w/e April 20th Building momentum

Now that spring has finally begun in earnest, it seems to be in full tilt charge! I do hope we don't go straight into summer like we have a few times lately. I love the breadth of spring here. We grew up in Texas (Dallas and Austin) and spring hits the ground running and lasts maybe 2 weeks. Spring in Florida consists of the few deciduous trees losing their leaves in mid January and the new ones fully grown by the beginning of February.So we relish the long build-up, the lush springing and the gentle taper into summer. The screen doors will be doing their jobs this week, for sure.This will allow us to keep utility costs down while enjoying the change in acoustics when the doors are open. I love that happy sound of a screen door slapping. It just screams good weather.

Last week was spectacular in many ways. Thank you for bringing in your family and friends to help us build to our sustainability level. We are certainly making progress and hope you are enjoying the double punches for bringing in someone new. Without a major cater or special event we managed to have one of our most dynamic and viable weeks. Planning lunches that get your taste buds demanding a visit helps, and I hope to keep that level of interest high. The better weather certainly helps, though the stormy night last Wednesday still brought in plenty of diners. Having music on Friday nights seems to be a consistent plus. I wish we had more musicians able to perform on a rotating basis.

The above image is for Earth Day which happens this week. Perhaps next year we'll do an Earth Day supper to celebrate our role in creating a sustainable planet. This year we are planting a garden to celebrate.

Our team continues to impress me with their focus on quality, friendliness with guests and commitment to making what we do matter. Amy, Drew and Vincent are making Meatless Monday a success. We are bringing Vincent to the pit more often to assist in serving lunches. He is happy to get out of the dishes dungeon and loves helping to serve. Drew has embraced the desserts. By the way-- the carrot cake looks like it will be a regular item. Every time we make one it disappears before we expect it to. We'll be looking for a similar summer dessert. The key lime pie was well received last year and might fill the bill. Many people loved the grilled angelfood cake with fresh berries compote. As the weather warms up, look for these treats.Those 2 desserts pair well since one uses lots of egg yolks and the other egg whites. These are the kinds of things that I have had to learn about running a restaurant that simply take a bit of time to figure out. Aaah—the eternal learning curve.

Where, oh where are the tires we need? Surely you know of a few that need to be re-purposed. We have access to a pickup truck and can remove them for you. NO hubs please as we have no idea how to remove the tire. We need them in order to begin our raised beds. My seeds will arrive this week. Yikes.

Brewers' Tuesday and Winey Wednesdays are slowly growing. What is this, you ask? On Tuesday all beers are 20% off and on Wednesday all wines are 20% off. This is a shameless effort to bring in more diners during the week. We are slowly adding in some higher echelon wines and these are getting strong reviews. You already know we serve good food on Friday nights but did you know you can get faster, calmer, quieter service during the week? In fact, if you come in early (between 5 and 6 pm) we routinely ask if you are trying to make it to a meeting or a movie so we can get your food expedited if needed. Tuesday  through Thursday dinner service can be really fast. But we won't be rushing you if you want a leisurely chance to visit and dine.

The seafood entrée this week is one I have had my eye on for a few weeks. It is Rockfish Hemingway. This lovely dish pairs rockfish—a nice, mild, sustainably harvested, large-flaked white fish, with crab for a succulent delight. The portions of rockfish are good-sized and they are crusted with a parmesan seasoned bread crumb, baked;  topped with big flakes of blue crab claw meat and butter; sitting atop crab risotto and accompanied by fresh grilled asparagus. Of course it comes with a side salad. $18.99  As always, the seafood is in limited supply, so it is best to call in and have us reserve a portion for you.

The Flavor Journey returns to Italy for the Lemon chicken piccata served over linguine. The sauce is light and made from fresh lemons and extra virgin olive oil. As always, this comes with a side salad. I'll try to get some fresh pasta made and if I do we'll serve it with that.  $12.99

Now for those lunch specials~~

Monday~ Vegetarian burritos stuffed with black beans and roasted sweet potatoes with side salad  $6.99
Tuesday~ This week's sandwich—available all week; grilled vegetable panini with a fresh lemon/dill mayonnaise. We'll fill it with eggplant, red peppers, yellow onion, and portabella mushrooms that have all been marinated in olive oil and italian seasoning and then grilled crisp tender. Served with a side  $7.99
Wednesday~ Curried turkey and cous-cous lettuce wrap or salad. Ground turkey is sauteed and seasoned with curry; the cous cous base has sliced almonds, craisins, green onion and chopped dried apricots. The dressing is incorporated and very light and all wrapped up in 2 lettuce wraps or served as a salad over chopped Romaine. With side  $7.99
Thursday~ Chili lime chicken soft tacos topped with smoky mango/ avocado guacamole and queso fresco. Served with a side of corn pudding.  $7.99
Friday~ Chicken stir-fry with sweet chile sauce and jasmine rice. This is a lunch-sized portion of the Thai dish we served for dinner last week to stellar reviews. It is a bit on the spicy side. Can be made hotter on request.  $7.99; add side salad  $1.25

Well that's it for this week. I hope you are finding time to get out and enjoy the magical weather and seasonal explosions occurring right now. This is what you have been waiting for—get out there!
I hope your week is filled with marvelous moments and thrilling thoughts. Have a great one!

~~Susan

Celebrations: Earth Day, etc.




I love to celebrate! It doesn't have to be monumental. Just a strong acknowledgement. I think it is an important part of "taking the time to smell the roses." For many years it seemed we were caught up in the rat race that demanded "onward & upward" at a rigorous pace. We lived in or near good-sized cites and allowed ourselves to be caught up in the swell and momentum of city life. The frantic pace, interspersed with traffic back-ups and interminable traffic lights was the daily norm. We were surrounded constantly by the masses, often even more packed during "tourist season." Moving to the Ozarks was a conscientious decision to change all that. After eleven years, we have grown quite accustomed to the slower pace and definitely prefer it.
When we visit larger cites—like St. Louis and even Springfield— I am dismayed by the traffic and frantic level of life. We used to live like that!!! The celebrations these days are on a more basic level. I am more in tune with the seasonal changes and find myself wanting to acknowledge each step of spring's progression.

As we are becoming closer to our food sources, I find I delight in each new find. I was thrilled this week when one of our customers offered to bring in morels and other foraged mushrooms. The Willow Mountain Mushroom people are back in production and we can add their goods back to our menu. Last week I spoke with the people who own Newman's Pork out of Myrtle. They sell most of their carefully raised and crafted pork products in Memphis at the Farmers' Market and to about 80 restaurants in that market. I expect we will be adding their products to our offerings. We are the only local restaurant to do so.

We recently offered Elk burgers that were sourced locally from Jamison Farm. Our trout comes from the pristine Rockbridge Trout Ranch near Brixey. Such lovely, near-by sources.

I am thrilled that eggs are back in production again. While the girls seemed to take a 3-month sabbatical, we yearned for their golden offerings. I get such a delight in serving that luscious deep yellow egg salad or peeling a green hard-boiled egg for the spinach salad. It was down-right fun to show a kid who brought in his dyed  Easter Eggs my green eggs that came right from the chicken that color.

Another customer brought me freshly harvested watercress. How exciting to chomp on that peppery crunch knowing it came from one of our local pristine rivers.

Through my involvement with Chef's Collaborative we now have direct access dockside to fishermen in the Gulf, in the Atlantic and the Pacific. They deal in only wild-caught seafood. We can now have fresh caught seafood shipped directly from their docks to our back door.  Let me know what fresh seafood you have a hankering for. We'll make a point of incorporating it into our menu planning.

Did you notice our new screen door? Thanks to Phil Orlikowski we have a custom made one with a carved handle. It had to be made custom as the doorway is 42" wide and 8 ft tall. We are hoping we'll be able to leave the front and back doors open to give us a fresh breeze—minus the flies. During the winter our utility bill rivaled our rent for for top prize. We're hoping that spring and fall are kinder to our utility bills and think the screen door will be a good first step.

This Friday we are hosting and Earth Day Feast and we very much hope you'll join us. The cost is $20 per person and that includes appetizer, salad, entrees, side dishes, dessert AND your beverage. With all that included in your cost, it is about what you'd pay on most Friday nights. We still have spaces available, though I expect that to change quickly early in the week. I'd suggest you make that call for reservations TODAY 505-0302

I am putting together the menu, sourced locally. Sourcing locally keeps the money in the community and helps build prosperity that lasts. So far, it has taken more effort to build local sources than I imagined. While there are many independent growers, raisers and producers locally, most have had to find ways to market their goods to a larger market and have thus by-passed the local market in order to survive. The same situation exists for local artists. Most have to take their products to much bigger markets simply to make a "go" of it.

Obviously, certain times of the year local produce is bountiful. Other times we are fortunate to find any tomatoes that don't taste like cardboard and THEY are NOT local.

The Earth Day Feast is a celebration. It acknowledges that we are a part of a larger whole that cannot be disrespected to facilitate short-term perceived "gains." It allows us to take an evening to enjoy the local plenitude and the joy of being among friends.

As I write this Saturday morning, after a major spring storm moved through, the Carolina Wren is showing me her newest nest in an old Bluebird box. With her staccato chirps she joins the Cardinal the returns each spring. Actually, he probably didn't leave—he is just more vocal right now. Have you noticed that different cardinals have their own songs? This one we call "Pete Seeger" because that is his call.  Three "Pete Seegers" and we know our old friend is nearby. Another Cardinal's call is, "Snip-snip, snip-snip-snip, snip-snip." We call him "Bob it." The mourning dove's low cooing provides the bass notes to our concert. The silent but soaring turkey and black vultures have said their good-byes and the migrating flocks have moved northward. We won't see the nightly gathering of 300+ vultures roosting in the empty trees until next fall.

Up until now, our small pond has had mostly frogs with their nice variable trills. With all this rain, I know the toads are due. They'll begin their droaning call and continue it for about three days, non-stop, before they scamper back off to their hiding places. We appreciate their visits, though, I am not so sure our 5.5 cats do. With my partial hearing loss, I cup my ears with my hands to get the full effect. Those suckers are LOUD!

Speaking of celebrations, did you see the article featuring us in Missouri Life Magazine? We are so grateful to have that kind of support and recognition. Several new customers drove across the state to visit us, based on that article. Thanks for making them welcome.

This week's menu—
Monday~ Crab & Chipotle Onion Quesadilla; Creamy Garlic and Spinach Soup
Tuesday~ Fire Roasted Caribbean Pork Tamales with Pineapple Salsa, warm Mango and Pineapple Puree and Yellow Rice;
Wednesday~ Personal pizzas—Pesto, Sun-dried tomatoes, Shitakes, Mozzarella, Wood-fired Chicken
Thursday~ Spinach/mushroom quiche with fruit or Italian Potato Salad
Friday~ Chicken Mole Tacos with side of black beans

Additionally, one of our regular menu items will be featured each day at 50 cents off.
We look forward to seeing you during this wet, rainy week. It is the same every year, this week. Wet, wet, wet! I am just glad I am not manning a booth at an outdoor art festival. THAT'S WET!

See you soon!