The Learning Curve

Before we created A La Carte Cafe, I was a professional fiber artist. So I tend to approach the creative aspects of this business through the eyes of an artist. Last week that approach backfired. Actually... it bit me in the butt! From a restaurant management viewpoint I made an rookie's mistake. Oh, don't worry. It was nothing catastrophic. You probably didn't even notice on the customer end of things. What happened was I introduced too many new dishes in too short a period of time. My creativity got the best of me. The overall effect business-wise was just a lack of focus and perhaps a slower delivery time. From the other side—it wore me out and wasn't especially profitable.

Lesson learned—give new dishes time to gain their own following before introducing another new one. Ouch!!! I want it to happen faster than that. But I'll listen to the lesson and reign in my gusto just a nick. If you find yourself getting bored, I'll know I waited too long. Hopefully, you'll tell me when you are ready for something new. When we worked out of the food trailer, the flavor journeys or "specials" lasted a week. Since moving into the cafe I have wanted to have more variety during the week. Selfishly, I don't want to get bored. Believe me, I wasn't bored last week. But it was a bit much.

Why am I telling you this? Because you are an important part of who we are and what we are doing. It reminds of the duck that looks very smooth on the water but is paddling like crazy underneath. Guess who is doing the paddling! As a customer of ours, I feel like you have a vested interest in our growth and story. Many of you have stepped up with creative ways to help make our plan happen. Without that help we would not be as strongly placed as we find ourselves today. Thank you.

We had a lovely Friday night with the Howell County Bards and guests celebrating Poetry Month with a Poetry Reading. I was delighted with all I heard. Bruce shed his chef's apron and shared his poetry, as well. We are truly blessed to be working with someone who has talents on so many levels. There were several faces well known to us and several I didn't know previously. Well done to all! Thank you for sharing your talents with us.

This Friday Renee and Tom return to bring us guitar and saxophone jazz. I can't wait! Their music simply fills the soul. If you haven't joined us on Friday nights yet, you are missing the coolest place to be in town. We aren't trying to be cool. It just turns out that way. Reminder: reservations are encouraged and entree choices made before Friday morning will assure you get your first choice in entree.

This Friday night I am bringing back one dish that was loved by all—beef and sausage lasagna. It got consistent good reviews. I am very excited about the vegetarian sampler platter I am offering this week. I've been grazing through several books on tapas and appetizers. Many, many options are presented. So I decided that I will make a platter that has 12 items. There will probably 2 each of 6 different items. Things like Crispy Polenta with Pesto and Parmigiana, Ratatouille in Parmesan cups, Vegetable Fritatta, Greek Salad Brochettes, Fig and Olive Tepanade with Cream Cheese and crackers. You get the idea. Now this may seem like an immediate violation of the "Lesson Learned" but the idea here is to have an ongoing dish that can slightly change each week while having some semblance of permanency. In other words, you'll know there will be the key things you expect plus a flavor adventure or two to add to your palate. Plus it will be primarily vegetarian and will serve one as an entree or 3-4 as an appetizer. The second main entree this week will be one of Jon's personal favorites. Southwest chicken queso over corn waffles. Wood-fired, sliced chicken in a spicy cheese sauce served over corn waffles. You just have to try it to appreciate the depth of flavor. Not too spicy but definitely kicky.

Earlier in the week flavor journeys include—

Monday~ Elk Burgers with chips $6.25; Egg Salad Sandwiches 5.49
Tuesday~ Chicken Florentine Tamales with bechamel sauce and risotto $6.25; Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Salsa $5.75
Wednesday~ Paris Pizza-topped with portabella, wood-fired chicken, Brie and Boursin cheeses, and tomato $6.25; Trout Roman $7.00
Thursday~Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps $6.25; Guacamole Tacos $5.49
Friday~Lunch-Paris Pizza (see Wed) $6.25; Grilled Marinated Veggie Sandwich $5.49
          ~Dinner-Vegetarian Sampler Platter; Beef and Sausage Lasagna; Southwest Chicken Queso over corn waffles; appetizer Crab Gazpacho Martini- gazpacho topped with crab in a martini glass $5

We've got the new table and chairs. The outside tables are set up and the courtyard is developing daily. But most of all, we welcome you and want you to enjoy our good food prepared from fresh ingredients. Come join us and bring a friend. We're ready.

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.