When it is hot— eat cool

I've been digging through my recipes for cool inspirations for salads to assist in keeping the heat out of the kitchen as well as out of your bodies! I LOVE summer salads that feature various cooked meats  chilled and sliced. My arsenal of cookbooks includes FRESH (from the pubishers of Fine Cooking), Chefs at the Market (published to celebrate the Dallas Farmers Market) and upteen zillion years of Southern Living Magazine Cookbooks. I have many more, but these are the ones I dig through on the weekends to inspire the next week's menus. This is the primo time of year for fresh ingredients. We are getting weekly deliveries of tomatoes, fresh berries and fruit, basil and other fresh herbs. Soon peppers  and squash will join the list. This week's menu will feature one major salad plus some interesting options for Friday night. Descriptions will follow deeper into the blog.

I am taking a few moments here to reflect on where we have come in the, now, 7 months we've been open at this location. Overall, the trend is on a nice long growth curve. We've managed to grow without expanding our debt load. Whew! We've even managed to show a modest profit and live off the proceeds. Nobody is getting rich but we are laying a nice solid foundation. People keep telling us that restaurants typically don't show a profit for 5 years. We didn't have that option.

I have been able to keep enough creativity in the menu to keep me satisfied on the creativity front. As an artist, there is no way I could just crank out a fixed menu, week to week and remain interested in what we are doing. Bruce has had his hand in the creative focus, as well. He is a master at taking an ingredient I put in front of him and say, "What can you do with this?" I hope he is having as much fun as I am in that realm. His tamales are always well received and his knowledge of pickles astounds me. He has almost photographic memory when it comes to recipes—subsidized, I am sure, by his innate sense of taste. We are very lucky to have his daily input creatively as well as his broad knowledge of the food industry. He just wishes I'd stop bringing more "stuff" up here that needs storing! Jon does too, but he gave up on that front years ago.

A big part of creatvity is fed by an allowance to fail. If you aren't always editing yourself, scared of failure, you can stretch and grow. As an artist I am keenly aware of that viewpoint. I try to keep that in mind when I try something new or encourage Bruce to do so. We won't always have successful creations. We know when something didn't work. But knowing it is okay to stretch beyond our comfort zone is key to our growth and expansion. It has given us room to try out improvisations using leftovers as well as seeing where a fresh ingredient will take us. The day our actions reflect a fear of failure is the day we start dying. Are we afraid? Sometimes! Does fear stop us? Not yet. When we started this cafe we were already staring at financial challenges. For us, non-action would have sealed that fate. Action, even a wrong one, was better than attempting to stand still. You can float on quick sand as long as you don't stand still. Fortunately, we have been able to build a fairly solid foundation under us while continuing to stretch and create. You have had a major role in this success. You have recognized that what we do isn't like everyone else. You have let us know that you appreciate our creative efforts and have supported them. You have forgiven us our less-than-successful attempts and given us feedback to improve them. You have a vested interest in our success and we can feel your love and support. Corny? So? Thank you for giving us room to fail!

Speaking of progress—we have finally paid off the back property taxes. That has been hurdle numero uno in keeping us from acquiring our beer and wine license. In Missouri, you can't even apply for a permit if you owe any back taxes. The next hurdle is filing our income tax. We don't anticipate that being a financial hurdle just a paperwork one. Being caregiver for Mom plus running this cafe has often taken more energy than we had to offer. Some things simply got put on the back burner. Filing the paperwork that didn't demand our attention was one of them. My target to have all that caught up is the end of August.

The tamales for Tuesday will be a mystery, thus far. Bruce took off for a couple of well-deserved days of visiting with friends and I failed to nail down his plan. Suffice it to say, they will be tasty. This week's menu takes advantage of the plethora of the grilling meats available. On Wednesday I am combining grilled sirloin steak with mint and cilantro to make a Thai Beef Salad. The recipe came from FRESH. I have made it once before and it was very well received. I love the light fresh taste of the combination of ingredients. The freshness of mint and cilantro add a lightness that might be missing with simply a steak salad.

The feedback on my pizzas has been a pleasant surprise. I have often completely sold out. So I am going to try to keep them as a regular item. This week I am combining Bruce's sun-dried tomato Zesto, brie, smoked portabellas and smoked turkey sausage. Sounds pretty yummy to me.

We are getting in a fresh delivery of Rockbridge rainbow trout this week.  Jon will do his usual magic in wood-firing some of them for the Trout Roman and as an add-on for the spinach salad. We'll feature the Trout Roman Friday for lunch by giving you $1 off. If you have not tried them yet—this would be a good time to do so. They come on my Roman bun which has diced onion baked in for flavor. I put a wasabi mayonaise on the bun for a bit of kick. If you are not familiar with wasabi, it is a Japanese horseradish that I mix with mayonnaise for a bit of entertainment for your tongue. It isn't really hot, just kicky. Then I add fresh tomato and spicy sprouts. So we are combining the mild onion flavor of the bun with the smoky goodness of the trout with the kickiness of the wasabi and the lusciousness of fresh local tomato and the final finsh is the freshness of the sprouts. The line starts HERE!

I am also featuring the trout in one of  Friday's  night-time entrees. I am doing a pepper crusted trout with potato cranberry corn galette and a shitake mushroom braise. This recipe orginated in Dallas at the Mercury Restaurant by Chef Chris Ward. I have adapted it to fresh trout and used the local shitakes instead of chanterelles. Galette is a general term used in French to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes. The braise will surround the stacked trout, spinach and gallete. I think if will be quite a treat. $12

Another of the featured entrees this Friday night will be Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts with whipped sweet potatoes and jalapeno pecans. This one also came from Dallas— Chef Helen Duran at the Crescent Club. She has done an exquisite job of incorporating fresh ingredients with staple stand-bys to create a tasty and visually exciting dish that has loads of texture. $12

The vegetarian entree this week will feature stuffed zucchini rolls, baked phyllo with mushrooms and leeks as well as a fresh corn pudding. It doesn't get much fresher than this. The will be no feeling of compromise here for a lack of any meat. $10

You may have heard Sean McCormick play on open mic night last week or with Swiftkick a couple of weeks ago. This week he is the featured artist and will play bluegrass traditionals plus his own tunes.
When we say we strongly encourage you to make reservations, it isn't out of any hoidy-toidy illusions. We have routinely filled to capacity and sold out of the featured entrees. We WANT you to be here and we WANT you to get your preferred entree choices. Simply call 505-0302 and let us know who will be joining you. We'll make sure you are taken care of.

As always, we take great joy in being able to call you by name and make you feel welcome. We know we couldn't be here without your weekly, sometimes multiple weekly visits. Thank you. By the way, the "comeback treats" are back. This time they are rosemary, pistachio, white chocolate cookies. If you have been in more than once during the week, it is ok to remind us you are due one! We do try to remember on our own but your reminder is welcome. I hope you have a terrific week and look forward to seeing your smiling face!

~~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.

Won't THIS be an interesting week?



9 days of no power = very cold

 It is visions of scenes like this that prompt me to tell you that if it is icy, we won't be there.

That's Mom at 80 trying to cope in the cold. If it truly looks like ice is heading our way—and so far it looks likely—we'll be heading to warmer parts to avoid having to be stuck in a house without power.

I do actually have a menu planned out for the week. But I am releasing it knowing that ice could prevent us opening for more than one day this week.

Weather Whimps? You betcha.

In the mean time, I'm delighted to tell you that things have been going extraordinarily well. We couldn't be more thrilled. You have no idea what a leap of faith this was for us to do. We've always been dreamers and forward thinkers. But the last few years have taken their toll. We have to look harder at opportunities and more thoroughly investigate the downsides. We never used to do that before. We were always full speed ahead. The learning curve is beginning to lose some steepness. There is a bit more prediciton to our plan and actions and we are getting some of the logistics worked out. Believe me, whenever you are experiencing any frustration due to our greeness in logistics, I am experiencing it three-fold. It can be painful. But we ARE getting things grooved in. If you were here last Friday night you saw some of that in action. Simply by adding table numbers to each table, we were able to get food properly served without incident—yeah we're green!!! We also worked it out so that each meal served was simply a matter of serving and not having to cook to order. The result? Almost no waiting—in fact most people were able to carry their trays right back to the table as soon as they paid. So we feel we are continuing to improve as we learn this crazy food service game.

We are really trying to listen to your preferenes, so please voice them when you come in. Tell us what we are getting right and PLEASE tell us what you feel needs attention. I am most grateful for the feedback. It is all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating a dish and forget who the audience is likely to be.

Bottom line— it is going quite well and we are loving what we are doing. We need to continue to grow and bring in more repeat customers. We are hearing from many that word of mouth is what brought them in. I LOVE that!!!

So here are this week's planned menues—

• Monday~Chicken mole soft tacos with black beans and side salad with jicama; $6.25  Soup~ Chicken corn chowder(the lighter version) cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99; Sandwich~ Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Tuesday~Italian tamales with side salad and garlic toast $6.25; Soup~Minestrone $3.49/cup $4.99/bowl; Sandwich~Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Wednesday~Chicken pot pie + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Thursday~Ham and asparagus quiche + side salad $6.25; beef and Italian sausage lasagna + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Friday~Chicken mushroom crepes with rice pilaf + side salad $6.25; French onion soup cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99 plus lots more tapas at night

This Friday night will be a new concept for us. It will be open mic night. We'll give various local performers a chance to communicate with you and entertain you. This is a new experience and we honestly don't know quite what to expect.  We are excited to be a part of the community and we want to support our local musicians as we can—all part of local sustainability. If you know someone whose performance would work in our small cafe venue, please encourage them to come down and get on the list.

Update on Valentine's Day—we are NOT going to do it. We would rather wait until we can be a bit more organized and prepared. Plan now for NEXT year.

St. Patrick's Day— Plan now to enjoy traditional as well as decidely Irish fare. We will be serving up a very spcial Corned beef accompanied by potatoes and steamed cabbage and several other Irish surprises. March 17th, of course.

Earth Day Local Harvest Feast—April 29th (Friday) We'll be serving up locally raised and produced foods as a part of the Chefs' Collaborative—a national organization of chefs geared toward local sustainability.

Have a great week. We HOPE to see you despite what Mother Nature may throw at us.

Brrr! Cold Week

We'll start the week out with a whimper because we will not be open on Monday. Even though the snow on the ground is minimal, there is more snow forecast this afternoon. Because we are caregivers for my 81-year-old mother, we can't chance being stranded 25 miles away, leaving her alone for long periods. We hope you understand.

Now onto the Flavor Journeys--
I am asked almost every day when we will have the white chicken chili again. The answer? THIS WEEK! This concoction starts out with a pot of freshly cooked navy beans. We add onions, garlic, hatch chili peppers, cumin, chili powder, etc. and Jon's wood-fired chicken. This smoky base note is the foundation. The cumin is a mid-range flavor note and the top note is the warm created by the hatch peppers. We are building layers of flavor just as a perfumier would build a fragrance or an artist a color palette. It helps to know how each flavor is experienced on the tongue and through the nose. Did you know your nose is a big part of flavor appreciation? My mother, who was on steroids for bronchial problems years ago, no longer has any sense of smell. She misses out on much of my flavor offerings.

Our second major flavor journey this week is Black Bean and Chicken Tamales. I made up a mess of black bean frijoles. Frijoles are beans that have been pureed and are meant to be smeared or reheated with cheese etc. They were the beans smeared on the Texas-style Nachos we served on Friday night. Bruce suggested we make tamales with the big batch we have. Don't you just love tamales? Most people have no concept of the time involved in producing them. The corn husks must be soaked, the masa is made with ground limed corn and some kind of fat— usually lard in a traditional Mexican kitchen, then broth and made into a thick paste. This paste is smeared onto a softened corn husk. Then the beans (which have cooked overnight, then pureed) are layered on top along with the chicken which has been wood-fired then pulled (a method that keeps the meat texture in longer strings rather than simply chopped and is all hand done). The whole thing is rolled and tied, and then they are steamed for half an hour. This cooks the masa into the more cornbread-like texture. They get unwrapped and smothered with a sauce. I'll most likely do a green sauce of some sort with the hatch chilies as the base. Hungry yet?

I have to comment on last Friday night—it was a blast! We went from zero- 60 in no time flat. I mean we opened at 5. Around 5:30 we finally were prepped to deliver. Suddenly the orders piled in. What we were not prepared for was the ordering system. We were so used to the order forms Jon had printed up for the lunch menu that when we had no similar forms for the tapas menu, we stumbled. It wasn't until later I thought—how about a regular restaurant order book—duh!!!!!  Also, we are used to knowing who is there and where they are sitting. We hadn't even numbered our tables to know where to deliver something. Sheesh!!!  This is the kind of learning curve we are struggling to climb. Seems simple when the baby steps are taken. It's a whole 'nuther thing when folks are waiting!

We are enjoying planning out various flavor journeys on Friday nights. I am sure, given a bit of time, that there will be some foundational menu items that can be counted on. But don't be surprised if we have a totally different menu every Friday night. We have cultures to experience flavorwise. Because we are small we have the flexibility to take off in various directions. Also, the Friday night venue gives Bruce and me a chance to try out menu items for other functions. Like this Friday we'll have stuffed grape leaves. Why? Because we are catering a gourmet dinner on Monday and need to perfect our grape leaf rolling. Besides, we love to try out new things. The Friday night venue is more laid back. No one is in the hurry they are at lunch. Friday night is ADVENTURE NIGHT!

We did some pretty extensive surveying Friday night. I left them at the cafe without getting a real chance to go over them in depth—yet! What we did learn is that you are enjoying our offerings, so far. You are glad to have a Friday night place to go and you are glad we are providing "something different." All Right!!! Everyone seemed to enjoy Jon's music. There was tons of chatter—so we know you were enjoying each other's company. We are listening to your feedback and will be designing the Friday nights to fit your pleasures.

Other progress—we have added ceramic bowls for the soups being consumed in-house. We didn't like using Styrofoam any more that you did. But we had a hard time finding bowls that were the correct sizes. They were either tiny or enormous. We will also now have access to some recycle-able bowls for carry-out. We'll shift them into the fold as soon as we run out of the Styrofoam.

We are constantly keeping our eyes out for café chairs at auctions as well as smaller 2-top tables. We know the plastic outdoor tables are not ideal. They are too wide to be able to have an intimate conversation—not to mention they are not completely flat, so drinks could spill easily. But anyone who has followed us from the beginning knows that we are doing this all without extending our credit lines further. We are totally "pay as you go" which means that our upgrades come as the cafe can afford them. By spring, we expect those tables to be reserved for outdoor use. We'll have several tables set up along the "arcade." This time of year the arcade becomes a wind tunnel and even on warm days is too chilly for comfortable dining. But come spring...

As I mentioned last week, I had ordered sushi lanterns to notify you when sushi is being served. Here is a photo Bruce took of ours being displayed. Thursday will be our main Sushi day.

This week is forecast to be bitterly cold. We will keep the temp warm inside and the coffee on. We have ordered some pump-style coffee carafes, which will mean no more cold coffee. Yea! I prefer to use Starbucks French Roast beans which we grind for each pot. We double filter the water so the taste is pure and non-chemicalized. We always provide real half & half, turbinado sugar, honey as well as white cane sugar and various artificial sweeteners. Do you want stevia as an option? Let us know.

The "came back treat" this week is cannoli filled with ricotta & cream cheese, sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with candied citron and fresh orange zest. I finally got to eat one Friday night. Wow! It deserves a cup of coffee and a few moments of concentrated TASTING! Bruce is much more skilled at using a pastry bag and is teaching me. Holy Moly! That's good. In case you are not aware of our "Came Back Treat," it is a creation only for those who make it in more than once a week. The items are not for sale. They are handed out free and are especially made as a "Thank you" to those who frequent us more-than-weekly.

Thank you for choosing our cafe for your lunch. We appreciate your feedback and want to be your number-one choice when it comes to eating lunch. We have loved getting to know you as you visit us. I am SOOO glad I had the kitchen built out front so I could meet you all, too.

See you soon!

A Grand Experiment

Welcome to the first posting of my blog. This will follow along as we do the pre-opening steps to getting A La Carte Cafe up and running. You probably found this blog because you have an appreciation for healthy eating and live in the vicinity of West Plains, MO. No doubt someone who also loves good food told you about us. That is as it should be.

I am utterly convinced that there is a pent-up demand for healthy food as an alternative in this region. My personal experience is that there is NO restaurant within 100 miles that focuses on using almost exclusively fresh, in season locally raised produce. I have yet to find a venue that takes pride in knowing where all their provisions came from. I want to connect up the grower with the consumer. There are farmers who raise organic produce and hormone/ antibiotic free meats and have dairies that can provide really fresh dairy and eggs. Why buy from provisioners who buy from out of the region with no control over how the provisions are grown?

I am proud to let you know the sources for my raw materials. In fact, as each new source comes aboard I want to feature their goods in special recipes. That way you get to know them as well and perhaps will buy the products they sell for your home use. By tasting their ingredients in my dishes you can see how they compare with your palate.

From the get-go I want this to be customer driven. I want to hear from YOU what you want to eat.

Please feel free to forward our URL to your friends in West Plains who might be excited about healthy meal alternatives. As the days go by I'll being testing out new menu items. I'll photograph the ones that pass muster and share them with you. Whet your appetite.. Oh Yeah!!!