Spring!!!!!!

Well, we just had about the shortest, mildest Missouri winter I can remember. In fact, it reminded me very much of my winters in Dallas. Let's hope we don't have a summer to match the Dallas weather. This week, Tuesday, in fact, marks the first day of spring. This is also the equinox—equal length day and night. When driving north from Thayer, US 63 near the race track is pointing in such a way that sunrise comes up on the Equinox right in the middle of the road. I've been watching the progression all fall and winter. If I was headed south about sunset, the sun should set right in the middle of the road going the other way. The forecasts are calling for above freezing weather for the next week or so. So I am going to be the brave optimist I usually am and jump in and buy my basil plants. Yeah, I know we could get hit like we did in 2008 with an April hard freeze. I'll take my chances.

Last week was very exciting for us. We began serving beer and wine with our meals and we had the largest turnout for Friday night we have ever had. We served over 60 at dinner. Shazam!!!! We don't expect to feed that many every week, but it is good to know we can. Starting in April we'll officially take over the other side as expansion space. We used it to good advantage on Friday and love the ability to spread out. Other plans for the second side include a small fine-craft gallery as soon as I can get my act together to find someone to help make it happen.

With the additional staff we are getting your meals out in a more timely manner. I hope you've noticed. We sure have. During the day, Rick Mize has been expediting and it has made a huge difference in how smoothly things are going. Thank you, Rick!  He will also be the usual waiter in the evenings, with additional help on Fridays as needed. We know that keeping staff is often really hard in the restaurant business. I take a huge amount of personal pride in how little turnover we have had, thus far.  Hopefully, you will always see happy, friendly staff. I've told my team I am far more impressed with genuine friendliness and good communication skills than a high level of "professionalism." Hopefully, you'll get it all.

The fresh fish we have been getting in has been of a wonderful, high quality. Sadly, it hasn't always arrived and I've scrambled to make other arrangements. This week, once again, my order got cancelled on the provider's end. So I am sticking my neck out in a big way and bringing in 25 lbs. of Gulf white shrimp. These are the big guys—9-12 per pound with heads on. They will arrive from the boat on Wednesday in time for dinner. They were still swimming on Tuesday morning. After numerous discussions, Bruce and I decided that we'll keep the heads on and cook them on the griddle. The flavor of these shrimp is so pristine that we decided to add as little flavoring as possible. We'll serve them over a fresh pineapple boat filled with coconut rice and grilled pineapple. The pineapple will be glazed with sweet soy sauce. On the side we'll stir-fry onions, snow peas, red peppers, bok-choy and mushrooms. I think it will be a lovely presentation as well as being mucho flavorful. We'll price it at $14.99. I know, it IS a steal.

My "flavor journey" at night is one that was popular before. This goes vaguely to Italy—lemony chicken piccata over linguine. Chicken breasts are pounded flat to create an even thickness. Why? So that the entire piece of chicken cooks at the same rate. They are then sautéed to create a slightly caramelized crust. We slice them across the grain (to give you the most tender mouthfeel) into fingers and lay atop buttered linguine. The sauce, which is poured over the top, is made from fresh shallots, fresh garlic, fresh lemons, fresh parsley, capers, butter and some white wine. I can smell it now. Can't you? We'll start you with a salad. $10.99

Lunch will also get a "flavor journey" this week. I am introducing Bahn Mi (pronounced bohn mee'.) This Vietnamese sandwich has become the darling of the food trucks in LA and Boston. The bun is made from a fresh French baguette cut into quarters. The texture of the bread is crispy on the outside and light— quite a different mouth-feel than a hoagie, which is very doughy. The meats can vary vastly but the first one I'm doing is made from pork that has been marinated in Asian spices and grilled. The vegetables include a slaw made from carrots, sometimes, daikon radish and mostly rice vinegar and the sauce is a spicy mayonnaise. Cilantro and sprouts are the major greens. The overall direction is light and bright—perfect for warm weather. If this dish gets a healthy reception then I'll add it as a "regular" to the menu and add a chicken version and a beef version and maybe even a vegetarian one. So stay tuned! Give it a try on Friday. A glass of pinot grigio would be perfect with it.

Here's this weeks' menu~

• Tuesday~ Romans are on sale at 50 cents off. Choose between the original with its cold cuts, the wood-fired trout, or the seared tuna. Each comes with a side item.
• Wednesday~ Sausage and mushroom quiche with side salad. $6.75
• Thursday~ Cashew chicken tamales. This has become one of the most requested tamales Bruce makes. If you like Cashew Chicken, you'll love the Cashew Chicken Tamales. Served with a side of white rice. $6.75
• Friday~ Grilled pork Bahn Mi. Served with a side item. $6.49

Seafood~ (dinner only)Ginormous Gulf Shrimp served in a pineapple boat with coconut rice, grilled pineapple and Asian stir-fry. $14.99

Flavor Journey~ Lemony chicken picatta over linguine. Served with a side salad. $10.99

I have a survey I am posting on Facebook I hope you'll answer. Our Facebook page is A La Carte Cafe. Please note the West Plains address. (There is another out West) It addresses music on Friday nights and your input is needed. We are considering removing the live music with dinners and only having it Saturday nights with more of a tapas menu. You have a vested interest in how this goes. So please share your thoughts.

If you were to attend a strongly spring event that included lots of frivolity, was family friendly while still serving beer and wine, what activities would you expect to find? We hail from Austin (lived there 12 years). In that town (when we lived there it was still a "town" to most) there is an annual festival the last Saturday in April called "Eeyore's Birthday Party." It was started by a UT professor as a way to get students to lighten up a bit the week before exams. It has become a huge civic fundraiser and has been around for 49 years. To an outsider it might simply look like a Bacchanalian festival. But in true Austin style, it is a family event—face painting, Maypoles, beer trucks, one hundred plus portable toilets, everyone in costume and all. I have no interest in generating a festival on that scale. However, as a resident I loved the intensity of the frivolity. It was a total riot—in a good way. We are planning our own small scale "Eeyore's Birthday Party." The date will be the last Friday in April on the 27th. I have no idea how we will celebrate. The purpose is to really acknowledge the warmer weather, get out, meet friends and family and loosen up—and, of course, bring in a bit more business to us. So I want to hear from you! If you wanted to attend the most fun event in an urban setting what would it include? BTW—I have zero interest in competing with ANY other West Plains event. This is simply an in-house promotion that seemed like a fun idea.

Do you remember Andy Roose? He came in last fall from St. Genevieve and got a very warm reception. He has a lovely style, easy to listen to and still full of emotion. Andy writes almost all of his own material—a rare singer/songwriter. He'll join us this Friday evening starting around 6pm. In case you are wondering, we don't usually charge a cover charge when we have music. Instead, we appreciate your dining with us and simply ask that you tip the musician(s) and your waitstaff generously.

Get out the umbrellas~ it is going to be a wet week! If you come in the door when it is raining, remind us and we'll give you a 50 cent discount~ unless you are already getting one.
~~Susan

Fall weather brings colorful foods

The pomegranates are in! To me, this marks the official sign that fall has arrived. I just love adding the little jewels to our chopped fresh fruit. This time of year we are pairing them with apples and pears—many local. You'll see them used as garnishes, too. If you are unfamiliar with pomegranates, they originate in the Mediterranean region and are a fruit that is about 3-4 inches across. To eat it, one peels away the outer skin to finds lots of jewel-like kernels. They almost look like ruby corn kernels. There IS a seed inside, but it is so small that most people simply swallow them. The juice is very refreshing and healthy. Thanks to recent marketing campaigns by POM, they have become a sought-after addition to salads, beverages and and even desserts. I grew up eating them, and we even had a pomegranate bush in our yard in Dallas.  My brother, Bill, and I loved to harvest and eat them straight from the bush.

Our flavor journeys this week are not centered on any one area. The South is represented by the southern corn chowder that I'll be serving all week. The tamales are traditional southwest as well, as is the pazole. Then we jump across the pond to enjoy a curried couscous salad. Thursday my Pizzas are simply Italian and Friday's lunch comes back to the US with  a Club Salad. France gets the nod with the trout and Italy again with the Fri. night lasagne.

This would be a great week to be adventurous in seeking your Friday night entertainment. We have Andy Roose coming from St. Genevieve. Jon had a chance to hear him on-line and really enjoyed his style. He classifies himself as an Americana singer/songwriter. Coming this far is an act of faith on his part, and we want to make it worth his while. So often, I think, locals feel they have to go elsewhere to hear music that is new to them. This time the "elsewhere" is coming to us. If you want a chance to hear him before committing you may do so by going to www.reverbnation.com/andyroose. But I have come to trust Jon's taste in musicians and feel confident you will enjoy Andy's music. As we have grown in popularity for Friday night, we are slowly building a following that appreciates expanding their concept of what is entertaining. We take that role pretty seriously and the trust you have given us. Please help support our efforts to bring you fresh talent by joining us Friday night. By building an appreciative audience base, we can continue to delight you with new sounds and experiences. I'll continue to expand the flavor journeys. Just another attempt to take you beyond the "Same ol', same ol'."

Our desserts these days have been pretty exciting. Bruce has been experimenting again and last week created a new one. It is white chocolate covered cherry dream pie—oh my! It begins with a chocolate crumb crust and is filled with white chocolate, drunken cherries and whipped cream—as I said, "Oh, my!" Bruce also came up with a new cake—Pineapple right-side-up cake. Fresh pineapple, coconut and a yummy yellow cake base. Where does he get these ideas? Who knows? But he does it week after week. I personally get a thrill each time he does so. Even though he is Mr. Quiet, I think he gets a thrill, too. Please let him know how much you are enjoying his efforts.

Another area I am trying to expand our dessert repertoire is in the realm of gluten-free offerings. You'd be amazed to know how many people are cutting back on gluten. Gluten is the part of wheat flour that creates the structure that supports bread and cakes. By carefully replacing that tradtional ingredient with alternatives such as rice flour, eggs, and other less glutenous grains, we can help those reach their gluten-free goals. In the digestive system, gluten can often cause a mucous build-up that interferes with the body's ability to remove  and use nutrients. If you have ever known anyone with Celiac's disease, you know that gluten can cause all sorts of troubles. Many of our customers are referred to us by their healthcare providers that we felt we should be able to offer dessert alternatives that speak to them. But they are not in any way a compromise, flavor-wise. The completely decadent chocolate-hazelnut torte is an example. Eggs, chocolate (lots) and no wheat flour make a dense, rich dessert. Do you have other ingredients you are trying to avoid? Speak up! Even if you've found other local places can't accommodate your dietary needs, come in to see what we can offer you. But if I don't know, I can't try to help.

Just so you know, here are some other things we avoid here—We NEVER use hydrogenated fats like Crisco, nor packaged whip cream products like Cool Whip. We never use margarine—always butter or extra virgin olive oil. For the rare times I am pan-frying something, I'll usually use corn oil. The sweetener in the cornbread is honey. Our breads are made fresh daily using whole wheat flour or unbleached flour. The pizza bases are made with a combination of unbleached and semolina wheat flours. Our eggs are almost always local, farm-fresh and organic. My favorites are the Aricana eggs that I use in the spinach and egg salads—they have a naturally pretty, light green/blue color shell. The insides and flavor are the same as the brown or white but I love the drama of peeling the coloreds ones. We make all our dressing from scratch using extra virgin olive oil or real mayonnaise. Our broths are either made from scratch or MSG free—usually organic. The pie shells usually use strictly butter, but if I am making a non-vegetarian dish I'll sometimes use butter and lard. Nothing beats real lard for a flaky crust. The tamales are made with traditional lard and corn masa, from scratch and hand-built. Whenever we can find them, we use local produce. Gradually we are expanding our local resources for produce. Mary Badiny had done a superb job of keeping us in fresh herbs and greens. We get our milk and dairy from Hiland Dairy where their farmers have committed to not using BGH—bovine growth hormone. We are always looking for ways to bring you food that originates closer to home. We welcome your input and suggestions.

So the menu this week~
Soups~ all week Southern Corn Chowder; Tuesday Pozole; Wed + Creamy garlic , spinach and potato soup 3.49/4.99/5.49  or with entrée 2.50/ 3.50
Monday~Fall veggie deep dish quiche. this quiche is so loaded in veggies you won't even notice there isn't any meat in it. With side salad. $6.50
Tuesday~  Cumin rubbed pulled pork tamales with a salsa verde cheese sauce and Spanish rice $6.50
Wednesday~Curried Turkey and Israeli couscous salad $6.50
Thursday~ Pesto pizza with smoked sausage, bell peppers, and portabellas with side salad $7.00
Friday~Hefty club salad with turkey, ham, swiss, hard boiled egg, plus red onion, mushrooms and bell pepper. $6.50

Fri. night dinners~ Seafood~ Rockbridge Trout Meuniere with wasabi mashed potatoes and stir-fried fall veggies and side salad $12
Meat~Beef lasagne with side salad $12
Veggie~veggie stuffed manicotti,  baked acorn squash, side salad $10

Thanks for joining us.
~~Susan