Time for focus!

Before this Merry-go-round spins out of control it is time to channel some energy and set a straight course. The major holidays will be here before you know it. Here at the cafe we are gearing up for catering and making the most of the late-season harvest. Mary Badiny is bringing in her remaining tomatoes. Some we are drying for later use. Some are those tiny wild tomatoes that pack a bunch of flavor in less than 1/2 an inch. We are adding those to the salads as a bonus.

We are making good progress on the liquor license. This week I meet with city officials to follow the next steps. We'll have the criminal background check done this week. The taxes are paid. Our target is to have it all in place when we come back after the holidays. We'll be closed for 2 weeks following Christmas. We haven't seen our kids or grandkids in 2 years and plan to take this time to do so. We have one granddaughter we haven't even met yet!

The last of the green tomatoes have now been made into pickles by Bruce. We still have some of the dill, sweet and sour and bread and butter pickles. With the last of the local cucumbers already harvested, we'll wind down that aspect of our creativity until next summer. Last call for pickles!

We brought the tiramisu back. As it takes 12 yolks to make, we are also making the lime infused angel-food cake with drunken berry sauce. It takes 12 egg whites. It is all about good planning. We also have a  new pear frangipane tart. Oh my! The frangipane part is made with almonds ground up to a paste. It is one of my favorite flavors on the planet. With the pears being so available right now, we'll probably make it weekly for the next several weeks.
 
What with the world series, halloween parties, Scare on the Square and almost no reservations last Friday night we decided to be closed. We're rescheduling Bill Hilton later in November. This week we have Open Mic. I think I have heard that we will have several performers. It is always a nice surprise to hear who shows up. Remember— all performers on Open Mic get their dinner for half price.

So here is this week's menu—
Soups~we'll start the week with a traditional chili. Then Bruce will make his broccoli and 3 cheese soup. While it is creamy it isn't as heavy as some cream soups. That is because most of the broth is vegetable or chicken broth finished with cream and cheese.
Monday~Chicken Gyros are on sale for $5.75
Tuesday~Wood-fired chicken and Black Beans tamales with avocado and salsa verde sauce plus buttered and toasted cumin seeded rice. $6.50
Wednesday~Creamy chicken enchiladas with Cilantro broccoli slaw $6.50 (warning: these sold out super fast last-time)
Thursday~Quiche Lorraine with a side salad $6.50 (always a favorite)
Friday~Anti-pasto salad with corn muffin $6.50
Dinners: seafood~Shrimp Scampi with bread sticks and a side salad $12
meat~ Lemon Chicken Pasta with bread sticks and a side salad $12
vegetarian~ Savory spinach and mushroom crepes with rice pilaf and side salad $10

Your being a part of things here is important to us. We are thrilled when you share us with your friends and family. Does your office manager have a copy of our meeting menu? If you'll be entertaining friends this holiday season, let us make it easier for you.  We can put together appetizer platters and dips as well as entrées and sides. We're not yet up to a full scale operation in this aspect—so a bit of notice is appreciated.

Have a wonderful week—
Susan

Marching through the season

As you may have noticed, someone turned up the RPMs on the merry-go-round, again. You are not the only one thinking it is getting downright urban-feeling with the current pace of life. I take great personal pride in hearing our customers tell me how much of a refuge they feel our place is—a place where they can chill-out and let the pandemonium fall away. Sounds like a nice place to go.

As the season moves along, we are getting more and more requests for personal catering. We did a bit last year and are willing to do a bit more this year. I have deliberately moved slowly in this regard so we wouldn't get in over our heads. With a year of running things under my belt, I feel much more confident we can prepare foods for your next party that will leave you unhassled and proud. Most of what we are preparing are platters of munchables—like brushetta with Tuscan chicken salad. I am still developing our catering menu, so your input is quite welcome. The cheesecakes are proving quite a success and easily serve 12. Looking for something a bit different? Let's talk. You tell me your budget, your number of guests, type of event and any particular preferences and we can work something up. I can promise you freshly prepared dishes made with real, usually local ingredients that taste wonderful and require minimal effort on your part.

We're getting good feedback from our new meeting menu. This menu is designed for in-office meetings of eight or more. The pricing allows for savings due to methods of packaging and predictability. With 24 hour notice you'll even get free cookies. So many offices were telling us that A La Carte Cafe is their favorite source for lunch, that we felt we had to find a way to make it even easier for office managers to put together their lunches. Next time you are in, pick up a copy of the Meeting Menu. Your office manager will thank you. 

With the cooler weather, the hens are no longer on strike and we have lots of eggs coming in. Sounds like time for egg laden dishes. Remember, ours are free-range local farm eggs raised using no hormones or anti-biotics. Bruce has brought back both the Tiramisu and the lime-infused angelfood with drunken blueberries. Between the two of them, they use a dozen eggs. I’ll bring back the omelettes with wood-fired trout, cream cheese and dill/ shallot sauce. And even crepes filled with savory turkey and broccoli topped with a tarragon béchamel sauce.  

Later in the week the weather cools off again and we’ll serve baked potatoes topped with chili and cheese.  

Those who joined us last Friday night got a real treat. Andy Roose drove all the way from St. Genevieve to play for us. He played all original tunes and they were quite wonderful. We hope to bring him back a couple of times a year for his Americana-style songs. We found him to be a delightful person and look forward to building that friendship.

This Friday will bring Blind Bill Hilton. You can hear his music online at myspace.com/blindbillhilton. Give him a listen. Folk, rockabilly, blues—he covers them all while adding in plenty of his own tunes. You may have heard him play at Open Mic a couple of months ago. He is quite good. Nice voice. Remember—reservations are strongly encouraged. This way you not only get a seat, you get to eat what you want. 505-0302

Now here is this week’s menu~~
Soups~ Monday we'll start with butternut squash soup; later in the week we'll have chicken and suasage gumbo.
Monday~ The trout Roman and tuna Roman are both on sale for $6.50. The trout Roman features wood-fired rainbow trout from Rockbridge. The tuna Roman features a seared sashimi grade tuna steak. The bun is my Roman with yellow onions baked into the bun. I top it with Wasabi mayonnaise, tomato slice and sprouts. They come with a side- Italian potato salad, fresh fruit or chips. $6.50 

Tuesday~ Hand-built chicken cordon bleu tamales with a Swiss cheese sauce and broccoli risotto. $6.50

Wednesday~ Omelets with wood-fired trout, cream cheese and a light shallot/dill sauce. Served with a side. $6.50

Thrusday~ Savory crepes with roasted turkey and broccoli and a béchamel tarragon sauce. Served with a side. $6.50

Friday~ Lunch~ Chili and cheese topped baked potato with a side. $6.50

Seafood entrée ~ Shrimp Scampi with bread sticks and side salad $12.

Meat entrée~ Lemon chicken pasta, bread sticks and side salad $12.

Vegetarian entrée~ Savory spinach stuffed crepes with duxelle sauce (mushroom sauce) and rice pilaf and side salad $10

Come hide out from the chaos of your work week. We love having you.

~~Susan

Fall weather brings colorful foods

The pomegranates are in! To me, this marks the official sign that fall has arrived. I just love adding the little jewels to our chopped fresh fruit. This time of year we are pairing them with apples and pears—many local. You'll see them used as garnishes, too. If you are unfamiliar with pomegranates, they originate in the Mediterranean region and are a fruit that is about 3-4 inches across. To eat it, one peels away the outer skin to finds lots of jewel-like kernels. They almost look like ruby corn kernels. There IS a seed inside, but it is so small that most people simply swallow them. The juice is very refreshing and healthy. Thanks to recent marketing campaigns by POM, they have become a sought-after addition to salads, beverages and and even desserts. I grew up eating them, and we even had a pomegranate bush in our yard in Dallas.  My brother, Bill, and I loved to harvest and eat them straight from the bush.

Our flavor journeys this week are not centered on any one area. The South is represented by the southern corn chowder that I'll be serving all week. The tamales are traditional southwest as well, as is the pazole. Then we jump across the pond to enjoy a curried couscous salad. Thursday my Pizzas are simply Italian and Friday's lunch comes back to the US with  a Club Salad. France gets the nod with the trout and Italy again with the Fri. night lasagne.

This would be a great week to be adventurous in seeking your Friday night entertainment. We have Andy Roose coming from St. Genevieve. Jon had a chance to hear him on-line and really enjoyed his style. He classifies himself as an Americana singer/songwriter. Coming this far is an act of faith on his part, and we want to make it worth his while. So often, I think, locals feel they have to go elsewhere to hear music that is new to them. This time the "elsewhere" is coming to us. If you want a chance to hear him before committing you may do so by going to www.reverbnation.com/andyroose. But I have come to trust Jon's taste in musicians and feel confident you will enjoy Andy's music. As we have grown in popularity for Friday night, we are slowly building a following that appreciates expanding their concept of what is entertaining. We take that role pretty seriously and the trust you have given us. Please help support our efforts to bring you fresh talent by joining us Friday night. By building an appreciative audience base, we can continue to delight you with new sounds and experiences. I'll continue to expand the flavor journeys. Just another attempt to take you beyond the "Same ol', same ol'."

Our desserts these days have been pretty exciting. Bruce has been experimenting again and last week created a new one. It is white chocolate covered cherry dream pie—oh my! It begins with a chocolate crumb crust and is filled with white chocolate, drunken cherries and whipped cream—as I said, "Oh, my!" Bruce also came up with a new cake—Pineapple right-side-up cake. Fresh pineapple, coconut and a yummy yellow cake base. Where does he get these ideas? Who knows? But he does it week after week. I personally get a thrill each time he does so. Even though he is Mr. Quiet, I think he gets a thrill, too. Please let him know how much you are enjoying his efforts.

Another area I am trying to expand our dessert repertoire is in the realm of gluten-free offerings. You'd be amazed to know how many people are cutting back on gluten. Gluten is the part of wheat flour that creates the structure that supports bread and cakes. By carefully replacing that tradtional ingredient with alternatives such as rice flour, eggs, and other less glutenous grains, we can help those reach their gluten-free goals. In the digestive system, gluten can often cause a mucous build-up that interferes with the body's ability to remove  and use nutrients. If you have ever known anyone with Celiac's disease, you know that gluten can cause all sorts of troubles. Many of our customers are referred to us by their healthcare providers that we felt we should be able to offer dessert alternatives that speak to them. But they are not in any way a compromise, flavor-wise. The completely decadent chocolate-hazelnut torte is an example. Eggs, chocolate (lots) and no wheat flour make a dense, rich dessert. Do you have other ingredients you are trying to avoid? Speak up! Even if you've found other local places can't accommodate your dietary needs, come in to see what we can offer you. But if I don't know, I can't try to help.

Just so you know, here are some other things we avoid here—We NEVER use hydrogenated fats like Crisco, nor packaged whip cream products like Cool Whip. We never use margarine—always butter or extra virgin olive oil. For the rare times I am pan-frying something, I'll usually use corn oil. The sweetener in the cornbread is honey. Our breads are made fresh daily using whole wheat flour or unbleached flour. The pizza bases are made with a combination of unbleached and semolina wheat flours. Our eggs are almost always local, farm-fresh and organic. My favorites are the Aricana eggs that I use in the spinach and egg salads—they have a naturally pretty, light green/blue color shell. The insides and flavor are the same as the brown or white but I love the drama of peeling the coloreds ones. We make all our dressing from scratch using extra virgin olive oil or real mayonnaise. Our broths are either made from scratch or MSG free—usually organic. The pie shells usually use strictly butter, but if I am making a non-vegetarian dish I'll sometimes use butter and lard. Nothing beats real lard for a flaky crust. The tamales are made with traditional lard and corn masa, from scratch and hand-built. Whenever we can find them, we use local produce. Gradually we are expanding our local resources for produce. Mary Badiny had done a superb job of keeping us in fresh herbs and greens. We get our milk and dairy from Hiland Dairy where their farmers have committed to not using BGH—bovine growth hormone. We are always looking for ways to bring you food that originates closer to home. We welcome your input and suggestions.

So the menu this week~
Soups~ all week Southern Corn Chowder; Tuesday Pozole; Wed + Creamy garlic , spinach and potato soup 3.49/4.99/5.49  or with entrée 2.50/ 3.50
Monday~Fall veggie deep dish quiche. this quiche is so loaded in veggies you won't even notice there isn't any meat in it. With side salad. $6.50
Tuesday~  Cumin rubbed pulled pork tamales with a salsa verde cheese sauce and Spanish rice $6.50
Wednesday~Curried Turkey and Israeli couscous salad $6.50
Thursday~ Pesto pizza with smoked sausage, bell peppers, and portabellas with side salad $7.00
Friday~Hefty club salad with turkey, ham, swiss, hard boiled egg, plus red onion, mushrooms and bell pepper. $6.50

Fri. night dinners~ Seafood~ Rockbridge Trout Meuniere with wasabi mashed potatoes and stir-fried fall veggies and side salad $12
Meat~Beef lasagne with side salad $12
Veggie~veggie stuffed manicotti,  baked acorn squash, side salad $10

Thanks for joining us.
~~Susan

Autumn colors

Last week was nothing short of delightful. We were all able to enjoy glorious weather and the variety of colors being presented. Jon and I actually took a walk in the woods for the first time in weeks. Since it was at Grand Gulf I wasn't afraid of getting shot by happy hunters.

We chose to be closed last Friday night. My mother has had yet another mini-stroke. Cat scan showed no changes since last year, so I guess it was minor but it wore her out and me, as well. We know it is not good to confuse our customers with days being closed unexpectedly, but our priorities remain that Mom comes first. It has been that way for 5 years and I don't plan to change that. Happily, she will now be able to get some physical therapy which should help bring back the loss of control she is experiencing on her right side. I see her daily in her new digs at the Manor where she is quite content. I am sorry if it messed with your plans. We do plan to be open all week, this week. On Friday we have Dustin and Rick, aka Chief Wahoo and the Electric Tonic. Their renditions of Irish folk tunes and sweet sound are a joy to behold. If you were at the performance of Blackberry Winter last week, you got a preview. I encourage you to join us for their music. You won't be disappointed.

One of my favorite cookbook resources is Cook's Illustrated. It is the magazine version of the America's Test Kitchen. Going way beyond simply presenting recipes that taste good, they also go into the scientific and mechanical reasons why certain methods work better than others. Had I not gone immediately from teenager to Mom I would have probably wound up being an oceanographer. So it appeals to my scientific side. I've been gobbling up my copy of the 2010 "best of" cookbook and enjoying the newest issue of the mag. They get read cover to cover. Some of my recent offerings have come from those sources and the reviews have generally been quite good. It encourages me to try more dishes. Yeah.

The soups this week are old favorites. All week I'll offer Chicken Tortilla soup and later in the week Bruce will do another round of his French onion soup. That recipe uses 10 pounds of yellow onions cooked for most of a day. If you wonder how it gets so rich—now you know.  

I love getting the fall vegetables and roasting them in the oven. The flavors are so intense. On Monday I'll serve them with grilled pork chops. As a side option you can have a regular side salad or a spinach salad. $6.50

Tuesday Bruce will bring back his cashew chicken tamales. This innovative version of his tamales were a terrific hit a few weeks ago. All the flavors you expect, wrapped in a corn masa blanket and topped with the traditional cashew sauce. He usually makes 11 servings and last week we were sold out entirely by 11:30. So if you want some, either show up early or call in to reserve! $6.50

A few weeks ago I made creamy chicken enchiladas. They, too, disappeared before most got a chance to eat them. That time an office called and bought out the "whole enchilada." Hee-hee. I'll make them again on Wednesday. This time I promise to reserve the batch for the rest of the world. The recipe is based on one from Rick Bayless who owns Frontera in Chicago. It is very rich, very creamy and extraordinarily tasty yet not too heavy. Again—call in to reserve. $6.50

Thursday I'll do my pizzas. This time I'll have thick applewood smoked bacon, local shitake mushrooms, grilled onions and roasted red peppers piled on top of my fresh pesto base. I have a new, regionally-produced, Mozzarella we'll be trying. Most of the Mozzarella I have seen has been a low-moisture, skim milk version. This whole milk version promises to have a richer flavor. It costs us more in ingredients. Tell us if you think it is worth the difference. I'll serve them with a side salad. All week you can request spinach as your side salad, if you wish. As usual, the cost is $7.00.
   
Friday I'll do a massive club salad featuring oven roasted turkey, black forest ham, Swiss cheese, red onion, chopped hard boiled egg, roasted red peppers; all served on a bed of Romaine. It will be paired with a fresh sour-dough roll. $6.50

And now for the dinner entrées~
Seafood~ Jon will wood-fire the wild-caught Pacific salmon filets and I'll finish them in-house. If you had that lovely seafood sauce I served with the Cojo salmon a few weeks ago, you'll get the chance to enjoy it again. The recipe for the sauce (which will be served on the side) came from a long-time defunct restaurant in Austin called the Garden Café. It is simply soy sauce, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne and I add a bit of horseradish to the mix. But it is the perfect accompaniment to the salmon. I'll stir-fry a bunch of those fall veggies and we'll serve a side salad to get you started. $12.

Meat~ I'll do a pork Marsala over egg noodles with a side salad. Marsala is a unique fortified wine that, when added to the mushroom sauce adds a richness that makes the tongue dance. The chicken version I did a few weeks ago disappeared at lunch rather quickly. I expect the pork to be popular, as well. I'll make some sweet potato biscuits to go with the fall theme. $12.

Veggie~ I'll finally get to make the deep-dish fall veggie quiche. I don't believe in whimpy quiches. Look for all manner of late summer and fall veggies to load up the pastry. The seasoning will lean toward the Italian flavorings of oregano, garlic, marjarom and thyme. Roasted potatoes and sweet potato biscuits will accompany as well as a starter side salad. $10.

We love having you join us for both lunch and dinner. When you bring in your family and friends we couldn't be more proud. Thank you for sharing your time, friends and support that keeps us rolling. This time last year we were still trying to figure out what would be next when the cold weather hit. You helped make this happen and are keeping us going. Thank you...and keep coming!!!

Have a terrific week!
~~Susan

Seasonal flavors

Ahh! that lovely time of year when we are all in anticipation of bright leaf colors, knowing it means the beginning of six leafless months. This is the time of year I most WANT to walk in the woods and feel the least safe doing it. Why can't hunting season be when it is too hot for the rest of us to tromp through the woods? I am fine with giving up 10 days during the gun season, but there is also bow and black powder, youth and turkey. Together they take up the entire fall. I know I am tromping on near-religious grounds mentioning this. I know and understand the importance of hunting season. I just wish I could tromp safely. Yeah, I know about orange vests. But do they REALLY work?

The fall vegetables are starting to come in. Last week Mary Badiny provided us with butternut squash for the soup. This week we will use them again in the stir-fries on Friday night. I am using the Willow Mountain Mushrooms in the roasted mushroom soup and Bruce will be using mushrooms in the mushroom risotto on Tuesday with his tamales. Do you forage for fall mushrooms or paw-paw or persimmons? I'll gladly buy them. What about muscadine grapes? Perhaps we are too far north for those. I used to enjoy them in Texas in the fall.

The new Meeting Menu is now a reality. If you have lunch-time meetings for 8 or more you will appreciate this new menu. It is made up of our top sellers plus a couple of salad offerings not on the regular menu. Because of quantites, we are able to offer some lower prices and we all win. If you place your meeting-menu order 24 hours in advance, the whole order gets free cookies. Be a hero— make the lunch meeting something to look forward to.

Monday we'll serve Waldorf salad over chopped Romaine. I love the crispness of the apples mixed with the celery, onion and pecans. A little bit of curry adds a bit of spice and notches up the flavor profile. $6.50

Bruce's tamales Tuesday brings back a favorite—Chicken Florentine. Poached chicken and sauteed spinach fill the tamales and they are topped with a mozzarella cheese sauce and served with a mushroom risotto. $6.50

I have an abundance of shrimp right now and I'll slather them in the strawberry chipotle jam and grill it to serve atop grilled polenta on Wednesday. It will be accompanied by a side salad or fruit. $6.50

Thursday, I'll be adapting a true Mexican dish called Molletes to a pizza. Jon and I fell in love with molletes while visiting Mexico City years ago. Molletes are usually made with a flaky  or yeast roll but I'll put the frijoles on pizza dough that has been drizzled in jalapeno oil. Top it with Monterey jack cheese, pico de gallo and crumble cotija cheese on top. On rolls these are usually served as breakfast. I'll accompany it with a salad for lunch. $7.00

Friday lunch will be Elk Burgers! This favorite always sells out early. If you want to be sure to get one I encourage you to call in your order first thing Friday morning. I'll serve them with oven-roasted sweet potato fries. $7.50

Friday night this week is Open Mic. I love the atmosphere when we get to audition new talent and see what might be coming down the pike in the weeks ahead. The food will forward the autumnal theme.

The seafood entrée will be wood-fired wild Pacific salmon with a sweet chili sauce served with stir-fried fall veggies and a side salad. $12

The meat entrée will be sausage and beef stuffed manicotti with salad and garlic rolls. $12

The vegetarian entrée will be a deep dish fall veggie quiche with side salad and garlic potatoes. $10

Ready in time for Monday lunch, Bruce has made a peanut butter mousse pie and lemon mint cake. I hope to play with the local pears this week. Maybe a rustic tart? We have a bunch of organic local raspberries to play with. Something will come of it. Later in the week I'll make another chocolate almond torte which has almost no flour and is decandently rich. Do you have requests for certain favorite desserts? Just ask. We might be able to make it happen. You'll have to wait until November for Bruce to bring back the Tira-misu.

As always, we treasure your business and are delighted each time you show up. It is a great satisfaction we feel when you cash in your filled-up Lunch Bunch card. We are especially proud when you bring in your friends and family to share the cafe with them. After years of basically solo work, Jon and I are both really enjoying getting to meet so many people face to face. Thank you for being a major part of what makes this place work!

~~Susan