W/E August 24th The next chapter begins...

The excitement is certainly building. With any new endeavor there is the planning portion, the learning portion and the doing portion. It is nice when they can follow a logical sequence forward. We've spent several weeks on the planning portion. That is where you realize just how much you don't know, which launches the learning portion.This last week's learning curve involved learning about the refrigeration and delivery systems for serving draft beer. In the industry these are generally known as kegerators. Until now I always thought that these delivery systems were either totally maintained by the owners or owned by the beer distributors and maintained by them. Wrong! It seems that, by law, the beer distributors may not have anything to do with ownership or supply of the refrigeration portion of holding and dispensing beer. That provision is so they cannot hold you hostage to their brands the way a liquid propane distributor can with propane tanks you lease. The second portion was happily discovered. The distributors WILL maintain the lines and taps so you can be assured of smooth pours and clean lines. This makes shopping for the refrigeration devices simpler as I don't really have to know a whole lot about the mechanics of the taps. All I need is a box that will keep the beer really cold. As soon as a major quilt is sold we'll be looking at purchasing a kegerator that can serve up to 10 different craft beers on tap. THIS time we'll have the equipment delivered.

The speed at which the acquisition and doing part of the program proceeds will be dependent on the fundraising portion. While we discussed crowd-funding as an option, we decided that first I would offer my quilts as a forefront of fundraising. I mentioned last week that for the first time ever, I am putting my existing quilts on sale through the end of September. From the smallest 5-block runners to the largest wall-sized corporate quilts, all are 20% off. I'll be bringing in several we have not hung previously and rotating them for your viewing pleasure. If you wish to see any in your home or office environment, I am happy to accommodate. You can view many of these quilts on my art website www.rebelquilter.com..The first Friday Artwalk, September 6th,  will be a showcase for many of these pieces, and I'll rearrange my "gallery" in the annex to show them off. Already, several folks have shown interest in particular pieces. Please don't keep us on pins and needles. If you are interested in a piece, please speak up. I can work with you to make it happen. I'll have a sheet of images with prices of many of the artwork pieces available for you to take with you.

The next step on the patio is to drill holes in the chimney flues we're using as planters/dividers to attach eye bolts. Then we can attach cable between the flues to create a barrier. It'll appear somewhat like the outside rails on a sailboat. After that we need only to photograph the space and update our license to include that space. Sounds easy.

In the meantime, we are learning about craft beers. As has always been the case with what we do, we  have no interest in trying to compete with another place to deliver something already being well served. We are going to focus primarily on delivering true craft beers and build that audience. History has shown that craft beer aficionados are passionate, knowledgeable and committed to enjoying their brews. Sadly, to have access to them, these folks have to travel to Springfield, Rolla, or Eureka Springs for their enjoyment. We want to provide access to many varieties here in West Plains. We have been downloading the beer lists from several craft beer places in St. Louis and Kansas City and are striving to learn what we can. If you are a craft beer fan or know someone who is, this is an ideal time to tell us what you are looking for and what gives you the most enjoyment—in terms of choices, food accompaniments, and environment. Along the way, we'll upgrade our liquor license to include spirits, as that will also allow us to sell some of the beers that have higher alcohol by volume (ABV). The current beer and wine license only allows for a beer to have 6.5% ABV. Who needs luminosity.com when there is so much to learn in everyday life?

Now what we are REALLY all about is good food. I have become so much more aware of the produce as the seasons roll by. Tomatoes and warm weather crops are peaking—including eggplant, summer squashes, and beets. These are being included in the summer stir-fry. The next fruit to become ripe are the pears. We've been enjoying the peaches and cherries and used them in the current line-up of desserts. I am planning a pear and pistachio tartlet. Maybe we can make a pistachio ice cream to join it. Hmmm. I am also planning a pear tart with Stilton and pistachio salad as a starter. These pears are poached first in a red wine and black current liqueur, then sliced and served over a puff pastry base, topped with Stilton cheese imported from England, and baby lettuces slathered in pistachio oil and sprinkled with toasted pistachios. Oh my!

The Seafood Entrée this week features gorgeous scallops. We'll be using scallops that have not been soaked in any chemicals, and they are huge! The designated size is U10 which means that there are under 10 per pound. This translates to the size of a large egg in weight or volume. The actual dish is Sea Scallops with Cilantro Lime Gremolata and Ginger Lime Beurre Blanc. Now let me translate that for you. A gremolata is an herbal condiment that begins with a citrus zest (grated peel). In this case, we'll use lime as the base to which we'll add chopped cilantro, grated fresh ginger and garlic.This will be the final topping. The beurre blanc is a sauce made with shallots (think cross between mild onions and garlic), fresh ginger, lime juice, dry white wine and butter. I'll serve the dish with a wild rice pilaf and our summer stir-fry. Oh, we're gonna eat good this week!  I'll have about twelve servings for the week. Call in to have me reserve your order. $17.99

The Flavor journey is vaguely Mediterranean. It is Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions. As a starting point, we'll use local unsprayed apples. We'll rub the tenderloin with dijon mustard, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. I'll pan sear it, then oven roast. I'll also pan sear the onions and apples, then bake with the pork. The apples then get cooked down with chicken stock, fresh thyme and a splash of Marsala to reduce volume and intensify the flavor while scraping up the meat juices and bits. Butter will round out the flavor. We'll serve this with garlic potatoes and our summer stir-fry. Yeowza! $14.99

Now for the lunch specials~
Monday~ Stir-fried veggies with rice. $6.99
Tuesday~ Quesadilla made with pulled pork, roasted red peppers, grilled onions and mushrooms $7.99
Wednesday~ Lemon Pepper Shrimp Orzo with side salad $8.50
Thursday~ 1905 salad; Romaine,oven-roasted turkey, Kalamata olives, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lemony dressing $7.99
Friday~ Hawaiian Tacos~pork, BBQ sauce, jalapeno, pineapple, mango, avocado $7.99

Have we spoiled you yet? We hope so. It brings me great joy to be able to serve such a luscious menu and have you snarp it up.  If you have been keeping us a secret, now would be a great time to help us spread the word. I know you'd prefer to have us to yourselves, but we need to increase our audience to assure our own sustainability. Bring in a new customer and we'll add an extra punch to your card.  Thanks for being a part of our growth. We love having you along for the ride.

~~Susan