The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for June 2 - 6, 2008

Richard grills
We have fresh fish every day.  This is Wahoo.  "Wa-HOOO!!!"  (Couldn't resist.)

Check today's deli case for today's offering.


Martha and her eggs
These are her hands and her devilled eggs - pre garnish.  I think I've told you about the "Millah" (named after Karen Miller who used to work here before she decided to move to New York.)  Many people are fine with an egg on the side of their plate.  I still prefer to smush one on a piece of a baguette.


Roasted tomatoes
The burrito of the day frequently contains these roasted tomatoes.  Chopped, seasoned, tucked in.  As in so many things, there is more to our burritos than meets the eye.



Dinners to go for this week
Dinners, as you know, come with a freshly-made green salad, salad dressing of the day, and made-right-here bread of the day. We take reservations until noon or so. Please order by phone (252-1500), by FAX (252-02002) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

As a reminder, every time you order a dinner to go you are eligible to enter our drawing. Just drop a card in our drawing jar (a business card works or fill out one of the cards that we have right here) and, at the end of the month, we'll pull one card which will be good for two free dinners-to-go.

Maybe you'll win next month.

Order a lot? Enter a lot!
Good luck!!

Here is this week's menu:

Monday           June 2              Lemon Rosemary Chicken Florentine 9.95

Tuesday           June 3              Shrimp and Scallop Crepes with Saffron Sauce 14.25

Wednesday      June 4              Stuffed Local Pork Chops with Rosemary Potatoes 13.25

Thursday          June 5              Elsie’s Chicken Baked in Wine 10.75

Friday              June 6              Spicy Roast Salmon with Coconut Rice 14.25




Our website


Special casserole of the week
We make a special casserole each week, usually on Wednesday. Order before noon and we'll have yours ready to pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 that very afternoon. (Yes, you can order in advance too.) Order a full for 9 portions or, if your gang is smaller, opt for the half-sized one, which serves 4 or so.

Say, we'll happily make a salad and provide bread for you if you like, just let us know when you call and we'll get you all set up.

Wednesday,  June 4

Greek-style Seafood with Lemon, Olives, and Orzo

Full: 49.75

Half: 25.00



 


Baked and Fried...
Inspired by the New York restaurant Good Enough to Eat, which was my favorite place and was, in truth, the inspiration for this business, our "Baked and Fried" which is actually fried and then baked, is one of our staples.  We often have them as "chicken bites" and we frequently make a tofu version too.  Oh so satisfying!


Almost sweet potato salad
Looking at this snap, it is funny to think that this mistake (the slices burned a little) turned into one of our most popular salads.  Richard's Award-winning sweet Potato Salad.  We add honey, lemon, some spices.  Mmmmm.


COOKIES!!
Marty is now our full time baker.  Essie takes care of us on his day off.  Isn't this a fine sight - trays and trays of just-baked cookies.  SO good!  Check out the dessert of the day, the bars, the breakfast things...(today he made herbed foccacia - not sweet but delish too.)


A Note From Laurey

Blissful rain today as I write.  I wondered if that would mean a quiet shop but – nope – we’re pleasantly full.  Lots of talkers here, lots of business being done, lots of energy and activity and buzz.  A little earlier I was showing someone around and remembered when we first moved into this space.  Our employee break area was then at the back of our café.  Soon we had more and more customers and had to move the staff back into our downstairs area.  This building was built in 1902 and the original stone walls are visible in that room’s foundation.  We used to have our office there and I still like going downstairs, soaking into the cool and the quiet. 

I’ve been thinking about place these days.  Still looking at the bees as my chief teachers.  I might have told you that I only attended half of bee school.  I’m missing some key pieces of information but, in an uncharacteristic manner, I leaped in, bought the parts to make my hives, found someone to sell me some bees, and am off and running.  In a way its not too different from the evolution of this place of my work.

At a certain point a beekeeper has to provide more space for the bees to work.  The bottom most box or two are for baby raising.  Later, when both of those nursery boxes are filled with bees, tucked into their little honeycomb chambers, more boxes are piled on, one at a time.  Those boxes are where the bees make and store their winter’s supply of honey.  Called “supers” the first box is for the bees.  Additional boxes are for me (and, when and if there is a lot, you.)

I’m still right at the beginning of this, you know.  I am at the point where I check and see if the bees have “drawn out” enough of the frames in the first box to warrant adding a second one.  The bees build honeycomb on a wax sheet, their foundation.  Each box hold ten frames.  When seven of them have comb and baby bees, the second gets added.

The other day I donned my bee clothes and examined my little colonies.  The first hive had bees but it was hard to see if there was a queen or eggs or any developing babies.  I’m so new I don’t know exactly what to look for, but, though there were bees, I didn’t see obvious signs of more.  The second hive was a completely different story.  Almost all the frames were filled with activity: honeycomb with honey, babies, activity.  Big difference!!  I did not find the queen but her presence was clear.

I added a second box to that hive.  I will check the first hive again in a few days.  I might need to figure out how to give those bees a new queen.  This is a whole new challenge for me.  I’m not positive that I don’t have a queen.  And if I put in another one, will the new one kill the old one?  There’s more to it.  It’s complicated.  There is a lot to learn.  

I chose to do this bee thing so I could provide a good, safe place for these endangered creatures.  I’m interested in tasting the honey that they make from the flowers in my neighborhood.  I’m intrigued with this project, this figuring out of when to do what.   I already love my little bees and am awed by them and by the complexity of this venture.  I’m just on step one.  So far, so good.  I’ll figure it out.  Somehow.  Just like we did here.


Local shitakes
Spring has certainly sprung.  Our friend Robert showed up the other day with a bag filled with just-harvested Shitakes.  Rick and the gang turned them into this lunch offering.  That's one great thing about a flexible menu - ya never quite know what we'll have.

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