W/E Dec 21st 2013 Wanes

This is going to be a busy week for so many of us. Welcome to the fray.

This week will start out slowly. First of all, closed Monday. Still recovering from 2 caters Saturday night.

This is our last week before closing for the rest of the year. We are making it happen to be able to spend the holidays with our children and grandchildren. This will be our first chance to see them in 2 years. So it is a big deal for us. We wish you, your family and our staff a very happy time as Christmas and New Years Day approaches. On December 30th  I'll turn the big 6-0. We'll send that day with family as well.

This last year has been one of highs and lows. We had so many wonderful weeks serving lunches and dinners that we believed in. You have made us feel that what we are doing is worthwhile—producing meals that came from real, mostly local sources and cooked in a creative fashion that allowed for the exploration of flavors. I hope we have expanded your palate. If so, we achieved one of our goals. Hopefully, you have been taken outside your comfort zone and allowed yourself to try different flavors from around the world. We wanted to prove that one could do healthy food while still maintaining a budget. We wanted you to see that local sourcing is good for everyone. We have tried to maintain as small a carbon footprint as possible—composting, recycling and local sourcing.

The lows have mostly come in the form of concern for my mother. She remains extremely frail, needing full-time care and confused to a discomforting level. I am grateful that I have been able to spend time with her when she most needed me, but always sad when she has called when I had to be at work and unable to ease her discomfort. We have had a few growing pains that created periods of discomfort and gradually grew through them. We saw many wonderful new fans and have enjoyed the glow from the ones we've kept along the way. We have cherished the new friendships and hope to see them expand.

Music will come in 2 forms this week—both Thursday and Friday will have music. Thursday the Renee Wood After Hours Big Band will take over the annex. Their performances have brought in a growing audience each time they play. Friday—the Renee Wood Trio performs with David Moore and Tom Rowley.
We encourage reservations as we often have a good-sized crowd.

In an effort to keep things as simple as possible this week, there will be no dinner specials beyond the usual dinner menu.  The lunch specials are as follows—
Monday~Closed. Sorry
Tuesday~Chicken Souvlaki with Greek rice and side salad $7.99
Wednesday~Enchilada pasta with side salad $7.99
Thursday~Chicken spinach and mushroom crepes with side salad $7.79
Friday~Turkey Ranch Bacon Wrap with side salad $7.59

That is it—short and quick. Thank you for being here. Thank you for a wonderful year. I hope you take the time between Christmas and New Years' to think out your goals and make plans to achieve them. That is my usual most favorite week of the year. I feel my purpose is rejuvenated and my road ahead well mapped.  Here's to a wonderful 2014.

~~Susan et al.

W/E Dec 14 Same Song/ Second Verse

Wow~ Two weeks in a row we were not open on Thursday or Friday. That's not happened before due to weather. Guess we'll have to cram a whole lot into a little time.  Please include us in your lunch choices and even dinner choices this week.

To keep things as simple as possible I'll keep the same dinner specials from last week. We'll do new lunch specials and throw some potato soup into the mix. That should bring us back to where we started.

For myself,  I am trying to do as little chopping prep as possible. I had a misunderstanding with a cat Thursday evening. He feared I was grabbing him to put him out. In fact, I was gently petting his back. But just to make it really, really clear that he had no intention of facing the "wintry mix", he reached around and bit the heck out of my hand. This, of course, happening just as all the world was coming out of the sky. In Thayer we got 1/4" of freezing rain, topped by 1" of sleet, then 14" of snow. We were not going anywhere! Front and center in my memory was the fact that Kelley from Wal-Mart DIED from a cat bite a few months ago. So we did the usual field dressings after soaking in soapy water, kept it elevated and exposed. When we finally arrived at the OMC ER on Saturday morning, my hand was hurting pretty badly. But they got me fixed up with antibiotics, a tetanus shot and a pain pill or two, and now it is healing nicely. The swelling has greatly decreased and I can nearly chop. Hopefully, it'll be mostly mended by the time we get to the 2 caters this weekend.

The Stroll on the Square last weekend got cancelled as well as our music. This week the Christmas tree lighting has been re-scheduled to Thursday with fewer choirs. Michael McClure, local painter extraordinaire,  has a lovely display of his work in our "Gallery." We thank you for supporting local artists and helping to keep the money in the local economy.

Music THIS week will come in the form of Marideth Sisco and Dennis Crider of Blackberry Winter fame. They usually draw a nice crowd and we always look forward to their playing.  They have been in the studio recently and we may have new tunes to hear. Don't miss this lovely opportunity; reservations recommended. Music will start about 6:15.

Perhaps we can make up for some lost time with a good crowd all week.  The lunch specials all look tempting~

Monday~ Falafel gyros  $7.25
Tuesday~ Pulled pork quesadillas  $7.99
Wednesday~Caesar-roasted Tilapia with vegetable quinoa  $7.99
Thursday~Ham, Swiss and spinach quiche with side salad  $7.99
Friday~Chicken Stroganoff with side salad  $7.99

Seafood Entrée~ Mixed seafood crepe—shrimp, calamari and crab in an herbed cream sauce. Served with wild rice pilaf and our seasonal stir-fry. $14.99

Flavor Journey~ Spain~ Garlic chicken over mushroom polenta with stir-fry $13.99

We are always grateful to see your smiling face walk through that door. This week even more so. Your energy is what helps keep us going. Thank you. Have a joyous week.

~~Susan et al.







 

W/E Dec 7th Big doings this week!

First of all, thank you for shopping locally and eating locally. Your support keeps the money in the local economy and helps to keep several families afloat. Where you choose to eat DOES make a difference. Each week we strive to create an ever-changing menu that gives you plenty of reason to drop by. We listen to your requests and keep non-essential ingredients away from your meals, giving you peace of mind that the food you are consuming is healthy, sustainable and especially tasty. We know that you don't need MSG or preservatives to have healthy, tasty food.

What a whirlwind of flavors coming your way this week! Each day the lunch specials are quite unique to this area and are healthy too! A little time off has given me a moment to step back and look at things afresh. I think that must of happened to Amy, as well, since she has some pretty exciting things scheduled.

Friday night will be the last Stroll on the Square until Spring. We have Michael McClure showcasing his exquisite watercolors in our "gallery". His work will be available for sale.  We'll also have live music via Rachael Luster and more. I expect we'll be pretty busy—so reservations will be highly recommended. The weather is predicted to be an element to contend with. Stay tuned for updates.

Here's a little bit about what Michael has to say about his watercolors—
When I was in school I was told that representational painting had all been done already and there was no point in bothering with it. It took me 20 years to realize that, point or no point, I still wanted to learn how to paint what I saw. The beauty of the natural world is a constant source of inspiration for me. It has been said, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. My way of expressing my spiritual nature is through my art. Whatever is inside of me, you will see it out there in every brushstroke. I hope that my work will bring you joy when you look at it, just as it has brought me joy in creating it.

Here's a tad of info on Rachael's music: We are proud to introduce Country Combo. Our music style meshes elements of classic country and swing on pedal steel, fiddle, and keys. Ron Cowens is a Thomasville native who has spent years playing pedal steel around the country, most recently in Wyoming. His smooth style is renowned in the Mo-Ark area. Keith Johnson is a music industry veteran having written countless top hits for country music legends including Merle Haggard and Gene Watson as well as playing piano in sessions in Nashville and beyond. Rachel Luster is a traditional Ozark fiddler who's been in love with classic country music from a young age. She plays frequently with local groups and is a founding member of the Signal Hill bluegrass band. We're looking forward to our first show at A La Carte and hope you will join us for some classic country and swing with a dusting of Christmas cheer in honor of the tree lighting!

Our staff has plans to decorate for the holidays. Watch out! You never know what might wind up tinseled!

Our seafood entrée is simple but tasty. I am making crepes and filling them with a combination of shrimp and crab and topping with a cream sauce. I'll serve wild rice pilaf and our seasonal stir-fry along side. $14.99

The Flavor Journey this week originates in Spain. It is garlic chicken with sun-dried tomatoes aka Pollo al ajillo con tomates secos. The chicken breast is cooked in a mixture of fresh garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. I'll serve it over a raft of creamy cheesy polenta and add some of our seasonal stir-fry to the plate. We've had some really interesting veggies in the stir-fry of late. Lots of Asian greens as well as daikon radish, and our usual red bell peppers, red onions, carrots and mushrooms. $13.99

Now here are this week's lunch specials~~
Monday~Vegetable ratatouille. This mediterranean dish struts out all sorts of rich veggies and ties them together with a rich vegetarian sauce. $7.29
Tuesday~Shrimp with Forbidden Rice,  sugar snap peas, and avocado $7.99
Wednesday~Chicken Tikka Masala $7.99
Thursday~Chicken Souvlaki (Greek) and lemon rice $7.79
Friday~Caesar-roasted tilapia over vegetables and quinoa $7.99

We hope you will bring in any visiting kith and kin this week. We love meeting your family and dear friends. Show them a little bit of the warmth and good food we offer. We promise to make you proud.

~~Susan et al.