w/e June 29th Summer fun!

Welcome to the first real week of summer. With the solstice behind us now we'll  see the days begin to shorten. I've never quite reconciled that even as the days get shorter we'll continue to warm up. It seems there is a situation where the world doesn't quite keep up with itself.

Music this week—After last Friday's more lively music, we're returning to those old, laid-back tunes from the Great American Songbook, played by Jon on his 7-string guitar. Music starts about 6:30 PM. Join us for a relaxing dinner!

With my new schedule that focusues on my cooking the dinner meals, I have been able to concentrate on making them really stand out as exceptional. 2 days a week we are here for the duration— 8:00 am through closing at 8 pm. During those long hours I am spending my time prepping dinner for the week as well as helping the kids serve lunch. They are doing such a fine job they really don't need me. But I need those long hours to get the week set up. When it is feasible, I will have the seafood entrée and the Flavor Journey's both available on Tuesday evening. This won't be one of those weeks.  I am trying to make sure that in addition to having specials dinners each week that celebrate local sourcing and seasonal dining, I am also creating special appetizers and desserts that are unique to the current week.

So in addition to the featured seafood and Flavor Journey, you can watch for appetizers that you won't find at other times of the year. This week I have portabellas sautéed in duckfat perched on lovely polenta.  The polenta is made from corn meal, so it is gluten free, if you are of that persuasion. The polenta is a thick base of corn-flavored goodness seasoned with chicken broth and cheese. I chose the portabellas because they have substance and hold up well to a sauté. I am using duck fat because it gives a wonderful lusciousness, an unctuousness. This is a term that addresses mouthfeel—or how it feels while in your mouth. Creamy, rich, savory. We also have some lovely smoked salmon. I am topping water crackers with fresh goat cheese, smoked salmon, fresh dill and chopped Roma tomatoes.

The other area I am able to address is desserts. Drew continues to make the outstanding carrot cake frosted with sweetened cream cheese and toasted pecans. Also, this week we'll have double chocolate waffles supporting a sweetened cream cheese and topped with local fresh berries that have been simmered and sweetened to create a compote. With both blueberries and blackberries making themselves available, we have a flavor treat.

One minor area I am changing is regarding the dinner side salad. It is now optional for $1.49 more. But I am also introducing a slightly more upscale salad that celebrates what is ripe right now. Currently that is the Italian Flag Salad, aka Caprese Salad. It is made from slices of fresh "buffalo" mozzarella, local heirloom tomatoes and local fresh basil drizzled with fragrant extra virgin olive oil. This is not a salad you make when you don't have the best ingredients, because each ingredient is so vocal. It is an appetizer option at $4.

The Flavor Journey will be available all week beginning Tuesday evening. I have shitake mushrooms and local wild coral mushrooms and am creating a stuffing utilizing those luxury ingredients. I am stuffing cornish game hens with the mushroom mixture. I'll be topping those oven-roasted game hens with a sauce made from rich pinot noir. Our very seasonal stir-fry will round out the plate. We get comments every week on how much folks enjoy the stir-fry. It changes weekly depending upon what is available from our organic supplier and mushroom guy. I know you'll experience greens and vegetables you might not normally persuade yourself to try. STRETCHING that palate.

The Seafood Entrée will be available from Wednesday night on. Because it requires a bit more ambitious preparaton, there is no way I could get it, along with the featured desserts AND appetizer ready for Tuesday. By Wednesday, however, I'll delighfully present grilled red snapper with a Thai Red Curry Butter Sauce served over polenta, topped with peach mango salsa and accompanied by our seasonal stir-fry. These beautiful fillets are very high quality red snapper—mild, small flaked and delicious. I have made a point of researching out various wine-pairings and beer pairings to accompany the entrées and have made those recommendations.

This week's lunch specials take advantage of known customer favorites as well as new introductions that celebrate the season. Monday~ as always, the special is vegetarian. Amy created a pesto pasta using the fresh, local produce in our stir-fry mixture. Tuesday we'll remind folks of the awesomeness of the Roman Sandwich by pricing it 50 cents lower for the day. It is somewhat modeled after the flavors in the Schlotsky's Original, but our bun is unique. It is available regularly (as long as I have the buns made). Wednesday, Amy will create a sliced turkey and apple panini seasoned with bleu cheese and toasted to perfection. Thursday will feature an Asian lettuce wrap filled with turkey and couscous and lightly seasoned with curry. It'll be crunchy and filling without being heavy. Friday we'll feature the Rainbow Trout Burgers on Pretzel buns at a discounted 50 cents off.  These sandwiches have been working their way into people's hearts with a lovely flavor. We add our sea-sauce, fresh tomato slices and alfalfa sprouts. Here is the condensed version—

Lunch specials—

Monday~ Pesto pasta primvera $6.99 with side
Tuesday~ Roman sandwich with side $7.49
Wednesday~ Sliced oven-roasted turkey and apple panini with side $7.79
Thursday~ Asian lettuce wraps with turkey, couscous and curry with side $7.79
Friday~ Trout burgers with side $7.49

Flavor Journey~ Available Tuesday-Saturday evenings. Oven-roasted Cornish game hens stuffed with wild mushrooms and topped with pinot noir sauce. $14.99

Seafood Entrée~ Available Wed-Saturday evenings. Grilled red snapper atop polenta with red curry butter sauce and peach mango salsa. $15.99

We treasure your business and hope you'll continue to support our efforts. It is your energy that keeps things moving forward. Our team is committed to your dining pleasure and welcomes your presence. And by the way, thank you so much to those who have come in on Saturday evening for dinner!

Do you know of an organization that might wish to rent out space on a weekly or monthly basis for meetings? We'd like to reduce our rent pressure by making the annex available periodically for a fair price.

Thanks for being there~~

Susan

w/e May 18th Considering options

Having a very dynamic team playing for us is allowing us to take a look at options that might increase our sustainability. But we need your input and thoughts. Most folks in the restaurant game know that the more you are open, the better use you are making of rent you are paying anyway. We've been able to add Monday lunches because we have a team that can support it, and it doesn't require additional physical effort on the part of Jon and myself. As fabulously as things have been steadily growing, we really need to boost the sales we do on a weekly basis in order to truly make this work. We have resisted being open more hours, as Jon and I are maxed out on available energy. However... we are now looking at being open Saturday nights and are looking for ways to make that happen. In the past we have heard loudly and often that you wished we were open on Saturday evenings. We need to know.. is that still the case? If so, we need to hear from you in any manner you might get us the info and as soon as possible. It would probably involve a shift in the hours Jon and I are here, but would allow the addition of Saturday evening. While looking at this option we are also considering the format. Same as usual? Perhaps more of a cabaret? Reservations only? Please share your thoughts. When have you most wished we were open on a Saturday evening? What did you do instead? How can we generate the kind of loyalty on a Saturday evening we have gotten on Friday nights?
Changes are afoot. Perhaps we'll just make this a summer thing. Talk to us!

This week we will have music on Friday night played by Phil Orlikowski. If you are a fan of 70s classics, you'll love his renditions. He's pretty spectacular at channeling Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and a plethora of your favorites. Make plans now to join us Friday night. We are starting to hear from more musical artists and should be able to fill out the schedule more this summer. Menu options mentioned later in this blog.

Speaking of this summer... June 22nd, the Saturday AFTER Father's Day is the Flavor Excursion , the Moroccan Dinner. I am in the process of putting together the menu. It will be held outdoors at a nearby location. Ann Conner and Doug Page have generously made available the grounds of their lovely home. You may already know about their house and just didn't make the connection. They live in what WAS the Victoria Bed and Breakfast off BB highway, just north of town. We'll be situated so that we can see the sunset over the valley. A truly lovely location. BTW—I am trying to locate a group of belly dancers who might lend an air of authenticity to the celebration. If you know of one, please tell me. Our customers have consistently been the BEST source of information and help. Here's what we know so far: We'll limit the number of reservations to 30; the cost will remain at $60/ person and include several generous wine pours; we already have folks coming from afar and reservations could fill up quickly; we'll start about 6pm. As it is the day after the solstice, the sun will set late and the twilight will be lengthy. It should be a magical environment. We will try to make sure we provide plenty of options for those who choose to restrict their diets. If you have restrictions, make your reservation early and voice your needs. I can accommodate if I know the needs in plenty of time. The last Flavor Excursion was a blast but limited to 20 people. We have expanded our capability here but can't really go beyond that at this point. Please get your reservation in early so we can begin to predict our needs.

This week we are serving Red Snapper with Romesco Sauce at dinner. I will only buy red snapper from a known source as it is the most commonly mislabeled and fraudulently advertised fish on the market today. When properly sourced it is a succulent, mild-flavored fish option. It is sustainably wild-harvested from the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern United States. I am pairing it with a sauce from Spain called Romesco Sauce. This dish's sauce was created by the fishermen of northeastern Spain to pair with local catches. It is made from fire-roasted sweet red peppers, ground almonds, olive oil, tomatoes and yellow onions and garlic. The flavor is rich, though mild. We'll pair the 6-8 ounce fillets with a bed of couscous, sugar snap peas, leeks, sweet red peppers and oven roasted garlic. I think you are in for a treat. We'll have 10 pounds of the fillets to take us through the week. Reserve early. $16.99 with side salad.

The other Flavor Journey this week is a preview of the flavors of Morocco with chicken. The dish is called Djej Besla and is made of stewed onions, chicken and preserved lemons. Additional seasonings include turmeric, cumin, paprika, saffron and fresh cilantro. I'll serve it over couscous and add eggplant with charmoula as the side dish. The chicken is marinated in the sauce before cooking and is rich and flavorful. The eggplant charmoula is also traditional and made using a seasoning that includes garlic, paprika, cumin, fresh cilantro and parsley plus lemon juice. The eggplant is double cooked for tenderness and actually served at room temperature. $13.99 with side salad.

On Monday Vincent shared his culinary creativity by making a vegetarian sofritto seasoned potato, black bean and corn burrito. I love that each of the A team has now created their own flavor expressions. Amy, Vincent and Drew are each very important in maintaining our day-to-day equilibrium. To them go the responsibilities for all the daily routine preparations that make preparing your meals a smooth operation. Great job, guys! 

I am delighted to announce we now have access to some local grass-fed beef. We'll introduce it initially as the sandwich of the week—1/4 pound burgers on ciabatta with chipotle mayonnaise, queso fresco, guacamole, salsa and sprouts. It'll be served with a side for $7.79. The meat has been tested out at 95% lean. The shrinkage will be very minimal and the flavor bountiful. If you like grass-fed beef you won't find any better. If you find you like having this option we'll introduce more beef options.

We would love to serve lots of locally raised meats but the challenge has been threefold. Either the cost is really high, the minimum quantity too large for our storage capabilities or finding a processing plant that can reliably get an inspector. At this point, to get meat that can be inspected and therefore legal to serve, we have to take the animals to Cabool or Norwood. That's a trek and the fuel costs are not ignorable. Really good locally raised,  pastured pork has been available, but the cost is outside the realm of what most of our customers are willing to pay. So, as always, it seems to be a juggling challenge of priorities. Feel free to voice your preferences so we know what to be looking out for. If you hear of a processor/ butchering plant that has easier access to inspectors please let me know. Fortunately the hurdles for using local produce are nonexistent. 

Wednesday our pesto pizza with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, red onions, and kalamata olives will be served with a side salad for $7.99

Thursday the special will be Thai sweet chili salad with chicken. Normally $6.29 plus $2.49 for the chicken; we'll discount the whole shebang for $7.99. This new salad that is available every day has gotten lots of new fans. Check it out.

Friday I'll bring out the crepes. We have fresh tarragon and rosemary now and that works beautifully with mushrooms and chicken plus a light sour cream/ white wine sauce. I'll add a side of sugar snap peas. $7.99 

We hope you'll join us for lunches as well as dinners. I couldn't be more pleased with the way business has picked up. Bringing in your friends and loved ones keeps things alive for us. We love meeting your family members and enjoy learning about their exploits and accomplishments. 

This time of year brings on lots of good news on that front. This week our male grandchildren have big things happening. Andrew who just turned 10 has earned special awards in scouting that is enabling him to crossover from Webelos to Scouts a year earlier than is normal. Our elder grandson is having his board of review this week with the expectation of being approved for his Eagle Scout. He has just turned 14 and already has built a climbing wall for a local grade school to assist the kids in learning to climb safely over boulders. Since he is in Clearwater, FL where there are almost no boulders, much less rock faces, teaching these skills to kids is a challenge. We are so very proud of our grandkids even though we seldom get to see them face to face.

Have a glorious week. I look forward to seeing your smiling face.
~~ Susan

Red Snapper and Grouper Cheeks

Last week's shipment of stone crab claws from Florida was a resounding success! Every claw got eaten or sold. Yea! This gives me the courage to try out the next fresh-fish extravaganza. As I mentioned before, the Sea to Table source we have for fresh seafood ships the same day the fish are hauled aboard. We have minimums of 25 pounds per dock. But a nice twist on that is that I can specify more than one variety of fish from the same dock. So this week we are bringing in 15 pounds of red snapper and ten pounds of grouper cheeks. I'll serve the snapper at dinner. The grouper will be for lunch. Read further to see how I'll prepare the Red Snapper.

The grouper cheeks are a special treat, as well. As named, they are the cheeks of the grouper. Usually, it is only the locals who get the cheeks. They are the most tender, have the least waste and taste fabulous. Frenchie's Seafood in Clearwater, FL built their customer base on these morsels. Most places batter and deep fry them. However, as you know, I seldom deep fry anything. Instead we'll saute them in butter and herbs and make a poorboy from them. Bruce's French bread will be the foundation. $9.99/ sandwich with side.

We couldn't be more delighted with the way things are going. This weekend, though, Jon and I have been exhausted. So we'll look for ways to provide great food and service while figuring out how to make more efficient use of our time. Fortunately, we have a team that works well together. Bruce consistently provides the prep, the night-time breads and many of the desserts. His creativity in the kitchen is an inspiration to us all. Rick helps pick up the slack in prepping the salad dressings for lunch and making sure all the forks are rolled. He expedites your orders out and clears off tables. Shonna has joined us and is also expediting and serving at night. We have help on Thursday and Friday nights with dishes. If we didn't, we'd all be here until midnight. Each individual is making an impact and their help has become vital. We are surrounded by folks who really care about good service, who are delighted by our menu and who appreciate fresh food. Besides, they each have a winning attitude and are a part of our game. Without their efforts Jon and I would still be only producing on the level we were at in the food trailer. We are producing nearly triple what we were  a year and a half ago. Your support and encouragement have allowed this to happen. Thank you.

By opening the other side, you will have about 30 more seats available at lunch and dinner. Eventually we will have about 45 seats over there. We pretty much filled the place Thursday and Friday evenings last week. It was pretty exciting. Thursday evening's Girls' Night Out is proving popular. Thank you for embracing that idea. We'll continue to offer special smaller entrees on that night as well as a few special appetizers. The Sangria has proven popular as well as festive. If you haven't joined us for dinner yet, you are missing out.

I am so pleased we finally got some rain. The herbs were beginning to show signs of need. We have basil, oregano, dill, thyme, tarragon, parsley, marjarom, rosemary, sage and chives all growing in the pots. Additionally, we have peppers and peas that can be harvested. I get a boost every time I walk outside and pick an herb to go into your meals. It is much more enjoyable than opening a jar or bag from the store. You would not believe how much basil we go through weekly, now. Between making fresh pesto for sandwiches and pasta, Bruce's pesto dipping oil and various breads that incorporate it, we use over a pound a week. A pound of fresh basil is a very large bouquet.

This week we have the Renee Wood Trio back to provide music during dinner. We are trying something new. We are moving the start time back a bit so we can get through more of the service portion of the evening before the randomity of the music complicates things. We'll still open at 5pm. We are just hoping we can get more of you actually fed before the music starts. As always, you are welcome to stick around for the entire evening. The kitchen will close at 8pm. Drinks, desserts and a few tapas-type items will be available after that.  Our hope is that by being able to focus on food delivery, you will get a meal that is of higher quality, hot as expected and have plenty of time to visit with friends.

Another option we are introducing is A La Carte Day for local offices. This is a designated day each month where your office staff can pool their order and we'll deliver it! We already have several offices that do this on an ad hoc basis. We are hoping that we can secure 3-4 offices per week that have us deliver. We are still working out the bugs—like how to handle the payments. But we now have staff that can deliver several orders at once. If you want your office to participate, give us a call and we can set it up. 505-0302.

I am trying to finish up the decor of our restroom. I am in search of inexpensive framed mirrors. If you have any you no longer care about, I'd love to have them. My plan is to paint all the frames a flat black and hang them, gang-style, on one wall. Please look around in your garage, attic or basement or at the next garage sale you attend. That long-forgotten mirror just might wind up on our wall of fame. Thanks in advance!

Bruce has been busy making pickles again. In addition to dill, bread & butter, and sweet & sour pickles he has also developed a pickle with a decidedly Asian flavor profile. These are available most days for 75 cents a serving. If you are a pickle fan, you can't beat his refrigerator pickles. He makes them in-house and from all fresh ingredients.

Nicoise salad is a favorite of many big city restaurants. Pronounced nee-swaz', this French salad originates in Nice—hence the name; meaning in the style of Nice. It consists of Romaine lettuce, grilled and chilled tuna, hard boiled eggs, boiled potatoes and fresh green beans (aka haricort verts,) fresh tomatoes, anchovies and Kalamata olives. Each ingredients is laid out in a nice array. We'll serve this salad with a lemon-based aioli. A hunk of French bread and you've got a healthy meal. This week we'll serve this from Wednesday through Friday at lunch and it will also be available in our new "Grab n Go" containers for take home.  As time goes by, look for more offerings in the "Grab n Go" format. We've invested in some really nice microwave-safe containers for heating your choices. You'll want to keep these high quality containers and re-use them. This is an especially nice option if you are in a hurry. $7.99

This week's Flavor Journey is an updated version of Chicken Marbella. This dish was inspired by Moroccan tangines and Spanish braises. It was originated by chefs Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins, owners of the now defunct Silver Palate from New York's Upper West Side. For over 25 years this was a mainstay of the dinner party. This updated version makes better use of the seasonings—red wine vinegar, prunes, Spanish olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, oregano and bay leaves. The original version had the chicken pieces topped with a brown sugar sauce. This version is topped with a savory sauce. We'll serve it with baked potatoes and those luscious green beans we have right now plus, of course a side salad. $10.99

There is almost no way you can cook Red Snapper that is bad. We're going to bake it with savory herbs like rosemary, and fennel as well as garlic, shallots and onion. A bit of lemon will finish it off.  I'll stir-fry some fresh veggies and serve with a rice pilaf. As a side sauce we'll include a dish of my so-far un-named seafood sauce made with mayonnaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, cayenne and horseradish.  The loins will be super fresh, having been caught and shipped on Tuesday for a Wednesday delivery. This is one of the most requested fish by our customers. Don't miss it. The cost is $16.99. I know this is higher than most dishes we serve, but we are not even marking it up the industry standard.

I truly hope the demand for fresh seafood continues. We lived in coastal Florida for several years and nothing gives me more pleasure to cook than fresh fish and shellfish. Please feel free to tell me your favorites. I can get in fish from Maine to the Gulf coast to Alaska. All are shipped directly from the dock the day the vessel lands.

So here's the menu day by day~~
Tuesday~50 cents off Trout Roman
Wednesday~Salad Nicoise $7.99 (also on Thursday and Friday)
Thursday~Polynesian chicken tamales; poached chicken tamales with sweet & sour sauce and pineapple fried rice $6.75; Grouper Cheek Poorboys with Cajun home fries $9.99
Friday~Salad Nicoise $7.99; Grouper Cheek Poorboy with Cajun home fries $9.99

Dinners~
Seafood~ Wednesday through Friday~ Roasted Red Snapper with Rosemary, rice pilaf and stir-fried fresh veggies $16.99
Flavor Journey~Tuesday through Friday~ Chicken Marbella, baked potatoes, fresh green beans $10.99
I hope you have a glorious week as spring continues to unfold. Get those gardens producing!

~~my warmest spring wishes~~
Susan