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
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