W/E October 26 This is THE week...stone crab ++

While we watch the magic of the leaves reaching their peak this week, other magic is in store. October 15th has come and gone. Stone crab season in Florida is officially open. This week we'll be flying in 25 pounds of medium stone crabs. You won't find it fresher than this unless you met the boat personally at the dock and loaded straight into your car. These are brought in by the Holliday family in Aripeka on the west coast of Florida north and west of Tampa. They have been harvesting crab from a single boat for many years. As an aside, Karri is one of the family members and has been a lifelong member of the Weeki Wachee mermaid sisterhood. The source is a part of the Sea To Table group and they have always provided the freshest of our fish.

Let me tell you about stone crab—they are the most sustainable means of harvesting, since the crab is allowed to live. Only one claw is removed and the crab is tossed back in the water to grow another claw. It will completely regrow the claw in seven months.  The flesh is wonderfully sweet and is my personal favorite crab. The hard, hard shell will be cracked ahead for you and you will be provided with a nut cracker and a skewer to do the rest. You may choose to eat yours warm or cold. We'll serve it with drawn butter as well as with our sea sauce. This is an extraordinarily rare event, and you don't want to miss it. In fact, folks have already been calling in reservations for the crab. As there will only be 25 pounds of it, if you want some, call it in and perhaps even plan to come in Wednesday or Thursday, just to be sure. Note: not available on Tuesday. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL FRIDAY to reserve. It'll be served with our seasonal stir-fry and our autumnal peppadew potatoes. The cost will be $25.99 for 5 claws. The claws average 6-8 per pound. So this is a pretty good-sized serving. If you need instruction on getting the most out of your claws, we'll be happy to show you. You don't want to miss a morsel.

Friday night music this week will be brought to you by local musicians that have become a crowd favorite. The group is made up of Gordon Johnston, Mark Johnson and CD Scott. They do a fabulous job of classic rock while not overwhelming you. You'll be grooving in your chair ... or go ahead and dance!!!

NEXT WEEK— Holy Moly! Here is a preview....

Thursday, the 31st, is the big Halloween event on the Square. Now called, the Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival, it covers an area all the way from the Courthouse to Garfield St at 1st Methodist. Merchants will be handing out candy in vast amounts. We went through $50 worth of candy in less than an hour last year.

Friday, the 1st, is the Stroll on the Square aka First Friday. We'll be exhibiting the nature photography of Gail Rowley. Her photos totally immerse you in the Ozarks environment. Music-wise, we'll be importing from Arkansas a fabulous jazz duo called Kent and Beci Coffey. Another rare treat you will NOT want to miss!


Now here are this week's lunch specials~~
Monday~ Vegan "tuna" sandwich with side. $7.29
Tuesday~ White chicken chili.. CROWD FAVORITE! with side salad $7.79
Wednesday~ Harvest ham sandwich with inhouse-made honey mustard, apples and choice of blue cheese or Swiss plus a side. $7.59
Thursday~ Creamy chicken enchiladas with Spanish rice. Another crowd favorite. The sauce is made with fresh spinach and New Mexican Hatch peppers. Kicky, but not over-whelmingly hot $7.79
Friday~ BBQ pulled chicken on ciabatta with side $7.59 

Soup~ Wild rice, wild coral mushroom with chicken. A taste treat.

The dinners—
Stone crab, as mentioned above (Wed.-Fri.only). Reservations STRONGLY ADVISED
Apple-stuffed pork chops with our seasonal stir-fry and autumnal potatoes. $14.99

All in all a super week to put us in your plans. We look forward to seeing you. Bundle up!

~~Susan and gang

Arrrgh! Time for some frivolity

As we move into the week, we'll be noting that we are approaching the equinox—one of 2 days a year where the days and nights are the same length. While driving to West Plains from Thayer, the sun comes up in the middle of the road on the equinox right in front of the racetrack. The road there has become the measuring device that gives me a chance to step back from the nuances of the days changing length and enables me to see just where we are in the scheme of things solar. Now the sun will be coming up more to the south of the road. When you are in route to work on Friday, note the location of the sunrise.  It will be just one day off of the equinox. Noting the sunset will also give you a similar indicator of where we are in our astral traversing.

Last week many of you asked me about the flowers we had on the tables. Those were "rain lilies." They popped up overnight after the nice long rain we got a week ago. They have no leaves I have been able to find—now or in the spring when the surprise lilies get their leaves. I always forget they are there until a good late summer rain. Then—a pleasant morning surprise. They are my harbinger of autumn just as the skunks are my harbinger of spring. Changes are afoot just after.

Wednesday brings us "Talk Like a Pirate Day." That is just the level of foolishness we are in need of. You'll see us sporting pirate motifs and talking funny all day. We might even have a few pirate jokes for you. One silly change you can make for a day or two, mostly to entertain yourself, is to change your facebook language to Pirate English. At the very bottom of your facebook page is the language button. Select English. Then, within the English options,  select Pirate. It is silly, fun, and easy to switch back.

After 2 weeks of trying it out, I am pleased to announce that the changes we made on Friday nights in the kitchen are working. I was afraid we had maxxed out the number of folks I could serve in a timely manner on Friday nights. We have streamlined a thing or two, put major components within easy reach, reduced the foot traffic in the pit, moved all salad and dessert operations to the back, kept the beverage service in easy reach of servers and worked out a better system for plating. These were all simply logistical efforts that have enabled me to focus on getting the entrées out hot and with a shorter wait by the customer. No shortcuts on quality have been taken and no additional staff needed. We did, however, add smiling Paula to Friday nights to help with hostessing, keeping glasses full, taking empty plates off tables and expediting food going out. Our small kitchen has limits of delivery and trying to find ways to max it out is a challenge. After this, though, we may have to get more defined in the reservations we make, with definite times staggered more evenly. Right now everyone can arrive at the same time and it makes it tough to get a smooth flow. Just another one of the learning curve items that we are discovering as we go along. I must be getting soooo smart. There sure seems to be a lot to absorb and work out.

We had planned on opening for Monday lunches. We still plan to, but there has been a delay. Rick is the main person who will be in charge of the prep and delivery on Mondays at lunch. He has been suffering recently from a non-ending level of pain in his neck and shoulders. While this is going on, we are not going to over-burden him with this higher work load. Please bear with us and know we have listened to you and know you want a Monday lunch option. Jon and I are physically at the maximum we can handle, currently. With the exception of a few caters, any expansion will have to involve those young kids we hire. So we await a healing.

Soup season is now in full swing. We'll strive to keep it available at all times. The varieties will flucuate. This week we'll start out with "caldo con queso y pollo." In English, this translates to "soup with cheese and chicken." I'll be taking garlic, onions, and fire-roasted Hatch peppers and sautéing them until soft and juicy. Then we'll add in chicken broth, poached chicken and cream, adjust the seasoning and add Monterey jack cheese to finish. Later in the week we'll start some onions for a French onion soup. Those get caramelized for half a day. This fall we are separating out our chilies from the soups. The cost of ingredients is usually quite a bit higher on the chilies and we need to charge for them as entrées instead of soups or add-ons.

An example of this is that the white chicken chili we'll serve on Wednesday (Arrrrgh), we'll make as an entrée and offer with a side salad or other side option. About that chili, we start the night before with white navy beans soaking overnight. The Hatch peppers (mild) will have a prominant role in the flavor profile. We use our wood-fired chicken in this recipe which gives it a full smokey essence. I'll serve it with cornbread or roll.

Whenever I take on a cuisine that is often created in other restaurants, I want to do something fairly unique. I have no interest in competing with what other local restaurants are serving in a head-to-head match-up of dishes. Therefore, I most often will take a more authentic, home-based version of a dish and go from there. This week were are serving beef fajitas as one of our dinner choices—the Flavor Journey, in fact. So what is going to make mine differ from the local Mexican restaurant's version? Well, first of all, we are wood-firing dry-rubbed flank steak to give it a smokey essence. The veggies we'll serve it with are freshly grilled onions, red and green bell peppers, Hatch peppers, local yellow squash and fresh jalapenos. It won't be terribly hot but it will be flavorful. We are now using a whole-grain tortilla for our quesadillas and may try to use them for this, as well. You'll get all the side fixin's like guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro, lettuce and sprouts, plus lime as well as our own seasoned black beans. We can even serve it with a cold beer or a glass of sangria. Available Tuesday- Friday.

The seafood entrée this week is our crab cakes. I take a special pride in making these. They are held together with as little binding as possible and are quite flavorful. There is no such thing as fresh crab unless you are cooking live crab, as most of the boats cook the crab while still at sea and package it before landing. We recently did a head-to-head tasting comparing the various crab options locally available. By far and away the back-fin crab we got from our purveyor was better tasting than the lump or claw available through the grocery stores. Even though "lump" is considered the best tasting universally, the local option had a chemically aftertaste that was distracting and made it not worth using. Each serving is 2 cakes. They will be accompanied by a fresh butternut squash ravioli. Yep. I'll be making fresh sage pasta and stuffing it with butternut squash. Also I'll serve it with fresh, creamy garlic spinach. You can't get much more autumn-y than that. They will be available from Wednesday until Friday nights. As always, it'll have a salad, or this time of year, you may choose soup.

I am retiring the Solstice Salad this week. It has had a nice run. The new Equinox Salad will take its place. As with my all my seasonal salads, it takes its cue from what are seasonally special ingredients. The arugula and spinach return as a base. I love the spicy, peppery flavor the cool-weather arugula gives. To that base we'll add apples and pears, crispy bacon, feta, red onion, roasted red bell pepper, wood-fired chicken and a hot bacon dressing. It'll make its debut on Thursday. After Thursday, it'll be available all week until the next solstice in late December.

Friday's lunch brings back one of the crowd favorites—creamy chicken enchiladas. This recipe uses fresh spinach, mild Hatch peppers, lots of chicken, corn tortillas and Monterey jack cheese—gluten free! You'll get 2, plus black beans, Spanish rice and a whole lotta love. I expect to have 12 servings. Call in your order to reserve.

Now let's address desserts. You've embraced the grilled poundcake with grilled fresh fruits and our in-house vanilla ice cream. I have pavlovas, which are air-filled crisp meringues, topped with sautéed cinnamony peaches and pears, brown sugar-frosted pecans and finished with a brandied whipped cream. Also, this week, French Silk Pie. This creamy chocolate goodness is devine. The grilled poundcake is night-time only. The pie and pavlovas are anytime.

So in a condensed form~~(more details; see above text)
Tuesday~ Trout burgers are 50 cents off. These are proving quite popular. We serve these seasoned trout patties with Rick's lemon dill mayonnaise, tomato and sprouts on grilled ciabatta. It'll come with a side. Usually $7.50—Tuesday $7.
Wednesday~White chicken chili with side salad. $6.99
Thursday~Equinox Salad. $6.99
Friday~ Creamy chicken  enchiladas $7.50

Flavor journey~ Beef fajitas with grilled bell peppers, Hatch peppers, onions, yellow squash, and jalapenos. $12.99

Seafood entrée~Crab cakes with creamy garlic spinach and fresh butternut squash ravioli. $14.99

I hope this week finds you moving forward with your goals and optimistic about your future. Have a happy one!

~~Susan

Summer's end: autumn's return

This week marks the equinox when the days and nights are equally long. Hard to believe those excruciatingly hot days are finally behind us. And finally we are getting some rain. The mums are happy and the herbs, as well. We'll have the doors open and the AC off. Last week was a record week in several ways. We had three "highest evers" in one week. Tuesday and Thursday had highest ever lunches. Friday was a highest ever full day. I just love hearing the sound of happy chatter on those days.  The sound of the slapping wood screen door brings back memories of childhood—memories of running around barefoot all summer.

We took my Mom to see "The Help" on Sunday. What an exquisitely written story. Having grown up in the South, I was young enough to be at the tail end of the period of this kind of treatment. While I know there were those attitudes around me, I gratefully, never witnessed it myself. I am delighted to see the movie made and even more proud that West Plains' Glass Sword cinema has had it running for 3 weeks. Hopefully, it has been a financial success for them, but as a social-justice-type person, I am just thrilled to see a message, as such, getting out. Hats off!!!!!

The change in weather has ushered in a new season of soups. Bruce kicked things off twice last week with his famous French Onion Soup and followed it up with a three cheese Italian soup. The TINY bit I got to taste was terrific. It disappeared REAL fast.

I am looking forward to the first pomegranates of the season as well as the first winter squashes. We have had several requests for a winter squash soup so it will be in the line up as soon as I see them available. My white chicken chili will be making a comeback later this week. Today I have lentil soup made with farmer produced sausage that has no nitrates. Full of lentils, carrots, garlic and onion, it is one of the most flavorful soups and filling, too.

Monday I have a very tasty shrimp poblano quiche—Mexican, seafood, eggs and cheese all wrapped up in one dish. There are lots of shrimp in it. $6.50 with fruit or potato salad/$8.00 with a side salad.

Tuesday Bruce steps up with his hand-built tamales. This time he tackles gumbo. Phil Wages brought in some lovely okra and that will be the star in that dish. Chicken gumbo tamales with dirty rice. Should be an interesting flavor combination. So far his experiments in tamales have produced some fine results. Go Bruce! Go! $6.50

Wednesday Enchiladas Cremosas de Pollo—translates to creamy chicken enchiladas. Rick Bayless of Frontera fame in Chicago has shared this recipe and I love it. I'm pretty sure you will, too. I'll serve it with a fennel-apple slaw and Spanish rice. Reminder: If you see a special on the list you want, call in that morning and we'll save you a serving. I only make 8-10 servings of each special, so they go fast.
$6.50

Thursday Bruce will take over the pizza game with sweet Italian sausage pizzas topped with fresh tomatoes, onions and cheese. They'll be served with a side salad. $7

Friday lunch will be Curried turkey and couscous salad with dried cranberries. This will be a hearty salad that will fill you up quite well. Served with a cranberry nut muffin. $6.50

Friday night this week brings the return of the Renee Wood Trio. They play swinging jazz on saxophone, guitar and drums. We often fill the house when they join us, so reservations are strongly advised.
The seafood entree~Bruce will marinate tuna in red miso and then sear it. It'll be served with wakame salad and a sushi roll. $12
The meat entree~ Lemon Moroccan chicken with couscous. Served with a chunky cucumber/ feta  salad $12
The vegetarian entree~Roasted root veggies with grilled polenta. Served with a veggie-loaded salad. $10

It should be a good week for dining al fresco if the rain holds off during lunch-time. I look forward to hearing the door slap as you join us. Welcome in the fall with us. See ya~~

~~Susan

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.

Brrr! Cold Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you soon!

Sept 27- October 1~~White chicken chili, Pesto Chicken Sandwich & Th/Fr sushi

It's really beginning to feel like fall now and with the rain out of the way, the courtyard should be perfect. I have ordered new batik fabric to change out the tableclothes to a more appropriate color-scheme for autumn. The next batch of mums should begin blooming and a few pumpkins added to the mix should be just about right.

I've been awaiting this weather to bring out the white chicken chili. Finally!!! We'll be using Jon's wood-fired chicken as the base. I'll cook navy beans from scratch, add onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, some newly roasted New Mexico Hatch chilis, and so on. I'll top it with Crema Mexicana and toasted Pepitas and  serve it with a jalapeno cornbread muffin. Bring on the cool weather!!!

For the sandwich this week we are bringing back the Pesto chicken sandwich. I am using what is probably the last of Mary Badiny's basil to make fresh pesto. This is the "spread" on the sandwich. Then a few slices of wood-fired chicken, fresh tomato, provolone cheese and sliced avocado. If you missed it the first time, here is your chance. We had people asking for it well into the next week last time.

For you sushi fans-- I am making sushi but only on Thursday and Friday. I will make spicy shrimp rolls and serve it with miso soup. You might wish to reserve yours a day ahead--just to be sure.

In case you missed it, we have brought the fish tacos back as a permanent item on our menu.

The "return" goody~~for those of you making a second or more visit during the week~~ your goody will be a bar cookie of some sort. I make those for delivery beginning Tuesday. So I am reserving my decision on which one right now. It's a surprise.

We now have several people helping us find our perfect next spot. We are looking for some creative thinking to make it all work. Progress is being made. Your continued visits are making it happen. Your spreading the word even farther will make a huge difference in the long run. Thank you!!

If you haven't been back in a bit, please make this the week you do so. There are lots of improvements-- larger quesadillas, more meat on the sandwiches, umbrellas shading the tables & a community table. We've gotten quite a bit faster as we learn to streamline some techniques without sacrificing quality.We continue to make our own breads each day, use fresh ingredients and source locally as much as we can, and we really care  that you get a meal you thoroughly enjoy, at a cost you find reasonable, in a timeframe that allows pleasure. We actively seek your feedback and listen to what you say.

See you this week!