w/e June 29th Summer fun!

Welcome to the first real week of summer. With the solstice behind us now we'll  see the days begin to shorten. I've never quite reconciled that even as the days get shorter we'll continue to warm up. It seems there is a situation where the world doesn't quite keep up with itself.

Music this week—After last Friday's more lively music, we're returning to those old, laid-back tunes from the Great American Songbook, played by Jon on his 7-string guitar. Music starts about 6:30 PM. Join us for a relaxing dinner!

With my new schedule that focusues on my cooking the dinner meals, I have been able to concentrate on making them really stand out as exceptional. 2 days a week we are here for the duration— 8:00 am through closing at 8 pm. During those long hours I am spending my time prepping dinner for the week as well as helping the kids serve lunch. They are doing such a fine job they really don't need me. But I need those long hours to get the week set up. When it is feasible, I will have the seafood entrée and the Flavor Journey's both available on Tuesday evening. This won't be one of those weeks.  I am trying to make sure that in addition to having specials dinners each week that celebrate local sourcing and seasonal dining, I am also creating special appetizers and desserts that are unique to the current week.

So in addition to the featured seafood and Flavor Journey, you can watch for appetizers that you won't find at other times of the year. This week I have portabellas sautéed in duckfat perched on lovely polenta.  The polenta is made from corn meal, so it is gluten free, if you are of that persuasion. The polenta is a thick base of corn-flavored goodness seasoned with chicken broth and cheese. I chose the portabellas because they have substance and hold up well to a sauté. I am using duck fat because it gives a wonderful lusciousness, an unctuousness. This is a term that addresses mouthfeel—or how it feels while in your mouth. Creamy, rich, savory. We also have some lovely smoked salmon. I am topping water crackers with fresh goat cheese, smoked salmon, fresh dill and chopped Roma tomatoes.

The other area I am able to address is desserts. Drew continues to make the outstanding carrot cake frosted with sweetened cream cheese and toasted pecans. Also, this week we'll have double chocolate waffles supporting a sweetened cream cheese and topped with local fresh berries that have been simmered and sweetened to create a compote. With both blueberries and blackberries making themselves available, we have a flavor treat.

One minor area I am changing is regarding the dinner side salad. It is now optional for $1.49 more. But I am also introducing a slightly more upscale salad that celebrates what is ripe right now. Currently that is the Italian Flag Salad, aka Caprese Salad. It is made from slices of fresh "buffalo" mozzarella, local heirloom tomatoes and local fresh basil drizzled with fragrant extra virgin olive oil. This is not a salad you make when you don't have the best ingredients, because each ingredient is so vocal. It is an appetizer option at $4.

The Flavor Journey will be available all week beginning Tuesday evening. I have shitake mushrooms and local wild coral mushrooms and am creating a stuffing utilizing those luxury ingredients. I am stuffing cornish game hens with the mushroom mixture. I'll be topping those oven-roasted game hens with a sauce made from rich pinot noir. Our very seasonal stir-fry will round out the plate. We get comments every week on how much folks enjoy the stir-fry. It changes weekly depending upon what is available from our organic supplier and mushroom guy. I know you'll experience greens and vegetables you might not normally persuade yourself to try. STRETCHING that palate.

The Seafood Entrée will be available from Wednesday night on. Because it requires a bit more ambitious preparaton, there is no way I could get it, along with the featured desserts AND appetizer ready for Tuesday. By Wednesday, however, I'll delighfully present grilled red snapper with a Thai Red Curry Butter Sauce served over polenta, topped with peach mango salsa and accompanied by our seasonal stir-fry. These beautiful fillets are very high quality red snapper—mild, small flaked and delicious. I have made a point of researching out various wine-pairings and beer pairings to accompany the entrées and have made those recommendations.

This week's lunch specials take advantage of known customer favorites as well as new introductions that celebrate the season. Monday~ as always, the special is vegetarian. Amy created a pesto pasta using the fresh, local produce in our stir-fry mixture. Tuesday we'll remind folks of the awesomeness of the Roman Sandwich by pricing it 50 cents lower for the day. It is somewhat modeled after the flavors in the Schlotsky's Original, but our bun is unique. It is available regularly (as long as I have the buns made). Wednesday, Amy will create a sliced turkey and apple panini seasoned with bleu cheese and toasted to perfection. Thursday will feature an Asian lettuce wrap filled with turkey and couscous and lightly seasoned with curry. It'll be crunchy and filling without being heavy. Friday we'll feature the Rainbow Trout Burgers on Pretzel buns at a discounted 50 cents off.  These sandwiches have been working their way into people's hearts with a lovely flavor. We add our sea-sauce, fresh tomato slices and alfalfa sprouts. Here is the condensed version—

Lunch specials—

Monday~ Pesto pasta primvera $6.99 with side
Tuesday~ Roman sandwich with side $7.49
Wednesday~ Sliced oven-roasted turkey and apple panini with side $7.79
Thursday~ Asian lettuce wraps with turkey, couscous and curry with side $7.79
Friday~ Trout burgers with side $7.49

Flavor Journey~ Available Tuesday-Saturday evenings. Oven-roasted Cornish game hens stuffed with wild mushrooms and topped with pinot noir sauce. $14.99

Seafood Entrée~ Available Wed-Saturday evenings. Grilled red snapper atop polenta with red curry butter sauce and peach mango salsa. $15.99

We treasure your business and hope you'll continue to support our efforts. It is your energy that keeps things moving forward. Our team is committed to your dining pleasure and welcomes your presence. And by the way, thank you so much to those who have come in on Saturday evening for dinner!

Do you know of an organization that might wish to rent out space on a weekly or monthly basis for meetings? We'd like to reduce our rent pressure by making the annex available periodically for a fair price.

Thanks for being there~~

Susan

W/E June 22nd Old Favorites

This  week we are bringing back a couple of our customers' favorite sandwiches. They have been off the menu for a bit while we replaced our dough making machine and updated a few ingredients. The first to return is the Trout Burger on Pretzel Bun. We got many great comments on this burger and are happy to have it back. It is made from rainbow trout and we grill it to order. On the Pretzel bun it gets an added textural boost. We serve it with our SeaSauce, sprouts and tomato. $7.79 with side

The second sandwich to make its return is the Roman. Returning for Thursday, it starts with a bun we make in-house that contains fresh onion in the dough. Then we add 2 types of salami, ham, swiss cheese, onion, tomato, black olives. They all get toasted and served warm.  $7.59 with side.

I hope you are adjusting to the new normal of a summer schedule. We are making adjustments ourselves. Since we are currently open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, we knew we couldn't maintain the hours personally. So for the time being, you will see Jon and me all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as all evenings. Our wonderful team is handling the lunches really well. This means Jon and I are physically at the cafe 38 hours a week instead of the 56 hours we previously made happen. The extra time "off" isn't spent relaxing. My mother is  going through some health issues demanding a bit more of my time. The remaining bonus time will hopefully get spent in my art studio. It has been 3 years since I started a new project of any magnitude. I've mostly spent my time in the studio clearing out spiderwebs and their egg cases plus a little bit of play time. For the first time in three years I am free to take on a new commission should one come my way. Hint, hint.

Music this week~~ Two nights of music. On Friday, CD Scott returns as a solo act. You have seen him play with friends Mark Johnson and Gordon Johnston. CD will offer up some blues and classic rock. On Saturday evening, welcome to our stage Allison Ann Green, a very talented teenager who has already been performing for years. With her strong voice, Allison will be performing bluegrass and country-flavored songs, along with some of her original tunes. 

We recently cancelled the planned Moroccan Flavor Excursion. It just seems that right now a great number of our usual customers are on vacation and simply not available. We plan to reschedule for sometime in the fall. These special dinners are a rare opportunity to explore a cuisine on a wide scale while visiting with folks who are on a similar journey. When designing a menu for a Flavor Excursion I try to make it varied and feature special ingredients or flavor combinations unique to the cuisine. Because I know there are many of you who avoid red meats and pork I try to make sure I also include poultry, seafoods and a wide variety of vegetable side dishes. I like to introduce each course of the tasting menu by explaining the dish, its unique flavors or cooking methods, preparing your palate for what to expect.  So please stay tuned for the reschedule.

The summer produce is beginning to come in and with it lovely textures and flavors. We've been topping the dinner side salads with tarragon brought to us from one of our customers as well as with fresh dill from Maranatha Farm. The stir-fries are getting updated weekly as the fresh produce rotates through. We always get a good response from our stir-fries and take pride in delivering a flavor explosion.

This week's lunch menu adds in the new sandwiches as well as a few daily features. We will have some fill-in staff this week, so calling your order ahead will help everyone out. Now here are this week's special lunches and dinners~~

Now daily~ 1/4 pound local grass-fed beef hamburgers- classic or southwest style with side $7.99

Monday~ Stir-fried veggies with rice noodles  $6.99
Tuesday~ Trout burgers on pretzel buns--all week and then some.  $7.79 with side
Wednesday~ Forbidden rice salad with wood-fired chicken, sugar snap peas, and avocado  $7.79
Thursday~ Roman sandwich- see above for description  $7.59 with side
Friday~ Quiche with smoked salmon (lox), sun-dried tomatoes, feta and dill plus side salad  $7.79

Seafood entrée~ Fillet of sole almondine with squash casserole and stir-fired veggies plus side salad.  $13.99
Flavor journey~ Sweet and spicy sesame chicken kebabs, wild rice pilaf, seasonal stir-fry plus side salad  $12.99

As always, we thank you for supporting our cafe. It is a joyful experience. I know we have room to improve and are grateful when you tell us what needs fixing. We treasure your business and are thrilled to meet your friends and family. Thanks for being there.

~~Susan

W/E June 15th Making healthy ingredient choices

Last week I mentioned what we were doing to reduce our carbon footprint. This week I felt it was time to remind you of some of the ingredient choices we make when we prepare your foods. Those choices most commonly come down to the least adulterated, closest to nature options we can make. Here are a few of the choices you'll see:

• Butter—we NEVER use margarine. If you are a fan of butter you already know how unreliable most restaurants are for using the real thing. How many times do the waitstaff even know if they are serving butter or margarine? When Jon and I eat out we take our own butter unless we know for sure butter is available.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil—We go through about 1.5 gallons of this per week. There is a big cost difference. With few exceptions it is the oil we use to make salad dressings, sauté, or grill. EVOO uses no heat and is made up of only the first pressing of the olives. The flavor is brighter than other olive oils and the cost is much higher. But we feel it gives us an edge flavor-wise and it is much healthier for you than many other oils.
• Salt—We use either kosher salt or sea salt in our cooking. Again, this costs a bit more than the usual table salt. Also, we try to be very light in the use of any salt.   
• Black pepper—We grind our own peppercorns as we go. This gives the pepper a brightness that already-ground pepper lacks.
• Herbs—Whenever possible we use fresh herbs instead of dried ones. This includes parsley, cilantro, basil, garlic, tarragon, dill.
• Flours—Unbleached flour and whole grain when available. We often will use gluten-free flours—like rice flour, corn flour and potato flour when the option is open to us. Our bread uses a high-gluten flour for texture. We make most of our own breads.
• Grains—In addition to wheat flour and above mentioned gluten-free flours we also will offer other grains such as rice, corn, quinoa, barley and farro. 
• Beans—For the most part we cook our beans from scratch. Our black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, white kidney beans, Great Northern beans and lentils are almost always soaked overnight and cooked fully for freshness and ingredient control.
• Mayonnaise—We are using the highest quality we can find. It is rich and made with the highest quality ingredients. We NEVER use "Miracle Whip" or a mayonnaise substitute.
• Broth—For many of our dishes requiring a broth we use our own in-house vegetable  broth created using our weekly peelings and produce scraps. While we do occasionally use a canned broth, we carefully have selected a variety that contains NO MSG. 
• Dairy—Our milks and creams are selected to be as whole as possible and the cows are raised without the addition of hormones and prophylactic antibiotics. We avoid all use of "artificial creamers."
• Cheeses—We use a high quality feta in salads, Monterey jack in quesadillas and baby Swiss in sandwiches. The Swiss is sliced for us and bought often to ensure freshness.
• Deli meats—We do not buy prepackaged deli meats. We have them sliced to our specifications and we buy often to keep things fresh. We use an oven roasted turkey (as opposed to pressed and processed cheap turkey) and Black Forest ham which is made from a full ham and not pressed chunks.
• Bacon—We use only applewood smoked bacon which is much more expensive than most restaurant varieties. To my taste there is a world of difference. The individual slices are considerably thicker too.
• Seafood—While our options are more limited in land-locked Ozarks, we make conscientious choices to buy sustainably harvested seafood. We buy wild-caught as often as we can and farmed only when we know about the conditions used. I am careful to avoid over-cooking the flesh so the true flavor comes through. Most often I buy wild-caught fish that is cut and flash frozen while at sea. I prefer to buy fresh from the boat with over-night delivery. This option is taken when I know we have a popular seafood that our customers will gobble up. We keep a much tighter profit margin on these items—like fresh oysters, stone crab, fresh mahi-mahi and can't afford loss. We don't order this way often, but it is always a hit when we do.
• Produce—During the summer months we are able to source our tomatoes locally. We also use organically raised spinach and arugula from local sources as well as herbs.
• Beef—We have recently added local grass-fed beef to our lineup, and we make our hamburgers from it. These cattle spend their entire lives in the fields, not in feedlots. The flavor is clean and rich. The fat content is quite low. 
• Salad Dressings—We make ALL our own dressings using high quality ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, high quality mayonnaise, fresh feta cheese, fresh herbs, honey and dark sesame oil. No hydrogenated fats are used.
• Eggs—All year we use locally sourced eggs. During the summer months the eggs actually come from some of our customers. They have free-range chickens that happily scour the farm yard turning bugs and grains into high quality eggs with deep golden yolks. 
• Wood-fired meats—The flavor profile you taste with much of our chicken, the tilapia in our fish tacos, the salmon and tuna on your salads and the corn in your salsa and guacamole are all cooked on a wood fire to give them that smokey flavor. We do that ourselves and feel it gives us a flavor profile all our own.
• Nuts—We buy the raw versions and toast or season them in-house. This gives us control over ingredients and prevents the use of  unknown allergens. We use pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios and peanuts.
• Pesto—We make it weekly from scratch using fresh basil, pine nuts or walnuts, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. It is used in our pesto pizza and  pesto chicken sandwich as well as on some of our pastas.
• Guacamole—We use only fresh avocados. Many places that serve guacamole buy their pulp in bulk form in a bag. Even when it looks like simply scooped out hunks of avocado, we know from experience there is a big flavor difference. Occasionally we run out of avocados because there are simply none available locally that are ready for use. We NEVER use an unripe avocado.
• Salsa—We make ours fresh. No preservatives, nothing funky. Just pure fresh flavors of good produce and fresh herbs.
• Sauces—When faced with decisions regarding sauces we are most likely to choose to make it fresh and use ingredients that pack a punch of flavor without just bulking it up. An example would be the shrimp pasta. Most places would use an alfredo sauce that uses flour to thicken and add heft. We use fresh heavy cream and aged Parmesan.
• Sprouts—We use fresh alfalfa sprouts in many of our sandwiches. They add a nice light crunch and a very fresh taste. As far as we know, no one else within 50 miles offers fresh sprouts.

You already knew our foods tasted superior to what you might get elsewhere, but perhaps you didn't know it came down to choosing high-quality ingredients and treating them with respect. As the person who makes the weekly menu decisions I wanted you to know that I personally believe that letting the quality of ingredients and the flavor of the foods stand out, spending a bit more for them makes them more memorable. I'd far sooner spend more money on ingredients than advertising. I then know the money is going to where it has the best chance of creating a positive buzz. We hope you will continue to spread the word about what we are doing. Your word of mouth keeps us sustainable.

It is almost too late to sign up for the Moroccan Flavor Excursion on the 22nd. We need you to get your reservation in NOW. With less than 2 weeks and under 10 seats available, you don't want to miss out. We have confirmed that Missouri Life Magazine is sending a reporter/photographer to document the event for an upcoming article featuring our cafe. The tasting menu is extensive, includes several wine pours and is priced at $60/per person. Be a part of this special event. Folks are still talking about the last one.

We have the Renee Wood Trio Friday night, with something a little different — Jon Lumsden will be the guitarist instead of Tom Rowley. Renee and Jon have worked up a completely different set list of songs, so come in and enjoy the new sound!  Reservations are recommended ...

Reminder: we are now open Saturday nights through the summer. 

If you will be in town for the music festival this weekend, come on down 

for dinner before the headliners take the stage.  We open at 5 pm.   

The lunch specials~~

Monday~ Good karma curry burrito with side $6.99
Tuesday~ Tuscan Chicken Salad Sandwich on Pretzel roll with side $7.59
Wednesday~ Ginger chicken lettuce wraps plus side $7.99
Thursday~ Watermelon, arugula, spinach, feta and walnut salad with grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette. $7.79
Friday~ Chicken Bahn Mi sandwich on French bread with side $7.99

The Seafood Entrée this week is crabcakes (2). I make them with backfin Blue crab, shallots, mustard, wasabi, some egg and a few fresh herbs with only enough mayonnaise to hold them together.They are rolled in a light breading of Japanese panko breadcrumbs for a crispy coating.  Our Sea Sauce and seasonal stir-fry and a fruit salsa will accompany. Served with a side salad. $14.99

The Flavor Journey is Chicken Tikka Masala. This dish is from India and we'll prepare it from scratch. Boneless chunks of chicken breast will simmer in a concoction of savory spices and herbs along with tomatoes and heavy cream. It'll be served with turmeric rice, naan and a raita. Raita is a cool summer salad made with cucumbers, yogurt, mint and cumin. While this will be a spicy dish, it won't be terribly hot. Also, the raita is designed to tone down the heat of the chicken. $13.99

This should a week of quite high temps and a reminder that summer starts next week. We hope you come see us and bring your friends and family along. It is your support that keeps things alive. We thank you for your generous support that allows us to do something we think is worthwhile—feeding you the best food in the Ozarks. Have a lovely week!~~

Susan

W/E June 8th Sustainability, Carbon Footprints and A La Carte Cafe

There is a lot of glib talk theses days about sustainability, and  I realized it had been awhile since we bragged on our position on this subject and shared our actions in this direction. So first of all, we are a group of folks who are each very aware of the subject and conscientious of our roles. While it is common these days to  market restaurants as sustainable, we have been doing so since day one of this adventure. This translates to sourcing locally when we can, raising many of our own herbs and making our foods from scratch. It also means choosing varieties of seafoods that are being sustainably harvested, using fruits and vegetables when they are in season, and composting much of our plant waste.

We have routinely sought out local sourcing for our produce, eggs, lamb, dairy and now beef. From our inception we have had the support of and a close alliance with Maranatha Farm that raises wonderful organic produce. You see it most regularly in our stir-fries and often our salads. We are even a delivery point for those who buy fresh produce from Maranatha weekly. Our eggs come from several sources including Black Bell Acres in Alton who also raise lovely grass-fed lamb and Highland cattle. Willow Mountain Mushroom in Tecumseh provides us with a weekly delivery of portabella, shitake and button mushrooms as well as various seeds and nuts. We get most of our spices, many grains and our honey from Meadowbrook Health Foods. 

I am happy to announce we now have local sourcing for the beef we are using to make hamburgers. Spring Creek Meats from near Pottersville is raising grass-fed beef, and we are buying it regularly. The flavor is so pure and with a very low fat content, not at all gamey. We have often been asked why we didn't serve burgers. Well the reason has been that there was nothing special we could offer to make them different from every other burger joint in town. Now we can. We are currently offering 2 versions—a Southwestern Burger with salsa, guacamole, queso fresco, Navajo dressing, and sprouts as well as a Classic with lettuce, tomato and onion served on the side for you to build to your liking. We are using 4-oz. patties and grilling them on the panini grill so they drain off most of the little bit of fat they contain. We are serving them on Pretzel buns. They come with a side and are $7.99.

Up until recently we made almost all our breads. Then our dough machine died and we began to farm some of that out. As of last week we are once again making our dinner breads and later this week we'll begin making our sandwich breads again. We are still purchasing some of the specialty breads, like Pretzel Buns and ciabatti. So what is the big deal that makes it worthwhile to make our own breads? Control over ingredients. We avoid adding calcium propionate, a typical baking preservative and possible allergen. We use unbleached flours, whole grains often and fresh herbs for flavor. It takes time and labor commitment, but ones we feel are worthwhile.

I am especially proud of our ability to source our eggs locally. During the summer months the yolks are quite a deep golden yellow. This is because the chickens are allowed to scrounge their environment for bugs and other naturally occurring foods. We make our egg salad for sandwiches several times per week and they have developed quite a loyal following.

We are also the only place around to offer alfalfa sprouts on our sandwiches. While this may not seem like a big deal, to those who have been accustomed to this option as far back as 30 years, it is a nice textural, light, super fresh option. Unless you grow your own sprouts, we are the only place around you can even get them.

We are pleased to be a family friendly place and have always tried to provide healthy food options kids would enjoy. With more emphasis on our dinner menu I am introducing a meatball and penne pasta kids' meal at dinner. It'll come with a small dinner salad. Any kid who eats the salad gets a cookie for dessert. I plan to get this option in place before the end of the week. It'll be $4.99. What is your child's favorite cookie? Please tell us other food options you'd like for your children. Sorry~ no fried chicken nuggets.

Did you know we don't even have a deep frier? This is deliberate. You get enough fried food options elsewhere. We will occasionally pan fry something but try to stay away from the extra fat of deep frying.

Now to the Moroccan Flavor Excursion~~ The menu is rapidly developing. We'll have a big roast of lamb as well as 2 tagines. Tagines (pronounced tah-jzeen) are a type of slow simmered braised stew. One will feature Kefta (ground lamb) and the other chicken. They will, of course, be served with platters of couscous which is a miniature pasta common to the region. Moroccan meals are served family style with big platters placed on the table. Many of the foods are eaten with your fingers. Traditional flavors include preserved lemons, lots of exotic spices like cinnamon, coriander, cumin,  and turmeric and tons of fresh vegetables and dried fruits. Brewats, little pillows of thin pastry filled with meat, eggs and spices, will be included in the appetizer course. Beverages included will be a typical mint tea, 2 wine pours plus an after dinner, alcohol-enhanced dessert. Morocco is a Muslim country where alcohol is typically only served in private residences or a few high-end, western-owned locales. It will all be served in a magical backdrop that includes draped batik fabrics, punched out metal lanterns, carnival lights and laughter. We are still taking reservations but please don't put off making yours. With a maximum of 30 spaces we expect them to fill quickly. The cost is $60 per person and includes the wine.

In case you missed our announcement last week, we are now open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. With the addition of Saturday evenings, you can now bring in your visiting guests and family or just enjoy a relaxing dinner after a day of play. I am devising some special appetizers and desserts that are Saturday-only options just to make it extra special. It gives me a chance to kick up the gourmet level a notch or two. We'll see how that develops. I am excited to give this night some focus and invite you to join us.

Now to this week's lunch and dinner specials~~

Monday~ Red bell peppers stuffed with portabellas, rice and tomatoes then topped with Monterey jack and baked. With side $6.99
Tuesday~Wood-fired tuna salad sandwich on pretzel bun with side. $7.59
Wednesday~Turkey-stuffed crepes with fresh French tarragon cream sauce and side salad. $7.99
Thursday~ Chicken Bahn Mi sandwich with side $7.99
Friday~ Eel and avocado sushi rolls, cucumber wakame salad, Asian miso soup $.8.50

Flavor Journey~ Oven roasted Cornish game hen halves. I'll use fresh Italian herbs to flavor the hens and serve them atop a bed of rice and herb stuffing. We'll add in our seasonal stir-fry and of course, a side salad. $13.99

Seafood Entrée~ I've gotten in some LOVELY fillet of sole. I'll serve them Meuniere style which translates to lightly dusted in seasoned flour, sautéd in a bit of olive oil and served with a sauce of shallots (kind of a mild cross between onions and garlic), butter, chardonnay wine, parsley, lemon, salt and pepper. Our stir-fry and a wild-rice pilaf will fill out the plate. With side salad  $14.99.

I hope your summer is off to a happy start. We're sure having a good time here and look forward to your next visit. Thank you for choosing us for your healthier, more flavorful dining option. We take your trust seriously and believe in earning your business each time you return. Have a glorious week.

~~Susan