Zoom, zoom, zoom!!!!

As the momentum of spring picks up, we are being hurled along at lightning speed. It seems life is speeding up right along with it. Fortunately, Bruce is bringing in fresh flowers from his garden to share with you on the tables. Take a moment to appreciate the beautiful simplicity of flowers. Before you know it, the flowers will be done and just a memory.

We've got lots of areas to tell you about this week. Many upgrades and enhancements are afoot! If you were here Friday night, you got to hear the new sound system. Jon is our resident sound man and he is thrilled with the new upgrades. This coming Friday is Open Mic Night and all is set up to make it easy for anyone to simply plug in and play. If you have an itch to perform or know of someone you'd like to hear, please let us in on your secret! We want to keep you entertained as well as well fed. Our special thanks go out to Cody Mustion for installing the new speakers! Yeah, Cody!!!

Attention Vegetarians!! We are really making an effort to provide you with quality meals you'll embrace. In addition to the egg salad sandwiches and guacamole tacos we've already had, we have added spinach salad, garden salad, stir-fried veggies and brown rice, a grilled veggie sandwich and a baby artichoke and eggplant sandwich.  Please help us to get the word out to other vegetarians in the area. If you are a carnivore, you can add chicken, salmon or trout to the spinach or garden salad for an additional charge.

Bruce has been busy creating some new in-house pickles. Many of you are pickle fans and know that they are not only tasty, they are good for you. He has created two varieties thus far—a sweet/sour one and a dill one. Both are refrigerator pickles. They are made from sliced cucumbers and are served in our "fruit" cups. An order is $ 0.75. Give them a try. I think you'll be delighted.

We are teaming up wth the Avenue Theater to offer you "dinner and a show". We are open at 5pm on Friday nights. Plenty of time for you to get a nice dinner before attending a 7pm show. If you show us your tickets for a show that night, we'll give you 10% off your meal. This works for Civic Center, and Glass Sword shows, as well. Often, we have reservations for later but between 5 and 6pm we are usually fairly quiet and can get you fed quickly. I do encourage you to let us know ahead so we prepare adequate food for all and have it ready early.

We are targeting some of our marketing toward office lunches. We've all had to attend luncheon meetings and usually the fare is pretty boring! We want to change that.  We are in the process of putting together a standardized catering menu. It will include salads that can feed a crowd as well as some of our signature sandwiches like Tuscan chicken salad, egg salad, guacamole tacos and maybe even the Romans. You'll be able to simply call up and say, "I need a Greek salad with chicken that will feed 4, 6, or 8." It'll come in a disposable/ recyclable aluminum pan with dressing on the side and a pair of tongs plus paper plates and plastic silverware. As long as you order enough for 4 or more of one item, you'll get special pricing. Instead of $5.99/pp (per person), it'll be as low as $4.50/pp and not higher than $5.50/pp. We'll need some lead time. We can take your order as early as 8:00 am and no later that 9:30am for that day's lunch. With an order for 8 or more, you'll get a plate of cookies, too.

Did you know that we have special parking for to-go order pick-up?  You can park at the foot of our back stairs and come in our back door. (Our stairs are the wooden ones) What are you waiting for? Tell your office manager. If you pay ahead by phone, or are paying by check, we'll even meet you at the car and deliver it to you. This might be handy in rainy weather.

Did you also know that we are happy to take your call-in order for eating here OR to-go? If you are in a tight time constraint, call your order in and we'll have it ready when you get here. Our order line is 417-505-0302. You can also call to get the daily special update and park nearby in the parking lot between Bank of America's drive-thru bank and the end of the Arcade.

Just today, I placed an order for 8 new 2-top tables. I can hardly wait! They should arrive this week, sometime.Your continued support is allowing us to take the baby steps we need in order to grow. The chairs are next. As the weather improves, we'll be bringing the round tables outside and adding umbrellas. You should be able to see a courtyard developing with potted plants and an inviting atmosphere. So much more aesthetic than a used car lot!!! (If you are a new customer, you might have missed our food trailer location on Broadway.)

Now to this week's flavor journeys—
Monday~ antipasto salad (Italian beef {similar to corned beef}, red onion, swiss cheese, tomato, black olives, bell pepper and pasta with a tangy worchestershire/ lemon-based dressing.) Linguine with white clam sauce  and baby artichoke/ eggplant sandwich. Chicken Noodle Soup.
Tuesday~ Vietnamese Tamales with red curry sauce. Antipasto salad, baby artichoke sandwiches, chicken noodle soup.
Wednesday~Butternut squash soup, baked raspberry chicken with garlic new potatoes and side salad.
Thursday~ Thai chicken noddle salad over mixed greens, ham & portabella quiche, butternut squash soup.
Friday~Lunch—Ginger chicken lettuce wrap, Miso soup
Dinner—Chicken and Artichoke pasta; Teriyaki Salmon strips with stir-fried rice. Includes side salad.

There you have it! We hope to see you this week. You are what makes us succeed. Thank you.

Forsythias, redbuds and dogwoods! Oh my!



redbuds in our yard

 Oh, I love this time of year. Everywhere you turn there is a delight for the eyes. I especially get a thrill of returning flowers from trees and perennials. They are like old friends dropping by to add a touch of joy to your day. All too fleetingly they will go away. But while here, these raise your soul a touch, swell your nostrils with a glorious scent  and add color to a landscape that has been well...colorless.

It is also the start of a season of flavor explorations using as many local sources as we can get our hands on. I love finding new sources, new flavors, new textures and sizzles to the tongue.

We are having a blast! We started this adventure quite scared. It's not like we had never started a business before. We have. Several. But we have never done so where it was so vital that we make it pay from the very beginning. You ask most people and you will hear that the restaurant business is not a low risk game. So we have been VERY cautious. We have not used credit lines. We have paid for everything as we went along. That is why we still have plastic tables. But there have been a few upgrades as we have moved forward. The most recent upgreades were to the music system. Phil Orlikowski generously donated a PA system and older speakers. We traded the speakers in to get new smaller ones more appropriate to our venue size. We hope to have them properly hung by next weekend.

We recently added new blackboards for our specials. Thanks again to Bill O. for his efforts. If I can get a quiet moment I'll be able to fill out the new larger blackboards to fill the wall above the kitchen—easy to read, yet changeable as our menu chages during the seasons.

Our next upgrade will likely be new tables. We plan to replace the round outdoor ones with smaller 2-top ones that can be moved together or apart, as needed. This will allow us to seat more parties during the lunch hour and give us more flexibility. Plus we'll be wanting to move the round tables outside so you can dine al fresco.

I am tweaking the desserts. I got a bit of feedback and here is what I learned—during lunch you want simple tasty desserts but at dinner you want lavish ones that make breaking your rules worthwhile. I'll see what I can do about that. We've already planned tiramisu and panna cotta with pinola brittle for Friday night. Lunch will be more pedestrian—like the apple pie or strawberries, whipped cream and angelfood cake. So, I am not committing yet for the weekday desserts. But you'll LOVE the Friday night ones.

Here's this week's flavor journeys—

Monday~ trout ceviche served over a slaw with chips; also Reuben sandwiches
Tuesday~wood-fired tilapia and shrimp tamales with pineapple salsa and blackbeans; also egg salad sandwiches
Wednesday~Grilled Veggie Sandwiches~Zucchini, Red peppers and red onions grilled and served on our Roman bun with feta and a mayo based lemon dressing. Watch out!!!!
Thursday~ Curried chicken crepes with a side of fruit; also 1905 salad from the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa
Friday~Baby Artichoke salad; also stir-fried veggies over brown rice
Dinner~Entree #1 Linguine with white clam sauce. Served with a side salad and garlic bread
Entree #2 Macadamia Nut crusted trout with stir-fried veggies and rice
Friday desserts~ Tiramisu and Panna cotta with pinola brittle

Friday nights are becoming such a joy. We look forward to each one—even though it means a 14 hour day for us. The trout seems to be a hit and I am changing the way I serve it each week. I don't want you getting bored. Plus my pasta is usually the second entree and I am changing it each week as well. I know I can count on your feedback to give me direction.

New "comeback treat" this week. It's a secret.

An explosion of energy! Spring!

Don't you just love the energy this time of year? You can just see the buzz unfolding each day. I always feel like the daylight savings jumps leap-frog us into the next season. So now, once again, the sun has not risen when I leave for work but it is still up long enough when I get home to remind me of all the yard work not yet addressed.

I have not yet learned to master the art of juggling cafe, Mom and home plus the other affiliations of which I've been a part for the last several years. I have been clearing the decks, so I can focus on issues closer to home. I have always felt it was important to give back to the community and have usually been a board member on some non-profit organization or other for the last 15+ years. Time for a break from that while working to strengthen our cafe's customer base.

We have had several people comment on our pricing. So I thought I'd share my thoughts. Yes, I know that the Friday night dinner is reasonably priced. Perhaps less than you would find elsewhere. We would prefer to keep prices such that you can be with us regularly, rather than having to save up! Besides, you want to have enough money left over for our "from-scratch" desserts. We know that you appreciate quality ingredients and we make that a priority. Occasionally, you will see something priced a bit higher. But for now we are content with the $10/12 range for Friday night dinners. However, as the price of gasoline and transportation increases, you might even find we are able to save you more by using locally sourced ingredients.

With the change of seasons we expect to have a more diverse availability of produce. I think we startled a few last week when we introduced several new things at once. Too many choices! We introduced the Trout Roman Sandwich that has wood-fired Rockbridge Rainbow trout, wasabi mayonnaise, tomato and spicy sprouts on our toasted Roman bun.  We also brought back the organic spinach salad and the real Caesar salad. Each salad can be enhanced with the addition of chicken, salmon, trout or shrimp— all wood-fired and smokey. We have other salads and sandwiches in the wings while you get used to these.

This week will include the St. Patrick's Day Dinner on Thursday night. We have fully booked reservations so it should be a full house. Thankfully, with Bruce's guidance, we are getting "feeding a crowd" down to a fairly smooth operation.

Watch for daffodils on the table this week. They come from Bruce's huge flower garden tended by Gordon Johnston. Speaking of Gordon, he and CD Scott are bringing their unique brand of hillbilly soul to À La Carte Café. This will be their first appearance as a duo, but these guys have played together for years as part of The Hellbenders. While not "unplugged" exactly, the decibel level will be greatly reduced as they apply their distinctive angelic harmonies and devilish instrumental skills to a set list of trippy folk rock featuring original tunes, Van Morrison classics, and more. CD Scott, guitar & vocals and Gordon Johnston, keyboards & vocals. So don't pass up this opportunity for a special musical experience. It'll be interesting to see what happens on Friday as the HEllbenders play here and the HIllbenders play at the Civic Center. There are bound to be a few confused souls.

Friday nights have certainly picked up. I'll order that trout again this week. I am planning in serving it baked and stuffed with portabellas, spinach and spring onions. It'll be accompanied by a rice pilaf and side salad.

The pasta dish—well, we have that lovely pesto made from fresh basil, garlic, walnuts, olive oil and Parmesan. I'll toss the pasta with the pesto and add in grilled fresh spring veggies—asparagus, peas, spring onions and mushrooms. Garlic bread and a side salad will accompany.

We are phasing out soups for a while. They just aren't moving as the weather warms up. But I am also planning on making sure we ALWAYS have 2 dessert choices available.

This week's menu—
Monday~ Featuring the Real Caesar Salad and the Organic Spinach Salad (with wood-fired shrimp.) You can add meat/fish to up your protein. I'll have apple pie as well as carrot cake for dessert.

Tuesday~Italian Tamales with orzo. This strange sounding combination was a hit a few weeks ago. The tamales are hand-built and tasty.

Wednesday~Thai chicken with peanut sauce over noodles and greens. This is a chilled salad. Also featuring the Roman Trout Sandwich. Plan on Angel food/ fruit parfait for dessert.

Thursday~ Spring Veggie Crepes with onion cream sauce. Organic Spinach Salad with wood-fired salmon.

Friday~Lunch: Reuben Sandwich—Corned beef and sauerkraut on grilled rye with Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese.

~Dinner—Entree #1  Fresh Rainbow trout stuffed with spring veggies and baked. Rice pilaf and salad.
Entree #2 Pesto Pasta Primavera, salad and garlic toast.

Importance of local sourcing



morels as they are found

Do you sometimes feel that your choices in food options are controlled by large food congolomerates? Unless you are sourcing your food locally, you are! Wish there were fresher ingredients? Shop locally! As the gardening season shapes up, you can make those choices now for what you want to see in your garden and on your table. If you grow your own plants from seed you can go so far as to enjoy heirloom varieties. Ever wonder why you don't see some of the more exotic varieties on the grocery shelves? It is primarily because those varieties are more tender. That translates to shorter shelf life and more loss due to shipping long distances. Therefore, you will most likely see the tender varieties in your own garden or the farmers' market. One of my first experiences with that was while living in Florida. While south Florida can grow cantaloupes year around, the variety "ambrosia" is not shipped. It has very deep ribs and a tender skin and bruises easily. But the flavor!!!! Wow! The flavor was significantly sweeter and MUCH juicier. The same thing happens here with tomatoes, peppers, peaches, melons, etc. 
By sourcing locally FIRST, you are investing in the local economy and keeping the money in the region. We are slowly building our local sources and hope to have a dedicated group of local suppliers who can, together, keep us in a fresh supply. Do you know any local chemical free growers? Will you be participating in the community garden? If so, please let me know when you have a bumper crop!  I'll be looking for fresh peas, spring onions, carrots, lettuces, spinach, herbs, peppers, squashes, melons, corn, etc. Many of those come later in the year and from many sources simultaneously. I am first supporting Maranatha Farm's organic produce. Mary and Skip have done much to help promote our business and I am delighted to use their produce as much as we can. They have many long-time customers who get their orders as a first priority. I totally understand that and realize we'll have to look beyond them as a supplier, at times. That's where you might help. Please keep your eyes open for such.

Right now I would love to get my hands on local fiddleheads (fern fronds just as they come out of the ground), local morels and other edible mushrooms (must be clearly edible varieties), pea shoots (the new plants' fresh sprouts) and other wild local foods and herbs. Foragers? START!!!!

As we move into the salad seasons and away from the soup seasons, we'll be expanding your salad options and phasing out the hot soups. Last week we served real Caesar salads. If you think Caesar dressing is creamy and comes from a bottle, you haven't experienced the real deal. In actual fact, the real Caesar dressing contains fresh egg, worchestershire, mustard, wine vinegar and lemon juice and very little else. The croutons are made fresh from the oil the garlic is toasted in. To that are added anchovies and capers. Shaved parmesan  and garlic chips top it all. We are adding it to our everyday menu. It will be available alone, or with wood-fired chicken, wood-fired wild caught Alaskan salmon, wood-fired gulf shrimp or even wood-fired fresh Rockbridge trout.

We are also putting the spinach salad back on the menu. Maranatha Farm's organic spinach is the best place to start. To that we are adding hard-boiled local free-range eggs, red onion, roasted red peppers (we do our own), cajun seasoned pecans and feta. The dressing is a sesame vinaigrette or choose another favorite from our in-house made dressings. Like on the Caesar salad, you can add wood-fired chicken, wood-fired salmon, wood-fired trout or wood-fired shrimp. Holy Moly! We are having fun now!

The Roman Sandwich I added a couple of weeks ago has been well received. We have increased the volume of meat and added a larger size. The larger one gets 1.5 times the meat of the smaller one. In case you missed it, we are making a Roman bun that has chopped onion baked into it. We toast it, add coarse mustard, cheddar, Monterray jack, ham, hard salami and genoa salami. That goes into the toaster oven. When it comes out we add chopped black olives, tomato and spicy sprouts. They are served with a bag of potato chips. I think you will like it. Several people have told me it is their new favorite.

I am truly excited to add Rockbridge Trout Ranch to our list of local suppliers. Often, farm-raised means serious compromises are made in the rearing of the fish. Not so at Rockbridge. Each egg is hand fertilized and the fish are hand fed with high quality feed. The trout ranchers really brag about the quality of the feed they provide. As the fry grow, their home then becomes Spring Creek where they are getting fresh water constantly. We got our first order in time to serve it Friday night. Eight orders sold out by 6:15. I missed out getting to eat some of  the first batch. We cooked more at home. The trout was the most tender I have ever had. We took the rest of our order of 20 fillets and wood-fired them with the salmon, chicken, tilapia and shrimp. I think you will be over-joyed to add this taste sensation to your palate.

Okay—now we are OVER THE TOP!!! How about that wood-fired trout on the Roman bun with wasabi mayonnaise, tomato and spicy sprouts. Yeowza!  $7.50 with choice of chips or fruit.

Vegetarians take note!! We are going to add a dish of brown rice and wood-fired portabellas with stir fried fresh veggies to the menu. The only salt will be that in the rice. We'll provide raw soy sauce, too. You can add tofu for a bit more protein. Meat-eaters may wish to add the wood-fired options—chicken, salmon, trout or shrimp. $5.99/ tofu add .75/chicken add 2.50/shrimp or salmon add 3.50/trout add 4.00

This week's flavor journeys—
Monday~ stir-fried chicken with pineapple, pine nuts and mung sprouts over brown rice.$6.25 Soup: chicken noodle 3.49/4.99/5.59 Salad: Spinach and Caesar (see above)

Tuesday~ It's Mardi Gras!!!!! Shrimp and grits plus side of fruit $6.25   Also Caribbean tamales $6.25 Soup~Red Beans and rice with boudin sausage(of course) 3.49/4.99/5.59  Salad: Spinach and Caesar (see above)

Wednesday~Egg Salad Sandwich—local free-range eggs star in this mixture. We add tomato and sprouts and a side of fresh fruit. $6.25 Soup~Red beans and rice.Salad: Spinach and Caesar (see above)

Thursday~Vegetable quiche—onion, zucchini, tomato, red pepper w/side of fruit 6.25 Soup~Portabella/Brie 3.49/4.99/5.59 Salad: Spinach and Caesar (see above)

Friday~Lunch—Wood-fired trout & marscapone omelet with side of fruit $6.75 Salad: Spinach and Caesar (see above) Dinner—Entree#1 Pan-fried trout and oven-roasted potatoes with side salad $12.00; Entree # 2 Chicken Pasta Alfredo with side salad and bread  $10.00

Desserts this week—
            Angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream   $4
            Key Lime Pie $4
            Pavlova with fresh fruit and whipped cream $4
Have a lovely week. We look forward to seeing you in our space.