Almost Spring inspiration

You know how when you are really looking forward to something, you wish you had the power to distort time. Maybe work some kind of deal—like spring sooner now in exchange for a slightly earlier fall. I know darn well that time is not going to speed up OR slow down at my whim. In fact, I know that time is likely to zip by even faster than I am ready for it to, right now. But I sure do look forward to spring.

We've lived here 11 years. With the exception of 8 years in Nashville, we've lived pretty far south. In those parts, spring is early and quite sudden. In Florida, fall and spring happen only about a week apart in late January. That's the spread between when the leaves that do fall, fall and the new growth sprouts as leaves. Here...it slowly unwraps. It is like a glorious, seductive dance. To me we are in phase II. We are past phase I—the skunks. Phase II is when the storms start and the rain comes and the fields start to turn green— but before the flowers and bushes start their show. It is when I find my awareness of my surroundings picks up and I am tuned into the possibility of inspiration. I am LOOKING for things to celebrate.

You may have noticed I brought cuttings in from the garden to put on the tables. To most it probably looks like I just brought in a bunch of sticks. Huh? Well those are forsythia stems. They've been kept in water since they were brought up about a week ago. In that time they have begun to sprout green leaves and I am pretty certain that by the end of the week there will be a few blooms. ( Just MY attempt at controlling time.)

We've been trying a few new dishes lately, which is always fun for us all. The first is a new sandwich that I am calling the Roman Sandwich. It's name comes from the name of the bread I'm making for it. The Roman bun has onion baked right into the dough and it is quite light. The remaining ingredients might make you think it is a substituski or something similar. With ham and two kinds of salami plus cheddar, monterrey jack, mustard, black olives, red onion, tomato and choice of spicy sprouts or lettuce, it is a tasty, tasty sandwich served warm from the toaster oven. We'll have it in two sizes: a 4" bun(small) and a 5" bun(regular).
small w/ chips 5.99  regular w/chips 6.99

The other new treat was created in desperation. But Man, oh man!!!!We had run out of the wood-fired tilapia Tuesday afternoon and did not have time to get more done for Wednesday because we had a good sized catering gig. I was about to put a sign on the board saying "sorry, no fish tacos today" when Bruce asked me if we still had frozen salmon. When I replied "yes", he suggested blackened salmon tacos with pineapple salsa. We did them as both blackened and directly cooked and also wood-fired and stirred up. The consensus was the wood-fired version with its distinctive smokey flavor was the most loved. So be it. We are making the pineapple salsa fresh daily, just like we do our guacamole, tomato salsa and cilantro lime slaw. Ask for the Salmon Tacos next time you are in. Their full name, if on a fancy high faluttin' menu would be "Wild caught Alaskan Salmon, woodfired on oak, served with a fresh pineapple salsa on a pair of double, fresh soft corn tortillas. Presented with a side of fresh, in-season, hand-chopped fruit." At $6.75 is it a filling meal.

We are now growing our own spicy sprouts. If you are a sprout fan, you'll rejoice at this offering. Sometimes they are called zesty sprouts. They are the sprouts of radish, onion, mustards, clover etc. They defininetly have a zing to them. A very fresh zing. You are welcome to request the spicy sprouts any time in lieu of the regular alfalfa aprouts.

We are having a St. Patrick's Day dinner on March 17th at 6pm. There will be one sitting only. Tom and Renee will entertain us with penny whistle and Irish tunes. Bruce has put together a delightful menu. It features all your typical Irish ingredients—corned beef, potatoes, cabbage. But he is presenting them with a much more contempory style that captures all the flavors in a more delicate manner. Here is his menu—
First Course~Cheese & Guinness Fondue
Salad Course~Watercress Salad ~w~ Guinness & Oil Dressing
Entrée~Oven Roasted Mustard and Brown Sugar Encrusted Corned Beef
     Served ~w~ Garlic Jelly Glazed Baby Red’s and Carrots
     & Oven Roasted Cabbage
Dessert Course~Bailey’s Irish Crème Cake ~w~ Crème Fresh
$15/person: reservations required and a maximum of 30 reservations. We have already begun to take reservations.

This week—

• Monday~ Antipasto Salad; Soup~hot & sour Thai chicken soup
• Tuesday~Tamale Tuesday~Black bean and wood-fired chicken tamale with salsa verde and avocado and verde sauce. Served with Spanish rice.$6.25 Posole~ Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew
• Wednesday~Trout almandine with rice pilaf and fresh asparagus. $7.50 Soup~ Potato Leek.
• Thursday~Traditional Caesar salad with wood-fired salmon or chicken  $6.75 Soup~Black Bean
• Friday~Lunch: Ham & asparagus crepes with hollandaise Dinner~ Wood-fired trout crepes with baby red potatoes and fresh asparagus topped with a lemon dill sauce.$12 Beef and ricotta stuffed manicotti with side salad $10
• Desserts to watch for this week~ tiramisu, panna cotta and pavlovas

The entertainment this week will be the monthly "First Friday Open Mic." If you know someone who would like to play for us, please check in with Jon. He is doing the line-up. Because our venue is small we are asking for volume that is space-appropriate. It is the intimacy that everyone appreciates. Come listen, come eat, come visit with friends. Just come!

Aah! The smell of skunks in the air! Spring is near by

Truly, one of the first harbingers of spring is the smell of dead amorous skunks. It not only reminds us that spring is VERY close but that love can be dangerous. Nature has it so perfectly timed to occur a week after Valentine's Day. Ironic, eh? I think I counted close to 30 of these love casualties on the road yesterday between Thayer and Springfield. I am pretty sure I noticed more of the white with black stripe variety this year. Or maybe the white stripes were just much wider. The fur was longer too. Makes sense when you think how cold this winter has been. Maybe the heavier coat slowed them down.

Are you ready for a continuation of a warm up? I am! It was quite thrilling to put tables outside, at last. As long as the wind isn't brutal, the spot in front of the windows can be quite comfortable.

A couple of updates for you—

• We are now making our own yogurt. It is the primary ingredient in the Tzatziki sauce on the gyros.
• I have made a new dressing option—Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• We now have a suggestion box where you can leave your ideas. We hope you will use it.
• We now have a sign-up list for getting our weekly emails about the specials. Check near the register.
• We are working on a new sandwich using our own buns. We may need you to test it out. Samples this week.
• We are growing our own spicy sprouts. This gives you an option in sprouts—alfalfa or spicy. The spicy sprouts have mustard, clover, radish, and onion in the mix. Kicky! 
• I've been experimenting in various bread options. Watch for them.

This Friday night Renee and Tom will join us for lovely saxaphone and guitar. This duo enchanted us a few weeks ago and packed the house. Plan now to make this Friday evening one to share with us. You won't be disappointed.

Now onto this week's menu—
Monday: White chicken chili, Italian Shrimp Salad.
Tuesday: Tamale Tuesday— Vietnamese Chicken Tamales with red curry and fried rice. Soup is Tom Ka Kai—the coconut chicken soup
Wednesday : French onion soup
Thursday: Sausage and mushroom quiche with soup or side salad; French onion soup
Friday: Lunch: Miso soup, cucumber salad and Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
     Dinner: Pad Thai or beef and pepper mastacciolli (Italian casserole)

We are having so much fun creating new dishes for you. As you may have heard, it is one of my personal missions to expand your palate. At A La Carte Café, we make trying new flavors an adventure. We use as many fresh, local ingredients as we can find. Sometimes we make an ingredient run to Springfield or St. Louis just so we can have the authentic flavors. We hope you are enjoying the flavor journeys. So far, the response has been encouraging.

As the season evolves you can expect more salads and sandwiches and fewer soups. Let me know your favorites. We are planning on adding locally made pickles to our sandwich plates. Do you have favorites? We might even make them ourselves. I didn't grow up eating pickles, so I am somewhat slow to come around to this ubiquitous inhabiter of sandwich plates. Be sure to share your pickle thoughts! What makes a good pickle to you? Are you an adventurous pickle eater or only like one or two varieties?

I was delighted to get the feedback from several of you last week. If you missed the ceviche, fear not. It will return. Bruce's Kapusta soup got rave reviews and disappeared sooooo fast. The quiches are being well received. They will continue—especially since we will have farm fresh eggs, once again. I am now making my pie crusts from scratch. My Home Ec teacher would be so proud!

If you didn't try the over-the-top Blueberry Bread Pudding, you missed a truly decadent dessert. Also the Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie got lots of attention. I'll bring those back. (The Mayan part is the chili in the chocolate.)

Thank you for making A La Carte Café one of your lunch options. We appreciate each visit you make. You are helping to make our dream come true. Thank you.

Now THIS is more like it!!!!



April flowers in my garden


Spring Anticipation Week Begins NOW!

All RIGHT! Now it feels like we are in the home stretch on winter. I have no doubt that Mother Nature has a few more tricks up her sleeve but at least we can now feel hopeful that the worst is over. The forecast this week doesn't even have a low below freezing. I'm dancing!!!!

As one who has lived in the Ozarks for only 11 years, I still get a thrill out of watching the long anticipatory build-up toward spring. For me, the first real signal that winter is languishing and spring is next is the smell of skunks—usually dead ones in the middle of the road. I got my first whiff today. Come on, spring!!!!!

Watch the front window for Forsythia blooms as I am doing cuttings for forcing. Which day will have the first blooms? Come see.

From the very beginning I have always envisioned our place as a sidewalk cafe. While we were in the trailer it was easier to get the idea across—even if we were next to a used car lot. Over the cold months my vision was primarily a personal one. Now that the weather is abating, we can put a few tables outside. We know how much you enjoyed being able to dine al fresco and we want to keep that ambiance. That was one of the major decision points when we chose to be on the Square—having space for outdoor tables. You will still place your orders at the register, but we should be able to bring your food out to you. It'll give you time to soak up some Vitamin D while ingesting good nutrition and yummy flavors. Kind of a mini-vacation during your workweek.

So—to the islands we go. One of my favorite warm weather lunches is ceviche (pronounced say-vee'-chay.) This week's version features jumbo shrimp, bay scallops and wild-caught Alaskan halibut. The citrus juices "cook" the seafood, transforming its translucent nature to opaque and creating the molecular changes that technically make it a cooked food. It'll be accented with fresh red, green and jalapeno peppers, cilantro and red onion. We'll serve it in a martini glass with tortilla chips and a side of fresh fruit. This will be available on Monday and Tuesday.


Did you notice the switch in our fresh fruit? As the season moves along we change with the seasonal availablility of various fruits. Currently apples, mangoes, and blood oranges make up the fruit cups. We'll move along to the Florida strawberries as they come into season.

Vegetarians— heads up!!! We've been making our own hummus for a while and have usually only offered it at night on Friday. We now will have it available periodically during the week. We serve it with a variety of crisp vegetables and pita points.

Bruce made an awesome soup on Friday called Kapusta. It is a Ukrainian dish that uses pork country-style ribs that are braised until "melt-in-your-mouth" softness along with fresh cabbage and broth. We'll serve it on Monday, in case you missed it...or want another dose.

Another special item for Monday will be some turkey and spinach crepes. I love crepes and I never see them made around here. I make them from scratch (most food places buy them ready-made) and get to use those gorgeous farm-fresh eggs. We'll serve them up with a side of fresh fruit.

Tuesday brings Tamale Tuesday! This week we are going with a warm weather theme and doing a shrimp and tilapia tamale served over a pineapple mango puree and topped with a mango salsa. It'll have you dreaming of the islands in no time!!! Cue the Ska music!!!

Even though the weather will be warmer it is time to bring along the white chicken chili again so you can get your fix. I get many requests for this each week. I am listening!! If you have missed it thus far, you may not know it starts with Jon's wood-fired chicken, has white navy beans, Hatch chilis and lots of fresh onions and garlic. It has a warmth that doesn't burn.

Another option for you veggie-oriented people, we have marinated mozzarella. We pair those itty bitty mozzarella balls with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and serve it with some slices of bread.

Wednesday brings the white chicken chili along for a second day. Plus we'll add an Asian sirloin salad. This salad starts with bitter greens like arugula and spinach plus romaine. We top it with red onion, Roma tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, roasted  peppers, and slices of grilled sirloin steak. The dressing is an Oriental sesame.  I'm planning on making a carrot cake for dessert.

Thursday we'll have turkey, onion and spinach quiche plus side salad. I make it all from scratch and use lots of ingredients. There is nothing wimpy about this quiche—sliced turkey, onion, spinach, red pepper, Swiss cheese, 4 eggs and cream. You get one sixth of the pie.

We'll also have stuffed bell peppers with a side of orzo salad. It is beef-based and one of Bruce's contributions. I am also making a soup called meatball, pecorino and greens soup. It uses veal to make the meatballs and the greens are Maranatha Farm organic kale.

The week continues to warm up and on Friday for lunch we'll have the meatball soup again. I'll add a shrimp and avocado quesadilla to continue the tropical flavors.

Friday night I am planning a lemon mustard pork chop with squash and veggie couscous. The second entree will be Italian Shrimp Salad. Many of you enjoyed it last summer. It is a lemony rice-based salad with lots of chopped shrimp, parsley and a bit of mustard. It is a pretty filling salad, yet, oh so light.

For desserts we'll have Blueberry Bread Pudding, Carrot Cake and Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie.

I think I have covered every possible scenario. No excuses for not making it in this week—something fabulous every day. Plus you'll be wanting to check out those Forsythia blooms.

Enough with the snow, already!!!!

This weather has been insane! I know each of you has been affected in some way, so I'll stop my whining. But REALLY!!!!

The good news is that even if we are unable to put total predictability into your lunch we can at least tell you that when you come in, you'll walk out full, warm and happy. That is a promise—even if we are not sure each day whether we will be open. Call to be sure before you venture out—505-0302

All week we'll have our red tableclothes on the tables to help remind you that Valentine's Day is just around the corner—next Monday. It is so easy to get caught up in the rush of life that taking a few moments out to let your Honey know you really appreciate them can easily get overlooked. Please make it a priority. We had hoped to plan a Valentine's dinner but decided that we are not as prepared this year as we would like to be.We are still looking at getting that beer and wine license. (If you know someone who would like to purchase one of my quilts, it will go a long way toward getting that license.) and BTW—my hand-dyed silk scarves make lovely Valentine's gifts.

I am having a grand time choosing and cooking your lunches each week. Bruce has added his take on what tastes good. Everyone benefits. This week we'll adhere pretty much to comfort foods that will stick to your ribs and keep your insides warm. Bruce has made an awesome Minestrone and Tuesday will feature a new batch of the Italian Tamales. The flavors say Italian, the look says Latin. Your tummy will figure it out. We served this last Friday night and the response was terrific.

Assuming we can get in Monday, I have a great potato, smoked sausage and cabbage soup that is a family favorite.

For Friday evening we are looking at 2 main entrees. The first is a Ukrainian dish that Bruce brings to the table. It features ribs that are braised until very soft. We'll surprise you with these flavors. Also we discovered that Blood Oranges are in season and we'll do a salmon with Blood Orange Salsa. If the weather holds, they will start out wood-fired.
Are you ready for some more chicken and sausage gumbo? John Rapier shared his recipe last month and I've doctored it slightly to my way of doing things. We sold out each day we had it. I'm thinkng Wednesday--assuming we can get there. The week's weather forecast is so bizarre.

Most of you know that prior to opening the cafe, I had never cooked in a restaurant environment. I had done some catering and lots of private parties, but nothing where I planned, prepped and cooked in volume every day. So, as our volume has increased, our purchasing of ingredients in larger quantities has expanded. You have no idea what a thrill it is to have a 50 lb. bag of yellow onions just awaiting some creativity. For me it is like having a new box of 64 crayons—or better yet, 120 colored pencils. Bruce used up 7+ lbs in just the last batch of French onion soup. I now buy my flours in 50 lb sacks. Oh, Momma! We still purchase our produce daily and plan to continue to do so.

We've put the Pesto Chicken Sandwich on the menu full-time now. Now that I have a year-round source for fresh basil, I can make it as needed. The sandwich is made on our fresh in-house breads. It begins with a nice smear of pesto and some slices of Jon's wood-fired chicken. To that we add Provolone cheese, slices of tomato and avocado and then finished with the crunch of some alfalfa sprouts.

One of my favorite benefits of being in the food game is getting to buy cookbooks. I have been on a buying binge and got several geared toward "Small Bites."  One of the recipes I found is "Meatball and pecorino soup with greens and carmelized onions." Doesn't even the name sound yummy? The meat balls are tiny and made from veal. The greens will be Mary Badini's organic kale. Pecorino is a Romano cheese, similar to Parmesan. I'm not sure when this week we'll serve it. We are having to coordinate with Mary and the weather to bring it to you.

Until the last week or so, I have been planning on a couple of "flavor journeys" per week. Since so many of you are coming multiple times per week, we decided that simply keeping the same specials all week might bore you. So I am now changing the flavor journeys several times per week. I am also listening to you regarding lower calorie options. As spring approaches, watch for many new salads and veggie choices.

Now I have a survey question for you. If we had more protein-rich items available in the morning, would you be likely to visit us for breakfast? If so, what time? Do you want quiche? Smoothies? So far I have prepared muffins a couple of times a week and often they are purchased by you at lunch time. How important is it to you for us to be open and serving breakfast items? Did you know we open currently at 8:00 am? We are here anyway doing prep and it would be easy to expand this area of our service.If muffins don't tickle your fancy, what does?