Catapulting into the next season—W/E March 16th

Did you feel it? Each time we go through the "time change" I feel like I have been physically thrust into the upcoming season. Suddenly it is lighter longer in the evening. My mind seems to skip the fact that I am now also back to getting up in the dark. Soon we'll be leaving the windows cracked for fresh air and even with my deafness, I can hear the birds start their morning racket. Suddenly I am looking more urgently for the clues that spring is on the fast-track. Those forsythias are bound to bloom this week with the warm weather forecast. I'm never in a hurry to see the Stellar magnolias bloom as they often bloom one week too early and lose every blossom overnight to a late frost. But I am ready to get plants in the ground. Actually, for me these days it is more a matter of plants in the pots.

We have been given permission by the owner of the building next door to use the previously wasted space behind our cafe as a raised garden. We'll concentrate on fresh herbs and peppers and a few flowers we can use in the cafe—both for decoration and for eating. We need about 100 cinder blocks and a goodly amount of  decent topsoil. If you have either to contribute, we'd love it. We can even trade for food for a larger volume. I have wanted to be able to expand our fresh pickings and this will enable us to do so. I  find it humorous that restaurants with their own gardens are suddenly a big trend. One of my personal favorite restaurants in Nashville, TN, the Mad Platter, has had their own garden for over a decade. While there are many vegetables and produce varieties available via Maranatha Farm and Willow Mountain Mushroom, being able to grow some of the more colorful varieties seems like a nice option. I am drawn to some of the more obscure varieties of beets and radishes and carrots that offer bizarre color combinations. Asking a volume grower to commit to providing them for us when we use such small volumes isn't viable for anyone.
If you are growing some of the bizarre veggies for your own use and have more seed than you can use, please consider sharing them with us. We have several staff members who are avid gardeners and they will get put to good use. You might even see the results on your plate or table. It just can't get fresher than that.

The Meatless Monday Specials are off to a good start. Just to clarify—we still offer our full menu on Mondays; we just also offer a vegan or vegetarian dish as the special. The big news that might otherwise be missed is that we are now open Mondays for lunch!!! Thanks to the fact we have a gung-ho staff with energy, we can turn the Monday operation fully over to them. Aah! That means I can still have Monday to finish the cafe laundry, plan the menu and ordering, write this blog and take an afternoon nap. Drew and Amy are scheming daily on what we'll offer next. The special this week is a  Portabella Steak Sandwich. It looks very much like a Philly cheese sandwich, but made with portabella mushrooms (locally grown from Willow Mountain Mushroom) and a vegan "cheese sauce." We purchased some nice hoagie buns on which to serve them. Go, Amy, go!!! Drew has been researching smoothies. We've had a few requests for them over the years we've been open but have never committed to making them. We even have a Champion juicer. So we CAN make really good smoothies. If you have personal favorites you'd like to see made available, please let Amy or Drew know. Many folks are discovering the benefits of a raw food diet as well as just the delightful flavors and energy a good smoothie can provide. We're experimenting with berries, soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk. Speak up and help us design the new portion of our menu.  We remember that we are here first to serve you what you need and want. Anything else is just to keep us entertained.

We have music again this week after several weeks of silence. The Renée Wood Trio will perform Friday night. They'll do primarily jazz but with St. Patrick's Day fast approaching I am hoping we can get a penny whistle tune or two out of Renée, as well.

We are at a point that we need input from you regarding music. The options we are considering are whether to bring in the caliber of entertainment that demands a cover charge or to be satisfied with musicians who are content to rely on tips and a free dinner. We have been fortunate to attract a pretty good cadre of musicians but we need more. We really are not wanting to expand beyond the jazz genre as we are the only venue within an hour's drive that offers such. We are looking at possibly not charging a cover charge for those who arrive early enough to eat but don't wish to stay for the music. That translates to having the music start later- like at 7 pm. Then it would mean staying open later. If we did that, what would we serve later? Just tapas past 8 pm?  Possibly. You tell us. You have the answers.

And speaking of St. Patrick's Day, we are going to have corned beef, oven roasted potatoes and steamed cabbage all week as the dinner Flavor Journey. Since we will not be open on the 17th I figured there was no reason to limit the special to that one day. We'll first braise, then bake the corned beef  in order to assure it is very tender but flavorful. The potatoes will be the red-skinned ones, seasoned and roasted with garlic, onions, and  carrots. The cabbage will get a quick steam so as not to be soggy—I hate soggy cabbage. Served with soup or salad $13.99

Spring break is in full swing this week with the kids off of school. All week we'll offer half-price kid-sized or full-sized quesadillas for school-aged kids brought in for lunch. We are assuming that the adults with them will order a lunch as well. We don't mind a bit of racket. They can't be louder than the teachers when they get together. We love the sound of happy chatter at lunch. Maybe it will be warm enough we can hear the sound of the screen door slapping, too.

Did you hear about Winey Wednesdays? No, we are not wanting to hear your mid-week whines. We are simply offering 20% off all wines on Wednesdays—by the glass or bottle. We have been making an effort to learn about more about wine offerings and have begun to amass a few options in the $15-25/ bottle range. I am having to navigate new waters as I try to locate marketing information we can share with you on these upscale wines. The purpose of this deal is to boost mid-week dinner service. Do you and your girlfriends like to get together over a bottle of wine or two? This is a good place and time to do so. You can enjoy your wine with a full dinner or even just appetizers/tapas. Tell us what you are looking for. We'll have a specially created appetizer each Wednesday evening—this week Asian shrimp pot-stickers.

I have brought in a new variety of fish this week. It is wild-caught Pacific Rockfish. Some places market it as Pacific Seabass, some as Rock cod and others even try to call it snapper. It is a small, firm white-fleshed fish with a mild flavor. I'll use it two ways this week. The first will be at dinner, the seafood entrée— Rockfish with Tomatoes, Capers, Lemon, Artichoke and Fennel. The fish itself will be pan seared until no longer transparent. The accompanying veggies will all be sautéed and fresh except the artichokes. We'll serve it with a cous-cous pilaf, stir-fried Asian veggies and a soup or salad. $14.99

The second way we'll serve it will be at lunch on Friday. For that lunch we'll make Rockfish Ceviche. Ceviche, pronounced see vee' cheh, is made by marinating the flesh in citrus juices. The acid in the marinade transforms the flesh into a "cooked" state. Just like heat changes the texture and color of fish, so do the citrus juices. This will be the perfect dish to celebrate the warmest day yet this spring. If you like a fresh tasting, light fish this is your best bet. It'll have lots of fresh crunchy veggies and be served more as a salad. $8.25

So here are this week's lunch specials~~

Monday~ Vegan portabella steak sandwiches~ think Philly steak sandwich but with no meat or dairy. $7.99 with side.
Tuesday~ Reuben Sandwiches with side $7.99 Actually we'll have them all week. Kids' quesadillas half-price all week with adult lunch order! Also, the Solstice Salad is featured all week at $7.25.   Next week we move onto the Spring Equinox Salad. So, get it while you can.
Wednesday~ Corn waffles with wood-fired chicken in an ancho cream and cheese sauce plus sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms . This is a very flavorful dish that has had rave reviews in the past. I think it has been more than a year since I served it. $7.99
Thursday~ Chicken Pad Thai. Simple, clean, tasty, loved. $7.99
Friday~ Rockfish Ceviche: citrus marinated, wild-caught rockfish with a crisp salad base. $8.25

Soup~ Lemon chicken rice--a classic Greek soup.
Desserts~ Baklava early in week; Lemon chess pie later in week.

Seafood Entrée~ Rockfish with Tomatoes, Capers, Lemon, Artichoke and Fennel, cous-cous pilaf, stir-fried Asian veggies, soup or salad $14.99
Flavor Journey~ Corned beef with oven roasted red skinned potatoes, steamed cabbage; soup or salad. $13.99

If you have not been in lately you have missed a lot of fun. We are gearing up for the warmer weather and know you'll end your hibernation soon. We'll be ready for you. It looks like we'll have even more local sourcing for many ingredients this summer. We're expanding music, wine, and beer options. We have a gung-ho team that is quite excited to serve you, and the energy is palpable. Don't wait. We need to see you this week! I hope you have a joyous week full of new discoveries of spring.

~~Susan

At Last...

To quote the late Etta James, "At Last...." we have our license to serve beer and wine! After over a year of hurdles, gauntlets and hoops, the license arrived at the cafe on Friday. We were able to get a delivery of the basic American beers on Friday. Tuesday the craft beers will arrive and Friday we'll get the initial order of wines. Woo-hooo!!!! We are committed to having an environment where you can enjoy a glass of beer or wine without feeling like you are in a bar or a "meat market." We'll often offer specials on pairings of specific beers or wines with our daily specials.

Good timing, too. This week ends with St. Patty's Day. While we won't be open on Saturday, we'll be serving corned beef and all the fixin's at dinner all week. We'll even do a smaller portion on Friday for lunch. I hear we'll be serving both Guiness and Mickey's in celebration of the special event. It is quite important that you make reservations for Friday night if you wish to join in the festivities. I expect we will be fairly busy. Last year when we served the corned beef we had a full house.

This marks a milestone in our growth. Phil Wages stopped by after work on Friday and was the first person served a beer. He has been instrumental in guiding our selections. We respect his palate and knowledge and were delighted to make him the first.

I am often asked if we are still having a good time creating this adventure. The answer is a resounding YES! We have recently added more help which is making our work loads lighter. Bruce has been wonderful in his recent collaborations. He is responsible for the bread and dipping sauce we've been serving at dinner. We've finally worked out a schedule that allows for us to work a few less hours while still getting all the prep work done. Rick Mize is helping at both lunch and dinner. At lunch he is expediting and helping to get your meals and beverages out faster. At dinner, he is our primary waitperson. THIS Friday he'll be on stage with Dustin Collins and entertaining us with Irish folk tunes. We have more expansion news coming up soon. But be assured, we have no interest in getting real big. We just want to make sure we can accommodate everyone, get you fed with good food, good service and a friendly smile.

Dining al fresco—I have added some straw bales plus burlap to create a wind block. My intention is to slow down the wind so diners can enjoy the warm sunshine without being battered. I may have to add another layer, but I think it is going to work. We'll have the tables out most every day. Come get your Vitamin D while stoking up on the rest of your vitamins!

Jon has taken the remaining fresh salmon we had and wood-fired it. Some of it will be frozen for future use but we'll have wood-fired salmon tacos all week. Wood-firing gives the meat a wonderful smokey essence—like our tilapia fish tacos. We'll serve it up with soft corn tortillas, pineapple salsa, and a side of our delicious seafood sauce. It'll come with the usual side options of black bean corn salad, Italian potato salad, Cajun home fries or potato chips. $6.99

The pulled pork sandwich is featured this week, as well. Fifty cents off all week. It is served on a wheat ciabatta bun and accompanied by Cajun home fries and pickled red onions. This sandwich is flavorful and smokey and the meat will melt in your mouth. $5.99

Thursday Bruce introduces another tamale creation. This time he takes us to Portugal. These tamales are stuffed with Portugese chourico (also spelled, chorizo.) Not to be confused with Mexican or Spanish style chourico, Portuguese chourico is an intoxicating blend of lean pork chunks blended with paprika as the key note spice with the addition of garlic and other zesty spices. Portuguese chourico is then smoked to enhance its flavor profile. Chourico stuffed tamales with a Portuguese red sauce and Portuguese rice. Bruce suggests adding Bass Pale Ale from our new beer list for $3.50 instead of $4.00 (if purchased by itself) to compliment your Portuguese Tamales. $6.75 or $10.25 with Bass Pale Ale.

Friday lunch will be corned beef with potatoes, cabbage and carrots. This lunch-sized portion will get you started on your temporary Irish status. $6.75 If you want the dinner sized portion, come at night.You can add a Guiness or a Mickey's to complement the Irish experience.

Dinners this week~
The Flavor Journey this week is the corned beef served with boiled potatoes, roasted cabbage and carrots. At dinner you can get a hefty serving that also includes soup or salad for $10.99. Add a Guiness or Mickey's with your meal for just a few coins from your pot of gold.

The FRESH seafood this week is Seabass. We'll keep the preparation pretty simple. I'll serve it with a Mojo sauce (pronounced Mo-ho) made from garlic, slivered onions, olive oil, lime juice, and wine vinegar. The fish will first be seared, then oven roasted just long enough to take the transparency away. I'll top it with the Mojo sauce, chopped cilantro and sliced avocado. We'll serve it with rice pilaf, stir-fried Asian veggies and your choice of soup or salad. I haven't been given a cost yet.

I am working on putting together a clam bake. I have access to fresh mussels, wild Littleneck clams and oysters. If you have an interest in this, please let me know. As the cost for these ingredients is pretty high, I'll be trying to pre-sell a good portion of what I can produce. We are looking at doing this on the last Friday of this month—the 30th. I don't have final cost info, but my guess would be that the servings will be close to $20.

Upcoming events—

• Eeyore's Birthday Party~ the last Friday in April. Anyone want to help with Maypoles? Drum circles, costumes, facepainting, silliness on a grand scale. Our Austin roots come alive!
• Cinco de Mayo~ on Cuatro de Mayo. We'll acknowledge our Mexican neighbors to the south and serve Mexican beers, real Mexican dishes, and listen to our Tex-Mex tunes. Olé!