue and diplomacy (such as Obama is doing with Iran, just like he said he’d do in his campaign!).  We agreed that war should never be the first resort (as done by Bush’s preemptive strikes in Iraq), but the absolute last resort.  My personal opinion is that war should NEVER be an option – war is an artifact of our human lizard brains and religious intolerance and we need to evolve away from war if we are to survive as a species.

Our table mostly agreed that the United States should not try to impose our values and culture on other countries.  Promoting diversity and accepting/enjoying differences makes the world more interesting.  We starting talking about how to draw the line in basic human rights possibly with a World Bill of Rights – a clear minimum standard without preaching individual values or morals.  Enforcement could be through economic sanctions, although there was not agreement at our table that sanctions work – this could be an interesting follow-up topic for a future salon.

Our table agreed that the food was tasty, the drink merry, the conversation rich, and we look forward to future salons!

Madrona Salon Offers Thoughtful Conversation

Written on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 by Karl Bischoff | No comments

Our pilot project for StepTwo.org is about to stage it’s third event. After another couple events we plan on taking this idea regional, then national. This article was just published in March 2009 edition of Madrona News:

by John Platt and Paul Butler, Owners, St. Clouds Restaurant

On Inauguration night we experimented with holding a "salon/caucus" evening at St. Clouds. We wanted to put a bit of effort into our democracy, while also enjoying the bonds forged over food and drink. The result was a thought provoking and expanding experience and so we have decided to continue the dialog with monthly "salons", open to any and all.

In March, our topic was "taxes". the conversation touched on the impacts of our national government cutting taxes while our state taxes increase. We talked about whether economic stimulus and fiscal responsibility can coexist, and what people feel responsible to pay for versus what they want to pay. We also urged people to avoid common, divisive labels such as "left" and "right" or "liberal" and "conservative", instead focusing on the problems and solutions, and finding Common Ground.

Paul and I want to underscore that we are a restaurant committed to the ideals of community and neighborhoods, and that this salon is an extension of that. So on April 7 once again we'll push the tables together to encourage conversation. Participants - including those who come specifically for the salon and unintentional diners who agree to join - will likely find themselves seated with folks they don't normally have dinner with.

We hope you'll include your family - every family ought to enjoy not only dinner together and each other's company, but also a chance to express perspectives, to listen and talk. This will be good, spirited fun. Note that the conversation goes on over dinner, throughout the night, not at some prescribed time. So come when it fits, and enjoy dinner. Reservations welcome, and bear in mind we'll be seating everyone at group tables. Of course, if you'd just like to have a regular St. Clouds Tuesday night dinner, that's fine, too - we are happy to accommodate all.

Much credit for the success of this community conversation model goes to StepTwo.org, in particular Karl Bischoff and Devin Liddell of Phinney Bischoff Design House. They hosted the original meeting that inspired us to partner with them to develop the salon into a model that other restaurants can replicate. We all firmly believe that citizens talking to each other is our road to a fuller and more satisfying democracy.

Let's carry forward President Obama's mantra that we are ONE country - with diverse ideas and diverse experiences, but united in our belief in democracy and America. See you soon at St. Clouds Salon. Contact us at 206.726.1522 or www.stclouds.com if you have questions.

St. Clouds hosts StepTwo event

Written on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 by Karl Bischoff | No comments

John Platt, founder and executive chef of St. Clouds Restaurant in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle, is once again hosting a StepTwo event at the restaurant. His plan is to make this a monthly event. Here is the email he just sent out:

Dear Friends,
 
We hope you can join us for a continuation of the "salon/caucus" evening we spent at St. Clouds on Inauguration night—this time on Tuesday evening, March 2.   Let's continue our national conversation, putting a bit of effort into our democracy, while also enjoying the bonds forged over food and drink. Our suggested topic for this evening will be focused on “taxes.” Interestingly, at the same moment our national government is cutting taxes for most Americans, our state government is looking at increasing taxes to cover a huge deficit.  How do economic stimulus and fiscal responsibility coexist? What do you feel responsible to pay for? What do you want to pay for?
 
Once again, we'll push tables together to encourage conversation, so you'll likely find yourself seated with some folks you don't normally have dinner with. Everyone will also get a handy "Federal Expenditure" placemat—designed by Phinney Bischoff Design House and StepTwo.org (www.steptwo.org) —to help get the conversation started.  We hope you'll include your family—every family ought to enjoy not only dinner together and each other's company, but also a chance to talk about the world, to express perspectives, to listen and talk. This will be good, spirited fun.
 
Let's carry forward President Obama's mantra that we are ONE country—with diverse ideas and diverse experiences, but united in our belief in democracy and America.   We'll hope to continue this conversation on the first Tuesday of each month.
 
Reservations welcome, and bear in mind we'll be seating everyone at group tables. 
 
Yours in continued hope,  John and Pablo
 
John Platt and Paul Butler, Owners
St. Clouds Restaurant and Catering
1131  34th Ave.
Seattle, WA  98122
206-726-1522
john@stclouds.com
www.stclouds.com