Scorching hot finish to June

It may be really hot here but just this morning the sock-eye salmon were making their annual run in Kanai, AK's frigid waters. A few were diverted and are now on their way to West Plains, MO. We have 30 pounds of heads-off, dressed whole fish arriving on Tuesday in time for dinner. This means we will have the salmon every night this week.  I will simply give it a fast bake and top it with an sauce. To accompany it , I'll be making the best of the fresh local ingredients.

Last week was totally a team effort. We simply could not have pulled off the miracle that we did without our intrepid team that worked many, many hours beyond their normal ones. Getting up really early 6 days in a row, Rick was helpful beyond measure. Sharon O. pitched in when one other person got quite ill and couldn't help. Sharon just quietly jumped in and did her part—day after day. Thank you, Sharon! Stephan was a real trooper, coming in day after day to face mountains of dishes and getting thrown into the lunch maylee as well. He spent more than one afternoon in shell shock. Steve came in on short notice to rescue us, twice. Ashley came in after working long hours on her nursing degree each day, staying late even when getting up early. Without you—every single one—we would have looked like the Keystone cops. Instead, I think we pulled off a remarkable showing. We fed the NATF folks dinner Sunday night and breakfast all five weekdays. Then we catered the Board of Governors' Reception for MSU as well as serving one of our top 10 busiest weeks. Had we not closed on Wednesday night due to my exhaustion or opened late for dinner on Thursday night, we probably would have had our highest ever week. Whew!!! Nicely done, TEAM!!!!

As I write this, Jon is off to Earle, AR to pick up some new tables and chairs for the annex. He is being helped by Phil O. who is sharing his pick-up truck. Our neighbor, Shorty, is once again offering his flatbed trailer.  So much of what we do here is supported by our friends. We truly feel that what we are accomplishing here is an effort by many to create an environment you want. When you offer your excess produce and herbs, I am delighted. You may be overwhelmed by the produce your garden is producing, I am just grateful.

Another friend is lending his voice this week. Gordon Johnston, local keyboardist and songwriter, will join us Friday night this week. He covers lots of Van Morrison and writes some fine tunes and lyrics. He is also the one for whom I made the most recent quilt. I am forever grateful for that commission as it kept my fingers in the fiber game, thus keeping my fiber urges alive. Thank you, Gordon. That is a true definition of a patron—one who does things to actively support my efforts as an artist. I am lucky to have your support.

At the request of several customers, I am adding the Shrimp Pasta and the Rainbow Trout to our regular dinner menu.  Thank you for letting me know you'd like those options regularly. We've recently added a contract baker to our team. He is baking the French baguettes to our specifications and delivering twice a week (and he does a better job than I was.) This allows us to have the pork bahn mi most every day and frees me up to make more desserts and keep the dinner and sandwich breads fresh. Yeah!!

I am especially enjoying introducing recipes that take advantage of the current produce available. We are moving into the part of the season where eggplant and tomatoes are starting to shine. With the heat, fresh citrusy flavors are required to bring things down a notch. I think you'll see some of that reflected in this week's menu.

Tuesday~ the pork bahn mi and pulled pork sandwiches take center stage with 50 cents off either.
Wednesday~ Thai peanut noodle salad with wood-fired chicken $7.50  or teri-yaki grilled shrimp $9.50
Thursday~ Italian shrimp salad—shrimp, rice, lemon, parsley yum! $6.99
Friday~Stir-fried beef with udon noodles $6.99

Seafood~FRESH sock-eye salmon oven roasted and topped with Charmoula sauce made with jalapeno, parsley, mint, and ciulantro over crispy grilled polenta  $15.99

Flavor journey~ Cajun-seasoned pork chops with dirty rice, green bean and squash stir-fry and Juliet tomatoes with eggplant puree $11.99

We look forward to having you join us this week. We will only be open 2 days next week in order to celebrate the 4th with our friends and family. Have a great week.

Floating through June

This is a peculiar time of year. It seems that most of life is normal but schedules don't seem to flow as easily as they did before the kids were turned loose for the summer. My kids and grandkids aren't even nearby—so how do I even know this? Because we had a fairly quiet week last week when all other indicators would say we would have been super busy. Fortunately, that is an anomoly that I hope is rectified this week. I know lots of folks are traveling, but we hope to see you if you are not. Since we don't get to travel much these days, we love to hear of your travels and join you vicariously.

Our next task in marketing our café is to add large letters spelling out the café name to the outside above the windows. This will cost about $400 for the letters themselves. We are trying to expedite getting them and are dedicating any money taken in for gift certificates to this project. Do you need to buy for any upcoming celebrations? You can even buy them for yourself! We appreciate the amazing level of support our customers have shown and thought you might want to be a known part of our next milestone. You are already a part of everything we do around here.

Next week is the summer solstice. We'll be in the middle of NATF week when that happens, so I am introducing our summer salad this week. I call it Solstice Salad and it will be available until the equinox. It starts with a bed of Romaine lettuce, topped with fresh mozzarella, chopped fresh local tomatoes and fresh local basil. The dressing is a fresh basil balsamic vinaigrette. We'll add wood-fired chicken on top to give you some extra protein. Simple, pure, summer. $6.99

I am tickled to be able to report that I finally finished a piece of art that I have been poking at for over two years. During that time it was easy to let my fiber passion wane. Fortunately, I had this commission in the works when we started this enterprise. Had I had any idea it would have taken this long to get completed I never would have taken on the commission. However, I am most grateful for that opportunity. The person I made it for was extraordinarily patient and that gave me the room and time to gather little nuggets of energy that I could summon and use to work on it in small spurts. It also gave me time to allow myself the opportunity to experience the pure joy I feel when in my studio. With all the busy-ness of running the café, that joy could have easily gotten lost in the shuffle. Instead, I had a reason to keep my studio intact. I was able to do small amounts and walk away, then come back with very little time to re-orient myself. It was lovely. Once I have delivered the work, I will show you images of it. Until then, please be patient. He was.  

Here's the menu of specials for the week~

Tuesday~ Chicken Chiliquiles~ Kind of a Mexican pot pie. Layers of roasted chicken breast meat, corn tortillas, green beans, zucchini, corn, tomatillos, and mushrooms in a spicy creamy sauce. If you had the Mexican dinner during the Cinco de Mayo you had this. It will also be served with corn pudding. Both of these dishes got rave reviews and multiple requests for a repeat. I am doing a lunch- sized version so more could enjoy it. $6.99

Wednesday~ Chicken bahn mi~ We grind our own chicken to make these ginger and lemon marinated patties that are grilled and served in our French baguette with sriracha mayonnaise, freshly pickled cucumbers and carrots, sprouts and cilantro. With a side $6.99

Thursday~Shrimp in adobo sauce tacos. The spicy sauce that the shrimp are cooked in begins with soaking toasted dried chili pods. You won't find a fresher, more authentic flavor in town. You'll get 2 tacos  plus guacamole, and a special toasted guajillo salsa and chips. $7.75

Friday~Lunch portioned size of one of our most requested dinner entrées~ pork loin chop with strawberry chipotle glaze, garlic mashed red-skinned potatoes, fresh green beans $7.50

Flavor journey~~
Elk meatloaf. This has quickly become a customer favorite and we will only be able to serve it once or twice again. In our version we are giving it an Asian slant and topping it with a hoisin-based sauce. We'll serve it with garlic mashed red-skinned potatoes and fresh green beans plus a side salad, of course. $10.99

Seafood~
Shrimp pasta. We introduced this a few weeks ago and it was instantly a hit. I take lots of tasty shrimp and toss it with linguini, garlic, parsley, green onions, parmesan and cream to make a fairly light pasta dish. Served with a side salad. $12.99


I hope you have a lovely week~

Susan

The sweetness of June

As always I am amazed by how fast time seems to zip by. Weren't we just talking about Cinco de Mayo? Here we are in June already and the crops are starting to come in. Right now we have loads of zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, snow peas and scallions. The tomatoes from Arkansas are outstanding. Sounds like a stir-fry to me—but when?

We are busy juggling tasks. This time of year we are preparing for the NATF invasion. It all happens the 3rd week of June just following the Old-Time Music Festival. We are honored to be providing the food to fuel this national audio theater conference for the second year. Among the many tasks in prepping for their week are making extra desserts, loads of breakfast muffins, and other items that can be prepared ahead and frozen. All this happens while also making good food for you!

We are very proud of our own Rick Mize. He and his musical buddy, Dustin Collins, make up Chief Wahoo and the Electric Tonic. They were featured performers at last Saturday's Relay for Life. You probably have met Rick as he is very active at lunch and does table service on Thursday and Friday nights. I am thrilled to have his talents in the kitchen, as well. He has proven his chops at every cooking skill asked of him as well as having a delightful attitude and genuine friendliness. We hope to keep him challenged and happy. Last week he was shining with his creation of a dark chocolate mousse, layered with white chocolate mousse and whipped cream, surrounded by Kahlua-dipped lady fingers. We need a name for this creation! He also did a wonderful Neapolitan Pie—graham cracker crust, dark chocolate mousse, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. He's just gearing up to dazzle us. Go, Rick, go!

Many of you have asked how my mother's surgery went. Thank you. She is doing well. Her hand is healing nicely and she is getting feisty again.

Some of you have asked about renting the space next door for small special events. If you have a class you'd like to teach, a board meeting, or just a small private party, the space can be rented. If you include our food in your event, the fee may be waived. The only time the space is not available is during our lunch service, as we need all the tables for our daily customers. If you have questions or want to know about the space's availability just check in with Jon or me. We'll fix you up.

I was inspired this week to bring back the real Caesar Salad on Tuesday. We make it with fresh garlic croutons, real eggs, Parmesan, Worcestershire, lemon and, yes, anchovies. The anchovies, while a very important ingredient, do not stand out flavor-wise on their own. They add the umami direction to the salad. According to wikipedia, Umami /uːˈmɑːmi/ is a savory taste which is one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Umami is a loanword from the Japanese umami meaning "pleasant savory taste." Umami is the earthy underlayer of flavor often provided by mushrooms, anchovies and in other restaurants, MSG. You can order the Caesar salad by itself or with wood-fired chicken or trout. I'll keep it all week.

Another returning lunch special this week will be the pimento cheese quesadilla with wood-fired chicken. I expect it'll be available Wed.- Fri. unless I run out sooner.

This seems to be request week, too. The Bahn Mi sandwiches should be available Wednesday and Thursday. I have to juggle making the bread for dinner with baguettes for the sandwiches. The oven only has so much room.

Another request being answered is the chicken pot pie. I'll make it for lunch on Thursday and serve it with a tomato salad with shallot vinaigrette, capers and basil. The pie will be loaded with fresh veggies like green beans, vidalia onions, red potatoes, fresh corn, fresh carrots and tied together with a chicken-based cream sauce. I'll use a bit of tarragon, a tiny bit of dill and garlic to bring in the fresh herbs. We make our own pie crusts using butter. This item usually sells out quickly, so if you have your stomach tuned to it, I encourage you to call in and have us save a serving for you ... maybe even the day before.

Friday I am making creamy mushroom crepes. We have lots of eggs in addition to the mushrooms and it just made sense to go that direction. Like you, I look through my larder and figure out what we can create on the fly. Except I have to make a commitment and stick to it, once made. I do love the flexibility that our style of cafe offers. As an artist first, I must scratch my creative itch. If I made only the same things every day/week/month I would be bored to tears and out the door pretty fast. Instead, you get to play along with my creativity. Sometimes I am perusing foodie magazines, other times following trails over the Internet or television. Many times, inspiration hits while looking through one of my many, many cookbooks. Perhaps, in most restaurant environments this would be non-optimum. For me, it is a playground, a blank canvas each week. Your encouragement and continual support tell me what I am doing is desirable. So I'll continue. Thank you.

The Flavor Journey this week is vaguely Italian or at least Mediterranean. I'll roast chicken breast quarters, skin-on, with rosemary, lemon and honey. They will be accompanied by zucchini in a tomato garlic sauce and rice pilaf. The flavors should be rich and intense. $10.99

The seafood dinner entrée will be poached wild salmon with peas and wild mushrooms. The salmon will be cooked to order, poached in white wine. While that is happening, the mushrooms will be cooked in butter and the poaching liquid. Peas are then added along with heavy cream. I think you will find it charming but not heavy. You'll get all the freshness of the season cooked just for you. $14.99

Thanks to you, we are having a blast! You make it okay to have fun while running a thriving business. We are always working to make the environment at the cafe one that is comfortable and welcoming. We are proud of the atmosphere we have created and thrilled when you share it with others. Changes will occur that upgrade the warmth and feel as we can make them happen. Thanks for being a part of our adventure. You are a very important part of it.

~~Susan