Solstice Approaches, Holidays Abound

This Friday night will be our last time being open this year. We'll re-open on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013. Friday night will mark the solstice—the longest night of the year. There is something reassuring about knowing that the nights will once again be getting shorter and the days longer.  As the Mayan calendar draws to a close, many say new eras of cooperation and inspiration are ahead. As an eternal optimist (you HAVE to be one to be an entrepeneur) I like the idea of us all working together to create a future that is mutually beneficial. I hope the fiscal cliff is averted and everyone can take a deep breath, perhaps sigh a bit and cleanse the lungs and soul of the heaviness of the last few weeks. I can't help but think that 2013 will offer new opportunities to bloom as an individual and I look forward to them. I've already started my resolutions, which will include setting enough money aside early to get to Florida to visit my kids and grandkids next winter. This  winter still holds promise of a visit, but next year FOR SURE! In the meantime, I am resolving to really establish relationships with my grandkids, even by long distance. With Skype, kids with their own cell phones, and instant messaging, there is no excuse not too.

The last few weeks have had their challenges. We were repeatedly caught short-handed by unpredicted hospital visits/stays by 2 staff members as well as having close family members hospitalized. Tunnel-vision and a knowledge that "this, too shall pass" kept us on-track and focused. But Jon and I are both physically and mentally exhausted. As much as I enjoy this game we are playing, I have never been in such need for some time off. Sadly, much of that time off will be spent doing the things that were bypassed in the last year. But a few days with blessed naps will heal many an ailment and a weary heart.

My personal favorite week of the year is that week between Chirstmas and New Years. I try to find an extended period of quiet to look over my last year's actions and to plan out the new year. As a company we will be working harder to develop consistant lunch-time business. As much of our existing customer base comes from local businesses in the area, we'll work to strengthen those connections. Our dinner-time business has continued to build— primarily through word of mouth. While I am personally quite proud of growing that way, we may need to find ways to make it even stronger. The addition of beer and wine sales has certainly helped our overall volume. Hopefully we'll be able to identify a few more upscale wines that our customers appreciate and add them into our inventory. Knowledge of beers and wines has been a big learning curve for myself. I am gradually learning but still at the point of having to rely on others' opinions. Our first beer tasting was a lovely success and we hope to provide more of them as well as wine tastings. So much to learn!

The major catering events are now behind us (whew!) and this week will nicely wind down. I am tickled to say that we'll close out with a bang by having Vinnie Ray and Thom Hoglen join us for music Friday night. I have St. Louis style pork ribs with the Japanese spices as our flavor Journey.

The turkey and black vultures have still not arrived in Thayer. I can only guess that the warmer temps have reduced their urgency to leave their usual summer haunts. I miss seeing them stacked up hundreds of feet in the sky before they settle in for the night. They are nearly a month late. One of my father's greatest joys was watching them and even mimicking them by dancing with his arms stretched out. I come from a long line of bird watchers. My grandmother would take me on audubon hikes as a kid, teaching me the calls and exhibiting real joy when adding another lifer to her list. Since we lived in Texas and she in Ontario, the new lifers were common on our treks, though our time together was very limited.

I'll start the week out with a new soup. I am calling it "red velvet veggie" because it is made from roasted root vegetables including a couple of beets. They don't add a huge amount of flavor but they sure give it color. It also has the remains of corn pudding. So it is both quite smooth and creamy. The root veggie part is simply the roasted root veggies oven roasted then blended in the food processor. The corn pudding part contains lots of egg protein, smoothly blended corn, cream and even jack cheese. Mixed together they create a lovely rich pink soup. I'll dilute it with chicken stock. I love it when using up leftovers makes something better than the original. That will work for the first half of the week. We'll do a fresh broccoli and cheese soup after that.

Here are this week's lunches—

Tuesday~ Trout burgers on ciabatta with lemon dill mayo and side $6.75
Wednesday~Creamy chicken enchiladas $6.99
Thursday~Turkey/Swiss cheese panini with side. Usual dressing is our cranberry horseradish sauce. $6.99
Friday~Soup and grilled cheese and onion sandwich $7.25

There are actaully 2 Flavor Journeys this week. The first are the St. Louis pork ribs. They have been slow cooked in a braise and are topped with the Japanese spice blend shichimi togarashi. This blend contains peppers, sesame seeds, chilis, tangerine peel, seaweed and poppy seeds. We make it from scratch. Available Tuesday - Friday or until gone. 5 ribs (they are meaty) is $13.99 with soup/salad, rice pilaf and stir-fry veggies.

The second is crepes l'orange. I have some duck I am using up and it will be the base for this yummy dish. I'll be slow cooking the ingredients to get the full flavor. They will fill the crepes and then be topped with the orange sauce.  So as not to not overwhelm my prep while we are still short-handed I will have them available beginning Wednesday evening. $14.99 with soup/salad, rice pilaf and stir-fried veggies.

I'll have the wood-fired salmon pasta for $14.99. The sauce base is a roasted red pepper sauce. You can add stir-fried veggies for an additional $1. With soup/salad.

I hope you have a glorious week filled with friends, family and laughter. We'll see you again next year!

~~Susan

Like a spinning top

Okay. The merri-go-round just sped up even more. We are bouncing from one event to another while maintaining a full lunch and dinner service. It is gonna be fun!

Again, this week I am keeping the specials simple so we can stay focused and not go CRAZY! That means that no new dishes this week. But, of course, we think we have a pretty good menu to start with. So I don't think you will suffer.

Last week was a real test of our readiness and with few exceptions, I think the whole team did fairly well. One unexpected event kind of threw our planning to the wind, but we caught up quickly and we were proud of our performances. Whew!

This week we have three more caters— two inhouse and one in Thayer. We are pretty organised for it so I am not sweating it.

In the meantime I hope you notice the floral arrangements. Paula has added her skills to this aspect of our business. We are delighted to be able to offer this service for our catering customers. Paula's 25+ years of floral experience are a true asset.

Tuesday is Rick's birthday. Please be sure to wish him a merry one! I haven't introduced you to him yet. Rick came to us originally as a part of the musical duo Chief Wahoo and the Electric Tonic. He surprised us by offering to work when we needed extra manpower. Turns out he is a skilled and talented cook. I have relied heavily on him for serious prep work, weekly specials input and lately, desserts, as well. He is my teammate on Friday nights at the stove. I am continually impressed by his can-do attitude and williness to dive into any adventure. He is a natural leader and great communicator. I have never seen him have a sour day, even when he is in pain. He is a delight to work with and a gem in our crown.  Happy Birthday, Rick!!!

Lunch specials~~
Tuesday~ Trout burgers with side $6.75
Wednesday~Chicken Quesadillas $6.49
Thursday~Equinox Salad $6.49
Friday~Grilled ham and swiss cheese sandwich with side $6.49

Seafood~ wood-fired salmon pasta with roasted red pepper sauce. Soup/salad $14.99
Flavor journey~chicken pasta with stir-fried winter veggies and creamy pesto sauce. $13.99

As always, we treasure your business and delight in the warm friendships we have developed through the cafe. Thank you for being here! Have a glorious week!!!

~~Susan

Simple plans for a busy week w/e December 8th

This is going to be an insane week! We have three catering gigs this week and another 3 next week. We are thrilled to be doing them, but they are demanding an extraordinary level of organization. Fortunately, I was able to learn a few things from last year's experience thus making the learning curve a bit smaller. One of the aspects I learned was to keep other things going on to a simple level.  With that lesson in mind, I am not going to complicate matters by adding a bunch of new foods this week. In fact, I am simply going to discount our usual menu items and treat them as our daily specials. It might not be as exciting on your end, but I am confident we'll still be ble to warm your belly and make you happy.

As the holidays get under way, I would be amiss if I didn't mention that we have gift certificates. What better way to get your friends and employees off to a healthy new year than to give them an opportunity to dine with us? Just to remind you of some of the gems that make us special—our breads are mostly made in house or to our specs by a local baker; we make all our own dressings; you can get a good variety of salads...even at dinner; we use real ingredients, not fake and no hydrogenated fats; we source locally and organically, when possible; we are locally owned; our staff really cares about your experience and we are a happy bunch that are quite pleased you have joined us. In other words...you matter! We can make out gift certificates for any amount while you wait.

I keep watching for the vultures to return to Thayer. They are late this year. I was just looking up last year's blog and for the Nov. 27th post I was remarking how over 500 of them had come in to roost. Hmmm. Perhaps the drought altered things. I'll keep you posted on this natural event! I know you are waiting with baited breath.

Another of our staff I'd like to introduce is Paula Mize. This little bundle of energy just keeps astounding me with her immense heart and warm friendliness. You are most likely to see her when she is refilling your glasses of beverages. When not hiding out behind the counter, she is jumping in on prepping or helping to catch up a mountain of dishes. She is also quite talented in other ways. She is, herself, a fabulous cook and she has tons of experience in floral design. Now when we handle a cater we can also do the flowers and tablescapes. I think of her as Serendipity! She is Rick's mom and came along when we needed someone to fill in for an ailing staff member. She has been here ever since, and we are delighted.

We have not had any live music lately. Part of the reason is that 2 of our most talented musicians work here and we have been so busy we can't easily let them off to play. Jon plays jazz guitar and Rick along with his musical partner Dustin Collins, plays lots of Celtic music on his guitar. We are missing the live music and hope to go into the new year with a lineup. We enjoyed Vinny Ray and his violin with Thom Hoglen on guitar. But it seems he has hit the road and he isn't available. If you know of quality musical talent, please have them check in with Jon for an audition.

Soups this week— Tuesday and Wednesday, Paula's Minestrone; Thursday and Friday, Tomato and Pancetta Soup. Pancetta is an Italian form of rolled ham.

Lunches~~
Tuesday~ Fish tacos with a side; usually $7.25/ only $6.75
Wednesday~ Carnitas with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and torillas chips; usually $7.75/ only $7.25
Thursday~ Equinox Salad; usually $6.99/ only $6.49
Friday~ Spinach salad with wood-fired salmon; usually $5.49 + $3.99/ only $5.49 + $3.49

Dinners~~
Featured Flavor Journey~ Chicken veggie pasta; lots of stir-fried winter vegetables plus chicken in a light creamy pesto sauce on linguine plus soup/salad $13.99
Featured seafood Wood-fired salmon with shallots, white wine, roasted red pepper sauce on penne pasta plus soup/salad $14.99

Note: these items are now regular items on our dinner menu.

As always, we thank you for your ongoing support. You have given us the opportunity to bring you foods we think you deserve—healthy, wholesome and made from scratch with real ingredients. As the crazy pace of the holiday season sweeps you along, we appreciate the moments you take to enjoy a lunch or dinner with friends and family at our cafe. Thank you for letting us be a part of that joy.

~~Susan

Tween Times

It is that strange period of the year where the time machine begins to go haywire and the occasional reboot becomes necessary more often. This year we are pleased to be in preparation for several nice catering opportunities. We've gained much more experience this year and have learned to begin those preparations early. Ever the learning curve!

I am enjoying the gentle momentum we have going and hope we can keep it up through December 21st when we take a week off. We still have one date open for catering on the 22nd if you have any last- minute party plans. Originally we had planned to be enroute to Florida on that date. But plans have changed, and the date is now open. We can do off-site delivery, on-site private party, party staffing, floral arrangements and even music. Tell me what you need and we'll plan a custom cater just for you.

During the week we are pleased to make sure you get some healthy eating to go with all the dangerous goodies your friends and colleagues are bringing to work. If you have not tried the Equinox salad, I invite you to do so.  It begins with a bed of spinach and/or arugula, feta, red onion, pomegranate seeds, fresh apple, fresh pear, wood-fired chicken and bacon. We suggest topping it with our hot bacon dressing. $6.99 Yum!!! This salad will disappear after the New Year. So, get it now.

We have added 2 new dishes to the night-time menu. The first you may have had last week, which is  wood-fired salmon pasta with a light, red pepper cream sauce plus soup/salad for $14.99. The second is another pasta dish but made with chicken, stir-fried winter veggies, penne pasta, and a light cream sauce plus soup/salad for $13.99. I make my cream sauce a bit lighter than a traditional al fredo sauce. Except for there being no flour (therefore no gluten), it is made the same way. I do use heavy cream instead of milk to give it a thickened richness. Both of these dishes will be available nightly for the foreseeable future.

Soup~Start of week~ Chicken Posole; Thursday and Friday~ New England Clam Chowder

Tuesday~ Carnitas (2 crispy pork tacos on soft corn tortillas) $7.25; usually $7.75
Wednesday~ Spinach lasagna, side salad  $7.50
Thursday~ Meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes and oven roasted root veggies  $7.99
Friday~ White chicken chili with side salad  $7.50

Flavor journey~All week—Lemony chicken pasta plus soup/ salad  $13.99
Seafood~ Wed.—Fri. Mixed seafood crepes (shrimp, clams, squid, octopus and real crab) in a cream sauce, winter veggie stir-fry; soup/ salad  $14.99

Time to kick life into high gear. Come replenish your body and your senses with regular visits to A La Carte Cafe. We'll keep the good food coming and try to keep the hassles at bay. Have a glorious week!

~~Susan

So much to be thankful for

As we enter the season of chaos that will prevail for the next few weeks, it behooves me to take a moment to pause and note some wonderful blessings.

Our Staff—As noted by more than one customer, we have a staff of very dedicated, focused folks who really care about doing a great job. Without exception, they are a joy to work with and make our jobs both more fun and easier. We know we are only a part of their lives but they make us feel like the cafe and you are very important.

Our suppliers—Maranatha Farm has been our "go to" source for local organic produce. Mary and Skip have managed to provide us wonderful greens year round and keep us in tomatoes, seasonal produce and herbs.

Sea to Table has provided us with the freshest seafood possible. Our orders are shipped the same day the fish/ seafood are removed from the water. The fishermen are careful to select species that are sustainable and not over fished. We take pride in delivering fresh seafood to the land-locked area we live in.

Jason McLaughlin has been making some of our breads for a while now. He understands my passion for quality ingredients without short cuts. He makes our dinner breads as well as the French baguettes we have used for specialty sandwiches.

Rockbridge Trout Ranch provides us super fresh rainbow trout during the warm months. We'll have it again come March.

Our landlord—With the patience of Job, Toney Aid has provided us with a space that totally suits our needs and has the personality we wish to convey. He and his wife, Kathleen, have been pivotal in their ongoing encouragement and support.

Our customers— I feel like the luckiest cook around. I get to cook the dishes I like the most while still having the wiggle room to try out new dishes and tantalize your taste buds. After 2 years, you have gained enough trust to let me bring new flavors to your palate. You even have let me know when it wasn't quite right—so I could fix it. I love having the mission to expand your palate. It allows us all to grow. Thank you for being there.

This week's schedule:

Tuesday and Wednesday will be regular hours. If you're planning on dinner on these nights, it would be helpful to us to hear from you in advance with reservations. Not necessary, just appreciated.

Thursday we'll be closed.

After doing a quick survey we determined that being open this Friday evening would be beneficial for all. We have heard that you like to show us off to your visiting friends and family. How delightful. So we will be here for you. But not at lunch Friday—only dinner. Reservations are encouraged so we can plan for the right amount of staff.

The menu this week starts with soup. If you were in on Friday you, no doubt, were able to smell the lovely fragrance of onions slowly carmelizing as they cooked for many hours. Come Tuesday that will become French onion soup. We'll top it with croutons and parmesan disks.

Tuesday~Crab Quesadillas. This upscale quesadilla will be made with carmelized onions, gruerye cheese and Monterey jack and, of course, back-fin crab. We'll pair it with a pineapple salsa, guacamole and sour cream. $8.50

Wednesday~Creamy chicken enchiladas. This is one of our customer favorites made with fresh spinach, lots of poached chicken and a creamy cheesy sauce. Served with a side salad. $7.50

At dinner~

Seafood~Wood-fired wild caught Alaskan Salmon Pasta. I did a similar version last week using lox. We have wood-fired the planks of salmon, and I'll use them to top pasta that has a bit of roasted red pepper sauce, cream and parmesan, plus a bit of fresh dill and shallots. This will be slightly lighter than last week's version and have a larger portion of salmon. I expect this will become a regular menu item. $14.99

Flavor journey~Baby back ribs. So many ways to prepare them! We'll stay pretty traditional by giving them a dry rub first, then a 2.5 hour braise in the oven. We'll finish them off with a BBQ-y glaze and carmelizing heat. Approximate serving size will be a half-rack. We'll serve them with oven baked sweet potato wedges/fries and a side salad or soup. $13.99

We welcome you this crazy week and hope you find time to unwind with us. Have a joyous week and celebrate all our wonderful blessings of good food and loved ones.

~~Susan

Food Favorites for Fall

Wow! How do we follow up on last week? So many things went so nicely.

First of all—again, thank you for supporting our bringing in the fresh fish from Montauk, NY. Golden tilefish had not been on my radar previously. I think you'll agree that it was a nicely textured, mild fish with a very sweet taste. I enjoyed cooking it both in the curry broth and pan-searing it, then laying it over puttanesca and pasta. The scallops were an exceptional treat for me. They are my favorite seafood. These were huge, had never been in any solutions, and the texture and flavor were true.

I got the pumpkin mousse cornucopias with pecan praline sauce made last week but somehow never found time for the crepes with mascarpone and lemon sauce. They will be a priority this week along with a dessert featuring local wild persimmons. We are fortunate to have these local fruit and although most of us may have never tried a ripe persimmon, they have a reputation for being precious and delicious. So I invite you to expand your palate in dessert direction this week. Rick will also make another New York Style cheesecake. Thanks for the feedback on this concoction.

The Flavor Journey is back this week with a return of Beef Bourguignon. I made it last spring, and many of you really enjoyed it. Look for it at dinner starting Tuesday. I'll pair it with a baked potato and my seasonal stir-fry. Right now the stir-fry includes garlic, yellow onions, red cabbage, tat-soi, and zucchini. In case you hadn't noticed, that changes week to week depending on what is in season and available. Mary Badiny keeps me in fresh greens, and they change regularly. The beef bourguignon is sauteed with onions, mushrooms, carrots and, of course, burgundy wine.

We have wood-fired the remaining 5 filets of golden tilefish, and they will show up on the lunch menu as an upscale fish taco and on the dinner menu served over linguine with a roasted red pepper sauce. When they are gone—they are gone...until next time. I expect I'll bring in fresh fish again after Thanksgiving.

This week much attention and energy is going toward the beer tasting on Wednesday evening. I am happy to tell you we have sold out the 45 places we had available. We'll be pairing national craft beers (small batch specialties) with various appetizers. Although it isn't a meal, I expect by the time you have tasted the 7 beers plus the accompanying appetizers, you'll be full. In case you are not, we'll offer a 15% discount on your dinner that night.

Music returns this week with Gordon Johnston. His piano renditions of Van Morrison and similar songs, as well as his own tunes, are a customer favorite. Welcome him back and tip him well, please.

Let me introduce you to some of our staff. This week our senior dinner server, Ashley Romans, gets the highlight. This wonder-woman mother of 4 is going to nursing school and will graduate next spring. With the oldest kid under 8, she maintains an energy level I can only marvel at. She is superb at diving in and figuring it out while smiling and keeping a wonderful attitude. How fortunate we are to have her as a part of our team!

Here's the lunch menu~~

Tuesday~ Fish tacos made with wood-fired golden tilefish, plus side  $8.50
Wednesday~ Chicken alfredo over penne with side salad  $7.50
Thursday~ Spinach mushroom quiche with side salad  $7.50
Friday~ Baked potatoes topped with broccoli, Cheddar and wood-fired chicken with side salad  $7.50

Soups: Start the week with a chicken noodle soup that features our wood-fired chicken. Toward the end of the week I'll change over to posole—another customer favorite.

Seafood~ Available starting with Tuesday dinner until gone~ wood-fired golden tilefish served on top of linguine with roasted red pepper sauce. Soup or salad.  $14.99

Flavor Journey~ Beef Bourguignon served with baked potato or garlic mashed potatoes plus stir-fry of seasonal veggies. Soup or salad.  $14.99

As always, I hope you have a lovely week. Notice the last of the fall color as it tumbles from the trees.

~~Susan

Catapulting into fall

The changes perceived when we switch our clocks ahead or behind for "daylight savings" always feel like we have been launched into the next season. What was a gentle growing awareness of diminishing afternoon light suddenly becomes a need to find a light switch. I remember my mother telling me how her mother could work out in her summer garden in Canada until it was well and dark. She was able to do so because her eyes gradually became adjusted to the diminishing light. Were she simply to walk out and start weeding at dusk her ability to see what she was doing would be negligible. To me it is a bit jarring to suddenly discover it is nearly dark and it is only 5pm. But it also gives the true feeling of "full immersion" into the fall season. So if we have not yet been paying attention to the time of year—this is the wake-up call to do so.

Last week was spectacular in many ways. Thanks to you, we had a rousing week at both lunches and dinners. Then we hit Friday and burst through another record. We had an extra day as we did a cater for a private party held at the cafe. This pushed us to our limit in physical endurance. Sunday was a blessed relief and gave a whole 'nuther meaning to Zombie Day. What really pleased me was that the streamlining we did in order to speed up Friday night delivery really worked. This, despite being without Rick in the kitchen.

We loved doing the caters and are enjoying building up a supply of nice table decor to add a splash of elegance to the buffet table. Gotta find ways to store them now. Oy!

As wild as last week was, we were short-handed more than once. This prevented my making the pumpkin mousse cornucopias. I'll make them a priority this week. Also the lemon mascarpone crepes. BJ made some wonderful almond baklava and we zipped through Rick's tira misu. It seems that along with increased soup consumption, desserts are getting more attention. We'll try to keep up!

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the New England Clam Chowder last week.  I could not have been more pleased, myself. That recipe came from a recent Fine Cooking magazine article. It'll be a regular in the soup rotation. I made a double batch on Thursday and had to make it again on Friday and there still wasn't enough for Friday night at dinner.

I received an email from the Sea-to-Table folks pointing out that for those fishermen who weren't knocked completely out of the water by hurricane Sandy (sorry about the pun), one of their biggest challenges is finding a market for their catches as many northeastern restaurants are not yet back serving. So in an effort to do our part helping out we are ordering fresh fish from that region. Such a sacrifice!!!

One of the hardest hit areas was Montauk, NY. That is the dock after the storm. I have ordered and expect in on Tuesday 10# of fresh sea scallops and 15# of golden tile fish. The golden tile fish is a species that seldom makes it outside of the Northeast region but is highly prized locally by chefs. It is a firm, large-flake white-meated fish with a  mild, sweet flavor. This species is a prime example of "you are what you eat" as they eat primarily crustaceans—shrimp and crab. This gives the fish a noticeable sweetness in their flavor profile.  This report regarding local conditions comes from my rep at Sea-to-Table: "The dock and our fishermen in Montauk, NY are slowing drying out. There is still a lot of flooding in the area, and streets full of sand. They did, however, fare better than some of their neighbors. A few boats need to be evaluated to make sure they are safe to go back out on the water, and some equipment needs to be replaced. They are in good spirits, though, and happy to be sending fish to our chefs again. The boat that caught the Golden Tilefish is the F/V Sea Capture and the F/V Endangered Species caught the Scallops." I think F/V means fishing vessel.

I have never found dry-packed scallops available in Missouri. These scallops are coming in dry-packed. What this means is that they have not been soaked in any kind of solution that alters either their flavor or weight. The size we are getting are 10-20 per pound. When you consider that most "bay scallops" are 100-200/ pound you'll begin to appreciate their size.

I am digging deep to find recipes that show off the freshness while still expanding your palate. For the golden tilefish I have 2 directions I will take it. The first is Italian and the second is Thai. If you prefer Italian, I'll serve it over pasta with a puttanesca sauce. This fresh sauce is made using onions, garlic, Kalamata olives, anchovies, tomatoes, capers and fresh mild peppers. I'll use a penne pasta. As always you may have soup or salad to start.

In the second direction the golden tilefish is actually cooked in a mild coconut curry broth. The plate starts with a layer of rice, then a layer of fresh steamed spinach, then the fish and is topped with the curry sauce. Either version will be $17.99 and you'll get a 6 oz serving (before cooking) with soup or salad.

The pan-seared scallops will be dredged in a mildly seasoned flour and pan-seared in olive oil and butter. I'll top them with our in-house pesto sauce and serve it with rice on the side. $17.99 with soup or salad.

With so much going on in the seafood arena I am not doing a separate Flavor Journey this week. However, next week Beef Bourguignon will be showcased.

Here are this week's lunches~~

Tuesday~ Trout burger with home fries $7.00
Wednesday~ Turkey dip sandwich on ciabatta with home fries $7.50
Thursday~ Chicken pad Thai $7.50
Friday~ Pesto pizza with side salad $7.50

Soups this week~~ I'll start the week with Tom Ka Kai- the Thai coconut chicken soup that so many love. I'll try to have it through Thursday when I also serve the pad Thai. Later in week~ Creamy spinach and garlic soup. You'll just have to try it. It is wonderful.

Seafood Dinner Entrées~~    3 of them!!!!!
Fresh Golden Tilefish with puttanesca sauce over penne pasta; Soup or salad $17.99
Fresh Golden Tilefish with Thai coconut curry sauce over steamed baby spinach and jasmine rice. Soup or salad. $17.99
Fresh Sea Scallops lightly seasoned with dry rub and sauteed in butter and olive oil. Served over rice with a drizzle of our in-house pesto. Soup or salad. $17.99

We got a last minute email that Vinny Ray can't play this Friday. No explanation so far. Hope we'll be able to re-schedule soon. Remember that next week Gordon Johnston will be playing. I love his laid-back style and he can make Van Morrison rock!

Also next week~~
Our first Beer Tasting! Space is filling up fast, so get your name on the list without delay. We'll try out 5-6 national craft beers along with paired appetizers. $10 per person.
Watch for the beef bourguignon and wild persimmon desserts.

Have a glorious week! Don't forget to vote!~~

Susan

As temps drop, flavors heat up

Before I launch into my spiel about this week's foods I wanted to say THANK YOU!!!!! Last week we brought in fresh stone crab from Florida. For us, this was a fairly big financial gamble following on the heels of several mediocre low-energy weeks. You came out in force and we sold all we wanted to. (Yes, I held out 2 servings for my personal enjoyment.) I couldn't be more delighted. You've help to pave the way for more fresh seafood to be brought in. Since I usually have to order 25 pounds or more from a single dock, we don't make these purchases without a gulp or two for courage. Knowing that we now have the audience who can and will appreciate exceedingly fresh seafood—whether fish or shellfish—opens the door for more variety as well as frequency. Again, thank you for your support and encouragement. You matter.

It has been since last spring that I made Beef Rendang. The recipe I used is very reminiscent of my recent foray into chicken mole. There are LOTS of ingredients and most of them are either seed forms of spices or ground ones. In fact, there are quite a few similar ingredients. However, Beef Rendang is a Malaysian dish with a lemony bent where as the sneaky ingredient in mole is chocolate. One aspect of the the Beef Rendang (pronounced rehn-dong') that especially appealed to me was the layering of flavors—six layers! The dish begins by roasting whole spices of cloves, cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks and star anise in oil. To that is added even more spices in the form of ground coriander, cumin, fennel seed, turmeric and black pepper. Another layer with shallots, dried chiles, and ginger. Then comes coconut milk, fresh coconut, lemongrass, tamarind and fresh cilantro. I was delighted last year when this dish was so well received. I hope it continues to have a following. If you have been wishing for a beef dish that has depth and warms from the inside out, this is your dish. It will be the Flavor Journey this week beginning on Tuesday night. It is quite spicy without being overwhelmingly hot. I'll serve it over coconut rice and it comes with a side salad. $12.99

We got in a new spicy smoked sausage last week that I want to turn into a jambalaya. But then, what about a seafood entrée? Well this will offer options for both! I'll make the sausage jambalaya as the base and you can add shrimp as an option. How about that? While researching recipes I realized I had no idea what the difference was between a jambalaya and a gumbo. Trusty Google lead me to the answers. Basically, the gumbo is usually more of a soup in consistency, plus the gumbo adds okra or filé (ground sassafras root) to a long-cooked roux (slow-cooked flour and fat) for its thickening. Then it is served over rice, which was cooked separately. In a jambalaya, the rice is cooked into the whole stew and the consistency is quite a bit thicker. Both are spiced similarly and there are flavor elements they share.  These include the Cajun holy trinity of garlic, bell pepper and onions as well as Serrano chili pepper (fairly mild as peppers go), bay leaves, tomatoes and celery. As I mentioned before, the rice is cooked right into the stew with broth to make the flavors rich and well married. I'll serve it with a side salad and fried green tomatoes. Served from Wednesday through Friday at dinner. $12.99; add shrimp $4.

Now that I have your juices flowing, what about lunch? Well speaking of chicken mole, I am going to feature our new chicken mole tacos all week. We've added them to our winter lunch menu for the season. Like the rendang, it starts with a huge number of dried chiles, whole spices and ground ones. All are toasted separately before being mixed together in order to give each flavor its own voice. The mole is then combined with pulled poached chicken. We'll serve them as an order of two tacos served on soft corn tortillas. Just ask for flour if that is your tortilla choice. To that we'll add our chili lime slaw you've had on our fish tacos and a bit of cotija (pronounced coh tee' hah) cheese. Cotija is a semi hard cheese and is used similarly to Parmesan. Served with a side salad at lunch for $7.75. On Tuesday we'll discount it 50 cents.

On Wednesday I'll serve shrimp and grits. I know, seems we're on a Cajun kick. Think of it as my good wishes going to the Northeast as they weather Hurricane Sandy. By the time we serve it, the worst of the winds will have abated and the aftermath will prevail. Thankfully, few hurricanes leave a pile of snow in its wake. Happy Halloween!

Thursday, Rick will take over, and he wants to serve a turkey dip sandwich on ciabatta. We'll slow roast turkey and pull it. The dressing will be a horseradish/mayo affair combined with fresh and dried cranberries. For a variety of texture we'll add a bit of thinly sliced cabbage. It'll come with a side of Cajun home fries. Save one for me!!! $7.50

Friday we'll serve pork chops with a cranberry maple syrup pan sauce, fresh green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. $7.50. You can add a side salad for $1.50.

Now about those soups~~

Early in the week~ fresh tomato bisque. Made from a slew of late season Juliet tomatoes that are roasted in their skins and then blended smooth. We'll add our homemade vegetable broth and a few fresh herbs. Crisp, clean FRESH!

Later in the week~ New England clam chowder. Of course it is made from scratch, with bacon, onions, celery, potatoes, clam juice, fresh thyme, heavy cream and our love.

Desserts~~

In addition to the tira misu, baklava and grilled pound cake with cinnamon apples early in the week, we'll have pumpkin mousse cornucopias and perhaps lemony mascarpone crepes later in the week.

Coming up November 14th—a  Wednesday, our first beer tasting. We'll pair 4-5 different craft beers with apps and tasty morsels. Learn what makes each different from the other and try out something new. Sign up now. We have a limited number of seats so we can make sure we buy enough. $10 per person. This is a really good deal. Starts at 6pm. Seats are beginning to fill up fast, so don't wait.

No music is scheduled this week. We are working on scheduling 3-4 artists for the upcoming weeks including Gordon Johnston, Andy Roos and others.

Remember~~we can provide platters of food for your office meetings and work events.

Have a glorious week!~~

Susan

Crab Week!!

At last! We have 25 lbs of stone crab being delivered on Wednesday. They are being harvested by a husband and wife team out of Aripeka, FL off the vessel Karonika. Tuesday they bring the crabs in and boil the claws and Wednesday they arrive. When was the last time you went to a restaurant that could connect you this closely to the source of your food? Besides, stone crabs are the ultimate renewable food source. When harvested the crab is allowed to live, one claw is removed and the crab is tossed back into the water to grow another claw. By law, only one claw is removed and it takes about a year to regrow the lost appendage. Of all the crab I have tasted, stone crab is the sweetest meat. As in Florida, we'll offer the crab warm or cold and provide a mustard based sauce for dipping. If you request it warmed then we'll also provide clarified butter for dipping. To make this food something that everyone can at least get a taste of, we're offering individual claws as well as dinners. The ones we have ordered are mediums which range in size of 6-8 per pound. We'll crack them, provide a nutcracker and pick and let you at 'em. Can you tell I am excited by this? Last spring you showed me there was enough support to make this risky purchase worthwhile. I thank you for that support and encouragement and hope that we can count on the crab lovers to get in this week.

I am often asked why we don't do more beef dishes. This is primarily because I don't have the experience to feel confident serving steaks cooked-to-order. However, I am happy to do other beef recipes. This week we are doing beef stroganoff. It has been interesting researching various recipes to find the most authentic one that doesn't rely on pre-made ingredients. The classic stroganoff originated in Russia but has been adapted around the world. Depending on where it is made, it might be served over potatoes, rice or pasta. I'll serve it over egg noodles, and I'm using a very classic recipe that incorporates mushrooms, sour cream and white wine. Come on, you beef-lovers, this is your chance.

We are fast approaching the party season. While we are already booked for several parties, we do still have a couple of openings. We can also make party platters for your office party that you can simply order and pick up. But don't put off making those plans. I'll be happy to sit down with you and plan a menu that meets your budget, takes the pressure off of you and makes you look good. Win-win!

We have finally planned our first beer tasting. It'll be Wednesday November 14  from 6:00-7:30. With the help of Phil Wages and Great Rivers Distributors we've selected a half-dozen craft beers for your delight. We'll pair them with appropriate appetizers. I have Rick tackling some sausage recipes, and we hope to present them at the same time. There will be a limited number of seats available for this event and we're taking sign-ups now. The cost per person is $10 and includes the beer sampling and appetizers. If this is well supported, we'll make this a regular feature. Wine tastings will come soon, too, I expect. I look forward to learning more about pairings and how these beverages are created and what differentiates them from each other.

Scare on the Square will be happening Friday evening, and we will participate by handing out goodies. I have heard it can be a bit wild. Sounds like fun to me. Make sure your kids or grand-kids stop by.

Have you considered gift certificates for your holiday gift giving? Providing an opportunity to taste our menu is a gift that is always appreciated and sooo easy for you. Think about it. We'll make sure to have plenty on hand. If you know you'll need several I suggest you give us a 'heads up' so we can print an adequate supply.

Lunch specials:

Tuesday~ The latest addition to our regular lunch menu is the Pesto Pizza. This item already has a strong following at dinner. We will now have them on the daily menu. This Tuesday they are 50 cents off. We make the dough and the fresh pesto, add fresh mozzarella, wood-fired chicken, chopped roma tomatoes, red onion, and mushroom. Normally $7.50 with a side salad. Tuesday $7.00

Wednesday~ Empanadas with a side salad $7.50 This is the classic Cuban version with beef, raisins, potatoes, onions, bell peppers and olives stuffed into a folded pastry and baked. Paired with a side salad, it makes a filling meal.

Thursday~ Chicken cordon bleu panini sandwiches: chicken, swiss cheese, ham all melted together in a pressed sandwich. Served with a side for $7.50

Friday~ AT LUNCH Mostaccioli. This typically Italian dish is served in every Greek restaurant in Florida. Find out why. It is a baked casserole of beef and sausage. Served with a side salad for $7.50.

Dinner:

SEAFOOD~ Stone crab, Baby!!!! Wednesday through Friday. You may request it warm or cold. As an appetizer for $4.25/ claw with a mustard dipping sauce or clarifed butter. As a dinner with 4-5 claws, twice-baked sweet potatoes and salad. Also available warm or cold with mustard dipping sauce or clarified butter. $18.99

Flavor journey~Tuesday through Friday—Beef Stroganoff with green beans and steamed red cabbage. $13.99

Soups~ We'll start the week with minestrone and end with butternut squash. BTW- my version of butternut squash soup is not overly sweet.

Desserts~ tira misu—it is heaven; Baklava—getting rave reviews; Key Lime Pie—Wednesday through Friday.

I hope you have a glorious week as we watch the final color changes and the trees let go of their leaves.

~~Susan

Lots of news and new "regulars"

We're back!!! We've got energy and we are excited! After several weeks of "walking wounded" our staff is fully operational once again. I actually found myself dancing in the "pit" on Thursday and Friday last week because I was so happy to once again feel nearly "normal." It is a glorious feeling, let me tell ya! We have lots of exciting things going on, so you'll want to pay attention....

 ARGH!!!! I had placed an order for stone crab to arrive on Wednesday but just got a call that they can't come until Thursday. So I have cancelled the order and rescheduled it for early NEXT week. Believe me when I tell you this is frustrating.

Recently we have noticed that many of our regular customers have discovered the convenience of calling in a to-go order to pick up on their way home for dinner. We're trying to make sure that we can have any item on the dinner menu ready to go at 5pm so you can make use of this convenience. Try calling in your order and we'll have it waiting for you.

Next on the updates—I told you the bahn mi and Roman sandwiches were disappearing for the season. To replace them we have 2 new items. Both are from south of the border and authentically prepared. The first is carnitas. These little tacos are made from slow-cooked pork shoulder seasoned with garlic, cumin, cinnamon and coriander. We'll serve them with sour cream, salsa and guacamole, plus chips. $7.75 This first week they will be available from Wednesday onward.

The second item I am delighted to serve is chicken mole tacos (pronounced moh-leh). Again, prepared in the traditional manner, this recipe has over 20 ingredients and is quite a time consumer. Using fresh dried chiles, toasted seeds and spices, plus fresh tomatillas, and the secret ingredient—Mexican chocolate, this dish is as rich in tradition as it is in flavor. We'll serve 2 chicken mole tacos on corn tortillas with sides of salsa, guacamole and sour cream and chips. The tacos will be topped in our cilantro-lime slaw and cotija cheese. Ahhh-yiii-yiii! $7.75. They will be introduced as the lunch special on Tuesday, but available as a regular item onward. This recipe came from the famous Austin landmark restaurant, Fonda San Miguel.

The chicken mole will find itself on the dinner menu this week, as well, served Puebla style as the "Flavor Journey." Instead of tacos, we'll serve it with rice, a side salad and black beans and corn pudding. To my knowledge, there are no local Mexican restaurants serving authentic chicken mole. $12.99. It should be available as of Tuesday night.

So here's the full line-up of lunches—

Tuesday~ Chicken mole tacos $7.75

Wednesday~Carnitas $7.75

Thursday~ Chicken Pot Pie with side salad. $7.50. We always sell out!

Friday~Beef and sweet Italian sausage lasagna with side salad. $7.50

Soups~ Black bean soup~Tues and Wed; cheddar bacon beer soup~Thurs and Fri

Flavor Journey~ Chicken Mole, Puebla Style $12.99

Seafood~ Shrimp, pasta and fresh veggie stir-fry with light cream sauce. Similar to our shrimp pasta but with veggies, also. $12.99

Desserts~ tira misu and baklava. Rick is making the tira misu and BJ is making the baklava. Hopefully, we'll get them all made early in the week. It is quite a challenge to get all done at one time as our kitchen is quite small and we have but one stove/oven.

As always, we are grateful to be serving such a warm community. You have embraced our vision of serving foods made from fresh, usually traceble ingredients. You have voiced a willingness to expand your palates and try different flavors from around the world. We thank you! You'll never be bored at A La Carte Cafe—West Plains. Have a glorious week!!!

~~Susan

Autumn's bounty

As we enjoy the radical change from July's record heat to the cooler temps of October we are delighting in the region's ability to bounce back from extreme drought. The coral mushroom harvest has been extraordinary. We are seeing signs in the local wild persimmons of a heavy winter. I think that translates to lots of the white stuff. But while we await that onslaught we can celebrate the end of the summer growing season by rescuing the last of the green tomatoes, making freezable amounts of pesto and enjoying the flavors of the moment.

By the way, the image above is of frost flowers. This phenomena usually only occurs the morning of the first hard frost. It is the remaining liquid in the stems being slowly frozen as it escapes the confines of the cell walls. Startling and beautiful.

Each week from fall through winter, we mark Tuesdays by starting a big batch of vegetable broth. All the vegetable scraps from the week's prep go into the pot and, over the course of the day, are boiled down to provide a rich broth for addition to soups and sauces.

Last week I re-introduced the roasted root vegetable soup. I had several inquiries into just what went into it. It began as a big roasting pan full of red potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, onions, garlic, and beets. Each vegetable is peeled and chopped to about an inch in size then tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and dusted with ground thyme. Into the oven for about an hour and then tossed into the food processor for a quick purée. From that point it is just a matter of getting the liquid to solid ratio right. Because of the beets, when first made, the soup is a hot pink. After simmering a bit the pink disappears and the color settles down to a nice golden orange. We use the freshly made vegetable broth to thin it to a consistency that flows nicely down your throat and make final adjustments for salt and pepper. That's it. SIMPLE but delicious. Thanks for asking!

Several changes are in store; so listen up—
This is the last week for the bahn mi sandwiches this season. We are offering the chicken bahn mi at 50 cents off on Tuesday.

Also leaving for the season are the Roman sandwiches. We are at the end of trout season so they are departing until spring, as well.

The Flavor Journey this week is the very last of the elk and I am making the elk meatloaf we've become known for. It has an Asian direction in its seasonings and is topped with hoisin sauce instead of the usual tomato-based sauces. Those who already love it—don't miss out. If you haven't tried it yet, don't. You'll be hooked and missing it. I am actively seeking an alternative source. We are also looking at bison as an option. Cost is a consideration. If you have contacts in the elk or bison market, please share them with me.

Next week I am introducing a couple of new regulars to the menu. So don't panic, yet.

The soups this week will start with the coral mushroom and portabella cream soup and finish up with the roasted root vegetable soup.

I have not forgotten the tuna. Patience, Grasshopper. October 15th marks the start of stone crab season. I have been promising them upon the season opening, too. Stand-by for updates.

Music this week will be Vinny Ray and Thom Hoglen. Together they play a pretty awesome jazz set featuring violin and guitar. Vinny is a state fiddle champion. Thom is superb. Together, darn near perfect. See them Friday night. There is no cover charge but we ask that your join us for a meal or dessert and tip them well.

Several staff members, including Jon and myself, are fighting our way back from being ill. Therefore, our energies are low and I am keeping things simple and uncomplicated. Here's this week's special board:

Lunches~~
Tuesday~ 50 cents off the Chicken Bahn Mi sandwich. $6.49
Wednesday~Deep dish leek and coral mushroom quiche with a side salad. $7.50
Thursday~Shephard's pie. Think pot roast with a mashed potato topping plus side salad. $7.50
Friday~ Classic tuna casserole made with fresh mushrooms and bechamel sauce with side salad. $7.50

Dinner specials~~

Flavor journey~Tuesday through Friday or until it is gone~ Elk meatloaf, mashed garlic potatoes, plus stir-fry of late season veggies $10.99

Seafood~ Wednesday through Friday~ Shrimp and scallop crepes with a light curry sauce plus fried green tomatoes. $13.99

I hope you have a glorious week~~

Susan

Duck Season!

I am not a hunter. Well, not an animal hunter. But I do love a nice walk in the woods. Sadly, this time of year, just as the ticks are disappearing, the hunters take over the woods in large numbers. I don't begrudge them their opportunity to display their place on the food chain. I just wish it wouldn't mean it wasn't safe for non-hunters to stroll amongst the bracken.

Last week I was thrilled to be able to serve the coral mushrooms. I had never had them before and only twice had eaten wild harvested mushrooms of any kind. Those others were chanterelles and morels. For a girl who has lived in many places but never one where we foraged from the woods, this was thrilling. I can't wait to see what else we might find via foraging.  I was even able to add some sumac seeds for seasoning. I have driven by tons of sumac for years with the intention of stopping to grab a cluster or two and try it out. Sumac is a spice that is used in many middle-eastern recipes. It has a somewhat citrus-y edge to it. I just let the seeds dry out on the shelf above my stove, separated the seeds from the stems and crushed them with a mortal and pestle. I used them in the mushrooms we topped the tilapia with last week. BTW—I have heard that there are no poisonous sumacs in Missouri. They have a totally different shape to the flower head than the ones we see here, roadside.

Two weeks ago I told you I had bought a case of duck. That amounts to 6 whole Peking ducks. Fortunately they came minus heads and feet. I'll never forget walking the streets of Toronto and San Francisco and seeing the smoked Peking ducks hanging in the shop windows—with heads and feet. Over the weekend I butchered the ducks, separating out the wings; legs and thighs; breasts, backs and necks; and giblets.  I took any skin that was unconnected to other parts and rendered it down. That means I cooked it in a pan until the fat melted away from the skin. This left cracklings—crispy skins, that I lightly salted and quickly devoured after sharing a bit with Rick. The rendered duck fat is considered one of the delicacies of the food world. While extremely tasty, it is considered a healthy fat. It is used to cook duck confit—pronounced cohn fee'. Duck confit is a dish where duck is cooked at a very low temperature (180 F degrees) in its own fat for several hours. The meat is slowly brought up to a cooked temperature and the resulting cooked meat simply melts in your mouth. We'll use it to make duck tacos at lunch on Wednesday. Served with shredded red cabbage, chipotle cherry salsa and crumbled goat cheese.

The breasts are cooked entirely differently. It is unusual in that it has a red meat—like beef. They, too, have a fat-laden skin that crisps up nicely in the pan. Unlike other parts of the duck, the breast is quite tender and is usually only cooked to a medium rare. It'll be accompanied by L'orange sauce, whipped sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli. We only have 12 breasts to go the whole week. I'll begin serving them on Tuesday evening and they are only available by reservation, dinner only. If you want me to save you a portion, you'll need to call in and have me put your name on it. They will go for $18 each.

I usually only serve one seafood entrée during the week as a special for dinner, but I am changing it up a bit this week. Tuesday and Wednesday I'll serve a crawfish gumbo over rice. I'll use a traditional gumbo recipe that begins with a slow roux—flour and oil cooked together and stirred over a low flame until it gets to a caramel color. This can take half an hour in itself. We'll add in some sausage, okra, garlic and the Cajun holy trinity—onions, celery and bell peppers. It'll be kicky without being overwhelmingly spicy. If you like creole or cajun you'll be in gumbo heaven. Served with a side salad and fried okra. $10.99

Thursday and Friday nights I have fresh Prince Edward Island mussels. I love steaming them in a garlic-infused wine broth and serving them in a bowl with rice and their own juices. I have 10 pounds coming in. Again—calling in a reservation to save you a portion would be brilliant. As with most meals we serve at dinner, you'll get a soup or salad plus a side of stir-fried late season veggies. $17

If you were looking for the sashimi tuna this week, I put it off until next week, probably. Several people had asked me not to have both the duck and the tuna the same week. I listened.

Music this week—Vinnie Ray  and Thom Hoglen will be playing jazz violin and guitar this week. They are a really nicely tight group that play superb jazz. You may have heard them a couple of weeks ago. The music is loud enough to get your attention but not overwhelming. If you wish to have private conversations during the music, ask to sit in Annex. The main dining room is by reservation. If you miss them this week, catch them next week, as well.

Now onto that lunch menu—

Tuesday~ keeping it simple. The new Equinox salad will be featured and the price chopped 50 cents. This new salad will be around until late December. I begin with a bed of spinach and arugula. Then I add in feta, apple, pear, pomegranate, red onion, almonds, wood-fired chicken and bacon. The dressing is a hot bacon dressing. Usually $6.99; Tuesday $6.49

Wednesday~ Duck confit tacos. You'll get 2 wrapped in either mandarin pancakes or flour tortillas. We'll add a touch of  chipotle cherry salsa/sauce, shredded red cabbage and crumbled goat cheese. Served with choice of side. $8.00

Thursday~ Coral mushroom and poached chicken crepes. I love the very delicate flavor of the coral mushrooms. I don't wish to overwhelm the flavor of the mushrooms with a smoked chicken, so I am going with poached to keep it mild. We'll use fresh thyme, tarragon and parsley and oregano from the garden. As mushrooms have a slightly woody undertone in their flavor, I am composing the herbs to solidify that base then adding a touch of dill as a topnote. This is done much the same way as perfumes are made. You may not have noticed but layering of flavors is one of the skills of a good cook. It is the nuances of flavor and scent that tantalize the palate. I'll serve this with a side of fresh butternut squash sauteed with garlic and sage. $7.50

Friday~ Seafood chowder. I have some lovely red snapper, mixed shellfish, and clams that we can combine to make a hearty stew. We'll serve this with a crusty bread and side salad. $8.00

Soups this week~

I'll start out with a classic chicken noodle we make from scratch. Lots of garlic, cooked down onions, celery, egg noodles. Yum. Simple. It'll help to clear your head from the allergies rampant right now. Later in the week we'll switch to a roasted root veggie soup—made with sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, onions, garlic, winter squash, rutabaga, beets. Man, I am loving this cooler weather!

That's it for now. I hope you have a lovely week and that we get to see you more than once.

~~Susan

A little too much Argh!

I'll tell you straight off—this is going to be a simplified week. Rick has been battling intensive neck and shoulder pain and Jon and I are sporting cat bite wounds attained while trying to capture our semi-feral cat for a neutering visit to the vet. None of us are purring—yet. By keeping it simple I think we'll maintain a happy atmosphere and have a chance to heal.

I obtained a case of duck. My intention is to divide the ducks into wings, legs and thighs, breasts, skin and the rest for making duck broth. I was going to do it this week but I need to have bit more focus to pull that off for the first time. So we need to find a different Flavor Journey this week. I'm afraid this one may be closer to home. Instead of taking your tongue traveling, it may, instead take you right home to your grandmother's house. Comfort food. We'll do kielbasa sausage, mashed potatoes and steamed cabbage. We'll serve it with a side salad for 10.99. Available Tuesday-Friday for dinner.

Heads up, tuna fans! NOT FOR THIS WEEK—however, I do have a new lead on sashimi tuna that I am pursuing. Fingers crossed for next week. In the meantime, I am doing a rice and Italian herb stuffed tilapia topped with locally foraged coral mushroom sauté and fall veggie stir-fry. $13.99 Available Tuesday-Friday for dinner.

Keeping with the simplicity at lunch—

Soup~ we'll start with potato soup. Of course, it is made from scratch. We'll use fresh yellow onions, red potatoes, add in vegetable broth and cream. It'll be thick but not too heavy or too creamy.

All week~the new Equinox Salad~spinach/arugula, wood-fired chicken, bacon, apple, pear, feta, roasted red pepper, red onion, almonds and a hot bacon dressing 50 CENTS OFF $6.49

Tuesday~Trout burgers 50 cents off $7.00

Wednesday~Gyros 50 cents off $6.49

Thursday~Quesadillas 50 cents off $6.49

Friday~Tuscan chicken salad sandwiches 50 cents off $6.49

We will have some devine desserts. We'd love to see you. I'm sure I'll have more to say next week when it might not hurt so much to type. Have a great week!

~~Susan

 

Arrrgh! Time for some frivolity

As we move into the week, we'll be noting that we are approaching the equinox—one of 2 days a year where the days and nights are the same length. While driving to West Plains from Thayer, the sun comes up in the middle of the road on the equinox right in front of the racetrack. The road there has become the measuring device that gives me a chance to step back from the nuances of the days changing length and enables me to see just where we are in the scheme of things solar. Now the sun will be coming up more to the south of the road. When you are in route to work on Friday, note the location of the sunrise.  It will be just one day off of the equinox. Noting the sunset will also give you a similar indicator of where we are in our astral traversing.

Last week many of you asked me about the flowers we had on the tables. Those were "rain lilies." They popped up overnight after the nice long rain we got a week ago. They have no leaves I have been able to find—now or in the spring when the surprise lilies get their leaves. I always forget they are there until a good late summer rain. Then—a pleasant morning surprise. They are my harbinger of autumn just as the skunks are my harbinger of spring. Changes are afoot just after.

Wednesday brings us "Talk Like a Pirate Day." That is just the level of foolishness we are in need of. You'll see us sporting pirate motifs and talking funny all day. We might even have a few pirate jokes for you. One silly change you can make for a day or two, mostly to entertain yourself, is to change your facebook language to Pirate English. At the very bottom of your facebook page is the language button. Select English. Then, within the English options,  select Pirate. It is silly, fun, and easy to switch back.

After 2 weeks of trying it out, I am pleased to announce that the changes we made on Friday nights in the kitchen are working. I was afraid we had maxxed out the number of folks I could serve in a timely manner on Friday nights. We have streamlined a thing or two, put major components within easy reach, reduced the foot traffic in the pit, moved all salad and dessert operations to the back, kept the beverage service in easy reach of servers and worked out a better system for plating. These were all simply logistical efforts that have enabled me to focus on getting the entrées out hot and with a shorter wait by the customer. No shortcuts on quality have been taken and no additional staff needed. We did, however, add smiling Paula to Friday nights to help with hostessing, keeping glasses full, taking empty plates off tables and expediting food going out. Our small kitchen has limits of delivery and trying to find ways to max it out is a challenge. After this, though, we may have to get more defined in the reservations we make, with definite times staggered more evenly. Right now everyone can arrive at the same time and it makes it tough to get a smooth flow. Just another one of the learning curve items that we are discovering as we go along. I must be getting soooo smart. There sure seems to be a lot to absorb and work out.

We had planned on opening for Monday lunches. We still plan to, but there has been a delay. Rick is the main person who will be in charge of the prep and delivery on Mondays at lunch. He has been suffering recently from a non-ending level of pain in his neck and shoulders. While this is going on, we are not going to over-burden him with this higher work load. Please bear with us and know we have listened to you and know you want a Monday lunch option. Jon and I are physically at the maximum we can handle, currently. With the exception of a few caters, any expansion will have to involve those young kids we hire. So we await a healing.

Soup season is now in full swing. We'll strive to keep it available at all times. The varieties will flucuate. This week we'll start out with "caldo con queso y pollo." In English, this translates to "soup with cheese and chicken." I'll be taking garlic, onions, and fire-roasted Hatch peppers and sautéing them until soft and juicy. Then we'll add in chicken broth, poached chicken and cream, adjust the seasoning and add Monterey jack cheese to finish. Later in the week we'll start some onions for a French onion soup. Those get caramelized for half a day. This fall we are separating out our chilies from the soups. The cost of ingredients is usually quite a bit higher on the chilies and we need to charge for them as entrées instead of soups or add-ons.

An example of this is that the white chicken chili we'll serve on Wednesday (Arrrrgh), we'll make as an entrée and offer with a side salad or other side option. About that chili, we start the night before with white navy beans soaking overnight. The Hatch peppers (mild) will have a prominant role in the flavor profile. We use our wood-fired chicken in this recipe which gives it a full smokey essence. I'll serve it with cornbread or roll.

Whenever I take on a cuisine that is often created in other restaurants, I want to do something fairly unique. I have no interest in competing with what other local restaurants are serving in a head-to-head match-up of dishes. Therefore, I most often will take a more authentic, home-based version of a dish and go from there. This week were are serving beef fajitas as one of our dinner choices—the Flavor Journey, in fact. So what is going to make mine differ from the local Mexican restaurant's version? Well, first of all, we are wood-firing dry-rubbed flank steak to give it a smokey essence. The veggies we'll serve it with are freshly grilled onions, red and green bell peppers, Hatch peppers, local yellow squash and fresh jalapenos. It won't be terribly hot but it will be flavorful. We are now using a whole-grain tortilla for our quesadillas and may try to use them for this, as well. You'll get all the side fixin's like guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro, lettuce and sprouts, plus lime as well as our own seasoned black beans. We can even serve it with a cold beer or a glass of sangria. Available Tuesday- Friday.

The seafood entrée this week is our crab cakes. I take a special pride in making these. They are held together with as little binding as possible and are quite flavorful. There is no such thing as fresh crab unless you are cooking live crab, as most of the boats cook the crab while still at sea and package it before landing. We recently did a head-to-head tasting comparing the various crab options locally available. By far and away the back-fin crab we got from our purveyor was better tasting than the lump or claw available through the grocery stores. Even though "lump" is considered the best tasting universally, the local option had a chemically aftertaste that was distracting and made it not worth using. Each serving is 2 cakes. They will be accompanied by a fresh butternut squash ravioli. Yep. I'll be making fresh sage pasta and stuffing it with butternut squash. Also I'll serve it with fresh, creamy garlic spinach. You can't get much more autumn-y than that. They will be available from Wednesday until Friday nights. As always, it'll have a salad, or this time of year, you may choose soup.

I am retiring the Solstice Salad this week. It has had a nice run. The new Equinox Salad will take its place. As with my all my seasonal salads, it takes its cue from what are seasonally special ingredients. The arugula and spinach return as a base. I love the spicy, peppery flavor the cool-weather arugula gives. To that base we'll add apples and pears, crispy bacon, feta, red onion, roasted red bell pepper, wood-fired chicken and a hot bacon dressing. It'll make its debut on Thursday. After Thursday, it'll be available all week until the next solstice in late December.

Friday's lunch brings back one of the crowd favorites—creamy chicken enchiladas. This recipe uses fresh spinach, mild Hatch peppers, lots of chicken, corn tortillas and Monterey jack cheese—gluten free! You'll get 2, plus black beans, Spanish rice and a whole lotta love. I expect to have 12 servings. Call in your order to reserve.

Now let's address desserts. You've embraced the grilled poundcake with grilled fresh fruits and our in-house vanilla ice cream. I have pavlovas, which are air-filled crisp meringues, topped with sautéed cinnamony peaches and pears, brown sugar-frosted pecans and finished with a brandied whipped cream. Also, this week, French Silk Pie. This creamy chocolate goodness is devine. The grilled poundcake is night-time only. The pie and pavlovas are anytime.

So in a condensed form~~(more details; see above text)
Tuesday~ Trout burgers are 50 cents off. These are proving quite popular. We serve these seasoned trout patties with Rick's lemon dill mayonnaise, tomato and sprouts on grilled ciabatta. It'll come with a side. Usually $7.50—Tuesday $7.
Wednesday~White chicken chili with side salad. $6.99
Thursday~Equinox Salad. $6.99
Friday~ Creamy chicken  enchiladas $7.50

Flavor journey~ Beef fajitas with grilled bell peppers, Hatch peppers, onions, yellow squash, and jalapenos. $12.99

Seafood entrée~Crab cakes with creamy garlic spinach and fresh butternut squash ravioli. $14.99

I hope this week finds you moving forward with your goals and optimistic about your future. Have a happy one!

~~Susan

And then the rains came...

What a difference a week or two can make. Just before the tropical depression arrived we were sweating bullets wondering if our landscaping, livestock, or patience would outlive the draught. And now I look out the window on our drive into West Plains and I see lots of green. Our hope is restored. We dance in celebration.

This week is homecoming week in West Plains. Many of you already have plans for Friday night. We decided to bring Jennifer Strickland, our planned musician, next week so as not to compete with local events. While there will not be music, we will be geared up to get you fed and out the door for the game if you arrive in a reasonable time frame. If you are not part of the homecoming festivities, we'll be open until 8 pm, as usual. It might make for a nice quiet evening.

As we move into the more moderate weather we look forward to being able to, once again, leave the main door open and the screen door slapping. I felt we got cheated out of that season last spring. Summer started way too fast. With the moderation of temps comes time for soups. We've been digging deep to find some more scrumptious ones you'll love. You'll see your old favorites—white chicken chili, tom ka kai, lentil soup, wild mushroom bisque, French onion, chicken noodle, roasted root vegetable, kapusta, black bean, potato and leek, butternut squash, chicken corn chowder, chicken and sausage gumbo—as well as some new ones like fish chowder.  I love collecting soup recipes so you are likely to experience some new flavors this season. This week we'll begin with a new one "Chicken and summer squash chowder with basil and wild rice."

Jon and I roasted and blistered over 300 Hatch chili peppers last weekend. Now packaged and frozen they'll be readily available all year to season our soups and chilis. Oh yea!

With the humidity finally dropping it might be time to make some meringue. Individual meringues topped with fruit and whipping cream are called Pavlovas in Australia and New Zealand. We've had such a rash of egg-yolk heavy desserts lately that the whites have been building up. I have these lovely new pan liners that prevent the whipped egg whites from sticking... Something is bound to come of it by midweek.

We're going to keep the lunches pretty simple this week.

Tuesday~ Chicken Bahn Mi Sandwich (now with 3 chicken patties) plus side item 50 cents off.

Wednesday~Soup(see above) plus grilled cheese and onion quesadilla. $7.50

Thursday~Grilled Peach salad with fresh mozzarella and arugula $7.50

Friday~ California (sushi maki) Roll, miso soup and cucumber/ seaweed salad. $8.00

The Flavor Journey this week (Tuesday through Friday at night) comes from India. It isn't a curry. It is chicken tikka masala. It is another dish that utilizes many of the healing herbs and spices. In fact, this dish has 20+ ingredients including cinnamon, garam masala (a combination of many Eastern spices), cardamon, cumin, ginger, garlic, and yogurt. All these wonderful flavors are mixed into a sauce, and the chicken is slow cooked in it. The result is a rich stew served over jasmine rice. Served with a salad. $10.99

The seafood (available Wednesday through Friday for dinner) is Tilapia baked in a pistacio crust accompanied by late summer grilled vegetables (squash, onion, eggplant, sweet peppers, Hatch peppers) and a cheddar-onion polenta croquette. Served with a salad.  $13.99 If you are a person who knows you need to eat more fish but don't like "fishy" fish, then tilapia should be on your radar. It is very delicate and mild and the pistacio crust should be flavorful.

We look forward to seeing you this week. You might even enjoy dining al fresco. In the evening, if it isn't too windy, we'll have the torches out. While you are here, tell me about your favorite soup.

See you soon~~

Susan

Changing seasons/ changing gears

I can already feel a change of season, though I know this week will be rather hot. At least the nights are a bit cooler and the attic fan is able to do its thing, sucking in the night air over where we lay, making it cool enough by morning to be glad of the light blanket. This is my favorite time of year for traveling. With the cafe firmly in place that isn't likely to happen until the winter holidays. We already have 2 Saturday catering gigs here at the cafe. With the new side open, and due for a fresh coat of paint, it'll be a nice gathering spot for parties and affairs. Please keep us in mind as you plan your holiday events.

We have had more and more folks mentioning trying to come see  us on Mondays at lunch. We have resisted being opening for that time slot as Jon and I are personally maxed out on our physical exertion. However, we now have enough staff to give it a try. So starting NEXT WEEK, we will be open for lunch only on Mondays. Rick, Paula and BJ will man their battle stations and deliver your lunches this additional day. Tuesdays has such a long prep list that Rick has been coming in on Mondays just to get ahead of the game. We'll stick to our printed lunch menu for starters. Later on, assuming this goes well, we'll introduce some Monday daily specials.  After the New Year we might consider being open Saturday evenings. As always we seek your feedback and ideas.

Soups are back! We look forward to serving you a long list of customer favorites plus the addition of some new explorations. We'll start the week off with an onion, apple and cheddar soup. Despite having a pound of sharp cheddar in the broth, it isn't a thick, cheesey soup. Instead it has a fairly light broth. We cooked down a giant pot of onions, carmelizing them over many hours. Fresh apples were sliced thinly and added to the pot. I think you'll find this soup has all the elements of an autumn soup, while maintaining a desirable lightness. $3.49/$4.99/$5.59. The largest is a 16 oz to-go cup.

I have a fresh batch of silk scarves to share with you. I got to spend several hours in my studio this weekend and loved every minute of it. I have the beading on the corners to do to finish this new batch of fall colors.  I have not raised the price on my scarves in over 5 years. But this will be the last batch until I can buy a slew more. I know the wholesale cost of the silk blanks will be way higher next time. So enjoy the price of $40/ each or 3/$100 while they last. The Arkansas History Museum in Little Rock has been buying them from me for about 8 years, as well as Blue Stem Fine Crafts Gallery in Columbia. With my time pretty well committed to making the cafe survive, my time in the studio is both precious and rare. One area of play I have missed is dyeing and printing fabric. My next project will likely be printing and dyeing fabric to be the new seat cushions on the cafe chairs. I'll be using stamps I have made to add elements of cooking to the material—like images of sliced veggies and herbs as well as patterns I enjoy. Watch for these updates.

One of my favorite seasonal harvests is the Hatch peppers from New Mexico. You know those glorius red chili ristras you see in New Mexico? Well, if they don't allow them to go red, they harvest them now. Then they are charred and blistered to remove the skin. With the skin still on, but blistered, the chilis are then frozen for later use. When thawed the chilis shed their skins quite easily. We'll be doing an entire case next weekend. I found both hot and mild ones at Harps in Thayer and ordered a case of the mild for us. You see us use those peppers every time we make the white chicken chili and the creamy chicken enchiladas. They'll be along shortly.

Now here's this week's menu specials~~

Tuesday lunch~pesto pizzas with fresh mozzarella, ham, kalamata olives, Juliet tomatoes, red onions and shitake mushrooms. $7.50 with side salad.

Wednesday lunch~Turkey meatball sandwich with fresh marinara on French baguette. $7.50 with side.

Thursday lunch~Shrimp and grits. This was a crowd favorite last year. We use lots of good-sized shrimp. Creamy, smooth and somewhat kicky. Served with a side salad $8.50

Friday lunch~Hawaiin chicken salad made with herb poached chicken breast, rice, pineapple, mango, coconut, red onion, cilantro and an orange vinaigrette served atop a bed of romaine lettuce. $7.50

Dinners~~

Flavor Journey~All week~ Japanese glazed baby-back ribs, fresh garlic and spinach sauté, jasmine rice and sushi maki made with cucumber, carrots, avocado and sprouts. $13.99

Seafood~Wed. through Friday only~Pepita-crusted, baked rainbow trout; sweet potato soufflé; cabbage/pepper/onion stirfry. $14.99

Desserts~

Apple upside down cake and a cranberry almond shortbread tart will be made as early in the week as we can manage them.

I hope you are enjoying the evolution of the seasons as much as I am. Have a terrific week.

~~Susan

The hope of rain.

My kids who live in the Tampa Bay area are laughing at the over-reaction to the Threat of Isaac. I'm not sure they even got any rain to speak of. We, however, might actually benefit from this slow moving storm as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico. With water temps just shy of bathwater, the energy is there to sustain it. We certainly could use the rain. 

Last week was the week that finally slowed down during the evenings...until Friday. Vinny's playing brought in a nice-sized crowd. We've added a staff member to the task of dessert delivery on Friday nights. It certainly sped up that operation. We welcome BJ to our team. He came on as lunch-time dishwasher and quickly showed he was multi-skilled, enthusiastic and a very nice fit. He jumped in grilling the pound cake for the peach desserts and did a very fine job. We sold more desserts Friday night than I think we ever had before. Yea, BJ! Now we need to keep up the excitement as we begin to transition from summer fruits and veggies to the fall ones.

Jon Lumsden will take a break from the register this Friday and grace us with a nice long set of his jazz guitar and vocals starting at 7pm. This is the first time he has played all summer as we have not been able to free him up to do so. As we seem to be generating a larger Friday night crowd we are going to implement a couple of organizational changes. The first is that if you wish to sit in the main dining room on Friday night you must make a reservation. Since we make no effort to turn over the tables, this will allow those who really want to see the performer first access. So far, there is still plenty of seating for drop-ins on Friday night, but it'll be in the second dining room. The second change is that on Friday nights you will be greeted at the door and taken to a table. This will allow us to realistically divide up the tables among our servers and create less confusion. Believe me, you will notice a difference.

I've had plenty of opportunities to speak with our customers when they visit for dinner during the week. For me it is a real treat to get to speak with you—the ones I am cooking for. Most of the time at lunch, all anyone sees of me is my butt. Well that is not quite true, but close enough. I am delighted when I get to meet new folks and get to the point of knowing to ask how the family is doing. I genuinely want to know if the food suited your desires. I, of course, hope to exceed your expectations. We may have had this bright idea to start a cafe that serves what people want to eat, while keeping the ingredients real, all the while expanding their palates. But it is you who allow it all to happen. It is you who gives us a direction on which we can focus. It is your word of mouth that is keeping this place not only alive, but growing. I must admit this is the toughest job I've ever had physically. But we are having a ball. Rick and I are loving collaborating on various dishes and menus. We have such a happy staff and it is pure joy to come to work each day. We know that what we are doing isn't for everyone. We acknowledge that our menu choices are somewhat capricious. But we are proud of the quality of food we are serving and having fun with the creative parts. I love following the harvest season to make menu decisions. While there are items I serve that are not always in season, I really make an effort to learn about the seasonal produce and innovative ways to present them. My personal mission is to broaden everyone's awareness of each other through their palates and gradually expand knowledge about various cultures so that perhaps we can all have a greater understanding and eventually peace. I never wrote that out before. Hmph.

Now the philosophising is over, let's get on with lunch~~

Tuesday~Both Pork Bahn Mi and Pulled Pork sandwiches are 50 cents off.

Wednesday~Rick is going to rock us with his Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich. Those chicken breasts are marinating for 24 hours in jerk seasonings to enliven that flavor. We'll stick to jalapenos rather than the usual habanero peppers for this dish. We'll serve it coconut rice and black beans. $7.50

Thursday~How about some mid-week pasta? Mostaccioli is a Greek casserole featuring lots of sweet Italian sausage, onions, tomatoes, pasta and cheese. We're serve it with a side salad for $7.50

Friday~South Indian-style Vegetable Curry. Served with jasmine rice. I've been reading a lot lately about the healing properties of certain herbs and spices. This one contains many of the most beneficial—cardamon, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne. It IS vegetarian so tell your vegetarian friends not to miss this. It is also wheat-free. Dang it, it's healthy, too. $7.50

The Flavor Journey this week is really close to home. I am really enjoying making fresh pasta each week. We are at the peak of season for fresh vegetables from the gardens. I am doing fresh pasta with grilled squashes, eggplant, peppers and onions with herb-poached chicken, feta and basil.  This is truly a celebration of the summer harvest—with side salad. $12.99

Seafood Entrée—Wednesday through Friday—Wild-caught pacific coho salmon steak with dill mayo sauce, tomato tart, and spaghetti squash with Indian spices—with side salad. $14.99

I hope you have a grand week. Thanks for being there.

~~Susan