The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for March 9 - 13, 2009

Leaving on a jet plane...
Can you believe this?  The entire staff came to send me off on this amazing bicycle journey.  That is, they got up and came to the airport at 6 in the morning.  Amazing.  They even got little Henry to come, dressed in his sweet little pajamas.

What a send off.


Sunny San Diego
Bird of Paradise flowers are EVERYWHERE in this city.  It looks like it is possible, if you are a gardener, to just sort of fill in where you're not sure what else to put.  HUGE bunches grow everywhere.

These were right outside my hotel window - and it was just a Holiday Inn.  Gorgeous, yes?


Fries, anyone?
Carne Asada fries.  Who KNEW such a delicacy existed?  This was the day before the ride, so we indulged.  Otherwise I might have been a little less, shall we say, generous with my ordering.


Dinners to go for this week
Dinners 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 (252-0200)
or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

Dinners are ready at 4:30 and can be picked up until we close at 6:00 pm.

Monday March 9 Parmesan Chicken Tagliatelle 9.95
Tuesday March 10 Spinach Lover's Lasagna 9.95
Wednesday March 11 Honey Mustard Roasted Pork Tenderloin 11.25
Thursday March 12 Meatloaf with Cheddar Mashed Potatoes 10.75
Friday March 13 Roasted Tilapia with Grilled Vegetables 13.95


Our website


Special casserole of the week
We make a special casserole each Wednesday.
Give us a call on Tuesday before we close and we'll fix you up.
Order a half if you have around 4 folks, or, if you have a bigger group,
Or just like leftovers, order a full sized one.
Then come pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 on Wednesday.

This week's special casserole is
Butternut Squash, White Bean, and Sage Risotto Casserole
Full: 30
Half: 15



Caterer to the stars
Well, maybe not the STARS, but at least for the locals.


A Special Dinner - all about Argentina March 21
This will be a fun night.  Do mark your calendars.  Invite some friends.  And come celebrate with us. 

On March 21, we are going to do a special Dinner and Conversation, featuring food and wines from Argentina!

Here are the details again:

For starters, we'll be making Empanadas, a trio of authentic bites for you to taste.  We'll have Gambas a la Plancha too (Shrimp, grilled with garlic, that is).

Then we'll let you try "Locro," an Argentinian Corn Stew.

And then, Grilled Flank Steak and assorted Grilled Sausages with Chimichurri Sauce.  We'll have Roasted Spring Vegetables and plenty of crusty bread to sop up all the juices too.

Dessert is a layered Dulce de Leche cake with Cinammon Ice Cream.

Devon Price, from The Country Vinter, will be joining us and will be pouring wines to accompany each course.  He's been to Argentina and will guide you through the dinner.  Don't worry though, he's informal and so are we.  Part of this will be a buffet, part will be seated.  Invite some friends and celebrate the beginning of Spring with them and us.

The price will be 50.00 per person (+ tax).  Call us to save your spots!  252-1500. 


Tasting local offerings
If you come to San Diego you are supposed to eat Fish Tacos.  Okey doke, I said, let's go get 'em.  These are from the South Beach Bar and Grill and they were REALLY good!  Really.

By the way, our Chef, back at Laurey's, is making foods that reflect where I am on this ride.  Last night he called me and told me he'd made fish tacos there!  Sheesh - lucky you!!!  Do go and see what's on the daily menu there.  And ask, they'll tell you the latest.


A Note from Laurey
March 7, 2009

Hi there.

It feels funny sitting on my bed in Alpine, California writing to you. Last week I was at my desk. And if I felt like it, I could take this cutie pie computer to the desk on the other side of the hotel room. But I'm tucked in and that seems good.

Today we undertake the hardest, well, the steepest part of the ride. Up and over a pass at 4,000 feet. Yesterday was day one, a relatively short 35 miles of wending our way through San Diego traffic and negotiating the cue sheets and the navigating challenges of riding. We made it, me and 20 other women from all over the United States.

Let's see, the oddest sight yesterday was a pen that held ostriches. Odd to see them just poking their heads out of the links. And in the distance, gigantic rocky crags waited, waited for us. Yikes. That's what we have to look forward to today, in just a little while.

I HAVE started a blog and so, if you feel like checking in on me and this trip on a more regular basis, feel free to check into this web log, this diary, this account. If you go to Google and then type in Laurey Bikes, you will get there. Or if you paste this "address" into your browser you will get there. (By the way, I typed the "address" incorrectly last week. SORRY!! Here it is: http://www.laureybikes.blogspot.com

Now, if you poke around and know what you're doing, you can subscribe to the blog. Or you can bookmark it. Or you can just type in the address if you feel like checking in. You can also write comments if you want.

Also, if you are so inclined, and you've joined the face book gang, you can sign in to the facebook Laurey Bikes page. Or you can become my face book "friend." Oh me, oh my.

It is hard to really believe that I am sitting here in my bike clothes, getting ready to ride out on day 2.

I'll be in touch with you next week.
Cheers,
Laurey

 

 



The dipping of the tires.
We carried the bikes to the water because we didn't want to get all sandy, but we did set them down enough to get the tires wet.  Then, when we get to Florida, we'll do it again - in reverse.

This is a fun and wild thing.

Laurey's Catering and gourmet to go • 67 Biltmore Avenue • Asheville • NC • 28801