5 days-- picking up steam

Is that  not the most gigantic red onion you've ever seen? It weighed in at nearly 2 lbs.

You'll be eating it next week. Know your food!

Well, the speed of prep is certainly picking up and the excitement is escalating to a dangerous level. Thanks to the feedback from the survey we did, we now have the prices for our menu. I think you'll be pleased.

I am committed to using only quality ingredients. To that end, I am trying out cooking our own roast beef for the deli sandwiches. I could not find one on the market that had decent flavor that wasn't processed using nitrates. I cooked it last night and will try to slice it this morning. Medium rare, right? Fingers crossed.

Each day the UPS  and Fed Ex drivers have been making deliveries. Yesterday we had to go to another cafe to pick up our initial order of  TO GO containers. Those suckers take up a LOT of room!

Yesterday we got the credit card machine that will allow us to take your plastic--debit or credit. This will allow fast transactions and simplify phone orders.

We are planning on having a small dining courtyard complete with fountain to give you an al fresco opportunity mid-day. While it may start out somewhat crude, I hope to add a firepit, lots of greenery and even some yard art. We'll even pipe in some Parisian accordion music. Well, maybe not. Anyway, it should be a nice oasis and a cozy place to enjoy your lunch.

Jon has been working hard at the menu layout for a flyer. If you think the people where you work would like a copy, just  email me and we'll make sure you have a copy for your menu drawer. Today's big plan for Jon will be to get the web site populated. That's techy talk for having something to look at on our website. We'll be linking in the blog to that site and plan to add social media to the marketing. Talk about a learning curve!
I think we'll even be able to text you when your order is ready. 21st century--here we come! Limping maybe, but making the effort. At 56 I feel like an old fogey learning this stuff.

Speaking of techy stuff, I'm just glad it will be Jon who gets to program our new cash register. This may sound quite silly. But I remember playing store as a kid and the idea of having our own cash register just sends goose bumps of kid-dom up and down my spine. MUCH more fun than a cash box.

I've been speaking to various suppliers and learning the ropes as far as locally raised meats, inspections and what I can use. We'll be using grass fed lamb in our Gyros. That was our test meal yesterday. Oh my! I'm using Greek yogurt to make the Tzatziki sauce along with my home grown mint and local cucumbers. The "salad" portion of the Gyros is made up of locally raised tomatoes, onions and fresh feta. I'll be happy when I can get a local source for cheeses like feta. If you know of one, please let me know.

For me today, I'll continue to work on my painted sandwich boards which we will place near the street to mark our location. We've ordered a light up "open" sign so you can see from the street when we are open.
Our friend Kevin will be here to help create free standing lattice sections that will wall off our courtyard from the rest of the property thus creating an "intimate space".

If you have access to any rubber roofing remnants, I'd like to talk to you. I want to create a small fountain and that is my chosen pond liner. Wanna trade for food? We can do that!

Ok. It is time for me to get back to that pre-launch check list. Next? Oh yeah-- building the grocery shopping list. This is very much like prepping for a large party. Only instead of using the list only once, I'll be using it weekly as a basis for my shopping.



  

Ta Dah! Our opening menu

Our concept is simple— to bring you food that is made from fresh ingredients, prepared quickly so you can enjoy it on your lunch break. We’ll source from local suppliers as frequently as we can and take advantage of seasonal opportunities as they arise. We’ll modify this menu to suite your tastes and desires—so feedback is very important to us. We want you excited about your mid-day meal!



The Basics—


Build your own salad— We start with organic field greens, shredded Mozzarella cheese and our in-house croutons. You choose the salad dressings (made from scratch) & top it with any of the following ingredients—


Tomato                        Sliced red onion                     Sliced mushrooms
Black olives                  Shredded carrots                    Cucumber
Roasted red peppers     Alfalfa sprouts                         Spicy sprouts
Lentil sprouts                Green Pepper


Dressings—


Buttermilk ranch           Olive oil and lemon juice        Balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Oriental sesame            Poppy seed (Sweet & Sour)     Honey Mustard
Greek


Build your own sandwich—We start with freshly made breads that we bake from scratch (no preservatives). Our deli meats are Prima Della made here in Missouri & contain as few non-essential ingredients as possible. The golden turkey breast has no nitrates while the ham and beef have some.


To that base you tell us what to add—
Meats                          Breads                            Cheese                  Spreads
Roasted turkey breast   100% whole wheat             Swiss                    Regular mayonnaise
Black Forest Ham          Sour dough white              Monterrey jack      Soy based mayo
Roast beef                   Light Rye                          Provolone             Chipotle mayonnaise
Grilled Veggies             Wraps (commercial)          Pepper jack           Grey Poupon
                                   Sun-dried tomato
                                   Spinach


Veggies
Tomato                           Lettuce                    Onion                        Cucumber
Dill pickle slices               Mushrooms                Black Olives              Green Peppers
Roasted Red Peppers        Alfalfa Sprouts           Spicy Sprouts             Lentil Sprouts


Soups—
We start with homemade stocks and broths. There will be 2-3 options each day. At least one will always be vegetarian. All will be served with a half slice of our homemade breads or a cornbread muffin


Week 1’s selections—


Fiesta Summer Vegetable with optional wood-fired chicken—if it is in season, it is in it
Tom Ka Kai—Traditional Thai chicken soup with coconut
Silken Corn Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis—smooth and fresh tasting with a slight kick.

Pick two option—pick any above half sandwich, half salad or small soup for a combination. Full sized combinations will also be offered.

Bohemian Special—
A low cost daily offering to get all your protein
Brown Rice and Beans—week 1 will be Black Beans

WAY Beyond the Basics—

A La Carte Café’s own signature salads—

Navajo Chicken Salad—Organic Romaine lettuce topped with blackened chicken, black beans, fresh corn, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, roasted red pepper, toasted corn tortilla strips and a creamy dressing featuring chipotle peppers



Oriental Sesame Chicken Salad—Organic Field Greens, seasoned sliced chicken, tomatoes, toasted almond slices, red onion, toasted noodles and an oriental sesame dressing


Greek Salad with marinated chicken or Gyro meat—Organic Romaine, red onion, Feta cheese, black olives, cucumber & tomato topped with your choice of grilled chicken or grilled Gyro meat (combination of lamb and beef cooked with onion and herbs)and dressed with a Greek dressing that has fresh basil and oregano.


Spinach Salad—Organic spinach, bacon, red onion, garlic croutons, roasted red pepper, candied pecans, and a hot bacon dressing.


Thai Chicken—Organic Romaine/ spinach mixture with a light rice vinegar dressing, topped with grilled chicken and noodles with a peanut dressing.


Italian Shrimp Salad—Organic Romaine mixed with gulf shrimp, rice, parsley, lemon, olive oil and smoked paprika.


A La Carte Café’s own signature sandwiches –


Chicken Quesadilla—wood-fired chicken, Monterrey jack cheese, chipotle mayonnaise, sliced onion all grilled on a pair of flour tortillas. Served with homemade salsa and tortilla chips, sour cream and a dollop of our guacamole


Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato—Lots of bacon, lettuce and fresh tomato with mayonnaise on your choice of toasted sour dough or whole wheat. Served with sliced fresh fruit.


Egg Salad Sandwich—Local farm fresh eggs ( yep- the real thing!), mayonnaise, chopped red onion, & sweet relish on your choice of toasted sour dough or whole wheat, topped with spicy sprouts.


Tuscan Chicken Salad—marinated wood-fired chicken, onion, chopped toasted pecans and mayonnaise on your choice of bread, topped with sprouts and tomato.

Guacamole Tacos—you get 2—Our own guacamole made with onion, garlic, chili paste (my own), lemon juice, & cilantro on flour tortillas stuffed with spicy sprouts, Monterrey jack and tomatoes. Served with a side of salsa and chips.


Gyro—a blend of lamb and beef cooked with lots of onion and oregano, then sliced and grilled. Topped with tzatziki ( yogurt, cucumber, garlic & mint) and along with tomato, feta and onion and served on a softened flour tortilla. Served with a side of fresh fruit.
____________________________________________________________________________


So that's our starting point. We invite your feedback, comments and suggestions. I do plan on adding daily hot entrees after I get down the timing on the rest of it. We are committed to making sure you can get your food fast so you can get back to work. So I don't want to venture too far out my comfort zone yet.  If we have your address you will be getting another copy of this menu but in addition will be, to us, a very important survey/ questionnaire. That is why there are no prices yet shown. We hope you will take the time and effort to tell us what you want and how much you are willing to pay for it.

 

7 days out- really! Tomato Squash Herb Soup

I've been wanting to try this soup ever since I got the New England Soup Kitchen Cook Book. This vegetable heavy soup starts with fresh Butternut squash. I got mine at the Thayer

Farmer's Market from Bill. It has lots of onion(local), garlic( local) & carrots cooked with fresh tomato (local). After simmering and getting soft the broth-- veggie or chicken--gets added as well as some wine or sherry. I used some chardonnay, but really couldn't taste it as an addition. Then gobbs of fresh chopped basil and cilantro. The whole batch is pureed to a fine texture.

While most vegetarian soups can seem a bit thin, this one has a bit of umph due to the thickening caused by the squash. If you like, this can be a regular part of our line up.

More about our soups--

Each day I plan to serve one vegetarian and one meat-eater soup. Made with a homemade veggie stock created by simmering lots of veggie parts for many hours, the above soup would be the vegetarian option. I plan to always use stocks and broths that are completely free of added MSG and preservatives. I'll use fresh or frozen options and resort to canned tomatoes only in the dead of winter. My chicken soup will most often be created while simmering the chicken for our sandwiches, salads and entrees. I am hoping to establish a good working relationship with a local meat processor to save me the shin bones to make real beef stock. Done right, the bones are first seasoned and then roasted until very dark in the oven. This gives beef stock its deep coloration.

While the sandwiches made from fresh bread are wonderful, and salads are always popular, it is the soups that get my creative juices flowing. I know that sometimes it can be a stretch to chow down on a hot soup during mid summer. But it is that very soup which truly celebrates all the fresh ingredients. Most of the time, those of us who are in the workforce are in an air conditioned environment, anyway.

We will be offering soups 2 ways. A large bowl of soup (12 oz) will come with a slice of homemade bread or cornbread. If you "pick two" you'll get an 8 oz serving with a small salad or a half sandwich. Soups on!!!

8 Days & COUNTING!!!!! Steamed veggies & rice

When the pre-launch prep is moving this quickly, Sunday becomes a very active day. It was a very exciting day, actually. But I'll tell you about that after I tell you about this dish.

During my travels over the years, I occasionally got to eat in cafes attached to a health food store. One of the staples of those cafes was a simple dish of brown rice with steamed veggies. The veggies would vary by season and all were fresh.

One of the exciting things today was our delight as we discovered our rice cooker can handle decent sized batches of short grain brown rice. That WAS a concern.

The veggies are yellow onion, patty pan squash, portabella mushrooms & red bell pepper. That basket was FULL to the top before I steamed them. I always had thought that the dish sounded really bland, but when you bite into the sweetness of the bell pepper, the squash or the onion and then the woodsy savory of the portabella-- well, YUM. Not being a vegan myself, I dolloped a nice hunk of fresh butter. Optional, of course. The rice has just the right amount of a nutty tinge to its flavor slide. Jon has deemed this one of his all time favorite dishes to eat anytime, anywhere.


I have had a person or two ask me if I ever make any cooking goofs. Oh yeah... Just because I have the cajones to write about my cooking doesn't make me immune to goofs. Just ask Jon. He'll tell you there have been plenty over the years. Fortunately they are more infrequent the longer and more often I cook. But just today... I was making some sprouted sunflower, whole wheat bread. Man! something got way off and it was very dry and dense-- not at all like my whole wheat bread I made 2 days ago which was fairly light, nice texture, nice crust-- good for sandwiches. This MIGHT work for croutons or maybe stuffing. Definitely not sandwich making. Just more reason to experiment before deciding on a final plan.

In the realm of sandwiches here is my immediate plan-- Wait. Please understand that this is ALL subject to refinement. We'll be working to deliver to you what you most want to be served. We THINK we have a pretty good idea for a starting point. But that is just to get the door open. After that, we expect you to give us feedback and help us determine our path. If I thought for a minute that what you wanted was the same old, same ole I wouldn't be even making an effort to forge this path. While it is exciting to be stepping out in unchartered territory for West Plains, it is very scary. We don't have a lot of wiggle room in our finances. We really HAVE to make this work. But the feedback we've gotten thus far has been totally exciting and I am jazzed beyond belief.

Back to that sandwich plan--
We will have 2 groups of sandwiches. The first will be "build your own" using ingredients you choose. This may not seem very different from Subway and Quiznos until you find out that we are making our breads from scratch each day. Sour dough white, real whole wheat, rye and if I can get it right, a sprouted bread of some sort. I'll be making one specialty loaf a week, as well. Also, we'll be using local organics whenever they are available, farm fresh eggs for our egg salad, and as simply processed deli meats as we can find. We'll tell you when an ingredient has nitrates. Our chicken salad will be from the chickens used to make our stocks and broths. And our list of additional ingredients will exceed other place's options. We'll have fresh sprouts-- alfalfa, spicy sprouts and even lentil sprouts, avocado and, be still, my heart... artichoke hearts. Our tomatoes will be locally grown for as late into the year as we can get them.

The second group of sandwiches will be signature ones that have cohesive taste directions. I'm still working on which ones, but an example might be a gyro on pita with tatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions and feta. I'm figuring we'll start with three varieties and build from there.

Tomorrow I'll tell you more about our salads...and the shopping I did today. Oh Yeah!

9 Days & Counting! Italian Shrimp Salad

I grew up eating this salad. Now that I think about it, I think it was nearly the ONLY salad my mother ever served. Maybe it was the era. I'm not sure WHERE my mother got the recipe, maybe a magazine, but we all loved it. Every single family member.

Having grown up in Texas I was exposed to the cuisine of many cultures- but it came mostly later. Strangely, my first awareness of my mother ever trying to cook Mexican was using a powdered mix to make chile con queso. Being an ex-pat Canadian, she promptly served it over toast like a rare bit. My palette at that point had never had hot. I was probably about 10 years old. It was a dismal failure with the family, never to be repeated.

Not so, the Italian Shrimp Salad. Shrimp in our house was a real treat and having a dish where everyone felt like they got a really good dose of shrimp flavor while having a recipe that stretched was pure joy. It was saved for special occasions and celebrations. The photo above is a 16 oz portion and will be served with garlic toast.

Here are all the ingredients laid out-- my mise en place. I started with sushi rice which is a medium grain. I personally like its texture better than long grain white rice. It absorbs the dressing better. There is fresh gulf shrimp, fresh from my garden Italian parsley, Romaine lettuce, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, mustard and a pinch of smoked paprika. We used to make it with cayenne and that is good, too. But I like the touch of the smokey paprika.

All the ingredients are fresh except the mustard. No preservatives, no unknown stabilizers-- just good wholesome, oh so good ingredients.

This will be one of our rotating specialty salads. Enjoy!

Secret location-- REVEALED!!!

It has been hush- hush up until now because things weren't finalized. But now we KNOW exactly where we are going to be and we know the opening date. Drum roll, please!!!!

Location:

110 W Broadway--The old Broadway Motors Lot. 1/2 block west of the corner of Broadway and Washington in downtown West Plains.

We'll be sharing the space and parked next to TC's BBQ- who is also moving from their current location.

Opening date:

Tuesday August 3rd

Our Hours:

Tuesday- Friday 11am-2pm lunch

Saturday- 7am-2pm-- visit us before or after your trip to the Farmers' Market for a super breakfast or lunch.

Our emphasis will be fresh food for take-out. We will have a few tables and chairs for outdoor dining. We will encourage phone-in orders so you can hop by, grab it & get back to work-- lickety split! Please make a note of our new order line--417-505-0302-- that's one of the new cell phone exchanges and is local. It isn't live yet, but will be.

Our website will have our expected complete menu. http://www.alacartecafewp.com/ (not live yet.) If you will subscribe to this blog you will get our weekly specials, via the blog, directly into your email program.

Each day we'll offer fresh salads that start with organic greens, sandwiches made with homemade, preservative-free breads, soups that are made from scratch-- including the broth --and a daily hot entree' that will be made in limited quantity. While not vegetarian focused, we will be very vegetarian friendly.

We are VERY excited to be able to share with you our passion for cooking with fresh, mostly local ingredients. We trust you to tell us what you want to eat. WE ARE LISTENING!

We promise to provide meals that make you excited about eating while actually delivering the nutrition that food is supposed to provide.

Please note-- we may be a bit hard to see as our teal-colored food trailer will be parked behind TC's BBQ. If you need to reach us before we open, call us on 417-274-1560.

Ready? Set! Salivate!!!!!!!!!!

Today's stir fry

Here's the inspriation for today's stir-fry:

Pork tenderloin

Portabella mushrooms

Ginger

Mary Badiny's garlic

yellow onion

Ichiban eggplant

Patty pan squash

Banana Pepper

Here the pork has been sliced and sauteed with garlic and ginger. Meanwhile all the other fresh ingredients stand-by for inclusion.
I also cooked up some whole wheat angel hair pasta.

Then it all gets tossed together and sauteed quickly over high heat. I used sweet soy sauce and hoisin sauce plus some water to make my sauce. Then added just a tinch of color with black sesame seeds.

Poor Jon-- he has to stand aside and salivate while I take photos. Don't fret--it was still hot when he got his. This made enough for about 6-- so we had leftovers.

What are your favorite stir fry ingredients?

Summer Vegetable Soup with shrimp and Lemon

I wish I could have shown you the 10 cups of veggies that went into 4 cups of homemade chicken broth to make this luscious soup. But, alas, my hands got ahead of my brain and I erased them off my card reader before I got them downloaded. Suffice it to say, this is a VERY veggie laden soup.

It has fresh tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic, corn, zucchini, red skinned potato, parsley, basil and cilantro as well as shrimp and lemon juice.

This recipe is from Fine Cooking's Fresh- 350 recipes that celebrate the seasons. I was astounded by the ratio of veggies to broth. I mean there was a mountain of them.

As usual, I made my own chicken broth, so it is msg free and quite simple. However, the first night I thought the soup lacked punch. The flavors were too separated and nothing had a strong influence. Day 2, though, wow! The flavors had married and the herbs were more prominent, too. I don't think the shrimp(and I love shrimp) added much and next time would probably use wood-fire grilled chicken in its place.

I expect this will be a regular on the summer soup rotation with a veggie only version, as well. I'll serve it with my whole wheat cornbread. Get ready!!!!

Brushetta--more with peppers and tomatoes

I love the embarrassment of riches from our gardens this time of year. Tomatoes have reached a peak and peppers have finally been getting the heat they need to produce in abundance. Neighbors might wake up to find the tomato fairy has gifted them overnight.

I had several small bolletas( itty bitty loaves of bread) I had bought in St. Louis and frozen. We sliced them 1/2" thick and dry toasted them for about 15 minutes in a 275F oven. This crisped them up without completley drying them to toast. I personlly like there to still be a bit of chew and not all crunch when I bite into them.

Then I mixed up peeled chopped fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil, salt and pepper. These are spread onto the crostini (the toasted bread). Then I grated some mozzarella and spread it over the top. A quick trip to the broiler and viola'-- brushetta.

This is the accompaniment to the Silken Corn Soup I mentioned in my last article.

Tomorrow-- I made a great Summer Vegetable and Shrimp Soup with Lemon.

Silken Corn Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis and Mexicana Crema

This recipe came from Fine Cooking's Fresh--350 Recipes that Celebrate the Seasons.

I adore fresh corn and am most likey to eat it raw straight off the cob. I was afraid this recipe might lack dimension and be too single-flavor flat. NOT a problem! The flavor itself is rich but as you stir in the roasted red pepper coulis the flavor dimensions explode. FYI- the coulis is simply a mixture of roasted red peppers (yes, I prepare my own), fresh garlic, olive oil, sea salt, balsamic vinegar, red-wine vinegar, black pepper and cayenne blended to create a thick sauce. I added the Mexican Crema because I like it- but vegans could easily skip that part without losing much.

The soup itself uses a broth created using corn cobs (stripped of kernels) plus a lot of fresh basil, thyme and a bay leaf. That is strained and the resulting broth is used to cook the kernels. The fresh kernels plus the juice from the corn are combined with onion and garlic sauteed in fresh butter. After the corn is cooked in the stock it is all put into a blender and pureed. Smooth as silk!

I remember when we lived in Florida learning that the Seminole Indians considered the juice from corn as nectar from the Creator. It is called Sofkee. It was treated with reverence and celebrated. I agree that it is one of the most glorious flavors and often overlooked.

My next issue will show you the brushetta I paired with the soup. Yummmmmm!!!!

A Grand Experiment

Welcome to the first posting of my blog. This will follow along as we do the pre-opening steps to getting A La Carte Cafe up and running. You probably found this blog because you have an appreciation for healthy eating and live in the vicinity of West Plains, MO. No doubt someone who also loves good food told you about us. That is as it should be.

I am utterly convinced that there is a pent-up demand for healthy food as an alternative in this region. My personal experience is that there is NO restaurant within 100 miles that focuses on using almost exclusively fresh, in season locally raised produce. I have yet to find a venue that takes pride in knowing where all their provisions came from. I want to connect up the grower with the consumer. There are farmers who raise organic produce and hormone/ antibiotic free meats and have dairies that can provide really fresh dairy and eggs. Why buy from provisioners who buy from out of the region with no control over how the provisions are grown?

I am proud to let you know the sources for my raw materials. In fact, as each new source comes aboard I want to feature their goods in special recipes. That way you get to know them as well and perhaps will buy the products they sell for your home use. By tasting their ingredients in my dishes you can see how they compare with your palate.

From the get-go I want this to be customer driven. I want to hear from YOU what you want to eat.

Please feel free to forward our URL to your friends in West Plains who might be excited about healthy meal alternatives. As the days go by I'll being testing out new menu items. I'll photograph the ones that pass muster and share them with you. Whet your appetite.. Oh Yeah!!!