W/E Dec 21st 2013 Wanes

This is going to be a busy week for so many of us. Welcome to the fray.

This week will start out slowly. First of all, closed Monday. Still recovering from 2 caters Saturday night.

This is our last week before closing for the rest of the year. We are making it happen to be able to spend the holidays with our children and grandchildren. This will be our first chance to see them in 2 years. So it is a big deal for us. We wish you, your family and our staff a very happy time as Christmas and New Years Day approaches. On December 30th  I'll turn the big 6-0. We'll send that day with family as well.

This last year has been one of highs and lows. We had so many wonderful weeks serving lunches and dinners that we believed in. You have made us feel that what we are doing is worthwhile—producing meals that came from real, mostly local sources and cooked in a creative fashion that allowed for the exploration of flavors. I hope we have expanded your palate. If so, we achieved one of our goals. Hopefully, you have been taken outside your comfort zone and allowed yourself to try different flavors from around the world. We wanted to prove that one could do healthy food while still maintaining a budget. We wanted you to see that local sourcing is good for everyone. We have tried to maintain as small a carbon footprint as possible—composting, recycling and local sourcing.

The lows have mostly come in the form of concern for my mother. She remains extremely frail, needing full-time care and confused to a discomforting level. I am grateful that I have been able to spend time with her when she most needed me, but always sad when she has called when I had to be at work and unable to ease her discomfort. We have had a few growing pains that created periods of discomfort and gradually grew through them. We saw many wonderful new fans and have enjoyed the glow from the ones we've kept along the way. We have cherished the new friendships and hope to see them expand.

Music will come in 2 forms this week—both Thursday and Friday will have music. Thursday the Renee Wood After Hours Big Band will take over the annex. Their performances have brought in a growing audience each time they play. Friday—the Renee Wood Trio performs with David Moore and Tom Rowley.
We encourage reservations as we often have a good-sized crowd.

In an effort to keep things as simple as possible this week, there will be no dinner specials beyond the usual dinner menu.  The lunch specials are as follows—
Monday~Closed. Sorry
Tuesday~Chicken Souvlaki with Greek rice and side salad $7.99
Wednesday~Enchilada pasta with side salad $7.99
Thursday~Chicken spinach and mushroom crepes with side salad $7.79
Friday~Turkey Ranch Bacon Wrap with side salad $7.59

That is it—short and quick. Thank you for being here. Thank you for a wonderful year. I hope you take the time between Christmas and New Years' to think out your goals and make plans to achieve them. That is my usual most favorite week of the year. I feel my purpose is rejuvenated and my road ahead well mapped.  Here's to a wonderful 2014.

~~Susan et al.

Weekending October 19

I am loving the weather this year. While we have read of extremes around the country throughout this year, we have been experiencing some of the mildest weather I can remember. It makes me want to get out in the woods and enjoy the weather. Oh yeah...I can't. I don't hunt and am not likely to share the woods with someone armed with either a gun or bow and arrow. Sigh.

Perhaps, while the intrepid hunter is stalking wild prey, said person might also be foraging for wild edible mushrooms like the coral mushroom, or the fall morels...or paw-paws...or persimmons. I can hope.

This week my extensive display of quilts comes down. We had hoped to sell a few of my quilts to finance the expansion of our cafe to include a kegerator for regional and local craft beers. My thanks to those of you who expressed interest and to those who bought some of my smaller pieces. As no bigger pieces were sold, we will have to postpone our plans until a later time. As bright ideas sometimes go...it seemed like a good idea at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to share with a few of you my vision and inspiration. Onward and upward.

This week we bid a fond farewell to Vincent as he leaves us to join Haleigh in South Carolina. We know he will do well at anything he attempts. He has a strong work ethic, is true to his word and really bright and loads of fun to work with. He stuck around a couple of extra weeks to help us get someone properly trained to replace him. NOT an easy task. Emily has stepped up to the plate and is reeling in the amount of data Vincent has to share. Fortunately, much is being written down so it can be referenced later. We are still needing someone for prep who can work Monday and Wednesday mornings and Friday evenings. We need someone who is bright, friendly, willing and able to learn, preferably 21+ for prep and back-up. If you know someone like this, please send them to talk with either me or Amy. We are also looking for a person who can be back-up waitperson and/or support for Friday night. We know you know the best people.

This past weekend we had a really interesting group of travelers join us for a catered dinner Saturday evening. They are traveling by bicycle from the west coast to the east. Several of the folks were from out of the country. You'll probably get to read about it in the Quill as Terry Hampton managed to carve out some of her weekend to interview and photograph the group. Thanks to all!

Entertainment this week comes twice. Thursday evening the After Hours Big Band plays in the Annex. With my display down they'll have room to spread out. It is always a lively performance. As usual, we'll give you the option of dining IN the room with them or in the main dining room which is noticeably quieter. On Friday, the Renée Wood Trio with Tom Rowley and David Moore will play for us. They are crowd favorites and we love having them.

HEADS UP CRAB LOVERS! NEXT week we'll have stone crab flown in fresh from Tarpon Springs, FL. I am giving you plenty of notice so you can plan ahead. We'll bring in 30 pounds. It's scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. That gives you 3 days to get in and enjoy. I do not expect there to be any left. We do this only once or twice a year.

This week's Flavor Journey  brings back the Beef Rendang. This Malaysian recipe renders a very tender beef dish that is quite complex in its flavorings. Similar to mole in the number of layers of flavor, it has a decidedly Eastern flavor profile that includes cardamon, anise, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, turmeric and chilies. We'll serve it with jasmine rice and our seasonal stir-fry vegetables. $16.99  In the past, this dish garnered many comments about how it was both flavorful and very tender. We'll be using flank steak as the basis for this dish. It will be a bit spicy but not generally overwhelming.

The seafood will be Sole Meuniere. This method of serving fish begins with a very light dusting of seasoned wheat and corn flour. It is seared on the griddle, then topped with a lovely wine sauce made with shallots—that precious bulb that mixes garlic with mild onion—butter, white wine, parsley and lightly topped with sliced almonds. I'll add a pilaf of wild rice and our seasonal stir-fry. $16.99

This week's lunch specials~
Monday~ Green Goddess grilled cheese with tomato soup  $7.29
Tuesday~ Chicken curry and rice  $7.79
Wednesday~ Pulled pork salad  $7.59
Thursday~ Chicken pot pie and side salad  $7.79
Friday~ Baja shrimp tacos  $7.99

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the various entertainment treats nature has bestowed upon us this time of year. There are pumpkin patches and corn mazes, wine and beer festivals, and good music. Have a terrific week. Thanks for being a part of this journey. We're glad you are along for the ride.

~~Susan

Catapulting into the next season—W/E March 16th

Did you feel it? Each time we go through the "time change" I feel like I have been physically thrust into the upcoming season. Suddenly it is lighter longer in the evening. My mind seems to skip the fact that I am now also back to getting up in the dark. Soon we'll be leaving the windows cracked for fresh air and even with my deafness, I can hear the birds start their morning racket. Suddenly I am looking more urgently for the clues that spring is on the fast-track. Those forsythias are bound to bloom this week with the warm weather forecast. I'm never in a hurry to see the Stellar magnolias bloom as they often bloom one week too early and lose every blossom overnight to a late frost. But I am ready to get plants in the ground. Actually, for me these days it is more a matter of plants in the pots.

We have been given permission by the owner of the building next door to use the previously wasted space behind our cafe as a raised garden. We'll concentrate on fresh herbs and peppers and a few flowers we can use in the cafe—both for decoration and for eating. We need about 100 cinder blocks and a goodly amount of  decent topsoil. If you have either to contribute, we'd love it. We can even trade for food for a larger volume. I have wanted to be able to expand our fresh pickings and this will enable us to do so. I  find it humorous that restaurants with their own gardens are suddenly a big trend. One of my personal favorite restaurants in Nashville, TN, the Mad Platter, has had their own garden for over a decade. While there are many vegetables and produce varieties available via Maranatha Farm and Willow Mountain Mushroom, being able to grow some of the more colorful varieties seems like a nice option. I am drawn to some of the more obscure varieties of beets and radishes and carrots that offer bizarre color combinations. Asking a volume grower to commit to providing them for us when we use such small volumes isn't viable for anyone.
If you are growing some of the bizarre veggies for your own use and have more seed than you can use, please consider sharing them with us. We have several staff members who are avid gardeners and they will get put to good use. You might even see the results on your plate or table. It just can't get fresher than that.

The Meatless Monday Specials are off to a good start. Just to clarify—we still offer our full menu on Mondays; we just also offer a vegan or vegetarian dish as the special. The big news that might otherwise be missed is that we are now open Mondays for lunch!!! Thanks to the fact we have a gung-ho staff with energy, we can turn the Monday operation fully over to them. Aah! That means I can still have Monday to finish the cafe laundry, plan the menu and ordering, write this blog and take an afternoon nap. Drew and Amy are scheming daily on what we'll offer next. The special this week is a  Portabella Steak Sandwich. It looks very much like a Philly cheese sandwich, but made with portabella mushrooms (locally grown from Willow Mountain Mushroom) and a vegan "cheese sauce." We purchased some nice hoagie buns on which to serve them. Go, Amy, go!!! Drew has been researching smoothies. We've had a few requests for them over the years we've been open but have never committed to making them. We even have a Champion juicer. So we CAN make really good smoothies. If you have personal favorites you'd like to see made available, please let Amy or Drew know. Many folks are discovering the benefits of a raw food diet as well as just the delightful flavors and energy a good smoothie can provide. We're experimenting with berries, soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk. Speak up and help us design the new portion of our menu.  We remember that we are here first to serve you what you need and want. Anything else is just to keep us entertained.

We have music again this week after several weeks of silence. The Renée Wood Trio will perform Friday night. They'll do primarily jazz but with St. Patrick's Day fast approaching I am hoping we can get a penny whistle tune or two out of Renée, as well.

We are at a point that we need input from you regarding music. The options we are considering are whether to bring in the caliber of entertainment that demands a cover charge or to be satisfied with musicians who are content to rely on tips and a free dinner. We have been fortunate to attract a pretty good cadre of musicians but we need more. We really are not wanting to expand beyond the jazz genre as we are the only venue within an hour's drive that offers such. We are looking at possibly not charging a cover charge for those who arrive early enough to eat but don't wish to stay for the music. That translates to having the music start later- like at 7 pm. Then it would mean staying open later. If we did that, what would we serve later? Just tapas past 8 pm?  Possibly. You tell us. You have the answers.

And speaking of St. Patrick's Day, we are going to have corned beef, oven roasted potatoes and steamed cabbage all week as the dinner Flavor Journey. Since we will not be open on the 17th I figured there was no reason to limit the special to that one day. We'll first braise, then bake the corned beef  in order to assure it is very tender but flavorful. The potatoes will be the red-skinned ones, seasoned and roasted with garlic, onions, and  carrots. The cabbage will get a quick steam so as not to be soggy—I hate soggy cabbage. Served with soup or salad $13.99

Spring break is in full swing this week with the kids off of school. All week we'll offer half-price kid-sized or full-sized quesadillas for school-aged kids brought in for lunch. We are assuming that the adults with them will order a lunch as well. We don't mind a bit of racket. They can't be louder than the teachers when they get together. We love the sound of happy chatter at lunch. Maybe it will be warm enough we can hear the sound of the screen door slapping, too.

Did you hear about Winey Wednesdays? No, we are not wanting to hear your mid-week whines. We are simply offering 20% off all wines on Wednesdays—by the glass or bottle. We have been making an effort to learn about more about wine offerings and have begun to amass a few options in the $15-25/ bottle range. I am having to navigate new waters as I try to locate marketing information we can share with you on these upscale wines. The purpose of this deal is to boost mid-week dinner service. Do you and your girlfriends like to get together over a bottle of wine or two? This is a good place and time to do so. You can enjoy your wine with a full dinner or even just appetizers/tapas. Tell us what you are looking for. We'll have a specially created appetizer each Wednesday evening—this week Asian shrimp pot-stickers.

I have brought in a new variety of fish this week. It is wild-caught Pacific Rockfish. Some places market it as Pacific Seabass, some as Rock cod and others even try to call it snapper. It is a small, firm white-fleshed fish with a mild flavor. I'll use it two ways this week. The first will be at dinner, the seafood entrée— Rockfish with Tomatoes, Capers, Lemon, Artichoke and Fennel. The fish itself will be pan seared until no longer transparent. The accompanying veggies will all be sautéed and fresh except the artichokes. We'll serve it with a cous-cous pilaf, stir-fried Asian veggies and a soup or salad. $14.99

The second way we'll serve it will be at lunch on Friday. For that lunch we'll make Rockfish Ceviche. Ceviche, pronounced see vee' cheh, is made by marinating the flesh in citrus juices. The acid in the marinade transforms the flesh into a "cooked" state. Just like heat changes the texture and color of fish, so do the citrus juices. This will be the perfect dish to celebrate the warmest day yet this spring. If you like a fresh tasting, light fish this is your best bet. It'll have lots of fresh crunchy veggies and be served more as a salad. $8.25

So here are this week's lunch specials~~

Monday~ Vegan portabella steak sandwiches~ think Philly steak sandwich but with no meat or dairy. $7.99 with side.
Tuesday~ Reuben Sandwiches with side $7.99 Actually we'll have them all week. Kids' quesadillas half-price all week with adult lunch order! Also, the Solstice Salad is featured all week at $7.25.   Next week we move onto the Spring Equinox Salad. So, get it while you can.
Wednesday~ Corn waffles with wood-fired chicken in an ancho cream and cheese sauce plus sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms . This is a very flavorful dish that has had rave reviews in the past. I think it has been more than a year since I served it. $7.99
Thursday~ Chicken Pad Thai. Simple, clean, tasty, loved. $7.99
Friday~ Rockfish Ceviche: citrus marinated, wild-caught rockfish with a crisp salad base. $8.25

Soup~ Lemon chicken rice--a classic Greek soup.
Desserts~ Baklava early in week; Lemon chess pie later in week.

Seafood Entrée~ Rockfish with Tomatoes, Capers, Lemon, Artichoke and Fennel, cous-cous pilaf, stir-fried Asian veggies, soup or salad $14.99
Flavor Journey~ Corned beef with oven roasted red skinned potatoes, steamed cabbage; soup or salad. $13.99

If you have not been in lately you have missed a lot of fun. We are gearing up for the warmer weather and know you'll end your hibernation soon. We'll be ready for you. It looks like we'll have even more local sourcing for many ingredients this summer. We're expanding music, wine, and beer options. We have a gung-ho team that is quite excited to serve you, and the energy is palpable. Don't wait. We need to see you this week! I hope you have a joyous week full of new discoveries of spring.

~~Susan

Happy New Year!

If you like jazz, you're in for a treat this Friday night! Jon has teamed up with Renée Wood, and they've worked up a bunch of great jazz standards. Those of you who are familiar with Renée's trio with Tom Rowley on guitar know what a great sax player Renée is. With Jon on guitar and a whole new set list, expect to hear some great jazz from this new version of the Renee Wood Trio: Renée Wood on sax, Jon Lumsden on 7-string guitar, and David Moore on drums. Reservations are recommended. (The original trio with Tom on guitar will return to the cafe in the coming weeks)
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Welcome back for another fun-filled year of cuisinal explorations, flavor journeys and even the occasional international excursion. I thought I'd take a few moments to share my hopes and plans for the year. One of my favorite things to do each year is spend the week between Christmas and the New Year reviewing what has and hasn't occurred and project what I'd like to see happen in the new year. Because I do such a thorough inspection, I am often delighted to discover that I have moved even further forward than I had anticipated previously. This inspection includes reviewing what did and didn't work, areas where communication or flows could be improved, as well as setting targets for production. We all have our blind spots, but this helps to minimize them while allowing us to keep our eyes on the goals ahead.

Accomplishments this past year include:

• adding dinner service four nights a week
• adding beer and wine to our menu and jumping through the hoops to get there
• increasing our sales by nearly 60%
• expanded into the annex space next door
• adding helpful staff who really care about your comfort and happiness
• greatly increased number of private parties and caters
• consistently higher quality of musical performers
• connections for quality wild seafood delivered less than 24 hours out of the water
• adding 3-door cooler plus full-size freezer allowing us to buy in bulk
• addition of a talented, independent baker who custom makes the breads we don't make ourselves
• addition of a skilled bookkeeper to help keep us legal

Other areas where I am seeing an increase include the number of customers who visit us more than once a week. The night-time dinner service has slowly gained a following, and we've moved beyond some of the harder-learned lessons to deliver a quality product, usually, in a timely manner. Because of the nature of our customer base, I am allowed the freedom to scratch my creative itch when planning a menu.  We know our customers expect us to use only the freshest, highest quality ingredients we can find. I have refused many a product because it contained ingredients I won't serve, like msg and hydrogenated fats. You'll never find margarine or artificial sweeteners in my food ingredients. (I can't help that many ask for Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper that contain aspartame. But that is the only place you will find aspartame in our kitchen. If you haven't read about the downside of aspartame, I invite you to do so. Just call it up on your search engine.)

As the year moves forward, Jon and I both are hoping to have a bit less time in physically running the cafe. Jon turns 60 next month  and I am just starting my last "50," so we are feeling like using less energy, not more. One of my requisites for any expansion is that it doesn't demand more of our time physically. I don't mind spending lots of time in planning and goal setting. I just don't want to be working 60+ hours a week on my feet. Don't worry. We'll still be around A LOT.

Rick has been a wonderful addition since he first joined us last February. He has a wonderful can-do attitude that makes execution of plans a simple A-to-B process. I know that whatever task I set before him will be completed with a minimum of deviation and an eye toward quality. His knowledge of the field of food service is wide enough to be able to add to my novice efforts and steer me away from potential disaster. Plus he'll actually offer an opinion when asked for one! Do you have any idea how rare that is?

With his help and that of our other enthusiastic gang members, we are planning several events this year in addition to our regular lunch and dinner service. I have talked for a couple of years about doing major quarterly feasts. With the addition of our ability to serve beer and wine plus the number of requests I have received for just such an event, we are planning at this point to do this quarterly. I am calling them Flavor Excursions. They will explore various ethnic cuisines, include many courses and be paired with specific wines  for each course. The first will happen in late winter, probably late February and will be well-promoted and hopefully will sell out well ahead of time. I am truly looking forward to planning these events. Paula will add her touch to the tablescapes with her extensive knowledge of floral design.

We are planning to have 2 beer tastings as well as 2 wine tastings. At each event, the foods paired will have as much importance as the beverages offered. I am also hoping to take part in more community-based fund-raising events that showcase our skills while raising money for strong causes.  Whew!  Fortunately, we have the whole year ahead of us.

Speaking of beers, we have a few beers that we are not going to restock and we have a few remainders of the cases. These are mostly specialty beers that normally sell for the $4 price range. We will offer them at $2 each until they are gone. We don't expect them to last the week, so get in early.

We have found ourselves repeatedly very grateful for the support you have shown us. So far, most everything we have tried has worked out. Bringing in the fresh seafood is a big financial risk for us each time. I am having to commit the equivalent of half our weekly food budget into one or two items. The fact that you make that worthwhile is something I treasure. You have faith that the food we prepare is worth your time and money, and we have faith that you'll be there to enjoy it.

One of my most treasured aspects of what we are doing is the fact that most of our growth has happened very organically through word-of-mouth. We really appreciate that you have found what we do worth sharing with your friends and loved ones. This is vital to our success and we encourage you to tell more people about us. With the exception of Friday nights, which are usually fairly busy, we have room to grow on the other weeknights. If you have only come in on Fridays, you'll be surprised how fast we can get your dinners out the other nights. Rick, Ashley and I have worked to streamline the food delivery on Friday nights. We know you are not in a hurry but want to make sure you are not having to wait any longer than necessary. Our policy has always been to encourage you to stick around for the evening with no effort to "turn the tables."

We are adding a couple of items to the nighttime appetizer and dinner menu. As we are attracting more vegetarians, I am wanting to make them welcome by offering options that will satisfy their dietary choices. We have always been willing to adapt our dishes to work around most allergies and food choices, but I wanted  to have items that don't leave room for questions. To that end we are offering hummus and chips. Did you know that hummus is now the most requested refrigerated dip around the country? We are also adding a spinach-artichoke dip. As always, we'll be making these items from scratch. While the artichokes we start with are canned, the garbanzos for the hummus are not.We are also adding brown rice with stir-fried veggies and a pesto pasta prima vera. The latter is linguine with our in-house pesto plus fresh in-season vegetables.

One area that I think needs to be explained or perhaps just communicated about is the availability of our various appetizers. Not all the appetizers are available all the time. I could just list the ones we know will always be there, but then you might not know about some of them and we'd never know you wanted them. Hopefully, your server will keep you informed. If you have a question about a menu item it is perfectly okay to ask questions about how things are prepared and to voice your preferences. If you keep mum I'll never know what you like unless I stumble upon it. So please tell us what you want to see. Are there big gaps in our menu? What is missing? Because you are dealing with the owners, we can make changes easily.

One of the reasons that some items are not always available is that we make things in small batches. Most restaurant kitchens have large freezers and literally walk-in refrigerators. Not us. So whatever we make has to be able to be served in a timely manner and kept fresh. We are also limited in the time we have to create some items. Most of the time we have good time-management skills and can get everything prepared. But sometimes it comes down to a decision of whether to make another batch of an appetizer or a dessert. We've seen what happens when we don't have desserts. It isn't pretty.

You may have noticed that we do not offer deep-fried items on our menu. There are many places in town that serve primarily fried foods. Most of those items come in from the supplier already prepared and are just dropped in a fryer. We opted to stay away from that cooking choice because we just don't need more fried foods in our diets. I am no paragon of virtue here. I like fried foods, too. But I am happy not having to mess with the oil, the smell and the extra clean-up frying requires.

We have raised our prices a bit. It scares the heck out of me to do so, but if we wish to remain in business it is vital to our ability to stay profitable. Many of you have pointed out that our prices are pretty low and have actually suggested we might raise them. I know we are not the cheapest lunch in town, but I don't want to gouge you or make it impossible for you to enjoy your meals. Every time we go out of town for a meal we are hit with sticker shock. You are right. Ours prices are low. Overall, we've bumped lunches by about 50 cents and dinners a buck. We hope that works for you and keeps you coming in. We could reduce the quality of our ingredients and keep prices lower, but you have told us you want the good stuff. We believe you.

With the solstice comes a change in the seasonal salad. This time the winter solstice salad is made up of spinach and a bit of arugula plus red onion slivers, avocado slices, a bit of feta,  red grapefruit and orange slices, pomegranate and sliced almonds topped with our wood-fired chicken. We are making an orange vinaigrette dressing to pair with it. I'll never forget the first time I ate a similar salad. I was only about 14 and living in Florida. A friend's mother fixed it to go with dinner. I can still taste it. We've added the wood-fired chicken to make it a meal in itself.

This week's menu—

Soups~ we'll start the week with a bean and ham soup. I'll use black-eyed peas so we can get our dose of "good luck" for the year. That will come with a hunk of cornbread. We make ours with whole wheat flour, corn meal and honey for sweetness.

Wednesday~Grilled cheese with cup of soup $7.50
Thursday~Bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich with side $7.25
Friday~Quiche Lorraine(Swiss cheese, bacon, onion) and side salad $7.50

Flavor journey~Roast Sirloin of Beef plus au jus. Studded with cloves of garlic and cooked to a medium rare, this juicy roast is made from the same cut as Kansas City Strip. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, winter stir-fry and a creamy horseradish sauce. Paired with a soup or salad.$14.99

Seafood~Cioppino (pronounced chuh peen' oh) Didn't get your Christmas Eve dose of Feast of Seven Fishes? This might do the job. This hearty seafood soup is pure Sicilian. It consists of a fish and tomato based broth loaded with mixed seafood of calamari, clams, shrimp, scallops, octopus and chunks of wild caught coho salmon. (Okay, the salmon isn't Italian)  Served in a bowl and accompanied by lots of fresh bread for dipping. Served with salad. $14.99

Thanks for being a part of our lives. You, along with your continued support and encouragement, make our lives fuller and help to put a future there that we can believe in. Thank you!!!

~~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

Changes in the wind

This time one year ago, Jon and I were quaking in our boots. Our 40th anniversary was imminent and we were celebrating by committing to leasing space for our cafe. Throughout the month of November we focused our attention on getting this space remodeled into a working kitchen/ cafe. A year later, we are still here and are on the verge of some, hopefully, significant changes.

First of all—this Saturday we will be open. This is an exceedingly rare event. We'll be open because it is the first weekend of deer/gun season and there is a tradition in these parts for the women who aren't hunting to be out shopping, instead. Kathy and Frankie at Simply Chic clued us in to this phenomena and were the ones who suggested we might be open. So we will be. If you have not been able to join us previously because of your work schedule, or know of those in that category, this would be a lovely time to experience our lunch menu. Perhaps a few of you will be among those out shopping and can make us a part of your shopping spree. We'll be open from 11a.m.-2p.m. I know Kathy and Frankie have some pretty spectacular deals going for this annual event, too.

Next—This Friday we will host Renee Wood Trio. It will be the last Friday night we will be open this year. Between now and Christmas the café will be available for private parties during the evening hours. We will close entirely for 2 weeks immediately following Christmas. We'll be seeing our kids and grandkids whom we have not seen in two years. When we return January 9th, we expect we will have our beer and wine permit. This will allow us to serve beer or wine with lunch, catering or at our Friday night dinners.  Our focus will remain on local/ regional fare and this will extend to the beers and wines. We'll plan on hosting tastings and, hopefully, educate our palates along the way.  I have much to learn about pairings and celebrating regional wines. We can all learn together. I think it'll be a fun adventure.

Then—we are looking at revamping some of our Friday nights. We are currently surveying for feedback for a once-a-month-fine-dining experience. We would be creating a meal of magnificant delicacy, multi-coursed and splendid. The cost would be in the realm of $25/person. Pairings with wine or beer would be available. It would give me a chance to bring out the fancier ingredients—fresh seafood flown in, unusual meat sources, high grade cuts, etc. Because this would not work for just a few, we would have to have a high enough participation level to keep it up. I would love to explore various ethnic cuisines, sharing the lore behind the dishes and acquainting you with a more worldly palate. This would, most likely, replace open mic night on the first Friday. The note cards on the table are for your feedback and to let us know your favorite regional beers and wines. We really do want to structure our cafe around your needs and wants. So pipe up!

The holiday catering is already heating up. We will be producing several office holiday lunches for various staff around the county. Hopefully, we'll be preparing foods that are familiar while allowing you to have new taste experiences. If you have a staff luncheon planned, please give us a shot at preparing it. I'm betting your colleagues will thank you.

We are exploring more custard type desserts as the season heads toward the colder temps. My first one that I am excited about will be coconut cream pie with meringue. Of course, pumpkin will be in the mix as well as lemon curd, and various creme brulee. I can't wait to learn to use the torch to melt the sugar on the creme brulée. Bruce has brought back his tira misu. It will be available most days. As far as we can figure out, we are the only place in the region to make a real tiramisu. We use real mascarpone, a dozen egg yolks, real lady fingers dipped in real coffee liquor and real whipped cream. Recently, one of our customers had us make one for his girlfriend's birthday. She wrote to tell us how she used to eat Tiramisu while living in Italy and this was the best version she had had since leaving there. I'm not sure if Bruce's head will fit through the door on Monday...or perhaps it is just that he is floating 3 feet above the ground.  While I love creating fusion fare that mixes up the cultures somewhat, bringing you authentic foods created without shortcuts, using quality ingredients continues to be a big part of our mission. So many options these days begin with "I need a faster way." There are simply times when faster isn't better.

Here's the week's menu—
Soups~ all week French onion soup. A batch takes almost 10 pounds of fresh onions that are cooked down for hours to release their sweet goodness. Later in week~smoked sausage, kale and potato soup

Monday~Tuna Romans are on sale at $6.99 This tuna steak is seared to order and served on a Roman bun (made inhouse) with wasabi mayonnaise, tomato and spicy sprouts. Served with chips.
Also~Antipasto salad is $6.50 containing lettuces, salamis, ham, turkey, bell pepper, red onion, roasted red pepper, black olives, swiss cheese. Hefty!
Tuesday~ Sweet and sour chicken tamales with a confetti rice. Bruce's specialty! $6.50
Wednesday~Chicken Pad Thai $6.50 We've got the real deal made with tamarind, lemon grass, rice noodles, egg, sprouts, lemon...yum!
Thursday~ Turkey casserole. I know...we need a better name for it. It is made with fresh turkey breast, fresh and canned tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, mostaccioli (a form of macaroni) and lots of parmesan cheese. We'll serve it with a side salad. $6.50
Friday~ To celebrate Pimento cheese month, eat our pimento cheese quesadilla. Made from scratch, the pimento cheese is mostly chopped up cheddar cheese, plus roasted red peppers, some real mayonnaise, a jalapeno or two and finely minced onion. As the insides of a quesadilla—marvelous! $6.50 with a side.
Friday night dinners~
Seafood~Pan-seared rainbow trout, roasted root veggies, sautéed brussels sprouts plus side salad $12
Meat~Pastitsio. This authentically made Greek casserole of layered beef and noodles has both a tomato layer and a creamy cheese sauce layer. Served with a side salad and warm bread. $12
Vegetarian~Whole wheat noodles with broccoli, red peppers, carrots, shitakes, onions and garlic. With a side salad and warm bread. $10