The grouper cheeks are a special treat, as well. As named, they are the cheeks of the grouper. Usually, it is only the locals who get the cheeks. They are the most tender, have the least waste and taste fabulous. Frenchie's Seafood in Clearwater, FL built their customer base on these morsels. Most places batter and deep fry them. However, as you know, I seldom deep fry anything. Instead we'll saute them in butter and herbs and make a poorboy from them. Bruce's French bread will be the foundation. $9.99/ sandwich with side.
We couldn't be more delighted with the way things are going. This weekend, though, Jon and I have been exhausted. So we'll look for ways to provide great food and service while figuring out how to make more efficient use of our time. Fortunately, we have a team that works well together. Bruce consistently provides the prep, the night-time breads and many of the desserts. His creativity in the kitchen is an inspiration to us all. Rick helps pick up the slack in prepping the salad dressings for lunch and making sure all the forks are rolled. He expedites your orders out and clears off tables. Shonna has joined us and is also expediting and serving at night. We have help on Thursday and Friday nights with dishes. If we didn't, we'd all be here until midnight. Each individual is making an impact and their help has become vital. We are surrounded by folks who really care about good service, who are delighted by our menu and who appreciate fresh food. Besides, they each have a winning attitude and are a part of our game. Without their efforts Jon and I would still be only producing on the level we were at in the food trailer. We are producing nearly triple what we were a year and a half ago. Your support and encouragement have allowed this to happen. Thank you.
By opening the other side, you will have about 30 more seats available at lunch and dinner. Eventually we will have about 45 seats over there. We pretty much filled the place Thursday and Friday evenings last week. It was pretty exciting. Thursday evening's Girls' Night Out is proving popular. Thank you for embracing that idea. We'll continue to offer special smaller entrees on that night as well as a few special appetizers. The Sangria has proven popular as well as festive. If you haven't joined us for dinner yet, you are missing out.
I am so pleased we finally got some rain. The herbs were beginning to show signs of need. We have basil, oregano, dill, thyme, tarragon, parsley, marjarom, rosemary, sage and chives all growing in the pots. Additionally, we have peppers and peas that can be harvested. I get a boost every time I walk outside and pick an herb to go into your meals. It is much more enjoyable than opening a jar or bag from the store. You would not believe how much basil we go through weekly, now. Between making fresh pesto for sandwiches and pasta, Bruce's pesto dipping oil and various breads that incorporate it, we use over a pound a week. A pound of fresh basil is a very large bouquet.
This week we have the Renee Wood Trio back to provide music during dinner. We are trying something new. We are moving the start time back a bit so we can get through more of the service portion of the evening before the randomity of the music complicates things. We'll still open at 5pm. We are just hoping we can get more of you actually fed before the music starts. As always, you are welcome to stick around for the entire evening. The kitchen will close at 8pm. Drinks, desserts and a few tapas-type items will be available after that. Our hope is that by being able to focus on food delivery, you will get a meal that is of higher quality, hot as expected and have plenty of time to visit with friends.
Another option we are introducing is A La Carte Day for local offices. This is a designated day each month where your office staff can pool their order and we'll deliver it! We already have several offices that do this on an ad hoc basis. We are hoping that we can secure 3-4 offices per week that have us deliver. We are still working out the bugs—like how to handle the payments. But we now have staff that can deliver several orders at once. If you want your office to participate, give us a call and we can set it up. 505-0302.
I am trying to finish up the decor of our restroom. I am in search of inexpensive framed mirrors. If you have any you no longer care about, I'd love to have them. My plan is to paint all the frames a flat black and hang them, gang-style, on one wall. Please look around in your garage, attic or basement or at the next garage sale you attend. That long-forgotten mirror just might wind up on our wall of fame. Thanks in advance!
Bruce has been busy making pickles again. In addition to dill, bread & butter, and sweet & sour pickles he has also developed a pickle with a decidedly Asian flavor profile. These are available most days for 75 cents a serving. If you are a pickle fan, you can't beat his refrigerator pickles. He makes them in-house and from all fresh ingredients.
Nicoise salad is a favorite of many big city restaurants. Pronounced nee-swaz', this French salad originates in Nice—hence the name; meaning in the style of Nice. It consists of Romaine lettuce, grilled and chilled tuna, hard boiled eggs, boiled potatoes and fresh green beans (aka haricort verts,) fresh tomatoes, anchovies and Kalamata olives. Each ingredients is laid out in a nice array. We'll serve this salad with a lemon-based aioli. A hunk of French bread and you've got a healthy meal. This week we'll serve this from Wednesday through Friday at lunch and it will also be available in our new "Grab n Go" containers for take home. As time goes by, look for more offerings in the "Grab n Go" format. We've invested in some really nice microwave-safe containers for heating your choices. You'll want to keep these high quality containers and re-use them. This is an especially nice option if you are in a hurry. $7.99
This week's Flavor Journey is an updated version of Chicken Marbella. This dish was inspired by Moroccan tangines and Spanish braises. It was originated by chefs Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins, owners of the now defunct Silver Palate from New York's Upper West Side. For over 25 years this was a mainstay of the dinner party. This updated version makes better use of the seasonings—red wine vinegar, prunes, Spanish olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, oregano and bay leaves. The original version had the chicken pieces topped with a brown sugar sauce. This version is topped with a savory sauce. We'll serve it with baked potatoes and those luscious green beans we have right now plus, of course a side salad. $10.99
There is almost no way you can cook Red Snapper that is bad. We're going to bake it with savory herbs like rosemary, and fennel as well as garlic, shallots and onion. A bit of lemon will finish it off. I'll stir-fry some fresh veggies and serve with a rice pilaf. As a side sauce we'll include a dish of my so-far un-named seafood sauce made with mayonnaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, cayenne and horseradish. The loins will be super fresh, having been caught and shipped on Tuesday for a Wednesday delivery. This is one of the most requested fish by our customers. Don't miss it. The cost is $16.99. I know this is higher than most dishes we serve, but we are not even marking it up the industry standard.
I truly hope the demand for fresh seafood continues. We lived in coastal Florida for several years and nothing gives me more pleasure to cook than fresh fish and shellfish. Please feel free to tell me your favorites. I can get in fish from Maine to the Gulf coast to Alaska. All are shipped directly from the dock the day the vessel lands.
So here's the menu day by day~~
Tuesday~50 cents off Trout Roman
Wednesday~Salad Nicoise $7.99 (also on Thursday and Friday)
Thursday~Polynesian chicken tamales; poached chicken tamales with sweet & sour sauce and pineapple fried rice $6.75; Grouper Cheek Poorboys with Cajun home fries $9.99
Friday~Salad Nicoise $7.99; Grouper Cheek Poorboy with Cajun home fries $9.99
Dinners~
Seafood~ Wednesday through Friday~ Roasted Red Snapper with Rosemary, rice pilaf and stir-fried fresh veggies $16.99
Flavor Journey~Tuesday through Friday~ Chicken Marbella, baked potatoes, fresh green beans $10.99
I hope you have a glorious week as spring continues to unfold. Get those gardens producing!
~~my warmest spring wishes~~
Susan
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