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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for January 16 - 21, 2006
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| We'll be Closed on Monday the 16th |
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We're getting our kitchen floor replaced.
It's a long and rather dull story. Our floor was installed incorrectly way back when we put this new kitchen together. The repair/replacement was supposed to have been done during our Christmas break. We'd planned it for months, working out all the necessary logistics about who was going to let the guy in and all that. Well, as these things sometimes go, best laid plans did NOT come together and our kitchen floor, and the repair, did not happen. (The factory sent us black flooring instead of blue...yuck!)
Since we'd already planned to close for our staff training on Exemplary Service this coming Monday, we are excited that this also gives Billy the opportunity to come in and give it another go.
Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll be back in business (and full of exemplary service!) on Tuesday.
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Low Key Breakfast |
I thought I'd remind you that we are now open at 8 every day of the week, except for Sunday. I, for one, am excited about the things we have available in the mornings. I call it "low key breakfast" because, well, you can come here, have a "fresh-that-morning" muffin, fresh fruit, and a cup of hot coffee (our coffee is shade grown, which is a good thing for the migratory songbirds, you know.)
In the mornings we are on the sunny side of the street (isn't that fun?) and you can sit at one of our tables near one of our huge windows, read the paper or chat with a friend or spread out and do your homework. We'll leave you alone. The food, as always, is "made-right-here." Yum!
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| Richard's Breakfast Strata |
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That Richard, our head cook (creator of the Sweet Potato Salad), is always plotting and scheming and coming up with new things around here. Lucky us! (Lucky YOU!)
This is his newest creation, an omelet-like assemblage wrapped in pastry. The prototype sold out in moments to rave reviews. I would expect that this is one of the things you might find, probably with the possibility of different fillings on different days, when you come in for breakfast with us.
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Dinners to go (Free dinner drawing*) |
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 (252-02002) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.
Here's this week's menu:
Monday January 16 We’ll be off today for an All-Staff Training
Tuesday January 17 Roasted Chicken with Cheddar-Baked Potatoes 9.75
Wednesday January 18 Grilled Flank Steak Béarnaise 10.75
Thursday January 19 White Chicken Chili with Cornbread 9.75
Friday January 20 Glazed Grouper with Butternut Apple “Smash” 12.25
* 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. Inaugurated last month, our first winner was delighted! Maybe you'll win next month.
Order a lot? Enter a lot!
Good luck!!
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Our website |
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| Casserole of the Week |
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We make a special casserole each week on Wednesday. Please give us a call by the end of the day on Tuesday and we’ll fix yours for you. Come by between 4:30 and 6:00. Get a half (for 4 appetites) or a full sized pan (for 9 or so.)
Wednesday, January 18
Shrimp and Grits, Low-Country Style
Full - 42.00
Half - 22.00
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Fullam Creamery's Yogurt |
I mentioned this new company last week. Now, just like that, their yogurt is here, ready for your breakfast.
Claret, and her sister-in-law Lynette Raines ,ARE Fullam Creamery. Taking the region by storm, they have figured out how to keep the family farm a vibrant part of the community. How many times do you read about family farms going under - turning into gated communities? I find great hope in small successes. These two gals represent the 4th generation of this farm. Hooray for them!
Come get their yogurt, and look in our deli case for lunch specials which will feature their Hispanic-style cheeses too. Life is good. Local cheese. Very nice.
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| Scones |
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Melissa, our new baker, is doing a nice job. Here are some of her scones. She also made the muffins that I pictured a bit earlier in this newsletter. Her cookies are great and be sure to ask about the dessert of the evening. She pays attention to the weather and the mood and the entree and matches them all up - all to your benefit. (She also loves input, so if there is a particular type of muffin or scone or breakfast treat you'd like, just let me know and I'll pass your request on to her.)
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It is winter! (Finally) |
Here's a look out our back window during that recent ice storm. I must say - I like winter (though I'm not terrifically fond of the chaos that follows with school closings and party shifting and such.)
Right now it is snowing outside but warm and cozy here. Perfect for Hot Chocolate. (Hmm..great idea!)
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| A Note From Laurey |
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I’d say good morning, which used to be true, but now I must say good afternoon. See, I was here nice and early today and got a good jump on my first project of the day – my newsletter – but this and that came up, and that was followed by a meeting with a bride to plan her wedding for 250 people and that was fun but it did not help me write my newsletter.
And then I met with another bride about her wedding for 30 people and THAT, too, was fun. (Everyone is in a good mood when they come to talk about a wedding.) But that meeting did not help me do any newsletter writing either.
Anyway – here it is almost mid-afternoon and, oh me, no note yet.
Things are good. It is finally winter outside. Yesterday everyone was skipping around in t-shirts, cautiously exuberant about the extension of the warmth. We all knew that it was wrong to be excited about something that really was a bad thing (I mean it is supposed to be COLD at this time of year) but we couldn't’t help ourselves.
By mid-afternoon it started to rain, but stayed warm. I went home, carrying my jacket. No need to wear it, really. In the evening I came back downtown and went to hear some wonderful music (we get amazing performances here, you know.) When we came out of the concert, things had taken a dramatic turn toward winter. I was glad I had brought my jacket, which I zipped up as far as possible. Chris shivered and huddled in her shirt, wishing, I’d guess, that she had hers too. Lots of people scampered around still dressed in t-shirts which made them look very under-dressed.
Today we have a little snow, a little rain, a chill. In my office, one of the coldest places in the business, I sit next to my portable heater, happy for the bit of warmth. A stack of menus waits for me to write and I need to do some final preparations for our Exemplary Service day on Monday. On Tuesday I drive to Southern Pines to do a cooking class – for 50! – and I have to write some recipes for them SO I gotta run!
Take care – I’ll be in touch next week.
Cheers,
Laurey
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Don't Forget the Vegetables |
"Roasted Winter Root Vegetables" might not have the most appeal in the hearing, but tell me, is it possible to look at this dish of color and richness and not have your pulse increase just a little bit? For me it is not.
The sweetness hidden inside these gems from the earth concentrates in the roasting. Tuck some next to a piece of grilled chicken and some steamed kale and in my book you have dinner. What lovely things the earth makes if it gets the chance.
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Contact
Info: |
Laurey's "Gourmet Comfort Food"
Eat In - Take Out - Catering
67 Biltmore Avenue Asheville, NC 28801
828-252-1500
Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:00 - 6:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 - 4:00 pm
"Don't Postpone Joy!"(tm)
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