Up! Running! and Ready! for Round 2

Goodness! I can't believe it has been more than a week since I last posted to the blog.  In all fairness I DID post to FaceBook. But it is a true indication of our level of exhaustion going into the opening that I skipped posting the last few days before and during the first week of being open.

So my report!--

Well it happened! We jumped through the first round of hurdles-- health department inspection, site location, menu planning. On Tuesday we opened for our first lunch. We expected a quiet start and were pleasantly surprised by many friendly faces. There were a few hiccups the first couple of days-- running out of a couple of key ingredients, a few slower-than-expected preparations. We thank you for your patience while we figure things out. Those who called in orders had virtually no wait, again, thank you! Having never cooked in a restaurant environment previously, I had a bit of a learning curve figuring out transitioning from adventurous home cook to food truck chef.

What worked well were the in-house fresh breads and sandwiches and the salads. Sadly, we opened during the hottest week of the summer so the soups were largely overlooked. Too bad since the freshest ingredients with the most fleeting flavor subtlety were not able to be appreciated. I understand-- it is just too darn hot! So I've taken the soups off the menu until the weather cools a bit or our customer base has developed enough trust in my culinary skills to follow my lead and try out something unfamiliar.

Speaking of trust-- I know that a big part of our foundation for growth will be built on mutual trust. I have to trust that you actually are looking for quality fresh food prepared fast and you have to trust me to keep the quality and flavors high. Hopefully the trust will extend to you allowing me, over time, to take you on flavor adventures and expand your palette. If you are at all like me, you get bored eating the same stuff all the time. 

I'd like the opportunity to take your taste buds to places they might not have been before. My plan is to walk the tightrope between health food and gourmet. I'll avoid extreme flavors while celebrating the freshest, usually local, often organic in-season ingredients.  

We've a had a few humorous moments-- like when I had to tell the party of 10 on Friday to bring their own tables & chairs! You'll be happy to know that we have 3 new bistro sets--small tables with 2 chairs each.  We have also added tableclothes so the courtyard will sport a much more festive air.

We're spending our 2 days off assembling the furniture and working on getting the word out. This time of year it is very tough to find basic outdoor resin chairs. So if you have any you aren't using, we'd appreciate borrowing a few. We could use as many as 16-20. To keep it simple, you could just write your name on the bottom and drop them off by the trailer.

We've streamlined the menu a bit. Those items that didn't get your attention are off it for now. I've figured out the speedy assembly thing ( I hope) and we finally got proper to-go containers for the bigger items. That was another funny moment-- trying to wrap paper plates in cling wrap! SOOOO clumsy!

The later batches of Greek dressing got rave reviews and I think the Greek Salad and Navajo Salad will make your taste buds dance.

Our most popular items-- the chicken quesadilla and the gyros are getting a strong following. We are using wood-fired  marinated chicken breasts in most everything calling for chicken. That extra edge of flavor is Jon's cooking contribution to the menu. He uses nothing but wood to fuel his grilling fire. We've been working our way through oak from our dear old 100+ year old post oak that bit the dust the year before the ice storm. Big tree. See? Where else would you get to know your food like this?

For those who have yet to try the gyros, let me try to entice you. First of all, the correct Greek pronunciation is “yee-rohs." I start with a 50/50 mixture of ground lamb and beef. To that I add onion, garlic, marjoram (similar to oregano) & rosemary. This is the meat portion. It is made into a loaf and baked, then sliced and grilled.  This usually goes into a pita. The only varieties available locally are the dry ones that get split and stuffed. Cardboard. Typically Greek pita is a very soft and a bit thicker. I have chosen to use soft flour tortillas as a substitute and I am giving you 2 instead of the usual one. Red onion, feta cheese and tomato are the salad portions and then Tzatziki  (pronounced tat-zee-kee) sauce adds more moisture in the form of Greek yogurt (thicker than normal yogurt because the extra moisture has been allowed to drain off) cucumber, garlic and mint. Yummy, yummy fills my tummy! Wonderful on a hot day!

We make our guacamole and salsa daily. Part of the learning curve has been to figure out what to make fresh each day and what needs to be made in larger batches.

Also-- new this week is the Lunch Bunch Punch! Our new business cards have arrived and they have a built in punch card. Ten punches and you get a free meal. Some of you are already nearly half-way there!

And last but not least--This week's special comes from the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, FL-- that is the Cuban part of Tampa. It is called the "1905 Salad". This is our absolute favorite family salad. I'll only be making about 6 servings a day to start. So call in to reserve your portion early!

I've altered it slightly by using Romaine instead of Iceberg and Kalamata olives instead of Spanish olives. Enjoy the combination of lettuce, tomato, Kalamata olives, sliced turkey breast, Swiss cheese and Romano cheese. The dressing uses olive oil, Worchestersire, lemon, garlic, oregano and red wine vinegar.

We look forward to seeing you this week. We always seek your feedback. Be a part of our adventure!