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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for September 7 - 11, 2009
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| Tye and I go boating |
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I have this sweet little red boat. I've had it for quite awhile now. It is, in theory, small enough for me to pick up and put on my car. The reality is that it is just a bit too big for me to haul around on my own. Annie was here this week, though, and she helped me get it on and off the car and into the water.
Tye was pretty reluctant on the first attempt at seagoing, hopping out as soon as we managed to coax her into the boat. But when Annie pushed us away from the dock, Tye shook with fear but did, ultimately, settle down and even seemed to enjoy herself. |
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Katie and her flowers |
Please do come join us on September 17th for our next dinner with the Farmers. Katie Grear and her flowers will be one of our featured farmers this time. She has an interesting story, as do our other two guests: Sally and Dick from Sunburst Trout, and Christina and Kevin from 10 Mile Farms.
The dinner will start at 7 on Thursday the 17th. I will be the cook. The farmers will join us at dinner and then will share some of their stories with all of us. (Fun and very interesting!)
The menu, for those of you who like to know these sorts of things, will look like this
(though if someone shows up at the Wednesday market with something stunning I might change some parts of this at the last minute.)
At the start:
Sunburst Trout Caviar on local Fingerling Potatoes and Creme Fraiche
The Salad:
Roasted 10 Mile Farms' Fall Vegetables with Local Salad Greens
and a Dijon Vinaigrette
The Dinner:
Oven-roasted Sunburst Salmon Trout Nicoise
with Haricots Verts, Kalamata Olives, Capers, and Sun Gold Tomatoes
Polenta Rounds with Yellow Branch Dairy Farmstead Cheese
Roasted, Sorghum-glazed Sweet Potatoes
The Dessert:
Baked Hickory Nut Gap Apples with Fall Fruits
The price is still a very reasonable $37.00 (+ tax) per person. If you'd like to add wine or beer, that will be an additional $12.00. You can call to reserve your spots at 828-252-1500.
See you then! |
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| Adam's lunch (and his pickles) |
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I always show you MY lunch. Here, for a change, is what Adam chose the other day. My, it's colorful around here these days! |
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Dinners to go (or to stay!) |
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 3:00 and can be picked up until we close at 8:00 pm.
Monday September 7 Labor Day – we’ll be closed today
Tuesday September 8 *Jambalaya with Andouille Sausage and White Beans 11.25
Wednesday September 9 Linguini Bolognese (with local Beef and Pork) 12.25
Thursday September 10 *Roast Jerk Pork with NC Yams 11.75
Friday September 11 Miso-seared Wild Alaskan Salmon 15.75
* these items are Gluten Free
(though it is important to note that we do not have a “wheat-free” kitchen.)
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Our website |
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| Special casserole of the week |
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We make a special casserole each Wednesday.
Order by noon or so. Order a half if you have around 4 folks. If you have a bigger group, or you just like leftovers, order a full-sized one.
Then come pick up between 3:00 and 8:00. (Or bring a gang and enjoy your dinner right here.)
Wednesday, September 9
Seafood Risotto with Shrimp, Calamari, and Scallops
Half: 32.50
Full: 65
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Casseroles for the month |
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Take it home! |
We're making more and more and MORE evening options these days. Take a look in the deli case when you're here at lunch. You might just find something that will tempt you to take home for dinner.
Also, increasingly, we're spending the early afternoon hours making special, all-new dinner options. We might have some lunch things still, but do come back on your way home because you'll find brand new dinner choices each day.
You know, I think, that we're now open until 8, Monday through Friday. This means that you don't have to break any speed records racing to get here by 6. And if you'd like to, stay right here and enjoy dinner with us. (I would if I were choosing.) |
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| Local and delicious! |
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The farmers call us on Tuesday morning and then drop things off on Wednesday when they're in town for the markets. We've been getting lots of peppers lately, including these not-too-spicy jalapenos.
"Yum," is all I'd like to say right now. |
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Henry takes over |
His favorite thing around here seems to be our red door into the kitchen. It doesn't weigh very much and is the PERFECT amusement for him. I think he could spend all day pushing the door, scooting into the kitchen, and then coming back out.
Who knew something so mundane could be so fun. (Actually, that's why I chose a red door - it is anything but normal...just as I like it.) |
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| A Note from Laurey |
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Today is September 5th. Things are moving along here. We have two weddings, a special rooftop dinner, and a number of other catering events to keep us busy. The café has been bustling all morning as folks come in for an omelet or some French toast, cooked to order, of course. All in a normal day.
On the other hand, today does not feel very normal to me. Adam, Emily, and Henry are on their way to Duke Medical Center tomorrow for the beginning of quite a time for their sweet family. Henry, it turns out, has a very rare form of dwarfism which carries with it serious anemia and also an immune deficiency. The best treatment for him is to have a bone marrow transplant. The journey for them, months in the planning stages, is about to start.
Adam is our café manager. Emily is our business manager. Both have been with me for around 7 years. I see them almost every single day and it is hard to imagine merely being without them, on a personal, friendship level. And of course it is sobering to imagine the road they are on, knowing that this bone marrow transplant is a multi-month procedure. They hope to be back here, with a healthy Henry, in a few months.
They have set up a special way for all of us, and any of you who would like to, to keep in touch. As you can imagine, it will be hard for them to keep everyone up to date with a personal call or e-mail. And we will not necessarily know a whole lot either. Their focus needs to be Henry, not keeping us informed. Fortunately, there is a service, called Caring Bridge, that you can visit. Once there, you create a personal account, and can then receive updates on Henry’s progress. You can also sign their journal if you like.
Follow the link at the bottom of this story to get to Caring Bridge. After you have created your account, you can visit Henry’s special website: Henrythome.
In the meantime, we’ll hold down the fort around here. We’re all shifting and there will be some significant juggling going on as we all do our best to take up parts of the huge job that Adam and Emily both do here. They will not be replaced (they are irreplaceable, really) but we’ll fill in for them as long as we have to.
Please keep these very special people in your hearts. I want them home, safe and healthy. It will be a different sort of fall and early winter without them. I can’t wait for the word saying all is well and they are on their way back.
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Caring Bridge |
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The sweetest boy |
Henry, the ray of sunshine boy. Off to a big adventure. We cannot wait until he comes back, safe, sound, healthy.
Fare well, Monsieur Henri. We'll miss you, so hurry back, okay? |
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