Won't THIS be an interesting week?



9 days of no power = very cold

 It is visions of scenes like this that prompt me to tell you that if it is icy, we won't be there.

That's Mom at 80 trying to cope in the cold. If it truly looks like ice is heading our way—and so far it looks likely—we'll be heading to warmer parts to avoid having to be stuck in a house without power.

I do actually have a menu planned out for the week. But I am releasing it knowing that ice could prevent us opening for more than one day this week.

Weather Whimps? You betcha.

In the mean time, I'm delighted to tell you that things have been going extraordinarily well. We couldn't be more thrilled. You have no idea what a leap of faith this was for us to do. We've always been dreamers and forward thinkers. But the last few years have taken their toll. We have to look harder at opportunities and more thoroughly investigate the downsides. We never used to do that before. We were always full speed ahead. The learning curve is beginning to lose some steepness. There is a bit more prediciton to our plan and actions and we are getting some of the logistics worked out. Believe me, whenever you are experiencing any frustration due to our greeness in logistics, I am experiencing it three-fold. It can be painful. But we ARE getting things grooved in. If you were here last Friday night you saw some of that in action. Simply by adding table numbers to each table, we were able to get food properly served without incident—yeah we're green!!! We also worked it out so that each meal served was simply a matter of serving and not having to cook to order. The result? Almost no waiting—in fact most people were able to carry their trays right back to the table as soon as they paid. So we feel we are continuing to improve as we learn this crazy food service game.

We are really trying to listen to your preferenes, so please voice them when you come in. Tell us what we are getting right and PLEASE tell us what you feel needs attention. I am most grateful for the feedback. It is all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating a dish and forget who the audience is likely to be.

Bottom line— it is going quite well and we are loving what we are doing. We need to continue to grow and bring in more repeat customers. We are hearing from many that word of mouth is what brought them in. I LOVE that!!!

So here are this week's planned menues—

• Monday~Chicken mole soft tacos with black beans and side salad with jicama; $6.25  Soup~ Chicken corn chowder(the lighter version) cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99; Sandwich~ Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Tuesday~Italian tamales with side salad and garlic toast $6.25; Soup~Minestrone $3.49/cup $4.99/bowl; Sandwich~Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Wednesday~Chicken pot pie + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Thursday~Ham and asparagus quiche + side salad $6.25; beef and Italian sausage lasagna + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Friday~Chicken mushroom crepes with rice pilaf + side salad $6.25; French onion soup cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99 plus lots more tapas at night

This Friday night will be a new concept for us. It will be open mic night. We'll give various local performers a chance to communicate with you and entertain you. This is a new experience and we honestly don't know quite what to expect.  We are excited to be a part of the community and we want to support our local musicians as we can—all part of local sustainability. If you know someone whose performance would work in our small cafe venue, please encourage them to come down and get on the list.

Update on Valentine's Day—we are NOT going to do it. We would rather wait until we can be a bit more organized and prepared. Plan now for NEXT year.

St. Patrick's Day— Plan now to enjoy traditional as well as decidely Irish fare. We will be serving up a very spcial Corned beef accompanied by potatoes and steamed cabbage and several other Irish surprises. March 17th, of course.

Earth Day Local Harvest Feast—April 29th (Friday) We'll be serving up locally raised and produced foods as a part of the Chefs' Collaborative—a national organization of chefs geared toward local sustainability.

Have a great week. We HOPE to see you despite what Mother Nature may throw at us.

All about Friday nights



Jon at play

 It's Friday!!!! Around here that brings about a sense of adventure.Things depart the norm and move into the realm of play. We become even more of a gathering place with a chance to linger a bit longer, visit with friends and eat good food. This will be our 4th Friday night and there has been a bit of a learning curve when it has come to getting your meals to you. We've modified our delivery system and HOPE we have found a system that works. Here are the changes we've made:

• We have assigned table numbers. When we take your order you will be asked where you are sitting. The tables numbers are on each table in a small mount. This should eliminate some confusion.
• We are putting silverware directly on the table to start
• We are preparing primarily dishes that can simply be served without additional preparation at the time. This should speed things up! 
• We are offering 2 hearty meal choices plus lots of tapas (appetizer type)
• I am trying to make sure I always have vegetarian options
• I am trying to make sure I always have lower calorie options
• I hope to always offer a few really nice desserts
• As local fruits and veggies become available throughout the season, we'll incorporate them

Tonight Jon will be the featured performer. But in weeks to come we hope to bring in various regional talent. Last week we had Renee and Tom on sax & guitar. Next week, being the first Friday of the month, we'll initiate Open Mike Night. Hopefully, we'll be able to draw local talent who are ready to strut their stuff and keep us all entertained. If you know someone whose music is within the realm of styles that work in our small cafe environment, have them contact Jon to sign up.

Tonight's menu—

• Beef  & Sausage Lasagna-- Slow cooked from scratch
• Chicken Pot Pie—again, made from scratch with a pastry top
• Pulled Pork Sandwiches—on a wheat bun with in-house BBQ sauce
• Goat cheese with crackers
• Crudités and pita points with Hummus (made inhouse)
• Creamy Garlic & Spinach/ Swiss Chard Soup (vegetarian version) with cornbread
• Smoked Catfish Dip—with tortilla chips
• Fruit cups
• Espresso Cheesecake—I make it from scratch
• Blueberry Mango Fruit Tarts with a walnut crust—again, from scratch

  My menu will change weekly but feature 2 substantial options each week.

We hope you'll stick around and relax. We even have a couple of gameboards out for you to enjoy. As always, we value your feedback, apprecite you making the effort to come out and join us and most of all—we're enjoying getting to make lots of new friends. Thanks for being a part of our world—it's a creative one!
Susan—

Warm foods for cold days

our grandson, John, gets his love for cooking honestly

Well last week was over before I even got to post. It was quite a whirlwind as we did a supper club dinner last Monday night. The theme was foods of the Greek Isles. You are going to have to wait for the details as I am now diving into THIS week. You got to sample several of the dishes at last Friday night's dinner— dolmades, spanikopita, baklava, etc.

Boy! Last Friday was something! Renee and Tom rocked the house and warmed our hearts with their saxophone and guitar, playing jazz classics. The Shrimp Alfredo was devoured with gusto. In fact, we sold out of most of our dishes by the end of the night. I had to make a special dish for Renee since we were out of most dishes by the time they finished playing. SUCH a problem! It was lovely to see so many of you and to note we are getting some Friday night "regulars." We are pleased you have added our good food and live music to your Friday night options. We'll try to keep you and your palate entertained.

We have changed out a couple of my quilts. The newest ones hanging are "The Energy of Hope", "Reconcilable Differences," and "Neon Cha Cha." "Reconcilable Differences" is all about focusing on "us" as opposed to "me." Pricing info on most of my quilts can be found on my website http://www.rebelquilter.com/. For the story on many of them, you might visit my blog http://rebelquilter.blogspot.com/.


This week we are changing up a thing or two. First of all—we'll have more variation in our soups during the week. Also, we are adding a couple of warm entrees to the mix. Since the opening of the new Asian buffet restaurant with its sushi menu built in, we have had fewer requests for my sushi. So, we'll skip it for awhile.

Bruce has brought many fresh ideas and great energy. I think our energy is feeding off each other and the synergy is palatable—literally! His insight, logistical understanding and quiet nature have given us gentle guidance where it has been needed. He is a gifted, creative cook with a thorough understanding of what is needed in a restaurant environment. We are glad he is here!

Here are this week's flavor journeys. We are taking you to the tropical latitudes.

Monday—Lentil and Smoked Sausage Soup  with cornbread
Vegetable Soup—carrots, onions, potatoes, corn, tomatoes in a veggie broth; with corn bread
Arugula Salad with jicama, pickled red onion, grapefruit, avocado, feta, & pomegranate $5.99; add wood-fired chicken +$1.50; add garlic shrimp +$3.00
Tuesday—Slow-cooked pork tamales over a warm mango puree complimented by a pineapple mango salsa and coconut rice. $6.25; add a bowl of black bean soup $9.99
Soup—Black Bean with queso fresco & cornbread
Wednesday—Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice & fruit $6.25 add side salad or cup of soup +$2.50
Soup—Beef & Barley Soup with cornbread
Thursday—Quiche Lorraine (bacon, onion & Swiss cheese) with fruit  $6.25; add cup of soup or side salad +$2.50
Soup—Creamy Garlic & Spinach Soup with garlic toast
Friday—LUNCH: Chicken Pot Pie with fruit $6.25; add side salad $2.50
Soup—Creamy Garlic and Spinach Soup with garlic toast
SUPPER: Beef and Sausage Lasagna with side salad and garlic toast $9.99
Chicken Pot Pie with side salad  $.9.99
Various tapas 
Soups—cup/ $3.49  bowl/ $4.99 16oz/$5.59

Thanks for being a part of our grand experiment in good food. YES! You DO prefer freshly made foods made with REAL ingredients.

Coming up—
This Friday night music will be provided by Jon Lumsden playing his 7 string jazz guitar and singing his tunes plus selections from the Great American Songbook
Valentine's dinner—February 14th Monday   Stay tuned for details of the menu. We will do only one seating and reservations will be needed.Our plan is a steak and seafood offering.
Earth Day Tasting Feast—April 29th Celebrate local sustainability and enjoy the fruits of regional producers. We are teaming with Chef's Collaborative, a national organization dedicated to local sustainability.

See you this week, we hope!

Brrr! Cold Week

We'll start the week out with a whimper because we will not be open on Monday. Even though the snow on the ground is minimal, there is more snow forecast this afternoon. Because we are caregivers for my 81-year-old mother, we can't chance being stranded 25 miles away, leaving her alone for long periods. We hope you understand.

Now onto the Flavor Journeys--
I am asked almost every day when we will have the white chicken chili again. The answer? THIS WEEK! This concoction starts out with a pot of freshly cooked navy beans. We add onions, garlic, hatch chili peppers, cumin, chili powder, etc. and Jon's wood-fired chicken. This smoky base note is the foundation. The cumin is a mid-range flavor note and the top note is the warm created by the hatch peppers. We are building layers of flavor just as a perfumier would build a fragrance or an artist a color palette. It helps to know how each flavor is experienced on the tongue and through the nose. Did you know your nose is a big part of flavor appreciation? My mother, who was on steroids for bronchial problems years ago, no longer has any sense of smell. She misses out on much of my flavor offerings.

Our second major flavor journey this week is Black Bean and Chicken Tamales. I made up a mess of black bean frijoles. Frijoles are beans that have been pureed and are meant to be smeared or reheated with cheese etc. They were the beans smeared on the Texas-style Nachos we served on Friday night. Bruce suggested we make tamales with the big batch we have. Don't you just love tamales? Most people have no concept of the time involved in producing them. The corn husks must be soaked, the masa is made with ground limed corn and some kind of fat— usually lard in a traditional Mexican kitchen, then broth and made into a thick paste. This paste is smeared onto a softened corn husk. Then the beans (which have cooked overnight, then pureed) are layered on top along with the chicken which has been wood-fired then pulled (a method that keeps the meat texture in longer strings rather than simply chopped and is all hand done). The whole thing is rolled and tied, and then they are steamed for half an hour. This cooks the masa into the more cornbread-like texture. They get unwrapped and smothered with a sauce. I'll most likely do a green sauce of some sort with the hatch chilies as the base. Hungry yet?

I have to comment on last Friday night—it was a blast! We went from zero- 60 in no time flat. I mean we opened at 5. Around 5:30 we finally were prepped to deliver. Suddenly the orders piled in. What we were not prepared for was the ordering system. We were so used to the order forms Jon had printed up for the lunch menu that when we had no similar forms for the tapas menu, we stumbled. It wasn't until later I thought—how about a regular restaurant order book—duh!!!!!  Also, we are used to knowing who is there and where they are sitting. We hadn't even numbered our tables to know where to deliver something. Sheesh!!!  This is the kind of learning curve we are struggling to climb. Seems simple when the baby steps are taken. It's a whole 'nuther thing when folks are waiting!

We are enjoying planning out various flavor journeys on Friday nights. I am sure, given a bit of time, that there will be some foundational menu items that can be counted on. But don't be surprised if we have a totally different menu every Friday night. We have cultures to experience flavorwise. Because we are small we have the flexibility to take off in various directions. Also, the Friday night venue gives Bruce and me a chance to try out menu items for other functions. Like this Friday we'll have stuffed grape leaves. Why? Because we are catering a gourmet dinner on Monday and need to perfect our grape leaf rolling. Besides, we love to try out new things. The Friday night venue is more laid back. No one is in the hurry they are at lunch. Friday night is ADVENTURE NIGHT!

We did some pretty extensive surveying Friday night. I left them at the cafe without getting a real chance to go over them in depth—yet! What we did learn is that you are enjoying our offerings, so far. You are glad to have a Friday night place to go and you are glad we are providing "something different." All Right!!! Everyone seemed to enjoy Jon's music. There was tons of chatter—so we know you were enjoying each other's company. We are listening to your feedback and will be designing the Friday nights to fit your pleasures.

Other progress—we have added ceramic bowls for the soups being consumed in-house. We didn't like using Styrofoam any more that you did. But we had a hard time finding bowls that were the correct sizes. They were either tiny or enormous. We will also now have access to some recycle-able bowls for carry-out. We'll shift them into the fold as soon as we run out of the Styrofoam.

We are constantly keeping our eyes out for café chairs at auctions as well as smaller 2-top tables. We know the plastic outdoor tables are not ideal. They are too wide to be able to have an intimate conversation—not to mention they are not completely flat, so drinks could spill easily. But anyone who has followed us from the beginning knows that we are doing this all without extending our credit lines further. We are totally "pay as you go" which means that our upgrades come as the cafe can afford them. By spring, we expect those tables to be reserved for outdoor use. We'll have several tables set up along the "arcade." This time of year the arcade becomes a wind tunnel and even on warm days is too chilly for comfortable dining. But come spring...

As I mentioned last week, I had ordered sushi lanterns to notify you when sushi is being served. Here is a photo Bruce took of ours being displayed. Thursday will be our main Sushi day.

This week is forecast to be bitterly cold. We will keep the temp warm inside and the coffee on. We have ordered some pump-style coffee carafes, which will mean no more cold coffee. Yea! I prefer to use Starbucks French Roast beans which we grind for each pot. We double filter the water so the taste is pure and non-chemicalized. We always provide real half & half, turbinado sugar, honey as well as white cane sugar and various artificial sweeteners. Do you want stevia as an option? Let us know.

The "came back treat" this week is cannoli filled with ricotta & cream cheese, sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with candied citron and fresh orange zest. I finally got to eat one Friday night. Wow! It deserves a cup of coffee and a few moments of concentrated TASTING! Bruce is much more skilled at using a pastry bag and is teaching me. Holy Moly! That's good. In case you are not aware of our "Came Back Treat," it is a creation only for those who make it in more than once a week. The items are not for sale. They are handed out free and are especially made as a "Thank you" to those who frequent us more-than-weekly.

Thank you for choosing our cafe for your lunch. We appreciate your feedback and want to be your number-one choice when it comes to eating lunch. We have loved getting to know you as you visit us. I am SOOO glad I had the kitchen built out front so I could meet you all, too.

See you soon!

Happy New Year!

My favorite action is "Start!" So starting the New Year is right up my alley. I've already started my new year's plan of simplify and reduce. Right now, anything that makes my life go a bit more smoothly is worth a second look. We are even looking for a part-time bookkeeper to keep us moving forward. If you can recommend one— please let us know. We already know about Lovely Mary Badiny—but does she even have time for one more client? We'll be checking!

We have had the pleasure of working with John Rapier while he was doing all the electrical work on the café remodel. I had met him many times over the years we've lived here but it was always in a social setting and we never got to spend much time conversing. Just about the time we were getting started on the café out of the trailer, John had closed his fresh seafood business in the wake of the Gulf oil spill. Quite a few people have told us what a wonderful chicken gumbo he made. Last week I got an email from another fan of his suggesting I get John to share that recipe so we could serve it in the café. John has generously agreed to do so. So starting on Monday I plan to serve John's Chicken Gumbo as this week's primary special. I have heard that John is a talented cook and look forward to feeding you a few of his key dishes.

The biggest news this week is the addition of Friday nights to the schedule. We are still kinda loose on the details, but the initial plan is to open Friday evening at 5pm. We'll have an appetizer portioned menu as well as serve one hefty full meal between 5 & 7 pm. Somewhere in there Jon will take over the stage and play a set or two of his original tunes as well as jazz standards. He plays a fine 7 string jazz guitar and, if I may say so myself, he is QUITE talented. We probably won't be open past 9pm— so don't dilly-dally getting there. After the first week, we'll probably have Jon MC and be the "opening act" while introducing you to more local, acoustic talent. We've already had several musicians tell us they want to perform in that space, so we look forward to getting to listen to some live music and getting to know you all in a less formal setting. (I know—lunch is hardly "formal" but it is FAST) Our hope is to have a place you can wind down after work and chill while knowing you are in a comfortable, happy space. We are applying immediately for a permit to allow you to BYOB beer and wine. Eventually, we will have a permit to sell, as well. Bruce and I are exploring tapas menu items and hope to take you on a few flavor journeys. It is all an experiment and we are counting on your feedback.

In fact this is the most important period for you to give us feedback. We want to be open when you are most likely to be there. We want to serve what you want to eat. So please take a few moments to comment on hours, dishes, music, etc.

Because I am so focused on this first Friday night's tapas menu, I haven't fully planned out specials this week beyond the gumbo. I know I'll add another item or two—so check out that "Flavor Journeys" board by the front door for updates.


I have also just ordered a couple of those paper red lanterns that hang outside of Sushi houses. My plan is to hang them by the door on the days we are serving sushi. That way, you'll know before you even get to the door that we have it available. Just to remind you, my plan is to serve sushi on Thursdays and Fridays.  I know it isn't QUITE so hard to get around here these days, but I'll try to please your palette in that regard as much as I can. Last week the Eel and Avocado was well received.

Bruce has been such a big help and we are grateful to have him around. Besides being a great friend, knowledgeable in restaurant management and a great cook, he is also a gifted photographer. You might have seen his floral portraits. Well, last week he took a few shots of the café as well as a shot of Jon and me.  I thought I'd share it with you.


Don't forget—if you are in a hurry, call in your order and we'll have it ready for pick-up or to eat in. The fastest items on our menu are the Tuscan Chicken Salad Sandwich- untoasted, the Guacamole Tacos, and any of our weekly specials. Keep that in mind if time gets tight.

That's it for this week. Hope we see you.
~~Susan