Won't THIS be an interesting week?



9 days of no power = very cold

 It is visions of scenes like this that prompt me to tell you that if it is icy, we won't be there.

That's Mom at 80 trying to cope in the cold. If it truly looks like ice is heading our way—and so far it looks likely—we'll be heading to warmer parts to avoid having to be stuck in a house without power.

I do actually have a menu planned out for the week. But I am releasing it knowing that ice could prevent us opening for more than one day this week.

Weather Whimps? You betcha.

In the mean time, I'm delighted to tell you that things have been going extraordinarily well. We couldn't be more thrilled. You have no idea what a leap of faith this was for us to do. We've always been dreamers and forward thinkers. But the last few years have taken their toll. We have to look harder at opportunities and more thoroughly investigate the downsides. We never used to do that before. We were always full speed ahead. The learning curve is beginning to lose some steepness. There is a bit more prediciton to our plan and actions and we are getting some of the logistics worked out. Believe me, whenever you are experiencing any frustration due to our greeness in logistics, I am experiencing it three-fold. It can be painful. But we ARE getting things grooved in. If you were here last Friday night you saw some of that in action. Simply by adding table numbers to each table, we were able to get food properly served without incident—yeah we're green!!! We also worked it out so that each meal served was simply a matter of serving and not having to cook to order. The result? Almost no waiting—in fact most people were able to carry their trays right back to the table as soon as they paid. So we feel we are continuing to improve as we learn this crazy food service game.

We are really trying to listen to your preferenes, so please voice them when you come in. Tell us what we are getting right and PLEASE tell us what you feel needs attention. I am most grateful for the feedback. It is all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating a dish and forget who the audience is likely to be.

Bottom line— it is going quite well and we are loving what we are doing. We need to continue to grow and bring in more repeat customers. We are hearing from many that word of mouth is what brought them in. I LOVE that!!!

So here are this week's planned menues—

• Monday~Chicken mole soft tacos with black beans and side salad with jicama; $6.25  Soup~ Chicken corn chowder(the lighter version) cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99; Sandwich~ Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Tuesday~Italian tamales with side salad and garlic toast $6.25; Soup~Minestrone $3.49/cup $4.99/bowl; Sandwich~Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Wednesday~Chicken pot pie + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Thursday~Ham and asparagus quiche + side salad $6.25; beef and Italian sausage lasagna + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Friday~Chicken mushroom crepes with rice pilaf + side salad $6.25; French onion soup cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99 plus lots more tapas at night

This Friday night will be a new concept for us. It will be open mic night. We'll give various local performers a chance to communicate with you and entertain you. This is a new experience and we honestly don't know quite what to expect.  We are excited to be a part of the community and we want to support our local musicians as we can—all part of local sustainability. If you know someone whose performance would work in our small cafe venue, please encourage them to come down and get on the list.

Update on Valentine's Day—we are NOT going to do it. We would rather wait until we can be a bit more organized and prepared. Plan now for NEXT year.

St. Patrick's Day— Plan now to enjoy traditional as well as decidely Irish fare. We will be serving up a very spcial Corned beef accompanied by potatoes and steamed cabbage and several other Irish surprises. March 17th, of course.

Earth Day Local Harvest Feast—April 29th (Friday) We'll be serving up locally raised and produced foods as a part of the Chefs' Collaborative—a national organization of chefs geared toward local sustainability.

Have a great week. We HOPE to see you despite what Mother Nature may throw at us.

Sept 20-24 Roasted Butternut Soup & Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This week marks the last days of summer and the first of autumn. Hopefully, we will have more glorious weather like last week. It was sheer joy to look out on the courtyard and see virtually every table filled. It also made me realize some things about myself.

welcome to the courtyard!

We have begun our search for possible indoor locations. As I have told you previously, I have never been a restaurant cook. My cooking has always involved friends and family being nearby, usually chatting with me and often participating. My joy in looking out and seeing happy diners made me realize that I have zero desire to be stuck in a back kitchen, out of sight of my customers. Well that changes things, doesn't it? So our search for space now includes being able to create a kitchen/work space that is right out in the middle of things. Instead of being tucked away and hidden, I want to be able to speak with my customers, share with them what is happening and most of all, let them enjoy the many fragrances released while cooking. Just as I want you to be able to enjoy the sensory overload of eating outdoors, I want your nose to tell you "this is gonna be GOOD!" We figure we can create a galley kitchen along one side of a retail-type location. We are not in a fat hurry to move indoors but at least have begun a gentle search.



Plenty of shade to keep you comfortable

This week's specials selection began with an email from Mary Badiny telling me she has some butternut squash ready to harvest. Well, I'm ready to roast them and make a lovely fall soup. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is the soup special this week.There will be sauteed onions and garlic and a chicken broth base.This will all be pureed with roasted potatoes to make it fairly smooth.  I'll top it with crema mexicana (similar to sour cream or a creme fraiche) and pepitas (toasted seasoned  pumpkin seeds). I'll serve it with a whole-wheat cornbread muffin. Yumm-o!!! My mouth is watering already. Usual soup pricing will prevail- $3.49/ cup(8 oz)  and $4.99. bowl(12 oz)

My other special will fill the niche of BOTH salad and sandwich-- Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps. We are marinating the chicken and grilling it over a wood fire. Then I am adding rice, shitaki mushrooms, onion, red pepper, cilantro and Asian seasonings. These are served with three lettuce leaves so you can roll them up and munch them down. I'll add a side of peanut sauce for dipping.  Hungry yet? This is one of my absolute favorite flavor combinations. Forks are optional, though suggested. Napkins...required. $6.25

I want you to know I am having a great deal of fun cooking for you. Making food that isn't the same ol', same ol' is important to me. I love being connected to the seasons by working with the freshest, just-harvested ingredients. As the seasons evolve, so do the herbs, the peppers, the starches. They will change along with their availablilty. Do YOU have something growing at home? Wanna share? Wanna trade?

I almost forgot! We are now making the Fish Tacos a regular item on the menu. So you can get it every day. Not so the Egg Salad Sandwich. We are taking it off the menu as it doesn't have a following. If I get a demand for it, I may being it back occasionally as the sandwich of the week.

Jon and I are very attuned to your input and comments. While cooking what I love strokes my ego and feeds my own sense of joy, being viable and creating what you really want is also very high on the priority list. So your input is not just welcome, it is vital to keeping this gig rolling.

Occasionally, I would love to do a Friday night dinner that is a fixed menu (I choose the menu) of seasonal ingredients served spectacularly. We would dress things up a bit and have fancier ingredients. I have to find out about the laws on bringing your own bottle of wine. Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If the weather is nice, do you enjoy dining al fresco at night? Torches, live acoustic music, perhaps a firepit. Hmmm? Talk to me!!!!!

I am making a yummy chocolate cookie as dessert for you who are making it by more than once this week. These are not available for purchase. They are my special "thank you" to let you know I really appreciate you making the choice to join us more than once in a week. We know you have several choices available and appreciate you choosing us a one of your regular lunch options. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you and hearing about your week.