W/E August 24th The next chapter begins...

The excitement is certainly building. With any new endeavor there is the planning portion, the learning portion and the doing portion. It is nice when they can follow a logical sequence forward. We've spent several weeks on the planning portion. That is where you realize just how much you don't know, which launches the learning portion.This last week's learning curve involved learning about the refrigeration and delivery systems for serving draft beer. In the industry these are generally known as kegerators. Until now I always thought that these delivery systems were either totally maintained by the owners or owned by the beer distributors and maintained by them. Wrong! It seems that, by law, the beer distributors may not have anything to do with ownership or supply of the refrigeration portion of holding and dispensing beer. That provision is so they cannot hold you hostage to their brands the way a liquid propane distributor can with propane tanks you lease. The second portion was happily discovered. The distributors WILL maintain the lines and taps so you can be assured of smooth pours and clean lines. This makes shopping for the refrigeration devices simpler as I don't really have to know a whole lot about the mechanics of the taps. All I need is a box that will keep the beer really cold. As soon as a major quilt is sold we'll be looking at purchasing a kegerator that can serve up to 10 different craft beers on tap. THIS time we'll have the equipment delivered.

The speed at which the acquisition and doing part of the program proceeds will be dependent on the fundraising portion. While we discussed crowd-funding as an option, we decided that first I would offer my quilts as a forefront of fundraising. I mentioned last week that for the first time ever, I am putting my existing quilts on sale through the end of September. From the smallest 5-block runners to the largest wall-sized corporate quilts, all are 20% off. I'll be bringing in several we have not hung previously and rotating them for your viewing pleasure. If you wish to see any in your home or office environment, I am happy to accommodate. You can view many of these quilts on my art website www.rebelquilter.com..The first Friday Artwalk, September 6th,  will be a showcase for many of these pieces, and I'll rearrange my "gallery" in the annex to show them off. Already, several folks have shown interest in particular pieces. Please don't keep us on pins and needles. If you are interested in a piece, please speak up. I can work with you to make it happen. I'll have a sheet of images with prices of many of the artwork pieces available for you to take with you.

The next step on the patio is to drill holes in the chimney flues we're using as planters/dividers to attach eye bolts. Then we can attach cable between the flues to create a barrier. It'll appear somewhat like the outside rails on a sailboat. After that we need only to photograph the space and update our license to include that space. Sounds easy.

In the meantime, we are learning about craft beers. As has always been the case with what we do, we  have no interest in trying to compete with another place to deliver something already being well served. We are going to focus primarily on delivering true craft beers and build that audience. History has shown that craft beer aficionados are passionate, knowledgeable and committed to enjoying their brews. Sadly, to have access to them, these folks have to travel to Springfield, Rolla, or Eureka Springs for their enjoyment. We want to provide access to many varieties here in West Plains. We have been downloading the beer lists from several craft beer places in St. Louis and Kansas City and are striving to learn what we can. If you are a craft beer fan or know someone who is, this is an ideal time to tell us what you are looking for and what gives you the most enjoyment—in terms of choices, food accompaniments, and environment. Along the way, we'll upgrade our liquor license to include spirits, as that will also allow us to sell some of the beers that have higher alcohol by volume (ABV). The current beer and wine license only allows for a beer to have 6.5% ABV. Who needs luminosity.com when there is so much to learn in everyday life?

Now what we are REALLY all about is good food. I have become so much more aware of the produce as the seasons roll by. Tomatoes and warm weather crops are peaking—including eggplant, summer squashes, and beets. These are being included in the summer stir-fry. The next fruit to become ripe are the pears. We've been enjoying the peaches and cherries and used them in the current line-up of desserts. I am planning a pear and pistachio tartlet. Maybe we can make a pistachio ice cream to join it. Hmmm. I am also planning a pear tart with Stilton and pistachio salad as a starter. These pears are poached first in a red wine and black current liqueur, then sliced and served over a puff pastry base, topped with Stilton cheese imported from England, and baby lettuces slathered in pistachio oil and sprinkled with toasted pistachios. Oh my!

The Seafood Entrée this week features gorgeous scallops. We'll be using scallops that have not been soaked in any chemicals, and they are huge! The designated size is U10 which means that there are under 10 per pound. This translates to the size of a large egg in weight or volume. The actual dish is Sea Scallops with Cilantro Lime Gremolata and Ginger Lime Beurre Blanc. Now let me translate that for you. A gremolata is an herbal condiment that begins with a citrus zest (grated peel). In this case, we'll use lime as the base to which we'll add chopped cilantro, grated fresh ginger and garlic.This will be the final topping. The beurre blanc is a sauce made with shallots (think cross between mild onions and garlic), fresh ginger, lime juice, dry white wine and butter. I'll serve the dish with a wild rice pilaf and our summer stir-fry. Oh, we're gonna eat good this week!  I'll have about twelve servings for the week. Call in to have me reserve your order. $17.99

The Flavor journey is vaguely Mediterranean. It is Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions. As a starting point, we'll use local unsprayed apples. We'll rub the tenderloin with dijon mustard, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. I'll pan sear it, then oven roast. I'll also pan sear the onions and apples, then bake with the pork. The apples then get cooked down with chicken stock, fresh thyme and a splash of Marsala to reduce volume and intensify the flavor while scraping up the meat juices and bits. Butter will round out the flavor. We'll serve this with garlic potatoes and our summer stir-fry. Yeowza! $14.99

Now for the lunch specials~
Monday~ Stir-fried veggies with rice. $6.99
Tuesday~ Quesadilla made with pulled pork, roasted red peppers, grilled onions and mushrooms $7.99
Wednesday~ Lemon Pepper Shrimp Orzo with side salad $8.50
Thursday~ 1905 salad; Romaine,oven-roasted turkey, Kalamata olives, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lemony dressing $7.99
Friday~ Hawaiian Tacos~pork, BBQ sauce, jalapeno, pineapple, mango, avocado $7.99

Have we spoiled you yet? We hope so. It brings me great joy to be able to serve such a luscious menu and have you snarp it up.  If you have been keeping us a secret, now would be a great time to help us spread the word. I know you'd prefer to have us to yourselves, but we need to increase our audience to assure our own sustainability. Bring in a new customer and we'll add an extra punch to your card.  Thanks for being a part of our growth. We love having you along for the ride.

~~Susan

Catapulting into fall

The changes perceived when we switch our clocks ahead or behind for "daylight savings" always feel like we have been launched into the next season. What was a gentle growing awareness of diminishing afternoon light suddenly becomes a need to find a light switch. I remember my mother telling me how her mother could work out in her summer garden in Canada until it was well and dark. She was able to do so because her eyes gradually became adjusted to the diminishing light. Were she simply to walk out and start weeding at dusk her ability to see what she was doing would be negligible. To me it is a bit jarring to suddenly discover it is nearly dark and it is only 5pm. But it also gives the true feeling of "full immersion" into the fall season. So if we have not yet been paying attention to the time of year—this is the wake-up call to do so.

Last week was spectacular in many ways. Thanks to you, we had a rousing week at both lunches and dinners. Then we hit Friday and burst through another record. We had an extra day as we did a cater for a private party held at the cafe. This pushed us to our limit in physical endurance. Sunday was a blessed relief and gave a whole 'nuther meaning to Zombie Day. What really pleased me was that the streamlining we did in order to speed up Friday night delivery really worked. This, despite being without Rick in the kitchen.

We loved doing the caters and are enjoying building up a supply of nice table decor to add a splash of elegance to the buffet table. Gotta find ways to store them now. Oy!

As wild as last week was, we were short-handed more than once. This prevented my making the pumpkin mousse cornucopias. I'll make them a priority this week. Also the lemon mascarpone crepes. BJ made some wonderful almond baklava and we zipped through Rick's tira misu. It seems that along with increased soup consumption, desserts are getting more attention. We'll try to keep up!

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the New England Clam Chowder last week.  I could not have been more pleased, myself. That recipe came from a recent Fine Cooking magazine article. It'll be a regular in the soup rotation. I made a double batch on Thursday and had to make it again on Friday and there still wasn't enough for Friday night at dinner.

I received an email from the Sea-to-Table folks pointing out that for those fishermen who weren't knocked completely out of the water by hurricane Sandy (sorry about the pun), one of their biggest challenges is finding a market for their catches as many northeastern restaurants are not yet back serving. So in an effort to do our part helping out we are ordering fresh fish from that region. Such a sacrifice!!!

One of the hardest hit areas was Montauk, NY. That is the dock after the storm. I have ordered and expect in on Tuesday 10# of fresh sea scallops and 15# of golden tile fish. The golden tile fish is a species that seldom makes it outside of the Northeast region but is highly prized locally by chefs. It is a firm, large-flake white-meated fish with a  mild, sweet flavor. This species is a prime example of "you are what you eat" as they eat primarily crustaceans—shrimp and crab. This gives the fish a noticeable sweetness in their flavor profile.  This report regarding local conditions comes from my rep at Sea-to-Table: "The dock and our fishermen in Montauk, NY are slowing drying out. There is still a lot of flooding in the area, and streets full of sand. They did, however, fare better than some of their neighbors. A few boats need to be evaluated to make sure they are safe to go back out on the water, and some equipment needs to be replaced. They are in good spirits, though, and happy to be sending fish to our chefs again. The boat that caught the Golden Tilefish is the F/V Sea Capture and the F/V Endangered Species caught the Scallops." I think F/V means fishing vessel.

I have never found dry-packed scallops available in Missouri. These scallops are coming in dry-packed. What this means is that they have not been soaked in any kind of solution that alters either their flavor or weight. The size we are getting are 10-20 per pound. When you consider that most "bay scallops" are 100-200/ pound you'll begin to appreciate their size.

I am digging deep to find recipes that show off the freshness while still expanding your palate. For the golden tilefish I have 2 directions I will take it. The first is Italian and the second is Thai. If you prefer Italian, I'll serve it over pasta with a puttanesca sauce. This fresh sauce is made using onions, garlic, Kalamata olives, anchovies, tomatoes, capers and fresh mild peppers. I'll use a penne pasta. As always you may have soup or salad to start.

In the second direction the golden tilefish is actually cooked in a mild coconut curry broth. The plate starts with a layer of rice, then a layer of fresh steamed spinach, then the fish and is topped with the curry sauce. Either version will be $17.99 and you'll get a 6 oz serving (before cooking) with soup or salad.

The pan-seared scallops will be dredged in a mildly seasoned flour and pan-seared in olive oil and butter. I'll top them with our in-house pesto sauce and serve it with rice on the side. $17.99 with soup or salad.

With so much going on in the seafood arena I am not doing a separate Flavor Journey this week. However, next week Beef Bourguignon will be showcased.

Here are this week's lunches~~

Tuesday~ Trout burger with home fries $7.00
Wednesday~ Turkey dip sandwich on ciabatta with home fries $7.50
Thursday~ Chicken pad Thai $7.50
Friday~ Pesto pizza with side salad $7.50

Soups this week~~ I'll start the week with Tom Ka Kai- the Thai coconut chicken soup that so many love. I'll try to have it through Thursday when I also serve the pad Thai. Later in week~ Creamy spinach and garlic soup. You'll just have to try it. It is wonderful.

Seafood Dinner Entrées~~    3 of them!!!!!
Fresh Golden Tilefish with puttanesca sauce over penne pasta; Soup or salad $17.99
Fresh Golden Tilefish with Thai coconut curry sauce over steamed baby spinach and jasmine rice. Soup or salad. $17.99
Fresh Sea Scallops lightly seasoned with dry rub and sauteed in butter and olive oil. Served over rice with a drizzle of our in-house pesto. Soup or salad. $17.99

We got a last minute email that Vinny Ray can't play this Friday. No explanation so far. Hope we'll be able to re-schedule soon. Remember that next week Gordon Johnston will be playing. I love his laid-back style and he can make Van Morrison rock!

Also next week~~
Our first Beer Tasting! Space is filling up fast, so get your name on the list without delay. We'll try out 5-6 national craft beers along with paired appetizers. $10 per person.
Watch for the beef bourguignon and wild persimmon desserts.

Have a glorious week! Don't forget to vote!~~

Susan