Also happening this week—drumroll, please—we begin our experimental
opening on Saturday nights.
June 1st marks our first Saturday evening dinner service. We plan to continue this through the summer months. The verbal feedback has been less than stellar, so we are not terribly sure how long we'll give this a try. So don't wait very long if you want to secure Saturday evenings at A La Carte as a weekend dining destination. This is truly an opportunity to vote with your pocket books. We'll initially open at 5pm. There has been some noise requesting earlier open times but we'll wait and see on that. We are adding the dinner service in hopes that we'll hit that sustainability level we need. Up until now we didn't even consider it as an option as we couldn't, ourselves, put in more hours. However, with the crew we currently have, headed up by Amy and her enthusiastic crew of Drew and Vincent, plus Tina and Sharon as evening table servers, we think we can split the efforts and make it work. We are confident in our team but also know you will tell us if things don't measure up. We are looking at having me do most of the evening cooking, as before, but with me only coming in for lunch on Tuesday to get things rolling for the week. If this works, it'll be the best of all options as it'll mean I can also get back into my studio a day or two per week. My soul cries out for studio time. I hope it works.The lamb sure had good response last week. I was delighted. It is nice to be able to step outside the usual comfort zone, food-wise, and have you guys step out with me. What made the lamb different this time was that although it was heavily spiced, it had no hot chili peppers to hike up the heat. I know that many of you really like lots of heat, but there are at least as many who do not. It was nice to be able to offer flavor without crossing half our customer base off at the get-go.
I am continuing to delve into that menu for the Moroccan Dinner. Assuming the weather is cooperative, we'll be dining al fresco. I think it'll be a magical evening, one day after the solstice, where it won't be fully dark until 9:30pm. I am saving all my cans to make table lanterns with punched out patterns. We'll have carnival lights strung across the dining area. I am in talks with a couple of entertainment options. With at least 7 courses, 3 wine pours and the mystical menu of Morocco, you will be most entertained. Please make your reservations ASAP so we can fully plan this out. Only 30 reservations will be taken and we are well on our way to filling those up. $60/pp
Now to THIS week's dining adventure—
Have you tried our local grass-fed beef hamburgers yet? Served on a ciabatta bun we offer 2 options: Southwestern-style or Classic. This beef has a wonderful non-gamey flavor that is VERY similar to the elk we served recently. At 95% lean we cook it to order at a lower temperature to keep it from getting tough. The Southwestern option includes chipotle mayo, salsa, queso fresco, guacamole and sprouts. The Classic comes with mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato and onions. Served with a side for $7.99. Available most always at lunch.
The lunch sandwich all week, or as long as we have the ingredients, will be a Jerk Chicken Sandwich on a ciabatta bun, with a touch of creamy jerk sauce, crispy cabbage slaw, and pineapple mango salsa plus a side of sweet potato salad that doesn't contain a drop of mayonnaise. We dry rubbed, then wood-fired the chicken thighs for extra flavor. $7.99 Oh Mon!
Wednesday we'll serve a Cuban Style Picadillo with yellow rice and black beans. The primary meat in the picadillo is beef although a bit of ground pork has been added to sweeten up the meat flavor. The flavor profile of the picadillo includes sweet with raisins, briny and bright with olives and rinsed capers plus red wine vinegar, and spiced with cinnamon and cumin. Once again we have lots of spice but no heat. $7.99
Thursday will take us to Puerto Rico for Pork Mofongo. Vincent's mom is from there and he was telling me this is one of his favorite dishes his mom made. It starts with plantains that are cooked then smashed and cooked again in bacon drippings. Bacon or chicharrones are added. It is formed into a bowl shape, turned upside down and served with a broth and meat. We'll use pork and its broth. I am tickled to serve this labor-intensive dish. I hope you enjoy it. I suspect that most of the labor involved in this will be done by Vincent. Be sure to let him know what you think. $7.99
Friday—Ceviche We've got a combination of cod, rockfish, shrimp and scallops to make this lovely dish. The perfect warm weather dish. If you are not familiar with this Caribbean seafood treat, let me tell you about it. It starts with raw fish that is marinated in fresh citrus juices. The acid in the marinade transforms the raw fish into "cooked" fish just as heat does but with no heat. The texture remains silky but the taste is no longer raw and the flesh is no longer translucent but opaque. It is mixed with fresh bell peppers, a bit of fresh jalapeno, cilantro, onions and garlic. We'll serve it over a bed of chopped cabbage and add some tortilla chips to make things texturally interesting. $7.99 WARNING: If you are wanting this I strongly suggest you call in to have us reserve a portion for you.
The Flavor Journey this week is Grilled Bahamian Chicken with Cha Cha Salsa. Served with black beans and confetti yellow rice plus side salad $13.99 The chicken is marinated in a coconut milk based marinade with jalapenos, cilantro and lime juice. The chicken breast is then grilled and served with a salsa made with all fresh ingredients.
Seafood Flavor Journey is Caribbean Tilapia with Mango Salsa. The tilapia fillets are rolled in coconut-flavored bread crumbs then pan-fried and served with confetti yellow rice and black beans plus a side salad.$15.99
Get out your dancing shoes!!!!! With this much fun happening I suspect you won't be able to sit still. So feel free to stand up and dance! As is always our policy—sometimes it just makes sense to lick the plate!!!
I haven't fully decided on the desserts this week. Carrot cake for sure but something appropriate for the Caribbean too. Mango ice cream? Perhaps.
I hope you have a fun-filled glorious week. I plan to...even working Saturday night.
~~Susan
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