w/e May 11 Staying Alive!

As each day passes we often wonder what the future holds for us. We've seen the years pass by so quickly. We were astonished to realize that our two grandsons are now 14 and 10 respectively. The elder even has a girlfriend. As they live in Florida we have missed whopping chapters in their lives over the last 13 years we have lived here. Decisions were made to be near my parents as they aged and though I don't regret that decision, it has left us missing out on some great kids. We have missed as much from our granddaughters' lives, as well. I hope over the next few years we are able to spend more time with our own kids as well as theirs. In the meantime, we live vicarious lives enjoying the positive efforts of those physically closest to us. Ashley Romans has been our primary waitperson on Friday nights for over a year. She is astounding in her ability to conquer new tasks and always have a terrific attitude. Somehow, while juggling being the mother of 4 kids under 10 she has managed to go back to school and is getting her RN next week. We are so proud of her and hope these new skills find her doing something that satisfies her and feeds her soul. The medical field is going to be a lucky one. Ashley will be with us off and on over the summer but by fall she'll be working full-time in her new career. We hope you have a chance to give her your warmest wishes for a bright future. Ashley, you will be very missed.

I am thinking this may be the week we have all been waiting for. The weather forecast looks promising for a more moderate range of temperatures and it may finally be safe to risk putting out those warm weather plants. With the soil barely warm, it may be awhile until we see those seeds sprouting and plants in the ground thriving. It would be nice if this meant we'd have a cooler than normal summer. But we know better than to expect that. No doubt in the next  two weeks we'll be experiencing warmer than normal temps to bookend the cooler than normal temps. Aaah. The Ozarks.

We have music twice this week. Thursday night the After Hours Big Band will play in our Annex. The band loves to play in that room because the acoustics are really good for their sound. If you love big band you'll enjoy the full immersion experience. If that is a bit much for you, you may still enjoy the sound from the next room in our main dining room. Friday night brings The Renée Woods Trio with jazz guitar, saxophone and drums. It is helpful to us if you call in a reservation.

Garden update: We finally have a few tires set up in back and this week I'll get some dirt in them. I had hoped to get a rain barrel set up to help us water out back...but it hasn't happened yet. I am grateful that I wasn't terribly ready to plant things as the weather has proven less than cooperative. Finally, procrastination pays.  The first things to go in will be the fast growers—lettuces, if not too late, radishes and peas. I am harvesting some spring onions from my home garden—or what is left of it. Mary has begun bringing in the new late spring crops of arugula, pak soy, and some other greens I am quickly becoming familiar with. I love being able to change up the stir-fry as the seasons move along. We'll be adding in some sugar snap peas over the next few weeks along with fresh local garlic and garlic scapes. Scapes are those long skinny things sticking out of the tops of soft garlic. They are somewhere between a flower, a stem and a seed pod.  We got in some ginormous carrots that we are slicing micro-thin and adding to the stir-fry and the sweet red peppers have been outstanding lately.

This week's special sandwich has been a while in arriving. I finally found some decent quality tuna steaks that we are wood-firing and then making into a tuna salad. I'll chop the meat up, add a bit of wasabi oil, mayonnaise, pickled relish, spicy mustard, sriracha and serve it  with sprouts, slivered cabbage, and tomato slices on ciabatta rolls.  $7.79 with side.

I am bringing back the beef rendang this week as the Flavor journey. When I made it the other two times customers were quite vocal in how much they enjoyed it. It is Malaysian dish that is pretty darn kicky in its spiciness. Just as chicken mole takes lots of steps and uses lots of fresh and dried spices and herbs, this dish is quite involved. It begins with a flavor base of dried chiles, fresh shallots, garlic and ginger and even some  galangal which is a root, like ginger, but spicier. Then it gets a whole spice blend of cloves, cardamom, anise and cinnamon. THEN it gets a ground spice blend of coriander, cumin, fennel and turmeric. The beef I am using for the rendang is flank steak. The rendang itself is cooked in coconut milk, a tamarind concentrate, limes, lemongrass, brown sugar, cilantro and even fresh coconut. The outcome is a stew-like, very flavorful but tender beef dish that will transport you to another world. It is served over jasmine rice and paired with our seasonal stir-fry. $15.99 includes a side salad

The seafood is a lovely mixture of shrimp, scallops, sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms, and shallots and sherry. Six S's. I'll serve it over a bed of lemony pasta made with lemon zest and lemon juice. It should be a really nice celebration of spring. $14.99.

Now for the lunches~
Monday~grilled portabella panini with artichoke tapenade $6.99
Tuesday~ all week actually~ wood-fired tuna sandwich on ciabatta $7.79 with side
Wednesday~Ceviche~Rockfish, shrimp and scallops marinated with lemon and lime, cilantro, fresh peppers, cucumber, garlic and scallions. Served on a bed of chopped romaine and sprouts with tortilla chips. $7.99
Thursday~Smoked sausage with garlic potatoes and steamed cabbage $7.59
Friday~ Pasta with fresh asparagus, ham, mushrooms, kalamata olives and parmesan with side salad $7.99

I hope this week finds you with a moment of time on your hands to get out and enjoy the weather we have been hoping for. Extroverting with a walk around the block can do more for your frame of mind than most anything else. Get out of your head and into the environment. Most of all—enjoy just being alive.

~~Susan

w/e April 27th Sprung! Full tilt boogie

This is the aggressive week of spring where anything that had held back up until now lets go and roars into full bloom. That is what is behind my quilt "Sprung!" —everything happening at once. You can see this quilt in the back area of the Annex.While we watch our neighbors along the major rivers bracing for flooding we are able to sit back and be thankful it isn't us. I know life is about to get more complicated as your dear ones begin to engage in spring sports and school or church happenings. We have all come out of hibernation at the same time. Which way to turn first?

Here at the cafe, I am anxious to get the beds going out back. I have seeds started at home and look forward to getting them in the ground. We are using exclusively non-gmo varieties.

This is the time of year for me to put out my plea for fresh morels. If you have some on your property I'd love to buy them from you. I'll pay $8/pound for them. It may be a bit early yet, but not too early to start looking. Key locations to look might be around the base of a dead elm, on the sunny side of a creek bed, or amongst the leaves at the base of trees. As they are most distinctive, you shouldn't have trouble distinguishing them from other inedible varieties. I only want the freshest ones—certainly not dried out or wilted. Call ahead to make sure I am still needing them. If we get inundated (I wish!) I may have to limit my purchases. Let me know what else you might be foraging for. Did you know that Arkansas has a truffle that rivals the French ones?

One of the ideas we are investigating—lunch-sized desserts.  I know that most of you skip dessert at lunch, but if you had a smaller, less dastardly option would you include it in your lunch? An example might be a scone or a muffin or a couple of cookies. They would be priced at less than $2. I haven't started on this yet but am inviting your feedback. Let me know what suits your fancy. That is what we are here for.

Music this week will be Jon Lumsden. He'll be playing one set of his laidback jazz starting about 6:45. If you prefer no live music there is plenty of time to get in and back out. If you like a bit of a background sound he'll add a nice touch to your evening. As always, tips are appreciated.

If you like game—specifically elk or duck, this is YOUR week. The very last of my elk patties is going into elk burgers on Friday. We wood-fired them yesterday to give them a nice smoky warmth. The flavor is so pure and very low fat. We'll serve them Friday at lunch as burgers with oven roasted sweet-potato fries. $8.50 There are only 16 burgers so if you want one with your name on it, call and reserve.

We have bought a case of pekin duck. That is 6 whole ducks which we are butchering into breasts and the rest as pieces of meat that will be cooked in its own duck fat at a low temp for several hours. This makes duck confit (pronounced con-fee). They make the most miraculous tacos. My plan is to have them available on Thursday at lunch. The breasts will be available at dinner until gone. As there are only 12 servings, you can bet they will go fast. So again—get your name on them if you want any. Amy has chosen to serve them with a cranberry orange sauce over shitakes and portabellas, with a purée of parsnips and cauliflower. I think they will be lovely.

For the Seafood entrée I am doing a traditional Spanish Paella. This is slightly different from the paella we served at the Filipino dinner but will have some similar ingredients—the gi-normous shrimp, fresh mussels, octopus, calamari, clams, and various ocean fish. It is a rice-based dish seasoned with saffron and lots of tomatoes. It'll be available Tuesday through Friday. I am not expecting to run out but calling in your reservation is a smart idea and is a kindness to us.

Amy and the boys are having a blast creating vegetarian dishes on Mondays. This week is an Indian stew called korma made with potatoes, tomatoes, peas, carrots, onions, ginger root, cashews, curry, cream and cilantro served over rice. When I checked the online history I discovered the name korma usually refers to a curried dish that has the ingredients braised in a cream sauce or nut paste. There are many versions and this one is vegetarian. $6.99. Served over rice.

There are a couple of dishes that will be served all week as specials—

First, the sandwich of the week is the Roman. It is served on a bun we make that is flavored with fresh onion. Filled with Genoa salami, hard salami, Black forest ham, sliced tomatoes, onion, lettuce, cheddar cheese, black olives, and mustard. These are heated in the toaster oven and served warm. Served with a side for $7.99

The Equinox Salad—This is our seasonal salad aka Spring salad. I start with spinach or arugula (both, if I have them) add red onion, strawberries, feta, almonds, peas or snow peas, and avocado slices plus wood-fired chicken. We recommend the Balsamic Vinaigrette as the dressing.  Usually this salad is $7.59. This week it is $7.25.

New Sweet Chili Thai Salad— I've been wanting to introduce a salad like this for a while and finally have a dressing I feel is perfect for it. The base is a combination of Romaine and shredded cabbage plus slivers of sweet red peppers, carrot strips, cucumbers, rice noodles, sprouts, cilantro, and cashews. The dressing has a bit of a kick and you can ask us to spice things up by adding red pepper flakes. Served without meat for $6.29. Add wood-fired chicken for $2.49 or wood-fired salmon for $3.99 or even grilled shrimp for $3.99. Assuming this is a popular item, it will remain on the menu. If not? It is outta here! This is your chance to vote with your tummy.

Also—all week you can ask me to add fresh red grapefruit chunks to any salad FREE. We have a case of red grapefruit that needs to be used up.

Thursday lunch only—Duck confit tacos! Oh my. The flavor is truly something special. Served on soft tortillas with a fresh rice vinegar/cilantro slaw and chipotle sour cream and topped with avocado slices. Comes with crispy tortilla chips and salsa. $8.99 You are worth it!!!

Friday lunch only—Elk burgers. The VERY last of our elk has been slow wood-fired and has a lovely smoky flavor. We'll serve it on a grilled ciabatta bun with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese and lettuce. Accompanied by oven-roasted sweet potato fries. $8.50

In addition to the above specials we'll have fresh mussels available as an appetizer at dinner in the form of  Mussels Fra Diavolo. They will be steamed for a short period in the fra diavolo sauce which is a spicy tomato-based sauce and served juicy with lots of bread for sopping up. $10.99

Flavor journey—Orange Cranberry Glazed Duck Breast served with portabellas and shitakes over a purée of parsnips and cauliflower. Served with a side salad $18.99

Seafood Entrée—Spanish Paella; a large bowl overflowing with giant gulf shrimp, fresh mussels, calamari, octopus, ocean fish and clams in a rich tomato/ saffron-based sauce and rice. Served with a side salad. $15.99

That's the scoop for this week. Thanks, as always, for your continued support. Have a great week!

~~Susan

w/e April 20th Building momentum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now for those lunch specials~~

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

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

~~Susan

w/e April 6, 2013 When the secret ingredient is "Love"

Sprung!

Okay. I KNOW that sounds as corny as can be. But when I look over our menu and plan the next week's specials I am aware of several aspects. Number one is, "What would you like to eat this time of year? What can we celebrate?", next is "What is abundant or in season?" and then I am thinking about how to plan it all so it won't wear us down. Since we stick to ingredients with the least amount of processing, we are attempting to create meals that are truly healthy for you. If your mother had time, this would most likely be the types of foods she would plan. Each person who works with us in our kitchen truly loves cooking and working with fresh ingredients. Consider the quality of the energy that goes into your meal. The plant and meat energies are clean; the creative energies are clean; we compost and recycle; we support sustainable suppliers and are locavores as much as possible. I don't CARE if you think it is corny, it is a true statement of our vision. I make a lot of noise about how we change up the menu to keep me from getting bored, but that is really just a serendipity for me. Our cooking team is having a blast and LOVE is a key ingredient.

Even though we think of our little cafe as something that has stepped away from the mainstream, I am laughing myself silly reading that we are currently totally "on trend." Suddenly, it is trendy to use local ingredients, make "slow foods," change menus regularly to follow the seasons, serve in-house-made ice cream, in-house cheeses, in-house dressings, regional or local beers and wines and have kitchen gardens attached to the cafe. What we've done because it felt right and fit our style is suddenly "in." How funny is that? We love that you have supported that direction and intend to keep going that way—even after it may no longer be trendy.

Many of you are taking advantage of our referral program and getting double punches for introducing us to your friends and colleagues. Thank you. Last week was one of our most spectacular and we were thrilled. Keep bringing them in and getting double punches on your lunch bunch card. With your help we'll quickly reach that long-term sustainability level we are seeking.

Reminder: Wednesday is Winey Wednesday and that means off 20% all wines all day. We like having the extra incentive to lure you in during the mid-week. With that in mind we are extending things a bit. Now you can get 20% off any beer all day Brewers' Tuesday.

Spring has finally built up enough energy to burst forth. The forsythias are vibrant, the daffodils laughing their heads off, the redbuds are threatening to explode. It is time to get that raised bed behind the cafe up and running. We need used tires!!!!! Big ones!!!! We'll paint the outside so they won't be an eyesore, cut out the sidewalls and fill them with rich soil. We are building on a nearly impermeable base. We also still need cinder blocks in any quantity. I was originally thinking we needed about 100 but after visiting my friend's garden yesterday I think we can get by with about half that number. Please call me so we can pick them up or arrange delivery. PLEASE!!!!!

I have mentioned before that we are really enjoying having Amy on our staff. I don't know if I mentioned that she is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu in Denver. I mean Q*U*A*L*I*F*I*E*D!!!! I have had so much fun working closely with her and learn things from her every day. We seem to be able to bounce ideas back and forth seamlessly and what results is very exciting. Stay tuned while we mine her knowledge and use it to keep your tummy most happy. I love her sense of play. Go Amy, GO!!!!

Have you tried our new seasonal side? It is tabouli. Made with bulgar wheat, fresh parsley, lemon juice, tomato, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. It has a very fresh spring taste. Try it with your next sandwich.

I am thrilled to be serving roasted leg of lamb this week at dinner. I acquired gorgeous boneless legs and will be oven-roasting them to medium-rare after seasoning with garlic, rosemary, and mint. We'll serve a vinegar-based fresh mint sauce using a recipe passed down from my Canadian grandmother. Spring, red-skinned potatoes are seasoned with fresh garlic and parsley and lovely English peas touched by a bit of butter, mint and shallots will round out the meal. The meal, as always, comes with a generous side salad. $14.99. When was the last time you had leg of lamb? Bet it has been a while. This will be the Flavor Journey —to Canada!

Seafood Entrée—Pan-fried BONELESS whole trout à la meunière. We'll coat the trout in seasoned cornmeal/ flour and then pan-fry in corn oil for a very short time. I'll top it with a meunière sauce made with butter, shallots, lemon, capers,white wine, fresh parsley, and garlic. Served with garlic red-skinned potatoes and fresh asparagus or seasonal stir-fry and our generous side salad. $14.99

Lunch specials~

Monday~ Falafel in whole grain tortilla with feta, sprouts, tomato, and onion. Topped with tzatziki and served with a side of tabouli. $6.99; add hummus for $.75
Tuesday~ Pork Bahn Mi sandwich. All Week!! Asian marinated pork loin, freshly pickled cucumbers and carrots, sriracha mayonnaise and sprouts on a French bread roll with side. $7.99 This was a favorite all summer.
Wednesday~ Pork fried rice with a side salad. A mixture of white and brown rice, yellow onions, green onions, red pepper, local eggs, spring peas and chopped carrots plus roasted pork loin. $7.99
Thursday~Egg Salad Sandwich with side. Those local fresh eggs have really rich yolks. Served on Jason's bread with fresh tomatoes and sprouts with side. $7.25
Friday~Wood-fired salmon pasta with side salad. A lunch-sized portion of the wood-fired salmon pasta with roasted red pepper sauce I serve at night. $8.25 Find out what all the hoopla is about.

Thank you for sharing this journey with us. As time goes by I am delighted to discover just how many of you "get us." We know we are doing things a bit differently and we are proud of that. Mostly we are doing things that simply make sense—locally, globally and personally. Your ongoing support allows us to keep doing what we do. We never forget that. Thank you.~~

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

Taking time to enjoy the change of seasons

Well, it is official. Spring has definitely begun in the Ozarks.The fruit trees have arrived in the Wal-Mart and feed store parking lots. Soon to follow will be the big bales of peat moss and then the flats of early veggies like cabbage, onions, spinach and kale. Can you feel the energy building? Just like the trees and flowers, it seems we allow the excitement to build to that crescendo that marks the first truly warm weekend. We are still a few weeks away from that explosion but the path has been laid out and the kernel of excitement planted.

Last weekend we had the Filipino Flavor Excursion. Twenty lucky folks were taken for a dining adventure that included 10 courses, 5 wines and lots of new flavor combinations. I have written a full report that you can read separately, if you wish. I haven't uploaded it to the website yet, but I will. The next Flavor Excursion is planned for a weekend in June and will feature the foods of Morocco. I have already begun preserving the lemons and searching for an appropriate tent-like solution.

Starting NEXT week we will be open for lunch on Mondays. Amy and Drew will be manning the cafe along with Vincent. Amy, who has a strong background in vegetarian fare, will begin introducing Meatless Monday specials. If you know a few vegetarians, this might be a good time to invite them to join you for lunch. The full regular lunch menu will be available as usual, it is just that the special will be vegetarian and often even vegan. I am excited about this expansion as it will broaden our exposure to an new audience plus it doesn't involve more work on my part. Yippee!!!!

I am excited that we suddenly have access to a wider seafood selection. Though frozen, these fish options are much more readily available and don't require a 25-30 pound minimum purchase in order to access. I'll still be keeping my eye on the sourcing, quality, additives and sustainability. We'll still bring in fresh seafood on a fairly regular basis but we can keep other fish more available for weekly consumption. I'll always designate the fresh as being fresh from the boats. This week for dinner, we will have 8 oz cod baked in packets with wild mushroom sauce and bok-choy with snow peas and garlic. $13.99. Available Wed- Fri.

Lamb, anyone? While exploring dishes for the Filipino dinner I found a recipe for a Malaysian lamb dish~~ Vindaloo Lamb. It combines flavors of Portugal, China and the Islands- such is the melange of Malaysia. It has chilis, ginger, shallots, garlic, cumin seeds and black mustard seeds plus vinegar in the braise. {My reference is a book entitled A Spoonful of Ginger, and it credits cumin seed with removing impurities from the blood and increasing milk production while nursing. It goes on to say that if you have a skin rash you can boil 3 tablespoons of cumin seeds with 1 cup of water and add it to bath water for relief. You can get bulk cumin seeds at Meadowbrook Health Foods and likely at JB's Healthmart, as well.} Back to dinner...we'll have the lamb and serve it with rice and bok-choy stir-fried with snow peas and garlic. Available From Tues.- Fri $14.99.

Here's this week's lunch specials~~

All week~ Winter Solstice Salad ~ Spinach, arugula, red onion, feta, red grapefruit sections, orange sections, pomegranate, almonds, avocado, and chicken with an orange vinaigrette. Usually $7.59- this week $7.25

Tuesday~ Teri-yaki chicken with jasmine rice, stir-fried bok-choy, snow peas, swiss chard and garlic plus cup of miso soup $7.99
Wednesday~ Sirloin steak salad ~~ Romaine, arugula, feta, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber topped with slices of medium rare sirloin steak and our oriental sesame dressing $7.99
Thursday~ Chicken mole tacos on corn tortillas with guac, salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips $7.99
Friday~ Crab and Avocado Salad with Japanese Dressing $7.99

All right, Kids! I am ready to dive into the week. Let's make it a happy one! Thanks for being along for the ride.

~~Susan

Spring!!!!!!

Well, we just had about the shortest, mildest Missouri winter I can remember. In fact, it reminded me very much of my winters in Dallas. Let's hope we don't have a summer to match the Dallas weather. This week, Tuesday, in fact, marks the first day of spring. This is also the equinox—equal length day and night. When driving north from Thayer, US 63 near the race track is pointing in such a way that sunrise comes up on the Equinox right in the middle of the road. I've been watching the progression all fall and winter. If I was headed south about sunset, the sun should set right in the middle of the road going the other way. The forecasts are calling for above freezing weather for the next week or so. So I am going to be the brave optimist I usually am and jump in and buy my basil plants. Yeah, I know we could get hit like we did in 2008 with an April hard freeze. I'll take my chances.

Last week was very exciting for us. We began serving beer and wine with our meals and we had the largest turnout for Friday night we have ever had. We served over 60 at dinner. Shazam!!!! We don't expect to feed that many every week, but it is good to know we can. Starting in April we'll officially take over the other side as expansion space. We used it to good advantage on Friday and love the ability to spread out. Other plans for the second side include a small fine-craft gallery as soon as I can get my act together to find someone to help make it happen.

With the additional staff we are getting your meals out in a more timely manner. I hope you've noticed. We sure have. During the day, Rick Mize has been expediting and it has made a huge difference in how smoothly things are going. Thank you, Rick!  He will also be the usual waiter in the evenings, with additional help on Fridays as needed. We know that keeping staff is often really hard in the restaurant business. I take a huge amount of personal pride in how little turnover we have had, thus far.  Hopefully, you will always see happy, friendly staff. I've told my team I am far more impressed with genuine friendliness and good communication skills than a high level of "professionalism." Hopefully, you'll get it all.

The fresh fish we have been getting in has been of a wonderful, high quality. Sadly, it hasn't always arrived and I've scrambled to make other arrangements. This week, once again, my order got cancelled on the provider's end. So I am sticking my neck out in a big way and bringing in 25 lbs. of Gulf white shrimp. These are the big guys—9-12 per pound with heads on. They will arrive from the boat on Wednesday in time for dinner. They were still swimming on Tuesday morning. After numerous discussions, Bruce and I decided that we'll keep the heads on and cook them on the griddle. The flavor of these shrimp is so pristine that we decided to add as little flavoring as possible. We'll serve them over a fresh pineapple boat filled with coconut rice and grilled pineapple. The pineapple will be glazed with sweet soy sauce. On the side we'll stir-fry onions, snow peas, red peppers, bok-choy and mushrooms. I think it will be a lovely presentation as well as being mucho flavorful. We'll price it at $14.99. I know, it IS a steal.

My "flavor journey" at night is one that was popular before. This goes vaguely to Italy—lemony chicken piccata over linguine. Chicken breasts are pounded flat to create an even thickness. Why? So that the entire piece of chicken cooks at the same rate. They are then sautéed to create a slightly caramelized crust. We slice them across the grain (to give you the most tender mouthfeel) into fingers and lay atop buttered linguine. The sauce, which is poured over the top, is made from fresh shallots, fresh garlic, fresh lemons, fresh parsley, capers, butter and some white wine. I can smell it now. Can't you? We'll start you with a salad. $10.99

Lunch will also get a "flavor journey" this week. I am introducing Bahn Mi (pronounced bohn mee'.) This Vietnamese sandwich has become the darling of the food trucks in LA and Boston. The bun is made from a fresh French baguette cut into quarters. The texture of the bread is crispy on the outside and light— quite a different mouth-feel than a hoagie, which is very doughy. The meats can vary vastly but the first one I'm doing is made from pork that has been marinated in Asian spices and grilled. The vegetables include a slaw made from carrots, sometimes, daikon radish and mostly rice vinegar and the sauce is a spicy mayonnaise. Cilantro and sprouts are the major greens. The overall direction is light and bright—perfect for warm weather. If this dish gets a healthy reception then I'll add it as a "regular" to the menu and add a chicken version and a beef version and maybe even a vegetarian one. So stay tuned! Give it a try on Friday. A glass of pinot grigio would be perfect with it.

Here's this weeks' menu~

• Tuesday~ Romans are on sale at 50 cents off. Choose between the original with its cold cuts, the wood-fired trout, or the seared tuna. Each comes with a side item.
• Wednesday~ Sausage and mushroom quiche with side salad. $6.75
• Thursday~ Cashew chicken tamales. This has become one of the most requested tamales Bruce makes. If you like Cashew Chicken, you'll love the Cashew Chicken Tamales. Served with a side of white rice. $6.75
• Friday~ Grilled pork Bahn Mi. Served with a side item. $6.49

Seafood~ (dinner only)Ginormous Gulf Shrimp served in a pineapple boat with coconut rice, grilled pineapple and Asian stir-fry. $14.99

Flavor Journey~ Lemony chicken picatta over linguine. Served with a side salad. $10.99

I have a survey I am posting on Facebook I hope you'll answer. Our Facebook page is A La Carte Cafe. Please note the West Plains address. (There is another out West) It addresses music on Friday nights and your input is needed. We are considering removing the live music with dinners and only having it Saturday nights with more of a tapas menu. You have a vested interest in how this goes. So please share your thoughts.

If you were to attend a strongly spring event that included lots of frivolity, was family friendly while still serving beer and wine, what activities would you expect to find? We hail from Austin (lived there 12 years). In that town (when we lived there it was still a "town" to most) there is an annual festival the last Saturday in April called "Eeyore's Birthday Party." It was started by a UT professor as a way to get students to lighten up a bit the week before exams. It has become a huge civic fundraiser and has been around for 49 years. To an outsider it might simply look like a Bacchanalian festival. But in true Austin style, it is a family event—face painting, Maypoles, beer trucks, one hundred plus portable toilets, everyone in costume and all. I have no interest in generating a festival on that scale. However, as a resident I loved the intensity of the frivolity. It was a total riot—in a good way. We are planning our own small scale "Eeyore's Birthday Party." The date will be the last Friday in April on the 27th. I have no idea how we will celebrate. The purpose is to really acknowledge the warmer weather, get out, meet friends and family and loosen up—and, of course, bring in a bit more business to us. So I want to hear from you! If you wanted to attend the most fun event in an urban setting what would it include? BTW—I have zero interest in competing with ANY other West Plains event. This is simply an in-house promotion that seemed like a fun idea.

Do you remember Andy Roose? He came in last fall from St. Genevieve and got a very warm reception. He has a lovely style, easy to listen to and still full of emotion. Andy writes almost all of his own material—a rare singer/songwriter. He'll join us this Friday evening starting around 6pm. In case you are wondering, we don't usually charge a cover charge when we have music. Instead, we appreciate your dining with us and simply ask that you tip the musician(s) and your waitstaff generously.

Get out the umbrellas~ it is going to be a wet week! If you come in the door when it is raining, remind us and we'll give you a 50 cent discount~ unless you are already getting one.
~~Susan

Anticipation...

We are eagerly awaiting the receipt in the mail of our new permit to serve beer and wine. If you have been a customer of ours all along, you know what a long runway this has been. If you are new to us, welcome to the new era.  We are hoping to make readily available wines and beers from local wineries and breweries. We realize this may take awhile to educate our palates and discover how things are distributed. As with everthing we've done thus far, this is a new learning curve. Bear with us. If you have strong regional preferences NOW is the time to speak up. We may be a bit clumsy as we learn about each pour, but the chance to learn about such a new and vast arena is a very exciting, if daunting. Initially we will be working only with breweries that can provide beers in bottles or cans as the cost of taps is up there! With over 75 wineries in Missouiri we should be able to have quite the route to discovery. Our funds to stock up on the front end is, so far, limited. So, we will keep our selections narrow to begin with. Your input will dictate our direction of expansion. So get to in-putting!

This week's FRESH fish is salmon (available Wednesday - Friday at dinner). Between us, Bruce and I decided that a blackened version with a kicky salsa would be the best way to go. I'll do a stir-fry using primarily baby bok-choy, yellow onions, garlic and cabbage. The rice will have a sofrito (crucial to most Caribbean dishes, sofrito is made up of peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro and tomatoes) finish. The salmon will be offered with a choice of salad or soup. Market price will be determined later in the week when I learn my cost. The mahi-mahi last week was quite a bargain as I listed the price before I learned my cost. Ouch. Lesson learned.

The Flavor Journey (available Tuesday - Friday at dinner)will be a traditional Malaysian dish in which beef is simmered in a fragrant combination of coconut milk, chiles, and spices. The recipe came right out of my recent issue of Fine Cooking. This issue has so many interesting recipes that I am chomping at the bit to try them all out. One aspect of the the Beef Rendang (pronouced rehn-dong') that especially appealed to me was the layering of flavors—six layers! The dish begins by roasting whole spices of cloves, cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks and star anise in oil. To that is added even more spices in the form of ground coriander, cumin, fennel seed, tumeric and black pepper. Another layer with shallots, dried chiles, ginger. Then comes coconut milk, lemongrass and tamarind and fresh cilantro. If we had access to them, I would have added galangal, keffir lime leaves and unsweetened coconut. Sadly, without ordering those ingredients via the internet or making a trek to St. Louis, I'll have to pass. We'll serve this dish with a choice of soup or salad and a side of coconut rice.  I think you'll enjoy the complexity of the flavors as much as I do. The cost will be $11.99

Soups this week will begin with French Onion Soup and Miso Soup. I make the miso with white miso and hon dashi plus strips of seaweed, tofu, green onion and thin sliced mushrooms. Later in the week I'll also do a Greek Lemon chicken and rice soup.

The desserts should be fun. I have a crepe cake that is layered with a pastry cream and chocolate and hazelnut between chocolate crepes. Only 10 servings of that puppy. Maybe I should make it twice....
Bruce has another mocha ice cream pie ready to go.

Now here is this week's lunch menu~~

Tuesday~ Introducing the new Spring Salad 50 cents off~Spinach or arugula, snowpeas, alfalfa sprouts, feta, strawberries, red onion, walnuts and wood-fired chicken. Recommended dressing is our spinach dressing which has a pronounced toasted sesame flavor. $5.99
Wednesday~Greek Excursion~Spanakopita (spinach/ feta turnover), small Greek salad, lemon chicken kabobs over white rice. $7.99
Thursday~Vietnamese pork tamales, red curry sauce and pineapple salsa with Vietnamese fried rice. $6.75
Friday~Chicken Cacciatore Crepes with parmesan cream sauce. Crepes are filled with fragrant chicken, tomato and mushrooms and topped with a parmesan cheese sauce. Served with a side salad and buttered noodles $6.99

Remember~ until the permit to serve beer and wine is in our hands, we'll be serving only the usual beverages of iced green tea with jasmine, lemonade, pomegranate blueberry lemonade, soft drinks, coffee and hot teas. It'll happen soon enough.

We have no music booked this week. However, a rollicking good time should be had by all next Friday when Rick Mize and Dustin Collins join us again as Chief Wahoo and the Electric Tonic. I have no idea what that name means but the sound is decidedly Irish Folk. We SHOULD be able to serve beer and wine that night. Yee-haw! Okay. My Texas roots are showing.

As you may already know, my vision of this place has always been as a sidewalk cafe. Sadly, we seem to have a wind tunnel in just the place where tables would most likely go. That has put more than a few people off. I am actively seeking a wind abatement solution. So far, I have comeup with the idea of a stack of straw bales to block the wind up to a height level with the top of a sitting person. Do you have any bright ideas? I'd love to hear them. We can't do anything permanent and I don't want to haggle with permits and zoning.

Thank you, as always for traveling this journey with us. I, personally, think we are all benefitting. Have a joyous week. Don't forget to take a moment to notice spring is bursting out all over. I know that Mom will be thrilled when I take her for a drive later this week.

~~Susan

Calm before the storm...

Wow! Last week was really something! It started off with Bruce calling in sick for the first time in a year. Then Jon's back went haywire. We had events scheduled all week and in spite of all the craziness, things went well. In fact we had our strongest week ever. Thank you!

We love getting the calls from the doctors' offices requesting we cater their tech meetings. To our delight, several have begun requesting our food, telling us it provides about the healthiest and tastiest options in town. Yeah, us! I really have tried to keep the dining options ones that make you feel good about your meal decisions. Too many times, I, myself have ordered something at a restaurant and thought, oh what have I done? Later, my body is trying to handle the results of too much fried foods. Tasty food is easy to order. We want to make healthy food just as tasty and easy to choose.

Friday night last week was a hoot! Rick Mize and Dustin Collins took us to the Emerald Isle with rollicking Irish folktunes. Thank you for joining us. We had a blast! You'll be seeing more of Rick as he is helping us out in the cafe both at lunch and dinner. His experience should help expedite getting your meals on the table faster and keeping your glasses full.

I continue to be delighted with the fresh fish we have been able to serve Wednesday through Friday evenings. This week we will have FRESH mahi-mahi. Since there are no commercial fish farms raising mahi-mahi we can be sure it is wild-caught. This brilliantly colored fish swims close to the surface eating shrimp and small fish in warm tropical waters. You may have heard it called dolphin or dorado. It is not the porpoise, a mammal we often call dolphin—like Flipper. This light flavored, pink meated fish has some of the sweetest meat in the fish world. We are thinking tropical here in our treatment. Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi is first par-baked then finished with a slathering of coconut milk, melted butter, panko bread crumbs and ground macadamia nuts. We'll pair it with rice that has been cooked with coconut milk to give it a soft finish and our stir-fry made with various Asian vegetables. For a first course you will be given a choice of soup or salad. $14.99 FYI~ we usually only have about 10-12 servings available for the week. If you really want it, I encourage you to call in with a reservation and a request that we hold a serving for you.

I've been all over the map (pardon the pun) with regard to this week's Flavor Journey. I finally decided the Flavor Journey this week takes us to France—specifically the Burgundy region. We'll experience the well-known French dish Beef Burgundy or Boeuf Bourguignon. The meat for this dish is a beef rump roast that is cut into bite size pieces and marinated a long time in a good quality red wine. In this case we are using Traver Home Winery's Chambourcin from just up the road in Willow Springs plus a bit of brandy. It may remind you of a good beef stew but the marinating in wine for many hours gives a distinctive flavor to the beef. Cooked in a braise of carrots, onions, beef broth and herbs for several hours, the result is gentle on the tongue. The dish is finished with butter-sautéed mushrooms. We'll pair it with our red-skinned garlic mashed potatoes. You'll get your choice of soup or salad, as well. $11.99 Are you hungry yet?

Here's this week's lunch menus~~
Tuesday~ 50 cents off the Winter Salad. We're running out of time for this yummy salad that begins with your choice of arugula or spinach, red onion, chunks of tomato, feta cheese, avocado and red grapefruit, pomegranate and almonds and served with our honey mustard dressing. Don't miss it or you'll have to wait until next year.
Wednesday~ Empanadas~ at the request of one of our customers (Phil, this is for you!!) we are bringing this dish back for an encore. We are doing the Argentinian version here by wrapping meats and veggies in a blanket of pie crust and baking it. Served with a side salad $6.75
Thursday~Sweet Italian sausage tamales, marinara and rainbow rice. Bruce's melding of cultures is always a delight and his home made tamales are sure to fill you up. $6.75
Friday~Chicken pot pie. We'll make it all from scratch using fresh veggies and our own pie crust. Served with a side salad. $6.75

Update on the license—step 2 is the paperwork to change the sales tax number to the LLC. That should be done by Wednesday and the final package to the state should go out this week. I have spoken to the person on the state level who will be handling our application. She seemed optimistic that we might have it in the timeframe we're hoping for— St. Patrick's Day. Fingers crossed!

Have you noticed the bright yellow mums on the tables? I love how they brighten the place. Spring is so close I can taste it!

As always—we are here because you are letting us know that what we are doing, while unusual in these parts, is what you are looking for. We thank you for sharing your love and energy with us. Your feedback, input and ideas mean the world to us and we look forward to what you have to tell us. When we get it right, we love to hear about it. When we miss—we need to hear about it, too.

Have a warm early spring week!~~

Susan

Inspiration all around us!

Now that I am finally past the cold, the tooth ache and the back tweak, I can finally be in receptor mode for energy. If you saw me Friday night, you'll already know this, as I was dancing my way through the kitchen that night! Some people were pretty sure I was drunk—NOT! I was just so happy to be pain free and delighted to see all the happy faces in the audience. We had a lovely crowd. I hope that keeps up as it was PERFECT! Thanks to Phil Orlikowsky and Gary Due, Dennis Crider and Marideth Sisco, and Mark Johnson. They all played for us on Open Mic Night. We are so fortunate to have high caliber talent so nearby—and willing!

This week the Howell County Bards sponsor a Poetry Reading in honor of Poetry Month. When we did our initial survey of entertainment options for Friday night, I was surprised to see that half of those surveyed requested "spoken word" type options. Well, here you go. If you want more of this genre of entertainment, it is important to let us know, by being there! Reservations really help us make sure you get a seat and to assure you get the entree YOU want. If you are joining us early before leaving for other local entertainment, let us know so we can get you in and out quickly.

I love the transition from winter into spring. Watching nature unfurl its glory, bit by bit, is pure joy. Even so, it will be through with its backwards strip-tease all too soon. But after living in the south most of my life, it is nice to see the way Mother Nature paces herself in these parts. You actually have time to notice the unfurling— the daffodils and forsythias, then the redbuds and tulips (now), later the blackberries and iris. I know that is simplistic, but it does break things down a bit.

I have been busy planting my containers for herbs in the courtyard. All last summer and fall we were clipping herbs right from our containers in the courtyard and after a quick rinse, they went straight into your food. I plan to do that again. At first I was worried that mischief makers might disturb our plantings, but realized that our little corner just might be the most photographed corner in town. We are at a convergence of Bank of America CCTV and Howell County courthouse CCTV. In other words, you're on video if you mess with our set-up. It won't stop those intent on mischief, but we might be able to nab them, if they do. Actually, we have found that our customers have a very high level of personal "ownership" in what we are doing. We love it that customers tend to bus their own tables, even though it isn't expected. Thank you. We truly appreciate your efforts to be so helpful. Most will even dump their leftover water onto our thirsty plants. Again—thank you!!!

I am looking forward to hearing about your garden crops. Do you have an abundance of asparagus? Leeks? Strawberries? Rhubarb? Wild mushrooms? Spring onions? I want them! This week I have lots of violets blooming in my yard. You'll see them in the salads as well as garlic chives from my current pickings.

As I write this we are loading up Mom and a trailer and heading to Lakeview, AR to pick up 26 chairs. They will replace the plastic lawn chairs we have been using. The chairs need a bit of clean-up but are basically in good shape. Hopefully, you'll see the outside tables and chairs relegated to outdoor-use-only this week. We're digging up the umbrellas and dusting them off from a winter in the garage. Maybe my vision will finally come true—a sidewalk cafe!  The new tables missed their Friday delivery but should arrive Monday afternoon. We'll have to assemble them, but that won't take long. Soon you'll be eating at brand new tables while sitting on nice wooden chairs. Come grow with us!!!

We are beginning to take reservations for the Earth Feast on Friday April 29th at 6pm. I have not finalized the menu but the premise is that all ingredients are sourced locally. We'll only take 30 reservations and the cost will be $25 each. It will be multi-coursed and presented as a feast. Part of the proceeds will go toward supporting Chefs Collaborative, a national organization of chefs committed to local sustainability and sourcing of ingredients. I expect that a few of the sources will be present to tell you about their unique products— beef, pork, poultry, dairy, lamb, elk, buffalo, preserves, bakery, eggs etc. I am still working on some of the sources. That is why the menu isn't finalized. Call in your reservation to the cafe line 417-505-0302. We filled up quickly for St. Patrick's Day. Don't wait!

This week will feature more salads and seafood and we're experimenting some more. Come play!

Now to this week's menu—
Monday~Arugula, spinach and avocado salad $4.99; you can add chicken, salmon  or trout for add'l charge. Meatball, greens and pecorino soup—lots of people told me this was their favorite soup this year!3.49/c, 4.99/ b, 5.59 16oz.
Tuesday~ beef tamales with Colorado sauce—Bruce is at it again. Need I say more? $6.25
Wednesday~Asian scallop salad $6.25
Thursday~Vietnamese shrimp and glass noodle salad $6.25
Friday~ Lunch: crab and chipotle onion quesadilla $6.25; grilled pork tenderloin with salsa verde $6.25
Dinner: Tuscan Salmon with rosemary orzo $12; Vegetarian anti-pasto platter $10; Elk burgers with oven-roasted garlic potatoes $10

  

Aah! The smell of skunks in the air! Spring is near by

Truly, one of the first harbingers of spring is the smell of dead amorous skunks. It not only reminds us that spring is VERY close but that love can be dangerous. Nature has it so perfectly timed to occur a week after Valentine's Day. Ironic, eh? I think I counted close to 30 of these love casualties on the road yesterday between Thayer and Springfield. I am pretty sure I noticed more of the white with black stripe variety this year. Or maybe the white stripes were just much wider. The fur was longer too. Makes sense when you think how cold this winter has been. Maybe the heavier coat slowed them down.

Are you ready for a continuation of a warm up? I am! It was quite thrilling to put tables outside, at last. As long as the wind isn't brutal, the spot in front of the windows can be quite comfortable.

A couple of updates for you—

• We are now making our own yogurt. It is the primary ingredient in the Tzatziki sauce on the gyros.
• I have made a new dressing option—Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• We now have a suggestion box where you can leave your ideas. We hope you will use it.
• We now have a sign-up list for getting our weekly emails about the specials. Check near the register.
• We are working on a new sandwich using our own buns. We may need you to test it out. Samples this week.
• We are growing our own spicy sprouts. This gives you an option in sprouts—alfalfa or spicy. The spicy sprouts have mustard, clover, radish, and onion in the mix. Kicky! 
• I've been experimenting in various bread options. Watch for them.

This Friday night Renee and Tom will join us for lovely saxaphone and guitar. This duo enchanted us a few weeks ago and packed the house. Plan now to make this Friday evening one to share with us. You won't be disappointed.

Now onto this week's menu—
Monday: White chicken chili, Italian Shrimp Salad.
Tuesday: Tamale Tuesday— Vietnamese Chicken Tamales with red curry and fried rice. Soup is Tom Ka Kai—the coconut chicken soup
Wednesday : French onion soup
Thursday: Sausage and mushroom quiche with soup or side salad; French onion soup
Friday: Lunch: Miso soup, cucumber salad and Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
     Dinner: Pad Thai or beef and pepper mastacciolli (Italian casserole)

We are having so much fun creating new dishes for you. As you may have heard, it is one of my personal missions to expand your palate. At A La Carte Café, we make trying new flavors an adventure. We use as many fresh, local ingredients as we can find. Sometimes we make an ingredient run to Springfield or St. Louis just so we can have the authentic flavors. We hope you are enjoying the flavor journeys. So far, the response has been encouraging.

As the season evolves you can expect more salads and sandwiches and fewer soups. Let me know your favorites. We are planning on adding locally made pickles to our sandwich plates. Do you have favorites? We might even make them ourselves. I didn't grow up eating pickles, so I am somewhat slow to come around to this ubiquitous inhabiter of sandwich plates. Be sure to share your pickle thoughts! What makes a good pickle to you? Are you an adventurous pickle eater or only like one or two varieties?

I was delighted to get the feedback from several of you last week. If you missed the ceviche, fear not. It will return. Bruce's Kapusta soup got rave reviews and disappeared sooooo fast. The quiches are being well received. They will continue—especially since we will have farm fresh eggs, once again. I am now making my pie crusts from scratch. My Home Ec teacher would be so proud!

If you didn't try the over-the-top Blueberry Bread Pudding, you missed a truly decadent dessert. Also the Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie got lots of attention. I'll bring those back. (The Mayan part is the chili in the chocolate.)

Thank you for making A La Carte Café one of your lunch options. We appreciate each visit you make. You are helping to make our dream come true. Thank you.

Now THIS is more like it!!!!



April flowers in my garden


Spring Anticipation Week Begins NOW!

All RIGHT! Now it feels like we are in the home stretch on winter. I have no doubt that Mother Nature has a few more tricks up her sleeve but at least we can now feel hopeful that the worst is over. The forecast this week doesn't even have a low below freezing. I'm dancing!!!!

As one who has lived in the Ozarks for only 11 years, I still get a thrill out of watching the long anticipatory build-up toward spring. For me, the first real signal that winter is languishing and spring is next is the smell of skunks—usually dead ones in the middle of the road. I got my first whiff today. Come on, spring!!!!!

Watch the front window for Forsythia blooms as I am doing cuttings for forcing. Which day will have the first blooms? Come see.

From the very beginning I have always envisioned our place as a sidewalk cafe. While we were in the trailer it was easier to get the idea across—even if we were next to a used car lot. Over the cold months my vision was primarily a personal one. Now that the weather is abating, we can put a few tables outside. We know how much you enjoyed being able to dine al fresco and we want to keep that ambiance. That was one of the major decision points when we chose to be on the Square—having space for outdoor tables. You will still place your orders at the register, but we should be able to bring your food out to you. It'll give you time to soak up some Vitamin D while ingesting good nutrition and yummy flavors. Kind of a mini-vacation during your workweek.

So—to the islands we go. One of my favorite warm weather lunches is ceviche (pronounced say-vee'-chay.) This week's version features jumbo shrimp, bay scallops and wild-caught Alaskan halibut. The citrus juices "cook" the seafood, transforming its translucent nature to opaque and creating the molecular changes that technically make it a cooked food. It'll be accented with fresh red, green and jalapeno peppers, cilantro and red onion. We'll serve it in a martini glass with tortilla chips and a side of fresh fruit. This will be available on Monday and Tuesday.


Did you notice the switch in our fresh fruit? As the season moves along we change with the seasonal availablility of various fruits. Currently apples, mangoes, and blood oranges make up the fruit cups. We'll move along to the Florida strawberries as they come into season.

Vegetarians— heads up!!! We've been making our own hummus for a while and have usually only offered it at night on Friday. We now will have it available periodically during the week. We serve it with a variety of crisp vegetables and pita points.

Bruce made an awesome soup on Friday called Kapusta. It is a Ukrainian dish that uses pork country-style ribs that are braised until "melt-in-your-mouth" softness along with fresh cabbage and broth. We'll serve it on Monday, in case you missed it...or want another dose.

Another special item for Monday will be some turkey and spinach crepes. I love crepes and I never see them made around here. I make them from scratch (most food places buy them ready-made) and get to use those gorgeous farm-fresh eggs. We'll serve them up with a side of fresh fruit.

Tuesday brings Tamale Tuesday! This week we are going with a warm weather theme and doing a shrimp and tilapia tamale served over a pineapple mango puree and topped with a mango salsa. It'll have you dreaming of the islands in no time!!! Cue the Ska music!!!

Even though the weather will be warmer it is time to bring along the white chicken chili again so you can get your fix. I get many requests for this each week. I am listening!! If you have missed it thus far, you may not know it starts with Jon's wood-fired chicken, has white navy beans, Hatch chilis and lots of fresh onions and garlic. It has a warmth that doesn't burn.

Another option for you veggie-oriented people, we have marinated mozzarella. We pair those itty bitty mozzarella balls with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and serve it with some slices of bread.

Wednesday brings the white chicken chili along for a second day. Plus we'll add an Asian sirloin salad. This salad starts with bitter greens like arugula and spinach plus romaine. We top it with red onion, Roma tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, roasted  peppers, and slices of grilled sirloin steak. The dressing is an Oriental sesame.  I'm planning on making a carrot cake for dessert.

Thursday we'll have turkey, onion and spinach quiche plus side salad. I make it all from scratch and use lots of ingredients. There is nothing wimpy about this quiche—sliced turkey, onion, spinach, red pepper, Swiss cheese, 4 eggs and cream. You get one sixth of the pie.

We'll also have stuffed bell peppers with a side of orzo salad. It is beef-based and one of Bruce's contributions. I am also making a soup called meatball, pecorino and greens soup. It uses veal to make the meatballs and the greens are Maranatha Farm organic kale.

The week continues to warm up and on Friday for lunch we'll have the meatball soup again. I'll add a shrimp and avocado quesadilla to continue the tropical flavors.

Friday night I am planning a lemon mustard pork chop with squash and veggie couscous. The second entree will be Italian Shrimp Salad. Many of you enjoyed it last summer. It is a lemony rice-based salad with lots of chopped shrimp, parsley and a bit of mustard. It is a pretty filling salad, yet, oh so light.

For desserts we'll have Blueberry Bread Pudding, Carrot Cake and Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie.

I think I have covered every possible scenario. No excuses for not making it in this week—something fabulous every day. Plus you'll be wanting to check out those Forsythia blooms.