Rhythms and fresh starts

Last week I mentioned how my resolve to finish projects has strengthened as the year reaches its final stretch. Also, how this time of year is the time to harvest our efforts. Well, it is also the time of year for fresh starts. I have one more chance to get it right when it comes to gardening. Sadly, I am a plant-it-, water-it-,expect-it-to-grow kind of plant mother. There isn't a lot of time for nurturing. Come to think of it, I was that kind of Mom, too.

Anyhoo... I like that my geranium failures can be replaced with chrysanthemum beauty. So watch for new color in the garden.

Labor Day seems like the cusp of a period when folks go from pursuing a happy-go-lucky free-spirited randomity to finding a more focused direction with its higher level of predictability and regimen. I'm not sure if one is better than the other. As a restaurateur, I am hoping the latter brings in a larger daily lunch crowd. One of the aspects of living here is that usually we have three full months of each season. (I know this year has been quite bizarre) By the time I am bored or fully tired of one season, the next one is announcing that it's arrival is imminent. I have spent more than 30 years of my life living in places where the summers were very lengthy and spring and fall happened in a blink. So I have a high appreciation for noting the seasonal changes. Each season has time to fully roll out its show and no one season is unbearable.

Hopefully, we will soon be enjoying having the front and back doors open to the fresh cool fall air. I love the sound of the cafe when the doors are open to the world. It makes one feel so much more a part of the rhythm of the town and its seasons.

We are closer to having the paperwork done to apply for our liquor licensing. I am having to play catch-up on some of it. But weekly progress IS being made.

Thank you for filling out our survey cards. I am not changing the questions this week so I can get more answers from the questions I posed last week. If you haven't filled one out, (they are on the table in front of you) please do so. We know you have a vested interest in how things develop around here.  It shows in how you often bus your own table. We know you care and want to help.

Are you a seared tuna fan? Have you tried our new Tuna Roman? I pan-sear (rare is the usual, but you may have it the way you like), add a smear of kicky wasabi mayonnaise, spicy sprouts and tomato and stack them on a freshly made Roman bun. Tell me, do you think it needs a slice of avocado? Anyway, it is tasty and gathering a big fan base.

Friday night this week we will be closed. We'll be heading into the Labor Day Weekend and that means we will close Monday as well. So get your fix early.

Now here's the weekly flavor journeys~
All week~Tuna Roman served with side or chips $6.50
Monday~Our usual spinach salad topped with seared tuna $6.50
Tuesday~Chicken Cordon Bleu Tamales—Poached chicken and black forest ham stuffed tamales with Swiss cheese sauce and rainbow rice $6.50
Wednesday~Crab cakes with side salad and garlic parsley red potatoes $7.00
Thursday~Pesto pizza with prosciutto, brie, roasted red peppers and fresh tomatoes and kalamata olives. $7.00 with side salad
Friday~Hong Kong style Chop Suey—a blend of pork and beef chunks with celery simmered in a rich broth of soy sauce and Chinese bead molasses served with steamed rice $6.50

Hope you enjoy your last week of summer! We'll be here cooking for you.

~~Susan

Changes in energy

This is one of my favorite times of the year. I know...sounds weird. But here is my logic and emotion all tied up in one—What is the most exciting feeling in the world? For me it is anticipation. I am already in anticipation for that first cool day that spells the end of endless heat. Along with those weather changes come changes in energy, purpose and expectation. We are on the harvesting side of the year. Whereas, rainfall may have seemed abundant in the spring, we saw weeks of draught and extreme heat. Yet, through all those extremes we are now reaping the rewards of long hours and hard work. We are beginning to see and understand abundance. Don't get me wrong. I'm not claiming that the economy has magically returned to affluence. I'm just saying that this is the time of year we get to see the results of our work. This applies in more than just agriculture. I find I feel a renewed vigor to tackle those unaddressed goals made during the early high-energy months of the year.  I know that another milestone—the changing of the year—will soon approach and there are things I wanted to have on my "done" list before 2011 is a memory.

Among those goals is to get our beer and wine license or maybe liquor license. I have a program mapped out indicating each step that needs to be addressed, who is responsible and a target date for completion. Several of the earliest steps have already been addressed and "done" is written in. The next biggy is finally catching up on getting our income taxes filed. It isn't a money issue. It has been a time issue. Between taking care of Mom and starting this cafe out of nothing, we've had other priorities. The time is NOW! Our priorities have been allowed to shift and getting the required paperwork finished in order to be able to apply for that permit has suddenly focused our attention. So today I got to work on getting them done. I'm having computer challenges, so the going is frustrating. But progress is happening.

Another major goal we are close to attaining is creating a "meeting menu." This menu will be especially for offices of 8 or more people who see the benefit of having their meetings over lunch. We are putting together a menu that saves everyone time and money. The salads are made in a larger scale, sandwiches are served on an platter and we have prediction of needed effort which results in less waste. There is even special pricing on sandwiches because I can make several at once. Pick up a copy when you are at the register and take it back to the person in charge of ordering lunch!

Did you see our cute new bistro sets? These are very much like the authentic ones in Europe. I've wanted some since we first thought of doing this game. Even though the weather has been less than inviting of late, I still envision this as more of a sidewalk cafe. I am very much looking forward to that day that we can, once again, leave the front and back doors open and let the screen doors do their thing. Anticipation.

Speaking of which...a few weeks ago Jon and I were in Jonesboro, AR. We decided to have lunch at a little Japanese place. I couldn't believe it! I got emotional thinking about anticipating the tasting of something wonderfully rare and succulant to my taste buds. And when the flavor finally hit my tongue, I actually teared up, closed my eyes and smiled. I realized just how much I had missed anticipation. Anticipation, itself had become a rarity.  That is a major reason that I am committed to doing more than the "same old-same old." I really want to create anticipation. I want you to experience that extra spark of energy that comes with anticipation—as well as the satisfaction of enjoying the reality of that which you anticipated. The flavor journeys are to take you out of your hum-drum and add a spark to your week. I figure if I can create anticipation I'll have done my job.

Surveys— we realized we were not making the best use of a resource we have access to— your opinion!!! We know that you know best what you like and I can, at best, guess. But why guess when we know you'd like to tell us your thoughts? Afterall, you do have a vested interest in how this place develops. So we are going to put a stack of postcards on your table each week with specific questions we have. You are free to write about anything you'd like, but we'd love to find out your thoughts regarding certain things—like favorite fresh seafood, what radio stations do you listen to, what your favorite eating moment was, when you discovered you loved a new flavor, who are your favorite regional musicians? All questions to which we need answers. You may remain anonymous, but it would be nice if you gave us a way to contact you to learn more or say thank you.

Friday night this week will be a bit of a departure from the norm. We welcome Blindcat aka Michael McIntire. He'll get things really moving with the blues. I've wanted to get a blues musician in here all summer. At last! Please join us and get those reservations in early.

This week's menu~~
Monday~Raja Relleno. This is a New Mexican-directed dish that features fire roasted hatch chilis, lots of cheese, salsa, and eggs and is served with black bean frijoles and a spicy side salad. $6.50
Tuesday~Vietnamese tamales with red curry sauce, pineapple salsa and vietnamese fried rice. $6.50. Also Tuna Roman all week~ freshly grilled tuna steak, wasabi mayonnaise, tomato and spicy sprouts on freshly made Roman bun~ with side $7.50
Wednesday~Lasagna with chicken and spinach; plus one side $6.50
Thursday~Antipasto Salad $6.50
Friday~Lunch~Herb Roasted chicken quarter, scalloped potatoes, steamed zucchini, biscuit and side salad $6.50
Dinner A) Sesame seared sashimi grade tuna steak, shitake mushrooms and wild rice, stir-fired zucchini and onions, side salad $12
Dinner B) Slow cooked country pork ribs, corn on hte cob, stir-fired zucchini and onions, side salad, biscuit $12
Dinner C) Steamed eggplant and squashes with Thai peanut sauce, served with jasmine rice and side salad. $10

Satisfaction!

Last week ended on a very satisfying note. Despite a roller coaster that was nearly as crazy as last week's stock market, we ended the week in good shape. The response to the fresh Coho salmon we flew in was very exciting. I am pretty sure everyone enjoyed their dinners. This is very encouraging and we'll plan on getting in fresh seafood once a month, for now. As far as I know, we are the only place within 100 miles to serve FRESH seafood. Your support and expanded palates allow this option. We have access to docks on all the coasts. If I know you have a hankering for a particular variety of fish, I can know what to look for. A few people have let us know that they'd be happy to participate in a co-op buy. This would allow us to reach that 25 pound minimum more readily. If you are a fresh seafood fan and want to be able to participate either as a consumer of seafood or purchase it as it comes from the dock, let me know!!!

We seldom give up our days off as they are so vital to our re-juvenation. But we made an exception for Blackberry Winter's CD release party on Sunday. What a lovely affair. It was wonderful to hear them in person. Boy! Are they polished! Great support by the community, too. I think there were in excess of 50 folks out to hear them and purchase their new CD. We are so proud of them and delighted they chose our venue for their party. We are trying to see if we can book them for a Friday night. Would you like that?

The menu this week will be fairly simple. On Monday I have Peri-peri. That is a South African dish. It begins with oven roasted chicken breasts. I chopped and sauteed them with onions and peppers and eggplant. This is mixed with a sauce that begins with apricot jam. So it has a bit of a sweet side. But the Peri-peri is actually a small bird chili that can be extremely hot. Fortunately it is used in a very small dose. The flavor is somewhat sweet and spicy leaning toward hot without the burn. This is served over egg noodles. It is probably not traditional with the noodles but was the direction I took it. I'll serve it with a side salad.

Tuesday Bruce will be building his tamales using the wood-fired chicken that Jon does so well. He'll top them with salsa verde and an avocado puree. One of our customers brought us tomatillas—to our delight! You gotta have tomatillas for authentic salsa verde. Those are the things that look kinda like green tomatoes with little paper bags on the outside. They also look a bit like a Chinese lantern. Mexican wouldn't be Mexican without this vital fruit. They will be served with a side of black bean frijoles.

Wednesday I'll make another lettuce wrap. This time the dish is "Singapore noodles in lettuce wrap." The rice noodles carry the flavors of the Orient along with strings of carrots. This should be a tasty as well as fun dish to eat. Lots of fresh while getting the fill of the noodles and the spice of Asia.

Thursdays, the pizzas have gone quite well. I have a fresh batch of both portabellas we will smoke and shitakes we can serve fresh. We get those locally from Willow Mountain Mushrooms in Tecumseh. I'll top the pesto base with fresh onion, smoked sausage and lots of mushrooms and mozzarella. This is my personal favorite combination.

Friday lunch will feature pork chops topped with garlic jelly. I did a similar dish in June using the strawberry/chipotle jelly. This time I'll use my garlic jelly to season it. This jelly is made with Maranatha Farm's organic garlic. I'll pair the pork chop with garlic/ parsley potatoes and a side salad. Just the right size for lunch. The jelly is also available for purchase so you can use it at home or as gifts. $4/ 4oz or $7/ 8oz.

Friday night—
First of all, Renee Wood and Tom Rowley will be playing their sweet jazz numbers on saxophone and guitar. They always pack the house—so get your reservation in early.

The seafood entrée will be roasted red pepper pasta topped with fresh tomatoes and salmon. The salmon (frozen but from the batch we flew in) will be wood-fired and chopped. The red pepper sauce begins with fresh red peppers that are fire-roasted and peeled, then chopped and sauteed with garlic and onion. Then the mixture is blended with cream cheese and parmesan for a rich sauce. The fresh tomatoes will give it the signature finish for the season.  All will be served over a penne pasta that hugs the sauce. A side salad will accompany the dish. $12

The meat entrée will be chicken with mango and coconut. It has lots of coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, shredded coconut and dried mango. Served over jasmine rice this Thai dish will feature less heat and lots of tropical flavor. You can kick up the heat with some Sarachi or habanero sauce. A side salad will start and fresh pineapple will accompany. $12

The vegetarian entrée will feature the Hatch chilis now in season. I'll be doing a Raja relleno dish that uses fire-roasted Hatch chiles combined with cheddar and cotija cheeses to make a thick casserole. This will be served with slices of fresh tomatoes (they are at their best right now), black bean frijoles and a side salad. $10

Bruce will be diving in with his luscious desserts and I'll plan to make the decadent white chocolate cheesecake by mid-week.

We hope your summer is going well. We know this is a busy time of year for many with school starting back up and many extra activities. Please remember we are here cooking up our best. Perhaps you could schedule a planning session around a leisurely lunch. If you are in a hurry, remember you can call in your order and we'll have it ready—for eat-in or take-out.

Have a glorious week—
Susan

More celebrating!

Whew! Last week was brutal, wasn't it? I am so glad the end of the week cooled off a bit or we would have had a tiny week. Nobody seemed to want to go anywhere. We are trying to figure out ways to out-produce the weird weather. Since it can hit anytime of year—storms, frigid cold, extreme heat—we want to find ways to nullify its impact. Most restaurant owners would just "wait it out." We think we are more creative than that. So we are coming up with a "come in spite of the weather special." Tell us what it would take to get you to come in to the cafe despite extreme heat, frigid cold or soggy wetness. We'll design our special around your wishes—TIME TO SPEAK UP!

This week's entertainment will be Jon Lumsden. I am so tickled to see he is building a local following who appreciate the laid-back jazz Jon produces. Yeah, I know I'm prejudiced. I get to hear him every day. But his sound is so rich and mellow. He is always adding to his songlist—mostly tunes from the Great American Songbook. Does that term leave you wondering? It is a collection of tunes from the first half of the 20th century composed mostly for Broadway, the movies or the popular crooners of the day. Jon's style allows the beauty of the tunes to come through and his rich, liquid voice adds a depth that only a live perfomance can capture. Enjoy his sound while dining on our freshly prepared dinner entrees. Remember, everyone dining with us this Friday evening will get a free copy of Jon's CD-a $10 value! If you like a mellow, bluesy-jazzy sound, you'll really enjoy his CD!
We are still feeling a bit giddy when we realize we have successfully survived our first year in the restaurant business. This is a typically, highly volatile business with no guarantee of success. We credit our success largely on providing what you really want to eat. You have generously shared your desires and we've strived to keep up. So far—so good.

For the first time, we are raising our prices—slightly. Overall, the average is 25 cents per entree. Hopefully, it isn't enough to scare you off, but is enough to help keep up with utilities and some recently increased costs. I know we aren't the cheapest lunch in town. But insisting on fresh ingredients, as local as possible, can sometimes cost a bit more than packaged ingredients. Plus the money spent is kept in the local economy helping to sustain the gardeners and protein providers.

Interest in FRESH seafood is gaining momentum. As I mentioned last week we have access to fresh- from-the-boat seafood from several docks around the country. The trick is that each dock has a 25lb minimum. This week the Coho salmon return to Seldovia Point, accessible only by air or sea across Kachemak Bay from Homer on the Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.  I am planning on placing an order for 25lbs. on Monday for a Thursday delivery. These wild-caught Cohos will be shipped via Fed-Ex Air Express less than 24 hours out of the water. So that will be the featured seafood this week. If you treasure fresh-caught wild seafood like I do, you'll be delighted with Friday night's menu. Plan now to be there and get your reservation in early! 505-0302

The tomatoes are at their very best right now. I hope you have noticed how incredibly deep red and juicy they are in our salads and on the sandwiches. I get a thrill every time I slice one. Mary and Skip Badiny are bringing them in to us and we could not be happier!

Here are the lunches this week—
Monday~Veggie quiche. This has tons of fresh local produce in it—spinach, onion, garlic, red pepper, zucchini, corn plus mozzarella and farm fresh eggs. Served with seasonal side—that could include fresh fruit, Italian potato salad, heirloom cucumber salad. $6.50
Tuesday~ Pulled pork tamales with colorado sauce (red sauce) and Spanish rice. $6.50
Also all week, after Monday—Columbia Restaurant's 1905 Salad features turkey, Swiss cheese, tomato, Kalamata olives, Romano cheese on Romaine base; finished with a lemon/worchesterchire based dressing. $6.50
Wednesday~Ginger chicken lettuce wraps; cool refreshing yet filling. With seasonal side. $6.50
Thursday~Pesto Pizza with fresh local tomatoes, local banana (mild) peppers, local shitakes, red onion, and mozzarella. We make our own pesto using local organic basil. Served with side salad or fruit. $6.75
Friday~ lunch will also be very special as I will make sashimi from that fresh wild caught Alaskan Coho Salmon. It will be served over a bed of sushi rice and garnished with pickled ginger and lemon. Wasabi and soy sauce accompany.   My taste buds are primed and ready to launch!!! Talk about anticipation!!!! Side or cucumber salad included in the $7. price tag.

Friday dinners~
A: seafood—Fresh, flown-in wild-caught Alaskan Coho Salmon. We'll wood-fire it to give it a light smoky flavor and then finish in the oven. It'll be served with an Arkansas rice pilaf. Your meal will start with light salad. $15.
B: meat—Spaghetti Carbonara. This classic pasta includes lots of bacon, egg, garlic, onion, parmesan cheese. It'll be served with garlic bread and a side salad. $11
C: vegetarian—Vegetarian sushi; three different vegetarian sushi rolls plus cucumber salad and oven baked eggroll. $10.

We hope you are enjoying this ride as much as we are. Your continued support and enthusiasm are the energy that keeps us going. You inspire us to take bigger steps and go up steeper hills. Thanks for being there. You give us courage.

~~Susan