High Summer—High Jinx

The summer temps are beginning to reach their norms. The crops that were slow to germinate and sprout are now kicked into high gear and well on their way to producing a wide variety of delicious veggies and herbs. Time for some fun!

First of all—our musical guests this week are two founding members of the Blackberry Winter Band, Marideth Sisco and Dennis Crider. It is an honor to have them join us Friday night. Previously they have packed the house. So if you want to enjoy their tunes while enjoying your dinner, you'll want to be sure to make reservations. We'll be limiting the seating to what the Fire Marshall allows. Make that reservation today.

Now back to the food—As I said we are in high season with regard to produce and I intend to make the most of it.  This will be a great week to expand your palate and s-t-r-e-t-c-h those taste buds.

Word has finally gotten out about us enough that food producers are now coming to me to ask what crops I'd like to see grown. The first of those specialty crops is arriving this week, but in a small quantity to start. They are squash blossoms. These delicate gourmet bundles have long been enjoyed by Native Americans and as part of the Southwestern cuisine for decades. We'll be stuffing them with fresh cheeses and herbs and featuring them on some of the dinner offerings. Because we don't know what kind of volume they'll be made available, we aren't promising more than a nice chance to taste them. Assuming we are able to secure a larger quantity, we'll be adding in an appetizer that features them. We'll only be using the male blossoms and therefore we won't be cutting into the squash production. I bet less than 5 of our customers have ever tasted this delicate treat.

Did you hear? We now have hamburgers made with local grass-fed beef from Spring Creek Farm in Pottersville. We grill them up fresh and offer both a classic burger as well as a Southwestern burger. We'll highlight them on Tuesday, but they are available at all lunches.

Janet brought us some spectacular green beans and they will be served with both the evening stir-fry and as a featured side dish at dinner with shallots and fresh herbs.

Twice this week at lunch we'll be bringing out cold pasta salads that celebrate the summer heat. On Tuesday I'll make one that includes melons, feta and pancetta (Italian bacon/ham). Later in the week, on Wednesday, Amy has one that includes bacon, lettuce and tomato. Step out of your comfort zone!

And speaking of salads, Vincent suggested that we might want to make available any of our lunch salads as a wrap. We have some ginormous tortillas made just for that purpose. So for fifty cents more, just ask us to make it a wrap!

Thursday's lunch should be fun. We'll have Pork Fried Rice accompanied by Pacific Rim Gazpacho Shooters. I can't wait to bring out this chilled soup made with such fresh ingredients. Summertime and the soup is chilled!

Friday I'll make a Tuscan quiche that celebrates the harvest, as well. I'll include oven-roasted roma tomatoes, mushrooms, summer squash, onions, and fresh Italian herbs. It'll be served with a side salad.  Perfect summer fare.

Let's talk about the dinners now.  Oooo-wheee! The seafood entrée is ginger and garlic glazed ginormous gulf shrimp on a pineapple boat with Calico rice, pineapple mango salsa, and summer stir-fry.  $15.99

The Flavor Journey—Lamb ribs that have been slow wood-smoked and finished with a rosemary garlic glaze, local green beans simmered with shallots and fresh herbs, summer stir-fry plus a stuffed squash blossom. This will be available in a very limited quantity. Reserve EARLY!  $17.99

Again, this week I am offering a third dinner special option. It will be a pasta prima vera with a very light sauce to bind tomatoes, squash, onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots and green beans. This one is vegetarian at its base, but you can add wood-fired chicken or wood-fired salmon for a bit more. $13.99/ $15.99/ $17.99

We will also have a festive beverage for Friday night—peach bellinis. This luscious mix-ture combines ripe peaches, lemon juice, and sugar with sparkling wine. We'll offer this wine cocktail at $5/ glass.

Desserts~ Where to begin? As always, we'll have Drew's wonderful carrot cake. Then, we'll start the week off with peach cobbler. I'll add tira misu mid-week and by Friday I plan to have coconut and corn ice cream with brown sugar syrup. This truly celebrates the arrival of local corn. Now THAT is my kind of fun!

You know~I just bet I missed something. So much excitement. Come be a part of it.

Thank you for being a part of our growth and history. We love sharing our creativity with you. You have made it safe for me to explore and stretch and allowed us to truly celebrate each new flavor that comes our way. We need to increase our customer base to maintain our own sustainability. Your word-of- mouth is important to us. If you have not done so lately, how about rating us on yelp.com or yahoo.com or tripadvisor.com? Of course, if there is a problem, we hope you will give us a chance to get it right. Have a glorious week.

~~Susan

The hope of rain.

My kids who live in the Tampa Bay area are laughing at the over-reaction to the Threat of Isaac. I'm not sure they even got any rain to speak of. We, however, might actually benefit from this slow moving storm as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico. With water temps just shy of bathwater, the energy is there to sustain it. We certainly could use the rain. 

Last week was the week that finally slowed down during the evenings...until Friday. Vinny's playing brought in a nice-sized crowd. We've added a staff member to the task of dessert delivery on Friday nights. It certainly sped up that operation. We welcome BJ to our team. He came on as lunch-time dishwasher and quickly showed he was multi-skilled, enthusiastic and a very nice fit. He jumped in grilling the pound cake for the peach desserts and did a very fine job. We sold more desserts Friday night than I think we ever had before. Yea, BJ! Now we need to keep up the excitement as we begin to transition from summer fruits and veggies to the fall ones.

Jon Lumsden will take a break from the register this Friday and grace us with a nice long set of his jazz guitar and vocals starting at 7pm. This is the first time he has played all summer as we have not been able to free him up to do so. As we seem to be generating a larger Friday night crowd we are going to implement a couple of organizational changes. The first is that if you wish to sit in the main dining room on Friday night you must make a reservation. Since we make no effort to turn over the tables, this will allow those who really want to see the performer first access. So far, there is still plenty of seating for drop-ins on Friday night, but it'll be in the second dining room. The second change is that on Friday nights you will be greeted at the door and taken to a table. This will allow us to realistically divide up the tables among our servers and create less confusion. Believe me, you will notice a difference.

I've had plenty of opportunities to speak with our customers when they visit for dinner during the week. For me it is a real treat to get to speak with you—the ones I am cooking for. Most of the time at lunch, all anyone sees of me is my butt. Well that is not quite true, but close enough. I am delighted when I get to meet new folks and get to the point of knowing to ask how the family is doing. I genuinely want to know if the food suited your desires. I, of course, hope to exceed your expectations. We may have had this bright idea to start a cafe that serves what people want to eat, while keeping the ingredients real, all the while expanding their palates. But it is you who allow it all to happen. It is you who gives us a direction on which we can focus. It is your word of mouth that is keeping this place not only alive, but growing. I must admit this is the toughest job I've ever had physically. But we are having a ball. Rick and I are loving collaborating on various dishes and menus. We have such a happy staff and it is pure joy to come to work each day. We know that what we are doing isn't for everyone. We acknowledge that our menu choices are somewhat capricious. But we are proud of the quality of food we are serving and having fun with the creative parts. I love following the harvest season to make menu decisions. While there are items I serve that are not always in season, I really make an effort to learn about the seasonal produce and innovative ways to present them. My personal mission is to broaden everyone's awareness of each other through their palates and gradually expand knowledge about various cultures so that perhaps we can all have a greater understanding and eventually peace. I never wrote that out before. Hmph.

Now the philosophising is over, let's get on with lunch~~

Tuesday~Both Pork Bahn Mi and Pulled Pork sandwiches are 50 cents off.

Wednesday~Rick is going to rock us with his Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich. Those chicken breasts are marinating for 24 hours in jerk seasonings to enliven that flavor. We'll stick to jalapenos rather than the usual habanero peppers for this dish. We'll serve it coconut rice and black beans. $7.50

Thursday~How about some mid-week pasta? Mostaccioli is a Greek casserole featuring lots of sweet Italian sausage, onions, tomatoes, pasta and cheese. We're serve it with a side salad for $7.50

Friday~South Indian-style Vegetable Curry. Served with jasmine rice. I've been reading a lot lately about the healing properties of certain herbs and spices. This one contains many of the most beneficial—cardamon, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne. It IS vegetarian so tell your vegetarian friends not to miss this. It is also wheat-free. Dang it, it's healthy, too. $7.50

The Flavor Journey this week is really close to home. I am really enjoying making fresh pasta each week. We are at the peak of season for fresh vegetables from the gardens. I am doing fresh pasta with grilled squashes, eggplant, peppers and onions with herb-poached chicken, feta and basil.  This is truly a celebration of the summer harvest—with side salad. $12.99

Seafood Entrée—Wednesday through Friday—Wild-caught pacific coho salmon steak with dill mayo sauce, tomato tart, and spaghetti squash with Indian spices—with side salad. $14.99

I hope you have a grand week. Thanks for being there.

~~Susan

All about rhythm and changes thereof

This week marks the rhythmic transition from summer to fall—school starts this week for many. We recognize that you may be somewhat distracted this week, but hope we see you anyway.  Gone will be the days of scorching hot sun and a perception of available time. Schedules will be kicked into high gear and a certain amount of frantic-ness might occur. Time for a deep breath and maybe a healthy lunch or dinner.

Many of you took the time to congratulate us last week and to add your encouragment on our growth. Thank you. That feedback is quite vital. We have been pleasantly surprised at the speed of our growth of late. While we try to keep up the quality of our food, you are helping to get the word out. We are keenly aware that word-of-mouth recommendations are the best way for us to grow. We know you might prefer to keep us as your little secret, but our sustainability depends on your sharing. We are all about sustainability!!!

Before I dive into this week's specials and flavor journeys, I need to mention that party season will be on us before we know it. We are already getting requests for holiday catering and use of our private dining room. So if you have in mind you'd like us to cater your holiday party or host your event in our space, don't put it off. In order to give your event the time and effort it deserves, we will limit our bookings.

Gordon Johnston will join us again to entertain on Friday. You may remember his easy-to-listen-to keyboard renditions of Van Morrison tunes or the locally-sourced themes of his own tunes. Gordon lives in Poplar Bluff and makes the trek out of a love of playing. Please tip him well. We want him back.

Last week we flew fresh, wild-caught Pacific Coho salmon in from Alaska. I hope you were among those who got to experience the incredible fresh flavor of this fish. Over the weekend we took one whole salmon and wood-fired it. You'll see it on the Tuesday lunch menu in the form of salmon tacos with pineapple mango salsa. There are about 12 orders available. $8.00

Tuesday night will usher in this week's Flavor Journey—our country of origin will be Vietnam. We'll do an appetizer of stuffed rice paper called summer rolls. The rice paper (like wonton skins but made with rice) will be filled with cellophane noodles, mung beans, thin sliced pork roast, carrots, cucumber & cilantro. Unlike wonton skins, these are served cold.  A dipping sauce will accompany. The entrée will consist of a Vietnamese beef salad topped with an Asian marinated flank steak, red onion, mung beans, cilantro, cucumber and shitake mushrooms. The dressing will be a light rice vinegar one.  It is totally gluten free!!!!  $11.99

Wednesday I'll bring out the Antipasto salad. This salad has a strong following. On top of a bed of Romaine I'll add provolone cheese, kalmata olives, red and green bell peppers, pasta, ham, fresh basil, Juliet tomatoes and red onion. These extra ingedients will all be tossed with a dressing made with lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, mustard and Worchestershire—aka 1905 dressing. The salad will be through Friday. $6.99

The seafood dinner entrées this week—please notice two seafoods of note~ first is fresh rainbow trout from Rockbridge. I'll simply pan-fry it and serve it with a saute of zucchini and fresh tomatoes plus a starch of buttered linguine or garlic mashed potatoes. As always, accompanied by a side salad. $14.99

The second seafood will be a shrimp and scallop manicotti in alfredo sauce. I'll use that lovely black pasta to make the manicotti. With a side salad, of course. $14.99

Thursday lunch will be the Couscous Salad with curried turkey, almonds and raisins. It is served over a bed of Romaine and is somewhat sweet. It is probably the coconut milk in the curried dressing that makes it so. One of the crowd favorites for hot summer days. $7.50

Friday lunch will be shrimp and scallop shish kabobs over a lemon rice. Simple, luxurious and yummy. $8.00

Desserts this week~~ I made a luscious New York style cheesecake topped with sweetened sour cream and drunken berries. $5 We are continuing to grill our poundcake with fresh fruit and serving it with our homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Also, I am playing with fresh figs. One of our customers brought me a couple of pounds of them. I am thinking fresh fig tart with goat cheese as an appetizer or maybe a fig and mascarpone something. Still creating....wait for it.....

I hope you have a glorious week~~

~~Susan

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

EEWWWWWW! The smell of spring is in the air!

As one who is a transplant to the Ozarks from the lower South, I am keenly aware of the building excitement that precedes the bursting forth of Spring. To me the first harbinger of Spring is the smell of skunks in the air. Getting into West Plains presents a virtual black and white slalom. But the scent of skunks is the trigger that tells me that Spring is really approaching quickly. So I am already getting excited. As happens each pre-spring, I am thinking ahead to what I might successfully plant. I think I'll stick to mostly herbs this year and a few flowers, since I only get to use the containers. I think this will be their best use. I am not a terrific plant Mommy. Survival of the fittest marks success in my garden. For the first time, my rosemary has actually survived the winter. I am hoping my lemon grass has as well. We use lots of mint, oregano, rosemary, parsley and marjoram around here; so they will get my first priorities and biggest pots. I'll also do lots of jalapeno peppers and nasturtiums. They make pretty container plantings and produce lots of usable fruit.

Our new dinner service is going fairly well. For me it has been a real skill expander. Learning to cook items to order and have the timing of several different meals come out at the same time has been my biggest hurdle. I'm MUCH better at it now than I was 3 weeks ago. Bruce was already a master of the sauté pan. He's been teaching me. On Friday nights he mans the stove top while I handle the other end of things.

This week the fresh seafood is fillet of sole. The sole is a flat fish that skims along the bottom of warm seas. Bruce will be stuffing the fillets with crab and shrimp, a bit of cheese and bread crumbs. This fish has a very delicate texture and equally delicate taste. They will be baked to order, so they are a nice low-fat option. Available Wednesday—Friday, it is served with a choice of soup or salad and accompanied by stir-fried bok-choy and aromatic veggies (garlic and onions), plus a bit of white rice. $14.99

The Flavor Journey for dinner this week takes us to Indonesia and the Philippines. Adobo is the acknowledged national dish of the Philippines. While we may associate adobo as that sauce that is in the can of chipotles, the Filipino version is quite different. The word adobo is Spanish for sauce. In this case the basics are soy sauce, cider vinegar, garlic cloves, bay leaves and pepper. This version also uses coconut milk in the braising liquid.  I am using skin-on chicken thighs as they are most flavorful and the skin, after being crisped, is craggy enough to hold onto the sauce. It will be served with  choice of soup or side salad and accompanied by my stir-fried bok-choy medley and white rice. $9.99

A new option for the dinner menu is the Coleman Natural grilled chicken breast. These chickens are raised totally without growth hormones or antibiotics on small farms and allowed much more space than most commercially-raised chickens. I am delighted to have this option available for you. We'll have 2 versions. The first is a simple grilled breast topped with olive oil and herbs. The second, we'll call Chicken A La Carte, is topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce. Both will come with a choice of soup or side salad. The simple grilled version comes with garlic mashed potatoes and the daily stir-fry (10.99 for a single breast, add a second for $3 more). The "A La Carte" version will come with pesto linguine (12.99 for a single breast; add a second for $3 more).

The soups this week~ We'll start out with the roasted root vegetable soup. By Wednesday we'll also have French onion.

Now onto the lunch menu for the week~
Tuesday~Celebrate Mardi Gras! We'll have red beans and rice cooked with andouille and boudin sausage. Laissez les bons temps rouler (Pronounced:(Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay)~ Let the good times roll! A big bowl for $6.75.
Wednesday~Lemon chicken pasta salad served over a bed of arugula. $6.75
Thursday~Chicken gumbo tamales with buttered orzo $6.75
Friday~Arugula, mushroom and tomato quiche served with a side salad $6.75

The music this Friday night is the duo of Rick Mize and Dustin Collins aka Chief Wahoo and the Electric Tonic. The sound is Irish Folk and it is fun and bouncy. We had lots of great feedback when they joined us last time.

Regarding the "Tavern License", the city council will review our application this Tuesday. We expect to receive approval on Wednesday. Then we have to submit our packet to the state. We have most every particle for that submission ready to go. Our target is to be ready to serve beer and wine by St. Patrick's Day. Not sure we'll make that target, but that is what we are shooting for.

Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Every day we are learning something new. Our relationship with our customers and our suppliers is as important to us as the food we prepare. We welcome your feedback and input. I have been especially appreciative of the warmth with which our new dinner menu has been received.  Remember~ the "Buy one-Get one" dinner special is only available until the end of the month. Pick up your coupon when you are in for lunch.

Have a lovely near-spring week~~

Susan

Happy Lunar New Year- Year of the Dragon!

I love the Chinese New Year. It isn't in the middle of numerous other celebrations and besides, it reminds me of my father. He was into it. The date flucuates because it follows the lunar calendar. Monday, the 23rd is the date. So if you didn't make a grand entrance into 2012, you have another chance to get those priorities aligned for the year and you can celebrate 4710 instead.

This is the year of the dragon. In seafaring cultures that often translates to lobster or the logustino family. At the cafe we'll celebrate by offering Crawfish Etouffee over white rice. Recently, Zabar's, that internationally, highly rated New York restaurant was "outed" for using crawfish and calling it lobster in their lobster salad. Thouands of pounds of it had been sold for years at $16.95/ pound, before a New Orleans reporter read the label and called them out. We're telling you up-front. It is crawfish! It is the most local of dragons we could locate in order to properly celebrate.

The photo in this issue is of a piece I did several years ago entitled "Full Moon—Low Ceiling." I am including it because it is one of my pieces that celebrates the full moon. The title comes from the color of the sky at night when it is cloudy under a full moon. Sadly, this piece was stolen right off the wall while being displayed at the Gillioz Theater in Springfield a couple of years ago.

If you were lucky enough to be here last Friday evening, you watched some wonderful magic happen. Jon joined forces with Greg Kwalume, and together they played some awesome jazz. We have some other talent coming up, so watch for the updates.

This will be our last week that we'll be open on Mondays. Starting NEXT week (the 31st) we'll be open Tuesday - Friday for lunch AND DINNER! I am working on a dinner menu that includes many of your lunch favorites, plus several new entrées and appetizers. While the Tavern permit is yet to come through, we didn't want you to have to wait to catch us for dinner. This is a whole new ballgame for me and I am gearing up. Fear, once again, rears its ugly head and, once again I march forth, quaking in my boots but optomistic we can pull it off. Learning curves can be a struggle.  It is always nice to be on the other side of them...and helpful to have a customer base that wants this as much as we do.

This week begins our new alliance with a local grocer who is bringing in fresh seafood weekly. This week we have access to FRESH Pacific cod. I'll prepare it Friday night as the seafood entrée. I try to make sustainable choices when planning the menu and Pacific cod is currently one of the best choices. So say several of the fishery watchlists like Seafood Watch (from the Monterey Bay Aquarium), SeaChoice and Fishwise. Flavorwise, cod have a lean, mild flavor profile with large flakes and a medium texture. I'll be baking it in Italian seasonings and serving it on a pasta coated with a pesto of
sun-dried tomato and roasted red peppers.

• All week we'll have the Romans on sale at 50 cents off.  
• Soups: we'll start the week off with a hearty chicken and vegetable as well as roasted garnet potato bisque. Later in the week I'll add lentil soup with polish sausage.
• Desserts~We start the week with blueberry tart and carrot cake. I'll add gingerbread with whipped cream and a coconut almond cream sauce.
• Monday~ Crawfish Etoufée served over white rice $6.75
• Tuesday~ Cumin-rubbed pork tamales with cheddar rojas sauce and
  buttered rice $6.75
• Wednesday~Creamy chicken enchiladas plus a black bean tostada topped with a citrus slaw $6.75
• Thursday~Pesto pizza with wood-fired chicken, shitake mushrooms, kalamata olives, mozzarella and Roma tomatoes with side salad $7
• Friday~Chicken LoMein with ginger and mushrooms served with stir-fried bok choy and tatsoi $6.75
• This is the last week for our usual Friday night format.
• Seafood entrée~ Italian baked FRESH cod served with sun-dried tomato and roasted red pepper pasta. Starts with side salad and garlic bread. $13
• Meat Entrée~ Beef and Italian Sausage Lasagna served with side salad and garlic bread $13
• Vegetarian Entrée~Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna served with side salad and garlic bread. $11

We appreciate you being here with us for the ride. Each time a Lunch Bunch card is cashed in we count that as a pat on our backs. Hopefully, it means we are doing more right than wrong. From the strong personal feedback we are getting, you like most of what we do. Fortunately, our customers have also learned that we listen when they want us to know where we could do better. Thanks for being here this week. Next week watch for special buy one/get one type deals at dinner.

~~Susan

Summer's end: autumn's return

This week marks the equinox when the days and nights are equally long. Hard to believe those excruciatingly hot days are finally behind us. And finally we are getting some rain. The mums are happy and the herbs, as well. We'll have the doors open and the AC off. Last week was a record week in several ways. We had three "highest evers" in one week. Tuesday and Thursday had highest ever lunches. Friday was a highest ever full day. I just love hearing the sound of happy chatter on those days.  The sound of the slapping wood screen door brings back memories of childhood—memories of running around barefoot all summer.

We took my Mom to see "The Help" on Sunday. What an exquisitely written story. Having grown up in the South, I was young enough to be at the tail end of the period of this kind of treatment. While I know there were those attitudes around me, I gratefully, never witnessed it myself. I am delighted to see the movie made and even more proud that West Plains' Glass Sword cinema has had it running for 3 weeks. Hopefully, it has been a financial success for them, but as a social-justice-type person, I am just thrilled to see a message, as such, getting out. Hats off!!!!!

The change in weather has ushered in a new season of soups. Bruce kicked things off twice last week with his famous French Onion Soup and followed it up with a three cheese Italian soup. The TINY bit I got to taste was terrific. It disappeared REAL fast.

I am looking forward to the first pomegranates of the season as well as the first winter squashes. We have had several requests for a winter squash soup so it will be in the line up as soon as I see them available. My white chicken chili will be making a comeback later this week. Today I have lentil soup made with farmer produced sausage that has no nitrates. Full of lentils, carrots, garlic and onion, it is one of the most flavorful soups and filling, too.

Monday I have a very tasty shrimp poblano quiche—Mexican, seafood, eggs and cheese all wrapped up in one dish. There are lots of shrimp in it. $6.50 with fruit or potato salad/$8.00 with a side salad.

Tuesday Bruce steps up with his hand-built tamales. This time he tackles gumbo. Phil Wages brought in some lovely okra and that will be the star in that dish. Chicken gumbo tamales with dirty rice. Should be an interesting flavor combination. So far his experiments in tamales have produced some fine results. Go Bruce! Go! $6.50

Wednesday Enchiladas Cremosas de Pollo—translates to creamy chicken enchiladas. Rick Bayless of Frontera fame in Chicago has shared this recipe and I love it. I'm pretty sure you will, too. I'll serve it with a fennel-apple slaw and Spanish rice. Reminder: If you see a special on the list you want, call in that morning and we'll save you a serving. I only make 8-10 servings of each special, so they go fast.
$6.50

Thursday Bruce will take over the pizza game with sweet Italian sausage pizzas topped with fresh tomatoes, onions and cheese. They'll be served with a side salad. $7

Friday lunch will be Curried turkey and couscous salad with dried cranberries. This will be a hearty salad that will fill you up quite well. Served with a cranberry nut muffin. $6.50

Friday night this week brings the return of the Renee Wood Trio. They play swinging jazz on saxophone, guitar and drums. We often fill the house when they join us, so reservations are strongly advised.
The seafood entree~Bruce will marinate tuna in red miso and then sear it. It'll be served with wakame salad and a sushi roll. $12
The meat entree~ Lemon Moroccan chicken with couscous. Served with a chunky cucumber/ feta  salad $12
The vegetarian entree~Roasted root veggies with grilled polenta. Served with a veggie-loaded salad. $10

It should be a good week for dining al fresco if the rain holds off during lunch-time. I look forward to hearing the door slap as you join us. Welcome in the fall with us. See ya~~

~~Susan

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

Scattered

Scattered is a term that best describes my outlook right now. I feel like I am going off in all directions, at once. June is going to be a wild ride and I am already in preparations for it. We are excited that we have landed the banquet and breakfasts for the National Audio Theater Festival in the third week of June. This will mark a new level of catering/ banquets for us, as each day we will feed 60+ attendees. That is over and above our usual 40-50 at lunch. So I am working ahead to prepare quiches, desserts, sweet breads...all items which can be easily frozen. We're investing in chafing dishes and racks for storing prepped foods.

This week we celebrate being open at this location for 6 months. Can you believe it? During that time the learning curve has gotten a bit gentler and I am beginning to feel like I've gotten a handle on the whole picture. I still can't accurately predict how busy we'll be. We expected last Friday—going into the Memorial Day weekend to be fairly quiet. NOT!!!! It was one of our biggest single days, ever. Then, when I was expecting to be busy, like on Cinco de Mayo, we were dead.  Other surprises are when specials either sell out quickly or not at all. Hmmm. I can only guess that time and experience will be the teachers there.

The flowers this week will be less showy as they come from my herbs and other growing things in my yard. No showy, colorful flowers, this week. Instead you'll see Elderberry heads, maybe garlic flowers, privet, etc. If you have such to share, please do so.  

This short week we are keeping things pretty simple. Bruce has his tamales, of course. This week they are Polynesian. Sounds pretty fruity and delicious—Chicken-stuffed with a Pineapple/ pepper sauce and Hawaiian Fried Rice.

Wednesday, Bruce is creating a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad.

Thursday, I'll have pork tenderloin with a fresh mulberry sauce, fresh green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes.

Friday I am introducing a new sandwich—still not sure what to call it. It is a Greek chicken roll-up. I'll take the wood-fired chicken, slice it and add Greek seasoning, Then put it in the warmed flour tortillas we use instead of pita, add tomatoes, feta and cucumbers plus tzatziki sauce. It'll be served with either the fresh fruit or Italian Potato Salad. Enjoy it beginning this Friday at lunch. I'll really want feedback on this new item. So speak up, PLEASE!

Friday night this week is First Friday and that means Open Mic. We hope to have several performers. Last month was delightful with a wonderful variety. The house was packed and everyone was entertained.

The menu for Friday night is:

1. Lemon chicken skewers, Greek potato salad and fresh green beans $10
2. Ratatouille Quiche—zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic with feta and Swiss cheese served with a marinated vegetable salad and cheese biscuits $10
3. Italian sausage and eggplant lasagne with side salad $10

With more fruits coming into season, you should see more desserts presented. If I am not too scattered, that is. Please join us as we begin our second half-year. We couldn't be here without your on-going support and encouragement. Have a great week!

When does summer start for you?

What is your benchmark for the start of summer?  The solstice—the "technical" start of summer is still 3 weeks away. We've experienced warmer than normal and cooler than normal temperatures and had enough rain to satisfy most farmers for months.

My personal benchmark is when I can start actually using some of the fresh produce in volume. Most of my garden flowers have shown their stuff and it is now time for the plants that earn their place in my garden by being not only edible but capable of adding a stellar layer of yummy to my usual fare, to take their turn. For weeks now Bruce and I have been able to clip herbs from our plants in the courtyard. The rosemary, mint, chives, and some of the parsley come directly from our container garden. We go through so much fresh basil that most of what we use is purchased. However, as our plants grow in size, we can incorporate them in larger volume into our salads and meals. I look forward to being able to pluck fresh tomatoes and peppers from our containers, but that comes MUCH later in the season.

The spinach lately, has been spectacular. As well as the arugula. If you still haven't tried this gem, you owe it to yourself to ask me for a nibble next time you are in.Mary and Skip Badiny do a yeoman's job of providing much of our fresh specialty produce.

The mushrooms have been a joy to have again. I've been using all 5 varieties available from Willow Mountain Mushrooms in Tecumseh. Those nice folks have a baby due this week, so maybe the mushroom delivery schedule will get interrupted. But the portabellas have been glorious wood-fired on the grill. I use them in the brown rice and stir-fried veggies. The shitakes are so pretty and look and taste great on the pizzas. Boy! What a surprise I got from how popular those little pizzas have been. Turns out you like pizzas made with pesto or goat cheese. We use the white button mushrooms on the build-your-own salads. The other 2 varieties you will see used on the tabbouleh salad on Thursday. They are called Oyster Mushrooms and come in many colors. We'll be using the yellow and grey ones. I was hoping to get more morels but it seems their season came and went in a flash. That is part of what makes them so special. Local foragers have promised me more varieties as the season progresses.  

I'm bringing back the real Caesar salad for the week. It will be available all week with optional wood-fired chicken or salmon. The real deal uses a dressing made fresh daily that incorporates egg, Worcestershire, lemon juice, anchovies, garlic and not much else. The bite of the Worcestershire gives a nice zing to the palate. The croutons are made using our own bread heels, sauteed in garlic and oil until crisp.I'll have big flakes of parmesan and include capers to round out the full authentic flavor. If you have never experienced a true Caesar salad, treat yourself. You'll be Jonesing for it soon enough and demanding I bring it back. There is something about the flavor that is truly unique and not satisfied with a bottled creamy dressing we have all accepted for Caesar.

On Monday I'll feature the Sweet Summer Salad again for one more day. As I said earlier, the spinach and arugula have been spectacular and when paired with the sweetness of the jicama and watermelon, the seasonal sweet vidalia onions and the craisins, they sing. The feta and black olives lend a balance of savory to the song. Almonds add a crunchy bite.Try it before it disappears.

A couple of weeks ago I served a Waldorf salad that was quickly gobbled up. In that same vein, I am doing a curried chicken salad this week on Wednesday. It'll have chopped chicken, grapes, celery, Vidalias (quick, before they are gone) and pecans from northern Missouri. The dressing is made from mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey and some curry. By the way, we NEVER use anything but real mayonnaise. That "Miracle Whip" or "Salad Dressing", as it is sometimes called, does not pass muster for me. Nor does margarine. We use real butter. Yes. It does cost a bit more. But I'd rather skip it than use the artificial stuff.

Bruce's Hand-built Tamales this week are Italian Tamales. They are crafted using Sweet Italian Sausage and served with marinara and confetti rice.

For lunch Friday we'll have a chicken taco salad. Mounds of seasoned chicken on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions and pepper jack cheese served with fresh salsa.

Friday night's offerings include:
Shrimp fajitas served with red peppers, Vidalias, spring onions, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, lime, and salsa Verde; Margarita pizzas (olive oil, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sliced fresh tomatoes) and Italian potato salad; and Summer chicken pasta with stir-fried chicken, portabellas, Vidalias, wine, mostaccioli (tube pasta), pesto and fresh tomatoes with side salad.

Friday night we bring back Renee Wood and Tom Rowley—jazz saxophone and guitar accompanied by David Moore on drums. This wonderful trio has built a strong following locally and they never fail to please. As always, we suggest you call in for reservations. Last time we had them, we booked out in reservations by mid-week. Rather than try to squeeze more in, we'd rather keep things intimate. So plan ahead. We are going into the long Memorial Day weekend. Cafe number is 505-0302.

We will be closed on Memorial Day. Jon and I won't be slacking. We'll be clearing out Mom's storage unit in Springfield. Ugh! Bruce will probably be slacking. He's entitled.

It is expected to rain a lot this week. So we are offering 50 cents off your entree if you come in with rain gear—umbrellas, rain coat, pancho, etc. Defy the rain!!!!

So the condensed list of this week's flavor journeys—
All week~ real Caesar salad with optional wood-fired chicken or salmon
Monday~Sweet Summer Salad
Tuesday~Italian Tamales
Wednesday~Curried chicken salad on bed of Romaine
Thursday~Tabbouleh salad with oyster mushrooms
Friday~Lunch:chicken taco salad
Dinner~shrimp fajitas; Margarita pizza and Italian potato salad; summer chicken pasta with side salad

We always enjoy seeing you and have really enjoyed getting to know each of you. Our world has expanded greatly thanks to you. Have a great wet, week!

~Susan

Time Warps

I'd swear that May is a month of time warps and jumps. One moment, it is the 1st of the month and we're wondering about Spring—REAL Spring, and the next thing it is 92 degrees and Mother's Day is over. Then, next thing you know, we get a Blackberry Winter (unabashed plug for local band) and proms are over and college is graduating. Holy Moly! Next we'll be wailing about how hot it is. But with the hot will come the fresh local produce.

I am SO looking forward to seeing what folks have to sell from their gardens. Do you have fennel bulbs? What about radicchio? Berries? Mushrooms? The fresh garlic will soon be ready for harvesting. I absolutely LOVE to cook with freshly harvested garlic.

I've been thoroughly enjoying Maranatha Farms spinach and arugula. If arugula is new to you (it was to me last year), it is a salad green with a somewhat peppery flavor direction. If you like water cress, or any of the cresses, you'll most likely enjoy arugula.  I've included it in some of my recent special salads.

Most any time, if you are curious about something on our menu, I am happy to give you a free taste. That is how you learn. Few of us have the extra funds to risk spending it on a meal you are not sure you'll like. So please ask if you can have a taste. If there is any to spare and we aren't in the middle of getting slammed, I'll be happy to share it with you.

One thing I always try to be cognizant of, is that if I make the food sound too far out there or don't explain what a dish is, you'll probably skip it rather than ask questions or simply dive in. My job, if I wish to accomplish my mission of expanding your palate, is to not only introduce new flavor directions to you, but also act as tour guide, explaining ingredients and encouraging you to give it a taste. Last week was a good example of that. I could have done a better job explaining about the chicken tagine. The supper club members already have very developed palates and are adventurous in their food choices. For most of you, tagine would be a new experience. It was for me. It is a Morrocan dish—from the deserts of north Africa. The flavors were quite exquisite, I thought. But they were not ones that  normally cross your taste buds in one bite. The most active flavorings, beyond the base of chicken, eggplant, carrots and onion (so far, a fairly basic chicken stew) were cinnamon, cumin and ginger. Plus there was that unexpected combination of sweet and savory in the addition of raisins, cranberries and apricots. It simmered for many hours, allowing the flavors to meld. In culinary terms, they married. This was served with couscous that, itself, had been flavored with almonds, raisins and saffron. Couscous is a tiny pasta, smaller than rice, that soaks up the flavors of the broth and spices cooked with it. Saffron is the most expensive spice out there and is simply the stamens (where the pollen is on flowers) of a variety of crocus. At $10 for 5g, that translates to $10 for a loose half-teaspoonful. Perhaps next time I offer it to you as a special, you'll get excited. I know I will. It has a delicate flavor and gives a golden color to the couscous.

I've been playing with pastries again. I recently discovered whole wheat pastry flour at Meadowbrook. My pie crusts are now made mostly with this flour, along with butter, a bit of salt and sometimes lard. Because it is a lower protein content, it is also lower in gluten. Gluten is what makes bread hold its shape. It is the long molecules that stretch with the yeast and rise. In bread it is vital. In pastry it can make the dough taste, well, doughy. A year ago I used, maybe, 2 flours—unbleached all-purpose and whole wheat. Now I have unbleached bread flour, graham whole wheat, white whole wheat, unbleached all-purpose, whole wheat pastry flour, semolina flour, corn flour, potato flour, rice flour and almond flour. That's a LOT of flours. Each has its own distinctive flavor or properties and specialized uses.

I've never been one who habitually ate dessert. Sure, I'll snack on cookies, eat pie or muffins for breakfast. But, unless it was close to someone's birthday or a holiday, we just never kept desserts in the house. So keeping desserts going in the cafe is a new way of thinking. Bruce has often picked up the slack. He not only is very talented and skilled in this direction, he also has more time to devote to it. Along about the time when I am starting to cook the orders coming in, he tackles the sweets. His tiramisu is legendary in these parts. Last week he experimented, quite successfully, I think, with a hazelnut version that utilized Nutella and Frangelica in the flavorings. The term "to die for" comes to mind. This week I'll be on it with some pies. I am also making a batch of fresh strawberry chipotle jam that should be quite interesting. If it comes out okay, I'll have 8 oz jars of it for sale by mid-week.

At the last open mic night we were wowed, especially, by a young pair, Nathan and Tailor. I'm not sure I got the spelling right or the order they call it, but they were terrific and very contemporary. On Tailor's last day of high school she and Nathan will perform for our Friday night. That's is this week. Please join us in welcoming this young group of singer/songwirters. The menu for the night is below. Let us know if you plan to join us and, if you can, what you plan to eat. That way we have plenty for everyone. The cafe number is 505-0302.

Does your office occasionally have lunch meetings? We'd like to know about your preferences. We are making progress in developing our office meeting catering packages and don't want to miss the mark. Pet peeves in meeting foods? Special situations we should plan for? We need your input. We have suggestion cards near the register and also, always, are happy to hear from you via email, comments to blog or facebook. If you give us a suggestion that seems especially helpful, we'll reward you with free food!

Things we are looking for—

• Someone who can mow our lawn regularly (we live in Thayer) in exchange for food from the cafe
• Fresh produce, berries, mushrooms, etc
• Musicians for our Friday nights   
• A good-sized used refrigerator
• Information regarding your office menu choices
• Information regarding your Friday night music choices

Now here are this week's flavor journeys and specials—

Monday~Salmon Tacos! Back just for this week. Wood-fired wild Pacific salmon and pineapple salsa served on corn tortillas and accompanied by Italian potato salad or fruit

Tuesday~Chicken gumbo Tamales with rice on the side

Wednesday~Thai Chicken Noodle Salad over Spinach with sweetened rice wine vinaigrette

Thursday~ Pizza! Pesto, shitakes, wood-fired chicken, brie, vidalias

Friday~Sweet summer salad~Jicama, watermelon, spinach, arugula, feta, fresh basil, with balsamic vinaigrette

Dinner~ Pan Seared Salmon, Orzo, Fruit and Arugula Salad, Vegetarian Pizzas with side salad, Wood-fired Chicken Soft Tacos with black beans  

As always, we cherish your visits and look as forward to them as we hope you do. We are grateful for your patronage and never take it for granted. You are a big part of what makes this work. Without your valuable feedback, your enthusiasm for what we do and continual support, we couldn't be here. Thank you.
~~Susan

A Sally Fields Moment

On Monday last week I had a "Sally Fields" moment. You know that time when she won the Academy Award... Well, it kinda felt like that.  You see, one of my main objectives in cooking for you is to expand your palate—broaden your view of what might taste good. To make that happen you have to be able to trust me to take you on flavor journeys that won't send you over a cliff. So on Monday I was able to offer a dish that included local morels. To my dismay and delight, you lined up for them and we sold out quite quickly. So, there I was thinking, "they trust me, they really trust me."  Don't worry, my head came back out of the clouds on Thursday when very few showed up for our Cinco de Mayo offerings. Hmmm. But, I forge on.

This week we will be hosting a supper club whose theme this time is Morrocan. I've had quite the time investigating this cuisine and learning the ins and outs of presenting it.  Naturally, my digging has resulted in my adding at least one dish to this week's menu. Among the specialties that set the Morrocan cuisine apart are the heavy use of almonds, honey, lemons, and an herb mixture called ras-el-hanout that means "top of the shop" or best the shop has to offer. There is no definitive set combination of spices that makes up Ras-el-hanout. Each shop, company, or person would have their own secret combination containing over a dozen spices. Typically they would include cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric. (thank you, wiki-pedia) The meats are often slow cooked with these spices and served over cous-cous, a tiny pasta made from semolina flour. Semolina flour is that flour that is used to make pasta, made from hard durham wheat. The combination of apricots and melons has me intrigued. I'll be finally digging out my bottle of orange blossom water given as a gift by my dear friend, Marlene. This, too, is a delicate flavor direction of the cuisine. In celebration, we'll be making mint tea, also.

Last week was a stellar week, overall. Despite Thursday being the slowest day we'd had in weeks (including the stormy ones), we had our best week ever. Friday night was a total rock-out! We had 5 different acts for open mic. All were well worth the listen and we hope to see them again. I absolutely LOVE the feel of Friday nights as we switch gears and focus on good food, good friends and a slower pace...and you can be home in your jammies by nine!

Just a reminder~we have office meeting packages that pack multiple lunches in larger containers and save you some dollars. Next time you are staying in, consider sending someone by to pick up a group order that will make any meeting go better! Please call in by 9:30 a.m.

Because this is going to be a very busy week, I am keeping my blog entry short.Watch for new flowers on the steps in back. Know that you are a very valuable part of our adventure. We treasure your business and even more, the many warm friendships we've developed. Thank you for being here and for spreading the word about our little cafe. Now here's this week's flavor journeys—

Monday~Spinach and Arugula salad with carmelized Vidalia onions, Blue cheese, apple slices, seasoned pecans with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette

Tuesday~Tamale Tuesday;Wood-Fired Chicken and Black Bean Tamales, with Avocado-Verde Sauce, Salsa Verde and Spanish Rice.

Wednesday~Pork Tenderloin with garlic new potatoes and side salad
 
Thursday~Waldorf Chicken Salad
 
Friday~ Lunch: Elk Burgers
Dinner: Chicken Tagine with couscous; Spaghetti with grilled ratatouille; Shrimp with grilled watermelon salad
 
Have a lovely week. It looks very good for dining al fresco.
 
—Susan

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.

Forsythias, redbuds and dogwoods! Oh my!



redbuds in our yard

 Oh, I love this time of year. Everywhere you turn there is a delight for the eyes. I especially get a thrill of returning flowers from trees and perennials. They are like old friends dropping by to add a touch of joy to your day. All too fleetingly they will go away. But while here, these raise your soul a touch, swell your nostrils with a glorious scent  and add color to a landscape that has been well...colorless.

It is also the start of a season of flavor explorations using as many local sources as we can get our hands on. I love finding new sources, new flavors, new textures and sizzles to the tongue.

We are having a blast! We started this adventure quite scared. It's not like we had never started a business before. We have. Several. But we have never done so where it was so vital that we make it pay from the very beginning. You ask most people and you will hear that the restaurant business is not a low risk game. So we have been VERY cautious. We have not used credit lines. We have paid for everything as we went along. That is why we still have plastic tables. But there have been a few upgrades as we have moved forward. The most recent upgreades were to the music system. Phil Orlikowski generously donated a PA system and older speakers. We traded the speakers in to get new smaller ones more appropriate to our venue size. We hope to have them properly hung by next weekend.

We recently added new blackboards for our specials. Thanks again to Bill O. for his efforts. If I can get a quiet moment I'll be able to fill out the new larger blackboards to fill the wall above the kitchen—easy to read, yet changeable as our menu chages during the seasons.

Our next upgrade will likely be new tables. We plan to replace the round outdoor ones with smaller 2-top ones that can be moved together or apart, as needed. This will allow us to seat more parties during the lunch hour and give us more flexibility. Plus we'll be wanting to move the round tables outside so you can dine al fresco.

I am tweaking the desserts. I got a bit of feedback and here is what I learned—during lunch you want simple tasty desserts but at dinner you want lavish ones that make breaking your rules worthwhile. I'll see what I can do about that. We've already planned tiramisu and panna cotta with pinola brittle for Friday night. Lunch will be more pedestrian—like the apple pie or strawberries, whipped cream and angelfood cake. So, I am not committing yet for the weekday desserts. But you'll LOVE the Friday night ones.

Here's this week's flavor journeys—

Monday~ trout ceviche served over a slaw with chips; also Reuben sandwiches
Tuesday~wood-fired tilapia and shrimp tamales with pineapple salsa and blackbeans; also egg salad sandwiches
Wednesday~Grilled Veggie Sandwiches~Zucchini, Red peppers and red onions grilled and served on our Roman bun with feta and a mayo based lemon dressing. Watch out!!!!
Thursday~ Curried chicken crepes with a side of fruit; also 1905 salad from the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa
Friday~Baby Artichoke salad; also stir-fried veggies over brown rice
Dinner~Entree #1 Linguine with white clam sauce. Served with a side salad and garlic bread
Entree #2 Macadamia Nut crusted trout with stir-fried veggies and rice
Friday desserts~ Tiramisu and Panna cotta with pinola brittle

Friday nights are becoming such a joy. We look forward to each one—even though it means a 14 hour day for us. The trout seems to be a hit and I am changing the way I serve it each week. I don't want you getting bored. Plus my pasta is usually the second entree and I am changing it each week as well. I know I can count on your feedback to give me direction.

New "comeback treat" this week. It's a secret.

An explosion of energy! Spring!

Don't you just love the energy this time of year? You can just see the buzz unfolding each day. I always feel like the daylight savings jumps leap-frog us into the next season. So now, once again, the sun has not risen when I leave for work but it is still up long enough when I get home to remind me of all the yard work not yet addressed.

I have not yet learned to master the art of juggling cafe, Mom and home plus the other affiliations of which I've been a part for the last several years. I have been clearing the decks, so I can focus on issues closer to home. I have always felt it was important to give back to the community and have usually been a board member on some non-profit organization or other for the last 15+ years. Time for a break from that while working to strengthen our cafe's customer base.

We have had several people comment on our pricing. So I thought I'd share my thoughts. Yes, I know that the Friday night dinner is reasonably priced. Perhaps less than you would find elsewhere. We would prefer to keep prices such that you can be with us regularly, rather than having to save up! Besides, you want to have enough money left over for our "from-scratch" desserts. We know that you appreciate quality ingredients and we make that a priority. Occasionally, you will see something priced a bit higher. But for now we are content with the $10/12 range for Friday night dinners. However, as the price of gasoline and transportation increases, you might even find we are able to save you more by using locally sourced ingredients.

With the change of seasons we expect to have a more diverse availability of produce. I think we startled a few last week when we introduced several new things at once. Too many choices! We introduced the Trout Roman Sandwich that has wood-fired Rockbridge Rainbow trout, wasabi mayonnaise, tomato and spicy sprouts on our toasted Roman bun.  We also brought back the organic spinach salad and the real Caesar salad. Each salad can be enhanced with the addition of chicken, salmon, trout or shrimp— all wood-fired and smokey. We have other salads and sandwiches in the wings while you get used to these.

This week will include the St. Patrick's Day Dinner on Thursday night. We have fully booked reservations so it should be a full house. Thankfully, with Bruce's guidance, we are getting "feeding a crowd" down to a fairly smooth operation.

Watch for daffodils on the table this week. They come from Bruce's huge flower garden tended by Gordon Johnston. Speaking of Gordon, he and CD Scott are bringing their unique brand of hillbilly soul to À La Carte Café. This will be their first appearance as a duo, but these guys have played together for years as part of The Hellbenders. While not "unplugged" exactly, the decibel level will be greatly reduced as they apply their distinctive angelic harmonies and devilish instrumental skills to a set list of trippy folk rock featuring original tunes, Van Morrison classics, and more. CD Scott, guitar & vocals and Gordon Johnston, keyboards & vocals. So don't pass up this opportunity for a special musical experience. It'll be interesting to see what happens on Friday as the HEllbenders play here and the HIllbenders play at the Civic Center. There are bound to be a few confused souls.

Friday nights have certainly picked up. I'll order that trout again this week. I am planning in serving it baked and stuffed with portabellas, spinach and spring onions. It'll be accompanied by a rice pilaf and side salad.

The pasta dish—well, we have that lovely pesto made from fresh basil, garlic, walnuts, olive oil and Parmesan. I'll toss the pasta with the pesto and add in grilled fresh spring veggies—asparagus, peas, spring onions and mushrooms. Garlic bread and a side salad will accompany.

We are phasing out soups for a while. They just aren't moving as the weather warms up. But I am also planning on making sure we ALWAYS have 2 dessert choices available.

This week's menu—
Monday~ Featuring the Real Caesar Salad and the Organic Spinach Salad (with wood-fired shrimp.) You can add meat/fish to up your protein. I'll have apple pie as well as carrot cake for dessert.

Tuesday~Italian Tamales with orzo. This strange sounding combination was a hit a few weeks ago. The tamales are hand-built and tasty.

Wednesday~Thai chicken with peanut sauce over noodles and greens. This is a chilled salad. Also featuring the Roman Trout Sandwich. Plan on Angel food/ fruit parfait for dessert.

Thursday~ Spring Veggie Crepes with onion cream sauce. Organic Spinach Salad with wood-fired salmon.

Friday~Lunch: Reuben Sandwich—Corned beef and sauerkraut on grilled rye with Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese.

~Dinner—Entree #1  Fresh Rainbow trout stuffed with spring veggies and baked. Rice pilaf and salad.
Entree #2 Pesto Pasta Primavera, salad and garlic toast.

Aah! The smell of skunks in the air! Spring is near by

Truly, one of the first harbingers of spring is the smell of dead amorous skunks. It not only reminds us that spring is VERY close but that love can be dangerous. Nature has it so perfectly timed to occur a week after Valentine's Day. Ironic, eh? I think I counted close to 30 of these love casualties on the road yesterday between Thayer and Springfield. I am pretty sure I noticed more of the white with black stripe variety this year. Or maybe the white stripes were just much wider. The fur was longer too. Makes sense when you think how cold this winter has been. Maybe the heavier coat slowed them down.

Are you ready for a continuation of a warm up? I am! It was quite thrilling to put tables outside, at last. As long as the wind isn't brutal, the spot in front of the windows can be quite comfortable.

A couple of updates for you—

• We are now making our own yogurt. It is the primary ingredient in the Tzatziki sauce on the gyros.
• I have made a new dressing option—Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• We now have a suggestion box where you can leave your ideas. We hope you will use it.
• We now have a sign-up list for getting our weekly emails about the specials. Check near the register.
• We are working on a new sandwich using our own buns. We may need you to test it out. Samples this week.
• We are growing our own spicy sprouts. This gives you an option in sprouts—alfalfa or spicy. The spicy sprouts have mustard, clover, radish, and onion in the mix. Kicky! 
• I've been experimenting in various bread options. Watch for them.

This Friday night Renee and Tom will join us for lovely saxaphone and guitar. This duo enchanted us a few weeks ago and packed the house. Plan now to make this Friday evening one to share with us. You won't be disappointed.

Now onto this week's menu—
Monday: White chicken chili, Italian Shrimp Salad.
Tuesday: Tamale Tuesday— Vietnamese Chicken Tamales with red curry and fried rice. Soup is Tom Ka Kai—the coconut chicken soup
Wednesday : French onion soup
Thursday: Sausage and mushroom quiche with soup or side salad; French onion soup
Friday: Lunch: Miso soup, cucumber salad and Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
     Dinner: Pad Thai or beef and pepper mastacciolli (Italian casserole)

We are having so much fun creating new dishes for you. As you may have heard, it is one of my personal missions to expand your palate. At A La Carte Café, we make trying new flavors an adventure. We use as many fresh, local ingredients as we can find. Sometimes we make an ingredient run to Springfield or St. Louis just so we can have the authentic flavors. We hope you are enjoying the flavor journeys. So far, the response has been encouraging.

As the season evolves you can expect more salads and sandwiches and fewer soups. Let me know your favorites. We are planning on adding locally made pickles to our sandwich plates. Do you have favorites? We might even make them ourselves. I didn't grow up eating pickles, so I am somewhat slow to come around to this ubiquitous inhabiter of sandwich plates. Be sure to share your pickle thoughts! What makes a good pickle to you? Are you an adventurous pickle eater or only like one or two varieties?

I was delighted to get the feedback from several of you last week. If you missed the ceviche, fear not. It will return. Bruce's Kapusta soup got rave reviews and disappeared sooooo fast. The quiches are being well received. They will continue—especially since we will have farm fresh eggs, once again. I am now making my pie crusts from scratch. My Home Ec teacher would be so proud!

If you didn't try the over-the-top Blueberry Bread Pudding, you missed a truly decadent dessert. Also the Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie got lots of attention. I'll bring those back. (The Mayan part is the chili in the chocolate.)

Thank you for making A La Carte Café one of your lunch options. We appreciate each visit you make. You are helping to make our dream come true. Thank you.

Now THIS is more like it!!!!



April flowers in my garden


Spring Anticipation Week Begins NOW!

All RIGHT! Now it feels like we are in the home stretch on winter. I have no doubt that Mother Nature has a few more tricks up her sleeve but at least we can now feel hopeful that the worst is over. The forecast this week doesn't even have a low below freezing. I'm dancing!!!!

As one who has lived in the Ozarks for only 11 years, I still get a thrill out of watching the long anticipatory build-up toward spring. For me, the first real signal that winter is languishing and spring is next is the smell of skunks—usually dead ones in the middle of the road. I got my first whiff today. Come on, spring!!!!!

Watch the front window for Forsythia blooms as I am doing cuttings for forcing. Which day will have the first blooms? Come see.

From the very beginning I have always envisioned our place as a sidewalk cafe. While we were in the trailer it was easier to get the idea across—even if we were next to a used car lot. Over the cold months my vision was primarily a personal one. Now that the weather is abating, we can put a few tables outside. We know how much you enjoyed being able to dine al fresco and we want to keep that ambiance. That was one of the major decision points when we chose to be on the Square—having space for outdoor tables. You will still place your orders at the register, but we should be able to bring your food out to you. It'll give you time to soak up some Vitamin D while ingesting good nutrition and yummy flavors. Kind of a mini-vacation during your workweek.

So—to the islands we go. One of my favorite warm weather lunches is ceviche (pronounced say-vee'-chay.) This week's version features jumbo shrimp, bay scallops and wild-caught Alaskan halibut. The citrus juices "cook" the seafood, transforming its translucent nature to opaque and creating the molecular changes that technically make it a cooked food. It'll be accented with fresh red, green and jalapeno peppers, cilantro and red onion. We'll serve it in a martini glass with tortilla chips and a side of fresh fruit. This will be available on Monday and Tuesday.


Did you notice the switch in our fresh fruit? As the season moves along we change with the seasonal availablility of various fruits. Currently apples, mangoes, and blood oranges make up the fruit cups. We'll move along to the Florida strawberries as they come into season.

Vegetarians— heads up!!! We've been making our own hummus for a while and have usually only offered it at night on Friday. We now will have it available periodically during the week. We serve it with a variety of crisp vegetables and pita points.

Bruce made an awesome soup on Friday called Kapusta. It is a Ukrainian dish that uses pork country-style ribs that are braised until "melt-in-your-mouth" softness along with fresh cabbage and broth. We'll serve it on Monday, in case you missed it...or want another dose.

Another special item for Monday will be some turkey and spinach crepes. I love crepes and I never see them made around here. I make them from scratch (most food places buy them ready-made) and get to use those gorgeous farm-fresh eggs. We'll serve them up with a side of fresh fruit.

Tuesday brings Tamale Tuesday! This week we are going with a warm weather theme and doing a shrimp and tilapia tamale served over a pineapple mango puree and topped with a mango salsa. It'll have you dreaming of the islands in no time!!! Cue the Ska music!!!

Even though the weather will be warmer it is time to bring along the white chicken chili again so you can get your fix. I get many requests for this each week. I am listening!! If you have missed it thus far, you may not know it starts with Jon's wood-fired chicken, has white navy beans, Hatch chilis and lots of fresh onions and garlic. It has a warmth that doesn't burn.

Another option for you veggie-oriented people, we have marinated mozzarella. We pair those itty bitty mozzarella balls with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and serve it with some slices of bread.

Wednesday brings the white chicken chili along for a second day. Plus we'll add an Asian sirloin salad. This salad starts with bitter greens like arugula and spinach plus romaine. We top it with red onion, Roma tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, roasted  peppers, and slices of grilled sirloin steak. The dressing is an Oriental sesame.  I'm planning on making a carrot cake for dessert.

Thursday we'll have turkey, onion and spinach quiche plus side salad. I make it all from scratch and use lots of ingredients. There is nothing wimpy about this quiche—sliced turkey, onion, spinach, red pepper, Swiss cheese, 4 eggs and cream. You get one sixth of the pie.

We'll also have stuffed bell peppers with a side of orzo salad. It is beef-based and one of Bruce's contributions. I am also making a soup called meatball, pecorino and greens soup. It uses veal to make the meatballs and the greens are Maranatha Farm organic kale.

The week continues to warm up and on Friday for lunch we'll have the meatball soup again. I'll add a shrimp and avocado quesadilla to continue the tropical flavors.

Friday night I am planning a lemon mustard pork chop with squash and veggie couscous. The second entree will be Italian Shrimp Salad. Many of you enjoyed it last summer. It is a lemony rice-based salad with lots of chopped shrimp, parsley and a bit of mustard. It is a pretty filling salad, yet, oh so light.

For desserts we'll have Blueberry Bread Pudding, Carrot Cake and Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie.

I think I have covered every possible scenario. No excuses for not making it in this week—something fabulous every day. Plus you'll be wanting to check out those Forsythia blooms.