Satisfaction!

Last week ended on a very satisfying note. Despite a roller coaster that was nearly as crazy as last week's stock market, we ended the week in good shape. The response to the fresh Coho salmon we flew in was very exciting. I am pretty sure everyone enjoyed their dinners. This is very encouraging and we'll plan on getting in fresh seafood once a month, for now. As far as I know, we are the only place within 100 miles to serve FRESH seafood. Your support and expanded palates allow this option. We have access to docks on all the coasts. If I know you have a hankering for a particular variety of fish, I can know what to look for. A few people have let us know that they'd be happy to participate in a co-op buy. This would allow us to reach that 25 pound minimum more readily. If you are a fresh seafood fan and want to be able to participate either as a consumer of seafood or purchase it as it comes from the dock, let me know!!!

We seldom give up our days off as they are so vital to our re-juvenation. But we made an exception for Blackberry Winter's CD release party on Sunday. What a lovely affair. It was wonderful to hear them in person. Boy! Are they polished! Great support by the community, too. I think there were in excess of 50 folks out to hear them and purchase their new CD. We are so proud of them and delighted they chose our venue for their party. We are trying to see if we can book them for a Friday night. Would you like that?

The menu this week will be fairly simple. On Monday I have Peri-peri. That is a South African dish. It begins with oven roasted chicken breasts. I chopped and sauteed them with onions and peppers and eggplant. This is mixed with a sauce that begins with apricot jam. So it has a bit of a sweet side. But the Peri-peri is actually a small bird chili that can be extremely hot. Fortunately it is used in a very small dose. The flavor is somewhat sweet and spicy leaning toward hot without the burn. This is served over egg noodles. It is probably not traditional with the noodles but was the direction I took it. I'll serve it with a side salad.

Tuesday Bruce will be building his tamales using the wood-fired chicken that Jon does so well. He'll top them with salsa verde and an avocado puree. One of our customers brought us tomatillas—to our delight! You gotta have tomatillas for authentic salsa verde. Those are the things that look kinda like green tomatoes with little paper bags on the outside. They also look a bit like a Chinese lantern. Mexican wouldn't be Mexican without this vital fruit. They will be served with a side of black bean frijoles.

Wednesday I'll make another lettuce wrap. This time the dish is "Singapore noodles in lettuce wrap." The rice noodles carry the flavors of the Orient along with strings of carrots. This should be a tasty as well as fun dish to eat. Lots of fresh while getting the fill of the noodles and the spice of Asia.

Thursdays, the pizzas have gone quite well. I have a fresh batch of both portabellas we will smoke and shitakes we can serve fresh. We get those locally from Willow Mountain Mushrooms in Tecumseh. I'll top the pesto base with fresh onion, smoked sausage and lots of mushrooms and mozzarella. This is my personal favorite combination.

Friday lunch will feature pork chops topped with garlic jelly. I did a similar dish in June using the strawberry/chipotle jelly. This time I'll use my garlic jelly to season it. This jelly is made with Maranatha Farm's organic garlic. I'll pair the pork chop with garlic/ parsley potatoes and a side salad. Just the right size for lunch. The jelly is also available for purchase so you can use it at home or as gifts. $4/ 4oz or $7/ 8oz.

Friday night—
First of all, Renee Wood and Tom Rowley will be playing their sweet jazz numbers on saxophone and guitar. They always pack the house—so get your reservation in early.

The seafood entrée will be roasted red pepper pasta topped with fresh tomatoes and salmon. The salmon (frozen but from the batch we flew in) will be wood-fired and chopped. The red pepper sauce begins with fresh red peppers that are fire-roasted and peeled, then chopped and sauteed with garlic and onion. Then the mixture is blended with cream cheese and parmesan for a rich sauce. The fresh tomatoes will give it the signature finish for the season.  All will be served over a penne pasta that hugs the sauce. A side salad will accompany the dish. $12

The meat entrée will be chicken with mango and coconut. It has lots of coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, shredded coconut and dried mango. Served over jasmine rice this Thai dish will feature less heat and lots of tropical flavor. You can kick up the heat with some Sarachi or habanero sauce. A side salad will start and fresh pineapple will accompany. $12

The vegetarian entrée will feature the Hatch chilis now in season. I'll be doing a Raja relleno dish that uses fire-roasted Hatch chiles combined with cheddar and cotija cheeses to make a thick casserole. This will be served with slices of fresh tomatoes (they are at their best right now), black bean frijoles and a side salad. $10

Bruce will be diving in with his luscious desserts and I'll plan to make the decadent white chocolate cheesecake by mid-week.

We hope your summer is going well. We know this is a busy time of year for many with school starting back up and many extra activities. Please remember we are here cooking up our best. Perhaps you could schedule a planning session around a leisurely lunch. If you are in a hurry, remember you can call in your order and we'll have it ready—for eat-in or take-out.

Have a glorious week—
Susan

Week of August 30-Sept 3--SUSHI !!!!! & Sirloin

What a glorious week we just had! The weather was wonderful. We had our first public event and we served our most meals yet. What could be better? Next week!

Cygnet Brown signing my copy of her book When God Turned His Head

Author Cygnet Brown launched her new book When God Turned His Head with a book signing in our courtyard Saturday morning. I’ve attached a photo of me getting my signed copy. My 81-year-old mother is an avid reader and has claimed first read. Fortunately, she is a fast reader. You can find more info about this local author and her work by going to her website.

Julie Shaw has brought us the makings of a fine little fountain for the courtyard. While we work out the mechanics we can enjoy its funky styling. Thank you, Julie. Julie is best known for her mosaic work. We are expecting the arrival of components for our pond in the next week or two. Hopefully, it’ll be complete with goldfish and lilies.

Wendy and Bob Semyck have Willow Mountain Mushrooms in Tecumseh. They delivered the freshest portabellas I have ever seen. The gills were a dry light brown. Not that usual dark brown verging on wet and slimy you usually get at the local grocers. I am incorporating their lovely ‘shrooms into the Grilled Sirloin Salad—more on that later. Wendy and Bob have been in the mushroom business for a long time.For Bob, over 20 years. They have five (FIVE!) children and growing the mushrooms is a family endeavor that allows them to spend much time together. The kids often travel with Bob and Wendy on their outings to vendors and I was delighted to meet them all. Visit their website at http://www.willowmountainmushrooms.com/ or pick up a batch at the Howell Valley Grocery on east Business 63 or at D& D Produce on Gibson.

While the country has been going through a massive egg recall, we have been enjoying our lovely rich-yolked eggs from Black Bell Acres. Their eggs, often with a light green or brown shell, are the main component in our egg salad sandwiches. Those are very happy chickens laying very rich eggs.

We have scuttled Saturday lunches and are adding in Mondays to our schedule. Since our clientele is largely those seeking work-day lunches we thought it would be more appropriate. Hopefully, you won’t have too many leftovers from the weekend and will join us on Mondays.

We have ordered umbrellas to provide shade for our other 3 three round tables. More and more are joining us in the courtyard as the weather settles down. We are fortunate to usually have 6 months of the year in the moderate category. Now that we are past the most grueling in the heat department, you can enjoy a gentle breeze while getting your Vitamin D and nourishing your body.

New Community table—We have just added a longer 6-person table that will provide a friendly place to visit with others who are likely dining alone. If you wish privacy—pick one of the smaller tables. If you wish for possible company, sit at the community table and take advantage of the opportunity to meet new friends or visit with old ones. We’ll be adding an umbrella for that table shortly.

This week's specials—We’re globetrotting to Asia this week. The 2 specials are 1) California Roll, Miso Soup and a cucumber/seaweed salad for $6.25 and
2) a Grilled Sirloin Salad with oriental dressing. Also $6.25

I KNOW that California Rolls are not truly Asian. If you are a sushi fan, you are already aware of the ubiquitous roll. It is made of sushi rice, surimi crab (yeah, it is the fake stuff but traditional), avocado, rolled up in a nori sheet (seaweed wrapper) and garnished with sesame seeds. We’ll have wasabi and soy sauce to add your touch. The miso soup is made with a fish broth (dashi), miso, and has a bit of tofu, seaweed, green onion and mushroom. The cucumber salad starts with Mary Badini’s organic cucumbers, sprinkled with rice vinegar and sesame oil, a bit of chopped dried seaweed and black sesame seeds and a bit of Spike seasoning.

The second special is the Grilled Sirloin Salad. The steak is marinated in a distinctly Asian marinade—ginger, garlic, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, sesame oil and soy sauce-- and grilled to medium rare, chilled and sliced. It tops a bed of chopped Romaine with tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms and bell pepper. A variation of the marinade is served as a dressing. Vegetarians-- request portabellas instead of steak!!!!

We were delighted with the response to last week's specials. Three days we sold out of at least one of them. I do have the ingredients to make a few more of the gazpacho shooters if you didn't get a chance to try them.

Thank you for spreading the word. It is because of you that I am able to do what I love. Thank you.