I'll try to narrow things down a bit. First of all, the FRESH seafood this week is coming from Point Judith, RI. I have ordered 27 lbs of whole black sea bass. The vessel they come from, "Hope & Sydney," is bringing in specimens in the 1.5-2 lb average size. My plan is to fillet the larger ones and stuff and serve whole the smaller ones. Therefore, my menu has 2 seafood options this week. Both are sea bass but served in different manners. I had planned on mussels this week but that became not-so-available.
Regarding Mother's Day—No. We won't be open. But we do have gift certificates. It is always fun to watch folks bring in gift certificates they have received because they are usually very pleasantly surprised by the food we serve. They always mention when it was a gift and how much that person means to them. So it is a good thing. We can write gift certificates for any amount you choose.
We've got strawberries coming out our ears! We'll plan at least 2 strawberry pies, a layered strawberry and chamomile cream parfait plus whatever else we can make happen. Prepare to meet thy strawberry!
Now that we have the other side open, we are now able to host any smaller meetings you may want to have. I am setting up a calendar so that the space can be reserved. Further down the road we'll also be hosting artist receptions when we get the gallery space ready for artwork. Do you have responsibility for any small gatherings? When I say small gatherings I mean 15-45 people. We can close the door and give you privacy for a board meeting, even a darkish space for projector presentations. If you want the space without a meal, we can simply rent it to you. If you want a meal served we can build it in. Flexibility is the key. We've got it.
Last week one of our customers brought in garlic scapes. At first I didn't know what to do with them. It seems that they are the flower stem parts of soft-stemmed garlic. Since all the garlic I have growing at home is the hard-stemmed variety, my garlic wasn't producing anything like that. I have now learned they are great in stir-fries. I'm including them, as long as we have them. This is the serendipity part of the business I love. Many, many times customers, vendors and employees bring in items and either ask "What can we do with this?" or "How about we use this to do ...?" I love the collaboration when suppliers, cooks, artists, and creative people get together. There is a wonderful energy that is synergistic— bigger than the sum of its parts.
Friday night music this week will be the Renee Wood Trio. The trio will start playing about 6:45 and play 2 sets. The kitchen closes at 8:00 but will still serve desserts and beverages until the end of the 2nd set. Renee plays saxophone, Tom plays guitar and David plays drums. Their jazz is great dinner entertainment.
I better get on with telling you about this week's menu—
Tuesday~ Pulled pork is featured. We serve it on a whole-wheat ciabatta bun and team it with Cajun home fries and pickled red onion. $6.49
Wednesday~Seafood lettuce wraps. These wraps feature shrimp and scallops with a tangy sweet sauce mixed with red and green pepper, green onions and rice. They are served wrapped in leaf lettuce leaves. $6.75
Thursday~ Sorry, no tamales this week. Instead we'll fall back to the creamy chicken enchiladas, served with black bean & corn salad. $6.75
Friday~Curried chicken with Israeli couscous salad. $6.75
Seafood~ As mentioned earlier in this post, I am bringing in Black Sea Bass from Rhode Island. It'll arrive Wednesday after lunch and we'll begin serving it at Wednesday dinner. I'll plan on 2 versions, I think. My final decision will be made upon actually receiving the fish. My expectation is that I'll take the smaller-sized whole fish and simply stuff them with spinach, shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. Then I'll bake them until just cooked. It'll be accompanied by rice pilaf and stir-fried fresh veggies. This week I have zucchini, onions, garlic scapes, tatsoi and Napa cabbage in the stir-fry. That can change as my ingredients come and go. The second version is a piece of skin-on fillet that will get the royal treatment as Sake-Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger and Green onion. The whole fish version will be $18.99. The skin-on fillet will be $14.99. I think you could enjoy either.
With so much going on I am opting to keep things a bit simpler this week. The announced "Flavor Journey" is taking a week off. I expect I'll evolve something during the week. But right now I am pooling my resources and sitting back. I'll surprise you.
And isn't it time you scheduled your next Girls' Night Out? You've told us how much you've enjoyed them. We've been doing a few special things for Thursday nights. Among them are special appetizers and beverages designed to appeal especially to a feminine palate. We usually start Thursday night guests with an "amuse bouche." Are you familiar with this term? It is used to name a free morsel presented to diners before they even order. The name means to amuse the mouth. So it is a tasty tidbit meant to get you excited about what might be coming next.
Have a lovely week. Don't forget your Mother!!!!
~~Susan
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