W/E September 7th~~ We've got hoopla!

There is a lot of buzz this week as the monthly First Friday Artwalk is rekindled. Several locations Downtown are participating and we are among them. We have a flier by the front door listing all the locations and participants. We hope you'll take part in this effort to share quality art with lots of friends and family. When we have lived in other cities, the monthly Artwalks were looked forward to with enthusiasm and planned as a great opportunity to meet with friends, amble and dine. The Artwalks were considered an important part of the ambiance of living in that area and contributed to the quality of life.

In the last few weeks we have shared with you our expansion plans and how we hope to finance them by making my quilts available for purchase and even reducing the original prices through September. I had hoped to hang ALL of my available work in the cafe but, alas, there isn't that much room. So we'll rotate things over the next few weeks. I have brought back pieces from some galleries to bring depth to my display and you'll see pieces you've not seen previously. I've even put up my lighting to highlight the work. A few notebooks with thumbnail images and pricing will be available by Friday night. Assuming that a few pieces sell, we'll be able to move into the next phase which is acquiring the equipment to store and dispense regional draft beers. We are excited and look forward to sharing this expanded ability to deliver with you and your friends.

The local harvests are beginning to wind down. Last week we were inundated with basil. I think 5 different people brought us basil. Green beans were high on the list as well as tons of tomatoes, squashes and cucumbers. Drew processed much of the basil into pesto which we have frozen for future use. Some of it just  got wasted as we simply didn't have time to get it all done. It is that time of year where you should probably lock your vehicle as you may wind up with a back seat full of zucchini and tomatoes, if you don't.

Specials this week will be kept fairly simple so as to allow enough time to get the annex prepared for the Artwalk. Amy has been her usual outstanding self and has tasty lunch specials planned. We'll wait until next week to re-introduce soups to our menu.

Chicken piccata with pan simmered patty-pan squash will be the Flavor Journey. Usually, if made in Italy it would be made with veal. I find that veal is rather hard to find around here and the chicken makes a nice choice.Chicken piccata's flavor profile features lemon, parsley and a touch of capers. $13.99

Seafood will be pan-seared tilapia with a lemon caper sauce. Almost like the chicken piccata but with tilapia. I have grown to love the mild flavor of tilapia and will serve it with our summer stir-fry. $13.99

Now here are the lunch specials~~
Tuesday~ Solstice Salad. This salad takes the most advantage of our current abundance of fresh local heirloom tomatoes. The basil that wasn't processed is sliced very thinly and scattered over the top. We'll add in fresh mozzarella and wood-fired chicken. The recommended dressing is balsamic vinaigrette.
Wednesday~Guacamole Club Sandwich:Turkey,bacon,guacamole,lettuce, chipotle mayo, red onions, choice of bread plus side $7.79
Thursday~Pork bahn mi sandwich ~ Asian marinated pork thinly sliced served on a French roll with srirachi mayonnaise dressing, fresh pickled cucumbers and carrots, sprouts plus side. $7.79 
Friday~Southwest Tuna Melt~ Tuna salad, Jalapeno cream cheese, Cheddar on grilled sourdough plus side $7.79

We look forward to seeing you this week. Thank you for going along for the ride.

~~Susan