We'll have a new sign hanging on the three-door cooler which will list the beers currently available along with pricing. We try to keep up with your preferences. Be sure to tell us if something you want is missing. We'll try to accommodate you.
We are encouraging you to try out some of our higher end wines. I am downloading some of the "shelf talking points." These are the blurbs the retail stores put on the shelves to give you more information about your choices. None of these wines are over $25, and the responses have been quite encouraging. Don't forget that on Winey Wednesday any wine purchase is 20% off.
Last week we introduced "double punch with friends." This promotion is designed to encourage you to bring in a new customer when you dine with us. For that you'll get a punch for both your meal and theirs. We need to boost our customer visits by about 30 per week to get things into a long-term viable range. We know you are the best resource for helping us get there. Thank you!
Many of have asked about the blue bottles on the tables. They are filled with Kangen Water®, a healthy drinking water rich in minerals, purged of impurities, and ionized through electrolysis. Alkaline ionized Kangen Water® is an excellent choice for healthy hydration. Not only does it taste great and refreshing, but it also helps you avoid impurities. If you'd like to bring in some jugs to try it at home, just ask us to fill 'em up. You can sample it for free. There is a brochure with information available at the register. We have made the decision to invest in this machine, as it allows us to wash our vegetables without them absorbing the chlorine that is in the city water. You may have noticed that our coffee, while still made as strongly, no longer has the acidic finish to the flavor. This is due to using a higher alkaline water.
We will begin to assemble the raised garden in back pretty soon. We are in need of used cinder blocks. If you have any, even a few, we'd appreciate it. Also we may use old tires to form a perimeter. If you have a few discards, we can find a sustainable use for them. We plan to plant herbs, edible flowers, heirloom vegetables and peppers. I am thrilled to make this addition to our culinary experience and to turn an otherwise ugly plot into something beautiful.
The new meatless Mondays are taking off with a bang, and I couldn't be happier. Amy is leading the charge but Andrew and Vincent are right there with her. This week Drew and Vincent concocted a meatless taquito made with brown rice and portabella mushrooms. The rice is seasoned with cumin and pepitas and cooked with our in-house vegetable broth. To that mixture is added a sofrito of tomatoes, peppers, white wine vinegar and lime juice. All are rolled up in a harvest wheat tortilla and pan seared to crisp it up and hold the shape. Served with a side salad for $6.99. We can now also make smoothies and fresh carrot juice. These latter are available all week but must be asked for until we establish their permanent place on the menu. Have you TRIED fresh carrot juice? Yum! I may be offering free tastes this week. Be sure to ask.
Our bread machine is on the fritz and while that is the case we are having Jason make most of our sandwich breads. We are also substituting some commercially made sour dough and whole wheat. Please bear with us while we scramble over this hurdle.
In the past we have introduced various sandwiches which will have a strong following for a few weeks but then taper off. This season my plan is to make a different sandwich available for a week at a time. We'll rotate through the Bahn Mi, the Roman, Reuben, etc. This week is a California chicken club made with either bread or a tortilla wrap, wood-fired chicken, chipotle mayonnaise, feta, avocado slices, tomato and sprouts. If you wish, I could even do it as a lettuce wrap. You tell me. It'll be served with the usual seasonal sides. $7.59
I am introducing two more of the seasonal sides shortly. The first will be a Mediterranean farro salad and the other is a tabouli. Both offer a fresh flavor profile and will add a nice textural balance to any meal. The farro is an alternative grain suitable for those who are going gluten free.
This is the last week of Lent, and I am thrilled to present stuffed whole trout on the dinner menu. These are 10 oz BONELESS whole trout which I'll stuff and bake with a mixture of spinach, shitakes, fennel, and shallots which will have been softened in a white wine broth. This will be served on a bed of wild rice pilaf and accompanied by grilled fresh asparagus or seasonal stir-fry. My Sea Sauce will round out the plate. Served with salad at $14.99. I have a total of 16 servings for the week. If you are serious about having this, you need to have me reserve one for you with your dinner reservation. Available Tuesday - Friday or until gone.
The meat Flavor journey is a stuffed pork loin. I'll stuff it with farro, a healthy alternative, gluten-free grain, as well as apples, shallots, fennel and parsley. It will be accompanied by spring red potatoes with fresh garlic and parsley with a reduction gravy as well as grilled fresh asparagus or our seasonal stir-fry. Served with a side salad for $13.99. Available Tuesday - Friday.
Next week.....drum roll please... roasted leg of lamb.
The soup this week will start with a vegetarian French onion soup. The onions were oven-roasted with olive oil instead of pan cooked with butter. They are still very tender and caramelized. Instead of a meat-based broth Amy used our in-house vegetable broth. Are you enjoying Amy's efforts at introducing more vegetarian fare? Be sure to tell her! We want her to SHINE!!!!!!
We have had a difficult time getting reviews on some of the various review sites. Perhaps you could share your viewpoint with the likes of Yelp.com, topix.com, yellowpages.com, yahoo.com, google.com, MissouriLife.com, foursquare.com or 417.com We haven't gotten any bad reviews, just ones that are terribly out of date—like from the first 3 months we were open. It kills me that some of the local restaurants that don't offer fresh foods can get a higher review simply because people actually go to the sites. Please share your opinions. This will help our exposure. If you know a food critic, please tell them about us so we can get a published review. If we need to work on something, I need to know about it.
Here are this week's lunch specials—
Monday~ Portabella Taquito with side salad $6.99
Tuesday~ California Club Sandwich with side $7.59 Available all week. See notes above for description.
Wednesday~ Wood-fired chicken crepes with broccoli and smoked gouda plus side salad $7.99
Thursday~ Stuffed cabbage rolls plus stewed tomatoes and side salad. $7.99
Friday~ Wood-fired salmon tacos with pineapple salsa and cilantro lime slaw plus side $7.99
Seafood entrée~ Stuffed whole boneless trout over rice pilaf with asparagus or stir-fry and side salad. $14.99
Flavor journey~ Stuffed pork loin (farro, apples, fennel, shallots, parsley) plus spring red potatoes with garlic and parsley and grilled asparagus or seasonal stir-fry. $13.99
Desserts~ Chess pie, baklava, plus something chocolatey...hmmm. Ideas? Share them!
I hope you and your family are able to enjoy the last relics of winter while watching spring begin to unfold at last. We cherish your friendships as well as your business. Thank you for sharing your friends and family with us. Have a joyous week!
~~Susan
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