Hi All You Luna/tics!!
tick, tick, tick........it's almost here.......
the big switch at Cafe Luna:
our guy Ryan Montgomery who has been doing duty in our kitchen for the last 14 months, is moving to San Diego with his bride, Teresa so she can finish her graduate education. We will be missing his fun, his weird sense of humor, and his abilities to interpret what I say out loud and talk about i- nto finished dishes. Teresa is going to be graduating in her field of Sports medicine, and we wish them both well...Their last day will be December 19. Say goodbye....
And coming in to make my life easier? Mr. John Adams. John was recommended by one of my favorite wine reps, Bill of Wine Warehouse. He knew we were going to be needing a replacement in the kitchen, and he brought this young man some very good reviews. John was the mastermind behind "Hot Italians" pizzas on 16th Street in Sacramento, a restaurant Gary and I have been to many times, mainly because of our friend from the "Masque" restaurant who ran the floor for awhile. This little place serves some of the best thin crust pizza's around, and to find out that our new man John was behind the success? Delightful!
Soooo.....when the new year comes along, look for some new ideas coming into the kitchen menus, new ideas on traditional foods, and some new dishes that we know will blow you out of the water. Johns first official day is December 22.
Which brings up our holidays: Cafe Luna will be closed Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, along with New Years Day (hang-overs take precedence....)
BUT: WE WILL BE OPEN NEW YEARS EVE for a special dinner. Make reservations early, as this night fills up early due to all the party people and the people on dates coming out in their party mode. I will be publishing the New Years Menu in the next couple of weeks for you to look over.
_____________________________________________________________________
And so I am thinking what is going to be different this year during the holidays that we didn't take advantage of last year, or years prior: and so Gary and I have decided to try to remember.
Yes, just to remember.
And so I am thinking what is going to be different this year during the holidays that we didn't take advantage of last year, or years prior: and so Gary and I have decided to try to remember.
Our holidays are so full of being busy here at the restaurant, decorating the Cafe, Creekside Place and then home, and dinners out with friends, and family, and some shopping, and there is always the traveling that we like to do to look at decorations around the different towns, and
of course the holiday 'must see' movies that we go to.
And in the end, all we can think about (as usual) is: WHERE DID THE TIME GO?
Why didn't we take more time to do this or do that. Why couldn't we squeeze in this thing or that place or what ever.
So, this Christmas, we vow to remember. I know that we will still be as busy, and as bustling, and as frantic, but we can take the time to remember people we love who are not here anymore. The family and friends who in times past, have spent wonderful holidays with us, influencing us with their spirit, their laughter and their sense of 'family' that we have incorporated into our celebrations in life.
We will set aside some time this year, just to remember the loved ones we miss, we wish were still here, and the ones we wanted to spend much more time with in our lives.
And so, we will take that time to be mindful of our memories.
___________________________________________________________________
Have a great holiday season to all of you. We appreciate all that you have done for us this past year, and only hope that you experience a better 2010.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
Dec 8, 2009
December 2009 Dinner Menu
Printable copy of this months current dining menu and our
By-The-Glass Selections Pairings
Just Double-click on the under-line above....
Printable copy of this months current dining menu and our
By-The-Glass Selections Pairings
Just Double-click on the under-line above....
This Months Menu High-Lights.....
New This Menu:
Main Entrees
Seafood Curry - Prawns, clams, scallops, and halibut in a green curry sauce with coconut milk, mixed minced vegetables and served with our Basmait rice. A Thai curry is not necessarily made with curry powder, but rather a mixture of chiles, herbs and spices. It is subtle in its heat, creeping up on you rather than screaming at you. We love these curry dishes, and they go fantastic with sparkling wines or beers. Rating on our heat scale 1 through 10= 8.
"Jerk" Pork - Our Hot-Head Special this Month. A "jerk" sauce is Jamaican in theory: but we take liberties.....a base of so many herbs and spices to combine to a great dish that we cook boneless pork in with chiles and tomatoes, serving with Basmati rice and topping with a lime/cilantro/sour cream that cools down this dish. ON our heat scale 1 through a hot 10 = 9!!
Lamb Shanks - Australian raised lamb shanks slow braised in red wine, herbs and North African spices, sprinkled with a "gremolata" made with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, fresh garlic, lemon zest and Italian parsley. These gremolatas are meant to permeate your smell when these ingredients hit the HOT dish out of the oven. They are used primarily in Osso Bucco, short ribs, and other great braised dishes.
Salmon Wellington - Fresh Pacific salmon filets topped with caramelized leeks and carrots, rubbed with French mustard and tarragon, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. Served topped with a light Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Dee-lish!!!!
Flank Steak - Finally!!! A dish from our past: lean flank steak marinated in a soy, ginger, garlic, Marsala wine, orange and chile mix to flavor this dish that we char-broil to your specification. We are serving this cut with some of our pickled red onions. Almost a picnic.
Orecchiette - Mike W. asks for this every single month. His sisters ask for this dish. I love this dish. Gloria, my ex-stepmother, the Italian lady with the incredible ability to cook beautiful and simple dishes, taught me this rustic dish that the 'old' Italians used to make utilizing left over pasta, meats and bits of cheeses and vegetables. We are using ham, Pasilla peppers, fresh sage and Fontina cheese with the "little ears" pasta and cooking this dish almost like a crispy frittata, topping with a bit of fresh tomato salsa and some sour cream. This is a fun and additive dish.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Chicken Torta Rustica - This months version is in honor of our winter nights that have finally hit us. Boneless chicken meat simmered with carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and butternut squash in a rich cream broth in a puff pastry enclosure. This is pure comfort food at its best.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Roma tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Polenta ala' Luna : Polenta made with Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses, cut into triangles, topped with a sun-dried tomato, mushroom and red wine 'ragout', topped with a bit more cheese and top broiled until golden and bubbly. I love winter foods......
Mexican Chorizo Dip - Locally made pork chorizo mixed with three kinds of cheeses, roasted Poblano chiles and wild mushrooms, served warm with corn tortilla chips.
________________________________________________________
This Months Recipe
Double Click on the recipe title for a PDF copy. Enjoy!
Gruyere Gourges
This is a great little appetizer, snack, addictive little morsel that you will love. This is a great item to have as an accompment with a glass of Champagne or Sparkling wine. It is celebratory. They are little cheese puffs, savory with spices and a bit of black pepper. And did I say addictive? Try them!
New This Menu:
Main Entrees
Seafood Curry - Prawns, clams, scallops, and halibut in a green curry sauce with coconut milk, mixed minced vegetables and served with our Basmait rice. A Thai curry is not necessarily made with curry powder, but rather a mixture of chiles, herbs and spices. It is subtle in its heat, creeping up on you rather than screaming at you. We love these curry dishes, and they go fantastic with sparkling wines or beers. Rating on our heat scale 1 through 10= 8.
"Jerk" Pork - Our Hot-Head Special this Month. A "jerk" sauce is Jamaican in theory: but we take liberties.....a base of so many herbs and spices to combine to a great dish that we cook boneless pork in with chiles and tomatoes, serving with Basmati rice and topping with a lime/cilantro/sour cream that cools down this dish. ON our heat scale 1 through a hot 10 = 9!!
Lamb Shanks - Australian raised lamb shanks slow braised in red wine, herbs and North African spices, sprinkled with a "gremolata" made with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, fresh garlic, lemon zest and Italian parsley. These gremolatas are meant to permeate your smell when these ingredients hit the HOT dish out of the oven. They are used primarily in Osso Bucco, short ribs, and other great braised dishes.
Salmon Wellington - Fresh Pacific salmon filets topped with caramelized leeks and carrots, rubbed with French mustard and tarragon, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. Served topped with a light Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Dee-lish!!!!
Flank Steak - Finally!!! A dish from our past: lean flank steak marinated in a soy, ginger, garlic, Marsala wine, orange and chile mix to flavor this dish that we char-broil to your specification. We are serving this cut with some of our pickled red onions. Almost a picnic.
Orecchiette - Mike W. asks for this every single month. His sisters ask for this dish. I love this dish. Gloria, my ex-stepmother, the Italian lady with the incredible ability to cook beautiful and simple dishes, taught me this rustic dish that the 'old' Italians used to make utilizing left over pasta, meats and bits of cheeses and vegetables. We are using ham, Pasilla peppers, fresh sage and Fontina cheese with the "little ears" pasta and cooking this dish almost like a crispy frittata, topping with a bit of fresh tomato salsa and some sour cream. This is a fun and additive dish.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Chicken Torta Rustica - This months version is in honor of our winter nights that have finally hit us. Boneless chicken meat simmered with carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and butternut squash in a rich cream broth in a puff pastry enclosure. This is pure comfort food at its best.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Roma tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Polenta ala' Luna : Polenta made with Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses, cut into triangles, topped with a sun-dried tomato, mushroom and red wine 'ragout', topped with a bit more cheese and top broiled until golden and bubbly. I love winter foods......
Mexican Chorizo Dip - Locally made pork chorizo mixed with three kinds of cheeses, roasted Poblano chiles and wild mushrooms, served warm with corn tortilla chips.
________________________________________________________
This Months Recipe
Double Click on the recipe title for a PDF copy. Enjoy!
Gruyere Gourges
This is a great little appetizer, snack, addictive little morsel that you will love. This is a great item to have as an accompment with a glass of Champagne or Sparkling wine. It is celebratory. They are little cheese puffs, savory with spices and a bit of black pepper. And did I say addictive? Try them!
This Months Recipe
Double Click on the recipe title for a PDF copy. Enjoy.
Gruyere Gourges
This is a great little appetizer, snack, addictive little morsel that you will love. This is a great item to have as an accompment with a glass of Champagne or Sparkling wine. It is celebratory. They are little cheese puffs, savory with spices and a bit of black pepper. And did I say addictive? Try them!
Double Click on the recipe title for a PDF copy. Enjoy.
Gruyere Gourges
This is a great little appetizer, snack, addictive little morsel that you will love. This is a great item to have as an accompment with a glass of Champagne or Sparkling wine. It is celebratory. They are little cheese puffs, savory with spices and a bit of black pepper. And did I say addictive? Try them!
Nov 7, 2009
Cafe Luna Rants & Raves
November 2009
Hi All You Luna/tics!!
Welllllll.......
I am sitting here in my home office with the last of the Anglo-tan peeling off my cheeks (face cheeks my dears. face cheeks....) the result of our just getting off the ship from our seven day cruise to Mexico. The weather was beautiful, warm/hot, and clear. Incredible sun-sets and smooth sailing.
And then there were the cocktails.....
the many, many, many cocktails......
It is so great to be able to be served double-shot margarita's while sitting in a chair, not having to spend any money and just have another and another. And to have your friends keeping up with you....or surpassing you....doesn't matter.
Served.
Whoa...just like home....
We went to Puerto Vallarta first, one of our most favorite cities in Mexico. Why? The diversity of the city. The architecture, the people. The color of the city. The ocean. The influence of the ocean on the city. And the food. It is one of the things we Californians have available to us, and something we all seem to rely on often: Mexican foods. The comfort of taco's, "chips and salsa", guacamole...Mexican beers on a hot day, especially if they are served in the frosty ice cold glasses with the lime wedge. Mexico.
Gary and I seem to go there as often as we can: far enough away to relieve any stress in life at the moment, and close enough to make it affordable regularly (should have had kids.....then I would have known where all my money would be spent...plus all my future money.....and my will would be totally different.....Gary and I have a belief: if we have any money left when it's all over, we didn't have a good enough time.....and we expect to have a great time in life...).
Did I mention the music of Mexico? Have you ever listened to the beautiful Mariachi music that is so full of life, guitars, and yes - sometimes accordion playing - that is so infectious with its rhythms and its ability to sweep you away in the moment.....and not to mention it can be so very, very romantic. There is something so sensual just listening to the beautiful Mexican ballads played. (For those of you unfamiliar with these ballads, try listening to good old Linda Ronstadt's incredible CD's of Mexican ballads from 1983, "Canciones di Me Padre" along with her other CD "Mas Canciones" from 1990. Pure infectious melody and angst and romance.....listen to these on a moonlit night with someone you love....and take a shower...just in case....).
Keeping in the spirit of all things Mexico on our cruise, we brought along our domino set, and played "Mexican Train" dominos. Endlessly. Marathons of them....Karen, Mike and Sally kept us lubricated (bless you...) - I hope they weren't trying to get us drunk enough for us to lose our edge....oh well, it didn't matter....we all won equally....except maybe Mike (The Cheater) making funny noises and imitations that totally distracted us (oh my gawd: I just realized: he kept us laughing so hard, we forgot whose turn it was, and he always said it was his....that guy! there is no end to his devious behavior plying us with liquor and such...who am I kidding? we were easy marks.....).
One thing we did notice: all of these people of -- let us say "a certain age" group (think Blue Hair and very heavy perfume and cigar smoking men) kept coming up to our game table and asking us what we were doing and how smart we were to bring our domino set with us and listening to us laugh and giggle and get really loud while playing. (NOTE FOR NEXT TIME: bring several extra sets and sell them at a huge mark-up!!! Pay for our cruise in no time...). All of us were so surprised by this, mainly because all of us had our natural hair color (whoa: thunder and lightening? in the middle of the day??? ok, ok. I am sorry...) and kept thinking what a sophisticated and mind-broadening game to play on board....(who am I kidding? it travels well...and it is easy.....unless you refer to the rules....and you know we just made them up as we went along....angel/devil on our shoulders.....we use what advantage we could.....forgive me Karen/Mike/Sally/Gary....I really did know what I was doing......oh gawd....I might be going to hell.....).
But FUN? Yep. It is a fun game and we had a blast. And the Margarita's, the Pina Colada's and beers weren't to shabby either. And then there was the "Cookie Lady" (who was a dead ringer for Scarlett Johansen) from Romania who kept bringing fresh-baked-hot-out-of-the-oven cookies around on a rolling cart.....did I mention how much like home it was????
There is such joy in laughing. The utter release of all your anxieties, the sheer silliness that over-comes you when you can't stand it any longer and just give in to your body letting you laugh out loud, shake with laughter, blow wine/milk/margarita's out-of-your-nose laughter. It may be the healthiest thing I do for myself. I love to laugh. Out loud. And love to hear that laughter in my friends. (Try not to laugh when you hear someone laughing well. It just takes over...).
And we laughed.
Allot.
And now I have a cold I am getting over (I will never drink again and leave my mouth open....). We had a wonderful time. Relaxed. Slept. Napped. Ate.
and ate....
(walking around now even here at home, every time I hear something any close to the sound of a bell, I am hungry.....Pavlov was right....conditional reflexes and all.....{I will be taller, I will be taller.....}).
Gary and I are so fortunate to have laughter in our lives. We love to laugh, to laugh with others, and to get giddy from laughter. Having fun, and a sense of humor - no matter hot twisted - is one of the main ingredients to a successful relationship. To be able to laugh at ourselves and to laugh out loud, and to laugh together..... hmmmm...........I am blessed.
And to know others in this Secret Society: even better.
JOIN!!!
Enough about us......
well not just yet.
You know what isn't fair? That Gary can go outside, fall asleep in the hot sun - yes the same sun that cooked me in 20 minutes - and get tan. And stay tan. Me? I look at the sun, I burn, I peel.
Damn European Latins and their olive complexions.....(skin envy...). His mom was Portuguese, his dad born-and-raised in Spain. And the only wrinkles? around his eyes when he laughs.....
the happy wrinkles of fun.
Ok, now that is enough about us.....
All in all....a wonderful, relaxing and fun time had by all of us....
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
November 2009
Hi All You Luna/tics!!
Welllllll.......
I am sitting here in my home office with the last of the Anglo-tan peeling off my cheeks (face cheeks my dears. face cheeks....) the result of our just getting off the ship from our seven day cruise to Mexico. The weather was beautiful, warm/hot, and clear. Incredible sun-sets and smooth sailing.
And then there were the cocktails.....
the many, many, many cocktails......
It is so great to be able to be served double-shot margarita's while sitting in a chair, not having to spend any money and just have another and another. And to have your friends keeping up with you....or surpassing you....doesn't matter.
Served.
Whoa...just like home....
We went to Puerto Vallarta first, one of our most favorite cities in Mexico. Why? The diversity of the city. The architecture, the people. The color of the city. The ocean. The influence of the ocean on the city. And the food. It is one of the things we Californians have available to us, and something we all seem to rely on often: Mexican foods. The comfort of taco's, "chips and salsa", guacamole...Mexican beers on a hot day, especially if they are served in the frosty ice cold glasses with the lime wedge. Mexico.
Gary and I seem to go there as often as we can: far enough away to relieve any stress in life at the moment, and close enough to make it affordable regularly (should have had kids.....then I would have known where all my money would be spent...plus all my future money.....and my will would be totally different.....Gary and I have a belief: if we have any money left when it's all over, we didn't have a good enough time.....and we expect to have a great time in life...).
Did I mention the music of Mexico? Have you ever listened to the beautiful Mariachi music that is so full of life, guitars, and yes - sometimes accordion playing - that is so infectious with its rhythms and its ability to sweep you away in the moment.....and not to mention it can be so very, very romantic. There is something so sensual just listening to the beautiful Mexican ballads played. (For those of you unfamiliar with these ballads, try listening to good old Linda Ronstadt's incredible CD's of Mexican ballads from 1983, "Canciones di Me Padre" along with her other CD "Mas Canciones" from 1990. Pure infectious melody and angst and romance.....listen to these on a moonlit night with someone you love....and take a shower...just in case....).
Keeping in the spirit of all things Mexico on our cruise, we brought along our domino set, and played "Mexican Train" dominos. Endlessly. Marathons of them....Karen, Mike and Sally kept us lubricated (bless you...) - I hope they weren't trying to get us drunk enough for us to lose our edge....oh well, it didn't matter....we all won equally....except maybe Mike (The Cheater) making funny noises and imitations that totally distracted us (oh my gawd: I just realized: he kept us laughing so hard, we forgot whose turn it was, and he always said it was his....that guy! there is no end to his devious behavior plying us with liquor and such...who am I kidding? we were easy marks.....).
One thing we did notice: all of these people of -- let us say "a certain age" group (think Blue Hair and very heavy perfume and cigar smoking men) kept coming up to our game table and asking us what we were doing and how smart we were to bring our domino set with us and listening to us laugh and giggle and get really loud while playing. (NOTE FOR NEXT TIME: bring several extra sets and sell them at a huge mark-up!!! Pay for our cruise in no time...). All of us were so surprised by this, mainly because all of us had our natural hair color (whoa: thunder and lightening? in the middle of the day??? ok, ok. I am sorry...) and kept thinking what a sophisticated and mind-broadening game to play on board....(who am I kidding? it travels well...and it is easy.....unless you refer to the rules....and you know we just made them up as we went along....angel/devil on our shoulders.....we use what advantage we could.....forgive me Karen/Mike/Sally/Gary....I really did know what I was doing......oh gawd....I might be going to hell.....).
But FUN? Yep. It is a fun game and we had a blast. And the Margarita's, the Pina Colada's and beers weren't to shabby either. And then there was the "Cookie Lady" (who was a dead ringer for Scarlett Johansen) from Romania who kept bringing fresh-baked-hot-out-of-the-oven cookies around on a rolling cart.....did I mention how much like home it was????
There is such joy in laughing. The utter release of all your anxieties, the sheer silliness that over-comes you when you can't stand it any longer and just give in to your body letting you laugh out loud, shake with laughter, blow wine/milk/margarita's out-of-your-nose laughter. It may be the healthiest thing I do for myself. I love to laugh. Out loud. And love to hear that laughter in my friends. (Try not to laugh when you hear someone laughing well. It just takes over...).
And we laughed.
Allot.
And now I have a cold I am getting over (I will never drink again and leave my mouth open....). We had a wonderful time. Relaxed. Slept. Napped. Ate.
and ate....
(walking around now even here at home, every time I hear something any close to the sound of a bell, I am hungry.....Pavlov was right....conditional reflexes and all.....{I will be taller, I will be taller.....}).
Gary and I are so fortunate to have laughter in our lives. We love to laugh, to laugh with others, and to get giddy from laughter. Having fun, and a sense of humor - no matter hot twisted - is one of the main ingredients to a successful relationship. To be able to laugh at ourselves and to laugh out loud, and to laugh together..... hmmmm...........I am blessed.
And to know others in this Secret Society: even better.
JOIN!!!
Enough about us......
well not just yet.
You know what isn't fair? That Gary can go outside, fall asleep in the hot sun - yes the same sun that cooked me in 20 minutes - and get tan. And stay tan. Me? I look at the sun, I burn, I peel.
Damn European Latins and their olive complexions.....(skin envy...). His mom was Portuguese, his dad born-and-raised in Spain. And the only wrinkles? around his eyes when he laughs.....
the happy wrinkles of fun.
Ok, now that is enough about us.....
All in all....a wonderful, relaxing and fun time had by all of us....
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
Here is our promotional plan for this month (oh you Wino's will be happy!!)
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all full bottle wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over 50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
(Does not work with by -the-glass offerings)
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting one free bottle corkage per table. That alone will be a $15.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons. Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of September, 2009.
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all full bottle wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over 50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
(Does not work with by -the-glass offerings)
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting one free bottle corkage per table. That alone will be a $15.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons. Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of September, 2009.
This Months Dinner Menu
(Double Click avove to get a complete copy of this months Dinner menu)
New This Menu:
Well my friends, the menu change has been a hit! The two page format with one page of appetizers and light entree's along with several salads has been very much of a tasting menu for a lot of you. Thank you!!!
Main Entrees
Mediterranean Seafood Stew - Did you know Gary is half Portuguese? His Mom's family was from the beautiful Azores - an incredible tropical island that we will someday visit. His mom was also the kind of cook that could make mud-pies taste good. She taught me the benefit of Linguisa sausage and the role it plays in Portuguese cooking. Kind of like our bacon. The Linguisa renders its fat, and that is used to saute and other parts of the dish, gathering layer after layer of flavors. We are taking large prawns, cod fish and clams, sauteing them with Linguisa, tomatoes and white onions, finishing them with a great saffron stock and fresh fennel sauce, and serving with a mound of Basmati rice. Wonderful. So good sometimes it hurts.
Tortellini Ala Pana - Cheese filled tortellinis simmered in a Marsala wine sauce with sliced olives, bell peppers, Sopprasatta salami, and a bit of parmesan cheese, finished with a bit of cream to even it out. A very satisfying pasta dish from the old school, and one of Gary's favorite dishes.
Chicken Don-Don - Our Hot-Head Special this Month. Basically a peanut sauce gone wild. Barbara Tropp, author of a great book "China Moon Cafe" used to make this "table sauce" and add the extra chiles, ginger and garlic. We upped it one more. This is a "9" out of "10" for our Hot-Heads. Pan-sauteed chicken in a peanut-garlic-ginger sauce over rice with crispy rice noodles on top.
Thai Tuna Curry - Mike likes to fish. He likes to fish off the coast of San Diego. He likes to catch tuna. His wife doesn't like Mike to bring home the tuna. Mile brought the beautiful tuna into us. We are making this dish with a green Thai curry with chunks of potatoes, coconut and serving it with Basmati rice. A nice, even tempered curry, on a "5" scale.
Salmon Wellington - Fresh Pacific salmon filets topped with caramelized leeks and carrots, rubbed with French mustard and tarragon, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. Served topped with a light Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Dee-lish!!!!
Short Ribs of Beef - Finally!!! Slow simmered meaty beef ribs served in their reduced juices over (Best!) polenta. This is a house pleasing dish, perfect for these colder days and nights. We love this part of the year.
Beef Stroganoff - Filet Mignon strips of beef, pan-seared with wild and domestic mushrooms in a rich sour cream and paprika sauce. Served with egg noodles. We should name this after Stephanie at the Shafsky House B & B, she asks us about this dish almost monthly...here you go, Lady.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Whoo-hoo! Our best girl-friend Sally steered me into this new region of smaller plates and things to try. She is my food conscious, the one in the white robe sitting on my right shoulder while I sit on my left shoulder - usually with red on and horns.....
Torta Rustica - This months version has a slight Latin bend to it: roasted butternut squash, roasted Pasilla chiles, black beans, corn, zucchini, and potatoes with Jack cheese, baked in individual puff pastry pies, and served topped with a rustic charred tomato, roasted red bell pepper and garlic "salsa". This is one we are all eating in the back room for dinner each night.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Roma tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Ahi Tuna: Rare Ahi tuna, on a bed of baby greens, topped with an Italian infused Meyer lemon olive oil, served with a red chile aioli with toasts.
Salmon Cakes - Poached salmon mixed with roasted vegetables, herbs and bound together to form little cakes we saute until golden and crisp and top with top with a spicy aioli made with Chipotle chiles, oranges and garlic.
Salade Nicoise - Lightly Dijon dressed greens topped with steamed potatoes, hard cooked eggs, steamed French green beans, artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, caper and Nicoise olives then slices of charred rare Ahi Tuna......see picture above.....its delicious.....
(Double Click avove to get a complete copy of this months Dinner menu)
New This Menu:
Well my friends, the menu change has been a hit! The two page format with one page of appetizers and light entree's along with several salads has been very much of a tasting menu for a lot of you. Thank you!!!
Main Entrees
Mediterranean Seafood Stew - Did you know Gary is half Portuguese? His Mom's family was from the beautiful Azores - an incredible tropical island that we will someday visit. His mom was also the kind of cook that could make mud-pies taste good. She taught me the benefit of Linguisa sausage and the role it plays in Portuguese cooking. Kind of like our bacon. The Linguisa renders its fat, and that is used to saute and other parts of the dish, gathering layer after layer of flavors. We are taking large prawns, cod fish and clams, sauteing them with Linguisa, tomatoes and white onions, finishing them with a great saffron stock and fresh fennel sauce, and serving with a mound of Basmati rice. Wonderful. So good sometimes it hurts.
Tortellini Ala Pana - Cheese filled tortellinis simmered in a Marsala wine sauce with sliced olives, bell peppers, Sopprasatta salami, and a bit of parmesan cheese, finished with a bit of cream to even it out. A very satisfying pasta dish from the old school, and one of Gary's favorite dishes.
Chicken Don-Don - Our Hot-Head Special this Month. Basically a peanut sauce gone wild. Barbara Tropp, author of a great book "China Moon Cafe" used to make this "table sauce" and add the extra chiles, ginger and garlic. We upped it one more. This is a "9" out of "10" for our Hot-Heads. Pan-sauteed chicken in a peanut-garlic-ginger sauce over rice with crispy rice noodles on top.
Thai Tuna Curry - Mike likes to fish. He likes to fish off the coast of San Diego. He likes to catch tuna. His wife doesn't like Mike to bring home the tuna. Mile brought the beautiful tuna into us. We are making this dish with a green Thai curry with chunks of potatoes, coconut and serving it with Basmati rice. A nice, even tempered curry, on a "5" scale.
Salmon Wellington - Fresh Pacific salmon filets topped with caramelized leeks and carrots, rubbed with French mustard and tarragon, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. Served topped with a light Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Dee-lish!!!!
Short Ribs of Beef - Finally!!! Slow simmered meaty beef ribs served in their reduced juices over (Best!) polenta. This is a house pleasing dish, perfect for these colder days and nights. We love this part of the year.
Beef Stroganoff - Filet Mignon strips of beef, pan-seared with wild and domestic mushrooms in a rich sour cream and paprika sauce. Served with egg noodles. We should name this after Stephanie at the Shafsky House B & B, she asks us about this dish almost monthly...here you go, Lady.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Whoo-hoo! Our best girl-friend Sally steered me into this new region of smaller plates and things to try. She is my food conscious, the one in the white robe sitting on my right shoulder while I sit on my left shoulder - usually with red on and horns.....
Torta Rustica - This months version has a slight Latin bend to it: roasted butternut squash, roasted Pasilla chiles, black beans, corn, zucchini, and potatoes with Jack cheese, baked in individual puff pastry pies, and served topped with a rustic charred tomato, roasted red bell pepper and garlic "salsa". This is one we are all eating in the back room for dinner each night.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Roma tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Ahi Tuna: Rare Ahi tuna, on a bed of baby greens, topped with an Italian infused Meyer lemon olive oil, served with a red chile aioli with toasts.
Salmon Cakes - Poached salmon mixed with roasted vegetables, herbs and bound together to form little cakes we saute until golden and crisp and top with top with a spicy aioli made with Chipotle chiles, oranges and garlic.
Salade Nicoise - Lightly Dijon dressed greens topped with steamed potatoes, hard cooked eggs, steamed French green beans, artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, caper and Nicoise olives then slices of charred rare Ahi Tuna......see picture above.....its delicious.....
Sep 4, 2009
September 2009 Rants and Raves
Hi All You Luna/tics!!
September is here!!! I swear some of the hottest days of summer come this month....the heat and then our cool nights get me so confused (I'm the pretty one.......), but reminds me of BRAISING MEATS and stews, and polenta and Lamb shanks, the list gets longer and longer as I just sit here and think....
hmmmmm.....my favorite foods.........slow roasting, bringing out so much flavor and with so very little effort, just let it simmer for hours and hours and hours.....(and that my friends is why the Crock-Pot was invented - to make excellent cooks out of all of us....)
Okay, the tide, as slow as it is turning, is lightening up. Customers and friends coming in have let some of the weight off their shoulders and are breathing just a bit easier......
Now don't get me wrong: it is still pitiful, sad, and each day a big question-mark of "what tha?" is going on, but at least there seems to be an end to this very long road we are traveling. Maybe not this month, or even this year, but just to have something positive coming out of peoples mouths for a change: what a beginning sigh of relief.
Several of the vacant shops on Main Street here in Placerville are filled again. Nice to see this. But shops that are having to go out of business soon are not so nice to see. But it is inevitable during a semi-recession (not my words). My opposite "sides-of-the-tracks friends" keep telling me of the "whoa's" to come.....but hold on fellas::::the worst we have now experienced as a whole.....it is the future we HAVE GOT to look forward to as something better than what has been behind us.
And don't get me started on medical provisions!!!
Well, I did start, so here it is: I am a small business man who only employs 8 very wonderful employees (myself? I am a free agent who is only doing this for the love of wine and food....in that order.....). Of these eight employees, only four of them have medical insurance that they can afford, either through spouses or parents. My other four do not. And when they go to the doctor, they pay cash. And when they go to the emergency room, they pay cash. Allot of cash....
(Side note: my guy who takes care of Creekside Place gardens: woke up with a high fever and a stomach ache that would not go away. He called the doctor up who in turn told him to check into the emergency ward at Marshall Hospital. He did at 7 AM in the morning. He was diagnosed with kidney stones, was checked into the hospital, had a treatment to dissolve them, and was out at 11 AM the same morning. Ten days later, he and his family were presented with a hospital and emergency room bill of over $10,000.00. How can he pay that? He has no insurance, but pays with cash. He is beside himself as to what to do........pending results to come.........)
I can only hope that my contribution as an employer will be the amount that we can sustain as a small business. I can also only hope that the government realizes the burden that will be placed on the "little guy" and the mom-and-pop businesses around the nation. Too much will put so many owners out of business - that preverbal straw-that-breaks-the-camels-back so to speak. Any amount will ultimately require price hikes for all the services and items we provide, and the consumer will be the ones feeling that. BUT.....we as a nation have to do something. I am willing to do my part. My people deserve the treatment needed if medical attention is required, and they should not to sell the cow to get it.
Now that Gary is a Medicare Man, we will see what this has to bring us....and hey? Isn't that a government run agency? Hows that working?
I on the other hand, have promised myself never to require medical attention for the rest of my natural days......(and as my friend Jeffrina says: Honey, there ain't nothing natural about it! So there you are......)
_______________________________________
Sooooooo.......we had this great discussion about taste in food the other day. I have several friends who, when they talk: I listen. We were using salt as the ingredient that is so under or over used in dishes and how either way, can be the saving grace of a meal or its downfall. So how come, we here in California, are so in tune to flavorings of salt, sweet, hot, sour. It comprises basically all we look for in our foods and our desserts and snacks. And so we measure our foods and our likes and dislikes based on these things. I love the heat of chiles. I love the ying/yang of sour-sweet. But without the proper balance of the salt factor, they don't work as well. These are feelings in my mouth that become memorable to me while eating, and leave me wanting to taste more of that.
Gary and I have so many people in our lives that do not like "hot" dishes. It is so far away from our thoughts in taste, that we forget about people intolerant of hot foods, and if I were to go a step further, those unable to have salt. I have always feared being told I would not be able to eat items like onions, or garlic, or corn, or chiles. Or Salt. I know we can adapt to this restriction, but mentally, I am not that good of a soldier I am afraid. What if they told me I could not eat fruit? Or chocolate? Or (knock on wood and perish the thought:) YOU CANNOT DRINK WINE. (I am losing my breath just thinking about this now....holding it just in case holding my breath will ward off this ever happening to me.....I think I threw salt over my shoulder, crossed myself and spit on the ground.....JUST IN CASE.......)
(A funny story of a very good friend and my introduction to his eating habits: Gary and I have this wonderful friend named Jeff. Many, many many years ago, we invited him and a friend over for dinner. This was the first time we had him for dinner, and so I decided to try this incredible sounding beef brisket recipe from Paul Proudhome, the Cajun cook so famous in the late 70's and early 80's. His recipe was a dry rub with cayenne pepper, ancho chile powder, onion powder, black pepper, etc., that was self-marinating for about 6 hours, and then another 6 hours at a slow temp to cook this dish. Let me tell you it was fantastic......but......Jeff - the good mannered guest that he was, had a couple of bites of the dish and promptly excused himself from the table. I noticed he was blood red colored as he left, but I just assumed he has so so happy to be eating this fabulous food that he was over-whelmed with joy......
He was not.
It seems that poor Jeff is not able to even eat black pepper (WAY TO HOT!) and was dying from the heat of the chiles and the peppers. But , the good guest that he was, did not want to ruin my dinner with the steam coming out of his ears nor the blood-shot eyes covering his face.....Damn......I did not know....and to be honest, it was the first time I had ever experienced someone intolerant of hat or spicy flavors. Long story short: Jeff has been over many times since, but we limit it non-spicy dishes....)
(Poor man - used to be six foot tall, but I am sure we shrunk him down to 5'5" ....beware the power of chiles!!!)
Right now, I have a good world of food.....I can only hope that if you are restricted in your diets, that we can, here at Cafe Luna, adapt our menus to accommodate you correctly, giving you joy after joy in your mouth.......
________________________________________
Have been enjoying the last week in our yard at home. Lost 14 weeks due to construction on the outside of our home because they had to remove all the paint and plaster and then re-plaster and re-paint.
We were outside in the backyard yesterday. I was helping Gary by supervising his tile work project while I was sitting in a lounge-chair, and we opened a bottle of white wine, because, you know, during summer months, a bottle of crisp white is what we drink. So all of a sudden, the two of us had consumed the entire bottle. So what to do? Of course, trying to maintain the spirit of the event of my supervising Gary's tile project, we opened another bottle of crisp white wine, something we drink during the summer months because it would be gauche otherwise. Well, all of a sudden, we realized that the second bottle of wine was gone.
As Gary was steadfastly working on his tile project (and I am sure, thanking me silently for my valuable input) I was talking a mile a minute about how Grace Slick from the Jefferson Airplane had just turned 70 years old, and that I was sure that cowboys in America were all hiding out in Arizona waiting for John Travolta to make a new movie about ranch-riders, and about the constants we all have in life regarding reading a book and the values of passing that book on to the homeless people in the country, and had he noticed that when people and their pets hung out together, they really did start to look like each other, and what did he think about Chinese art as opposed to Keith Harring's artistic endeavors on the subways of New York, and why did it cost so much to make a long distance phone call on our land-line and yet it was included in our cell phone line, and how come women seemed to be getting more and more tattoo's with so much color, especially on the small of their backs, , and how the men kept getting tattoos of landscapes and moonscapes and how if he were to cut that one tile a bit more on the diagonal, his project would just turn out perfect.....
He on the other-hand....wished for the kind of guy who fell asleep in his chair after drinking a bottle of wine.....
And see? Now you know what a bonding experience wine can be.....to all of us....
________________________________________
UPDATE: Tomato plants at house: Zero (0).
We cut them down in defiance.......damn worms.......
Hey!!!! I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to write me about the methods of removing those disgusting tomato worms....some of the methods were truly full of merit, and some of them.....well, I did not realize that voodoo was so prevalent in our little community......but, if it works.....it works......
The more I try to grow tomatoes, the more love the Farmers Market.....
We hope to see you soon, and hope you might drop a line of your tomato plant experiences.....and your favorite recipes and things to eat in the summertime....love hearing from you.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
________________________________________
September Wine Notes
THE WINE MENU:
Gary, myself and some hard-core friends went wine tasting over the week end....We were invited over to Amador County to taste some of the new vintages, and also help with some wine pairings for a couple of coming events....what a hoot!!
Went to Jeff Runquist Winery and tasted all he had to offer.....funny thing, his list of tasting is about half from a couple of months ago, becasue they sold out of everything due to his winning of so many awards at the California State Fair. But.......his Amador Barbera is incredible!....and what a great dog they have there, Pearl, who greets each of us at the door (don't feed the dog!!!). Very deserving of the awards recieved....
Next we went to Dillian Winery, and met Tom the owner/wine-maker.
You know when you talk to someone on the phone, you have this mental picture of that person? Well with Tom, I had this picture of a guy about my age or so (55+), who was grey haired and looks like a pipe-smoker........well, he is probably 30 years old (or maybe younger....I can't tell peoples ages or their weights.....I am loved by many for this.....), and as exurburent as a guy can be. The fun and the information we found out about his winery, his family heritage (5th generation on that piece of land in Amador County), and his work plans were so great we all wanted to go out and just drink wine the rest of the day in celebration of him!!! (well, okay, we maybe were planning on drinking wine for the day anyway, but heck: life is a celebration and so we were celebrating TOM AT DILLION WINERY!!!) Now let me also tell you something else: this winery hit a 100% with all five of us for varietal tastings, pricing, and absolute lush flavors......we were so excited when we left his place that a little winery could be so great. And we mean that. GO HERE and relish in his incredible wines. Tell him you are a Luna/tic......he will either greet you warmly or throw you out....
Went to a new winery named Driven, sharing the same drive-way as Dobra Zemlja on Steiner Road. We met "Rudy", the dad of the clan. Thank gawd we get to meet other like minded wine people everywhere we go. This winery has only been opened up for about 3 months with one of the most spectacular views in Amador county...on top of the hill overlooking the entire valley....Beee-uuuu-teee-fulll! They have a great collection of old vinatage cars and tractors and farm equiptment on site and we enjoyed their new offerings of wine. Good luck and check them out.
Got to go to Wilderotter Vineyards and checked out their new vintages. This is a really nice wine tasting room, and the staff are fun and full of vinegar. We had fun with them and got to meet the owner/winemaker. I love how a wine maker has so much information about wine making, his philosophy of taste, and also his dreams....their wines, most notably the Sauvignon Blanc, are sensational.
And finally, C.G. DiArie. We went to the wine tasting room and met all the "girls" behind the bar. Friends of friends, we talked for at least an hour about some of th crazies we all knew collectively, and how much fun we were having. Gary and I have a special place in our hearts for this winery. The owners are good friends and we respect the heck out of them for the consistant prooduct that is just overwhelming. Love the fact that he is making wines out of the ordinary, introducing new varietals from Spain and Portugal that are so condusive to this area. Love his deep developed flavors and the fact that we are so lucky to have these people in our lives. Yahoo!!!
So, as usual: go visit the wineries. Go enjoy what our counties have to offer. Enjoy the best laid STAY-CATIONS you can imagine right here in our back yards. Pack a picnic, bring lots of water to drink, and enjoy what we love: good friends and a great place to find out something new about wines.
Please Note: Like a parent with many, many children: I am just noting some of our new wines on the list. The list of incredible wineries we represent is large. I am not choosing one over the other, just the new wines listed. (The only way I would choose one child of mine over the other is if they looked like me, only more handsome, or taller, or thinner, or maybe if they didn't look like me at all....it is all so confusing.....I should have had kids....)
September is here!!! I swear some of the hottest days of summer come this month....the heat and then our cool nights get me so confused (I'm the pretty one.......), but reminds me of BRAISING MEATS and stews, and polenta and Lamb shanks, the list gets longer and longer as I just sit here and think....
hmmmmm.....my favorite foods.........slow roasting, bringing out so much flavor and with so very little effort, just let it simmer for hours and hours and hours.....(and that my friends is why the Crock-Pot was invented - to make excellent cooks out of all of us....)
Okay, the tide, as slow as it is turning, is lightening up. Customers and friends coming in have let some of the weight off their shoulders and are breathing just a bit easier......
Now don't get me wrong: it is still pitiful, sad, and each day a big question-mark of "what tha?" is going on, but at least there seems to be an end to this very long road we are traveling. Maybe not this month, or even this year, but just to have something positive coming out of peoples mouths for a change: what a beginning sigh of relief.
Several of the vacant shops on Main Street here in Placerville are filled again. Nice to see this. But shops that are having to go out of business soon are not so nice to see. But it is inevitable during a semi-recession (not my words). My opposite "sides-of-the-tracks friends" keep telling me of the "whoa's" to come.....but hold on fellas::::the worst we have now experienced as a whole.....it is the future we HAVE GOT to look forward to as something better than what has been behind us.
And don't get me started on medical provisions!!!
Well, I did start, so here it is: I am a small business man who only employs 8 very wonderful employees (myself? I am a free agent who is only doing this for the love of wine and food....in that order.....). Of these eight employees, only four of them have medical insurance that they can afford, either through spouses or parents. My other four do not. And when they go to the doctor, they pay cash. And when they go to the emergency room, they pay cash. Allot of cash....
(Side note: my guy who takes care of Creekside Place gardens: woke up with a high fever and a stomach ache that would not go away. He called the doctor up who in turn told him to check into the emergency ward at Marshall Hospital. He did at 7 AM in the morning. He was diagnosed with kidney stones, was checked into the hospital, had a treatment to dissolve them, and was out at 11 AM the same morning. Ten days later, he and his family were presented with a hospital and emergency room bill of over $10,000.00. How can he pay that? He has no insurance, but pays with cash. He is beside himself as to what to do........pending results to come.........)
I can only hope that my contribution as an employer will be the amount that we can sustain as a small business. I can also only hope that the government realizes the burden that will be placed on the "little guy" and the mom-and-pop businesses around the nation. Too much will put so many owners out of business - that preverbal straw-that-breaks-the-camels-back so to speak. Any amount will ultimately require price hikes for all the services and items we provide, and the consumer will be the ones feeling that. BUT.....we as a nation have to do something. I am willing to do my part. My people deserve the treatment needed if medical attention is required, and they should not to sell the cow to get it.
Now that Gary is a Medicare Man, we will see what this has to bring us....and hey? Isn't that a government run agency? Hows that working?
I on the other hand, have promised myself never to require medical attention for the rest of my natural days......(and as my friend Jeffrina says: Honey, there ain't nothing natural about it! So there you are......)
_______________________________________
Sooooooo.......we had this great discussion about taste in food the other day. I have several friends who, when they talk: I listen. We were using salt as the ingredient that is so under or over used in dishes and how either way, can be the saving grace of a meal or its downfall. So how come, we here in California, are so in tune to flavorings of salt, sweet, hot, sour. It comprises basically all we look for in our foods and our desserts and snacks. And so we measure our foods and our likes and dislikes based on these things. I love the heat of chiles. I love the ying/yang of sour-sweet. But without the proper balance of the salt factor, they don't work as well. These are feelings in my mouth that become memorable to me while eating, and leave me wanting to taste more of that.
Gary and I have so many people in our lives that do not like "hot" dishes. It is so far away from our thoughts in taste, that we forget about people intolerant of hot foods, and if I were to go a step further, those unable to have salt. I have always feared being told I would not be able to eat items like onions, or garlic, or corn, or chiles. Or Salt. I know we can adapt to this restriction, but mentally, I am not that good of a soldier I am afraid. What if they told me I could not eat fruit? Or chocolate? Or (knock on wood and perish the thought:) YOU CANNOT DRINK WINE. (I am losing my breath just thinking about this now....holding it just in case holding my breath will ward off this ever happening to me.....I think I threw salt over my shoulder, crossed myself and spit on the ground.....JUST IN CASE.......)
(A funny story of a very good friend and my introduction to his eating habits: Gary and I have this wonderful friend named Jeff. Many, many many years ago, we invited him and a friend over for dinner. This was the first time we had him for dinner, and so I decided to try this incredible sounding beef brisket recipe from Paul Proudhome, the Cajun cook so famous in the late 70's and early 80's. His recipe was a dry rub with cayenne pepper, ancho chile powder, onion powder, black pepper, etc., that was self-marinating for about 6 hours, and then another 6 hours at a slow temp to cook this dish. Let me tell you it was fantastic......but......Jeff - the good mannered guest that he was, had a couple of bites of the dish and promptly excused himself from the table. I noticed he was blood red colored as he left, but I just assumed he has so so happy to be eating this fabulous food that he was over-whelmed with joy......
He was not.
It seems that poor Jeff is not able to even eat black pepper (WAY TO HOT!) and was dying from the heat of the chiles and the peppers. But , the good guest that he was, did not want to ruin my dinner with the steam coming out of his ears nor the blood-shot eyes covering his face.....Damn......I did not know....and to be honest, it was the first time I had ever experienced someone intolerant of hat or spicy flavors. Long story short: Jeff has been over many times since, but we limit it non-spicy dishes....)
(Poor man - used to be six foot tall, but I am sure we shrunk him down to 5'5" ....beware the power of chiles!!!)
Right now, I have a good world of food.....I can only hope that if you are restricted in your diets, that we can, here at Cafe Luna, adapt our menus to accommodate you correctly, giving you joy after joy in your mouth.......
________________________________________
Have been enjoying the last week in our yard at home. Lost 14 weeks due to construction on the outside of our home because they had to remove all the paint and plaster and then re-plaster and re-paint.
We were outside in the backyard yesterday. I was helping Gary by supervising his tile work project while I was sitting in a lounge-chair, and we opened a bottle of white wine, because, you know, during summer months, a bottle of crisp white is what we drink. So all of a sudden, the two of us had consumed the entire bottle. So what to do? Of course, trying to maintain the spirit of the event of my supervising Gary's tile project, we opened another bottle of crisp white wine, something we drink during the summer months because it would be gauche otherwise. Well, all of a sudden, we realized that the second bottle of wine was gone.
As Gary was steadfastly working on his tile project (and I am sure, thanking me silently for my valuable input) I was talking a mile a minute about how Grace Slick from the Jefferson Airplane had just turned 70 years old, and that I was sure that cowboys in America were all hiding out in Arizona waiting for John Travolta to make a new movie about ranch-riders, and about the constants we all have in life regarding reading a book and the values of passing that book on to the homeless people in the country, and had he noticed that when people and their pets hung out together, they really did start to look like each other, and what did he think about Chinese art as opposed to Keith Harring's artistic endeavors on the subways of New York, and why did it cost so much to make a long distance phone call on our land-line and yet it was included in our cell phone line, and how come women seemed to be getting more and more tattoo's with so much color, especially on the small of their backs, , and how the men kept getting tattoos of landscapes and moonscapes and how if he were to cut that one tile a bit more on the diagonal, his project would just turn out perfect.....
He on the other-hand....wished for the kind of guy who fell asleep in his chair after drinking a bottle of wine.....
And see? Now you know what a bonding experience wine can be.....to all of us....
________________________________________
UPDATE: Tomato plants at house: Zero (0).
We cut them down in defiance.......damn worms.......
Hey!!!! I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to write me about the methods of removing those disgusting tomato worms....some of the methods were truly full of merit, and some of them.....well, I did not realize that voodoo was so prevalent in our little community......but, if it works.....it works......
The more I try to grow tomatoes, the more love the Farmers Market.....
We hope to see you soon, and hope you might drop a line of your tomato plant experiences.....and your favorite recipes and things to eat in the summertime....love hearing from you.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
________________________________________
September Wine Notes
THE WINE MENU:
Gary, myself and some hard-core friends went wine tasting over the week end....We were invited over to Amador County to taste some of the new vintages, and also help with some wine pairings for a couple of coming events....what a hoot!!
Went to Jeff Runquist Winery and tasted all he had to offer.....funny thing, his list of tasting is about half from a couple of months ago, becasue they sold out of everything due to his winning of so many awards at the California State Fair. But.......his Amador Barbera is incredible!....and what a great dog they have there, Pearl, who greets each of us at the door (don't feed the dog!!!). Very deserving of the awards recieved....
Next we went to Dillian Winery, and met Tom the owner/wine-maker.
You know when you talk to someone on the phone, you have this mental picture of that person? Well with Tom, I had this picture of a guy about my age or so (55+), who was grey haired and looks like a pipe-smoker........well, he is probably 30 years old (or maybe younger....I can't tell peoples ages or their weights.....I am loved by many for this.....), and as exurburent as a guy can be. The fun and the information we found out about his winery, his family heritage (5th generation on that piece of land in Amador County), and his work plans were so great we all wanted to go out and just drink wine the rest of the day in celebration of him!!! (well, okay, we maybe were planning on drinking wine for the day anyway, but heck: life is a celebration and so we were celebrating TOM AT DILLION WINERY!!!) Now let me also tell you something else: this winery hit a 100% with all five of us for varietal tastings, pricing, and absolute lush flavors......we were so excited when we left his place that a little winery could be so great. And we mean that. GO HERE and relish in his incredible wines. Tell him you are a Luna/tic......he will either greet you warmly or throw you out....
Went to a new winery named Driven, sharing the same drive-way as Dobra Zemlja on Steiner Road. We met "Rudy", the dad of the clan. Thank gawd we get to meet other like minded wine people everywhere we go. This winery has only been opened up for about 3 months with one of the most spectacular views in Amador county...on top of the hill overlooking the entire valley....Beee-uuuu-teee-fulll! They have a great collection of old vinatage cars and tractors and farm equiptment on site and we enjoyed their new offerings of wine. Good luck and check them out.
Got to go to Wilderotter Vineyards and checked out their new vintages. This is a really nice wine tasting room, and the staff are fun and full of vinegar. We had fun with them and got to meet the owner/winemaker. I love how a wine maker has so much information about wine making, his philosophy of taste, and also his dreams....their wines, most notably the Sauvignon Blanc, are sensational.
And finally, C.G. DiArie. We went to the wine tasting room and met all the "girls" behind the bar. Friends of friends, we talked for at least an hour about some of th crazies we all knew collectively, and how much fun we were having. Gary and I have a special place in our hearts for this winery. The owners are good friends and we respect the heck out of them for the consistant prooduct that is just overwhelming. Love the fact that he is making wines out of the ordinary, introducing new varietals from Spain and Portugal that are so condusive to this area. Love his deep developed flavors and the fact that we are so lucky to have these people in our lives. Yahoo!!!
So, as usual: go visit the wineries. Go enjoy what our counties have to offer. Enjoy the best laid STAY-CATIONS you can imagine right here in our back yards. Pack a picnic, bring lots of water to drink, and enjoy what we love: good friends and a great place to find out something new about wines.
Please Note: Like a parent with many, many children: I am just noting some of our new wines on the list. The list of incredible wineries we represent is large. I am not choosing one over the other, just the new wines listed. (The only way I would choose one child of mine over the other is if they looked like me, only more handsome, or taller, or thinner, or maybe if they didn't look like me at all....it is all so confusing.....I should have had kids....)
Double click on each line below to take you to a Printable copy of the menus, recipes and specials.
Copy of September 2009 Menu
Promotions
Recipe: Cafe Luna Cream Cheese Spread
Recipe: Cafe Luna Quick Basic Curry Base
Copy of September 2009 Menu
Promotions
Recipe: Cafe Luna Cream Cheese Spread
Recipe: Cafe Luna Quick Basic Curry Base
This Months Menu High-Lights.....
New This Menu:
Well my friends, the menu change has been a hit! The two page format with one page of appetizers and light entree's along with several salads has been very much of a tasting menu for a lot of you. Thank you!!!
Main Entrees
Mediterranean Seafood Stew - Did you know Gary is half Portuguese? His Mom's family was from the beautiful Azores - an incredible tropical island that we will someday visit. His mom was also the kind of cook that could make mud-pies taste good. She taught me the benefit of Linguisa sausage and the role it plays in Portuguese cooking. Kind of like our bacon. The Linguisa renders its fat, and that is used to saute and other parts of the dish, gathering layer after layer of flavors. We are taking large prawns, cod fish and clams, sauteing them with Linguisa, tomatoes and white onions, finishing them with a great saffron stock and fresh fennel sauce, and serving with a mound of Basmati rice. Wonderful. So good sometimes it hurts.
Prawns ala' Casa Gary and I were fortunate to have gone to this great hotel on the beaches of Mexico. The town is named "Troncones" and it is outside of Ixtapa on the coast. It is named Casa de la Serena (double click the name to take your to their web-site).. Debbie and Mike are great hosts, and have a wonderful place for us to totally "veg" out at. The avocado's are the size of my little nephews head (the 5 year old, not the 18 year old), the fish is caught right outside in the ocean and brought to the front door each morning for us to look at and purchase off the boat, and the people are soooooo laid back (groovey man...), that all you can do is relax. So that is what we are going to do again this January.
But I digress.....the Prawns! The Prawns!!! One day, we ordered 2 kilos of fresh prawns and the six of us looked at the amount of them, and said "there is no way we are going to eat all of these.....we will have to invite the village for an after dinner-dinner to eat the rest." (we are very generous that way.....) But we cleaned them, keeping the shells intact, marinated them in a puree of chiles, limes, mangos and oranges, and then barbecued them on an open flame in the shells and started to eat. Well, let me say this with all honesty: I have never seen Sheri or Sally eat so much in my entire life! The men just sat back and told them to please help themselves, thinking they would just eat a little bit, then tell us "I'm so full::::I couldn't eat another thing!" But nooooo.....our little tank-girls consumed more than their fair share, and we poor guys starved and had to subsist on Gold tequila and guacamole. Well, long story short: they are fantastic cooked in the shells, more flavor than you can imagine, messy but soooo good.....try these....Extra napkins on request.
Salmon Wellington - Fresh Pacific salmon filets topped with caramelized leeks and carrots, rubbed with French mustard and tarragon, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. Served topped with a light Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Dee-lish!!!!
Jerk Pork - The "HOT-HEAD" selection this month. I love "jerked" meats and vegetables, and believe it or not, the first place we tasted it was in Cozumel, Mexico. The influenences of the Caribbean, Mexico, Cuba and South America on this little island made my gastronomical juices happier than they have ever been. Hot. No, I mean really, really HOT and spicy and sweet and aromatic and full of flavors that between sweating and dripping, I was ohhh-ing and ahh-ing so much that I wanted to forget about getting back on the cruise ship and just stay there and simmer away....That good. We are taking our Jerk sauce, made with about 25 ingredients of fresh herbs, vegetables and many spices, pureed to a smooth paste, and then cooking the boneless pork and vegetables until they are tender and full of this wonderfulness that HotHeads crave: a #9 on the heat scale. If you love hot spicy foods, you are in heaven. The nice part about this is it can also be a vegetarian option, as the base is meatless. So there Mr. D.....food at last.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Whoo-hoo! Our best girl-friend Sally steered me into this new region of smaller plates and things to try. She is my food concious, the one in the white robe sitting on my right shoulder while I sit on my left shoulder - usually with red on and horns.....
Stuffed Figs: Fresh figs stuffed with Gorgonzola Dolcelatte cheese, wrapped in Proscuitto, and served topped with a bit of a raspberry and Balsamic "gastrique"... a wonderful slowly reduced sauce thick enough to stay on your plate and packed with flavor. Get them while they last.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Heirloom tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Ahi Tuna: Rare Ahi tuna, on a bed of baby greens, topped with an Italian infused Meyer lemon olive oil, served with a red chile aioli with toasts.
Gary's Mac and Cheese: He still amazes me after all these years. Still my favorite version, having tasted hundreds of versions of this confort dish. Macaroni pasta, with minced sauteed wild mushrooms, three kinds of cheese, topped with a crunchy topping, baked and topped with a spoonful of sour cream. What could be better than this?
Torta Rustica: Individual puff pastry pies, filled with sauteed veggies, Mozzarella cheese, baked until golden, and served topped with a bit of a roasted garlic and basil cream sauce. Another vegetable dish that makes you forget about meats.
Italian Sausage Polenta: Italian-style polenta cooked slowly with basil, thyme, Parmesan cheese and diced Italian sausages, cut into wedges, pan-sauteed until a bit golden, and then served layered with our house-made Marinara sauce and topped with Fontina cheese and broiled until golden and bubbly.....enough said.
Salade Nicoise - Lightly Dijon dressed greens topped with steamed potatoes, hard cooked eggs, steamed French green beans, artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoe, caper and Nicoise olives then slices of charred rare Ahi Tuna......see picture above.....its delicious.....
Sesame Noodle Salad - Thin noodles dressed in our own Peanut Sesame dressing, topped with celey, carrot slivers, scallions basil and cilantro, and chopped peanuts, served on a bed of baby greens. Served cold, this is such a hot summer dish!!!
New This Menu:
Well my friends, the menu change has been a hit! The two page format with one page of appetizers and light entree's along with several salads has been very much of a tasting menu for a lot of you. Thank you!!!
Main Entrees
Mediterranean Seafood Stew - Did you know Gary is half Portuguese? His Mom's family was from the beautiful Azores - an incredible tropical island that we will someday visit. His mom was also the kind of cook that could make mud-pies taste good. She taught me the benefit of Linguisa sausage and the role it plays in Portuguese cooking. Kind of like our bacon. The Linguisa renders its fat, and that is used to saute and other parts of the dish, gathering layer after layer of flavors. We are taking large prawns, cod fish and clams, sauteing them with Linguisa, tomatoes and white onions, finishing them with a great saffron stock and fresh fennel sauce, and serving with a mound of Basmati rice. Wonderful. So good sometimes it hurts.
Prawns ala' Casa Gary and I were fortunate to have gone to this great hotel on the beaches of Mexico. The town is named "Troncones" and it is outside of Ixtapa on the coast. It is named Casa de la Serena (double click the name to take your to their web-site).. Debbie and Mike are great hosts, and have a wonderful place for us to totally "veg" out at. The avocado's are the size of my little nephews head (the 5 year old, not the 18 year old), the fish is caught right outside in the ocean and brought to the front door each morning for us to look at and purchase off the boat, and the people are soooooo laid back (groovey man...), that all you can do is relax. So that is what we are going to do again this January.
But I digress.....the Prawns! The Prawns!!! One day, we ordered 2 kilos of fresh prawns and the six of us looked at the amount of them, and said "there is no way we are going to eat all of these.....we will have to invite the village for an after dinner-dinner to eat the rest." (we are very generous that way.....) But we cleaned them, keeping the shells intact, marinated them in a puree of chiles, limes, mangos and oranges, and then barbecued them on an open flame in the shells and started to eat. Well, let me say this with all honesty: I have never seen Sheri or Sally eat so much in my entire life! The men just sat back and told them to please help themselves, thinking they would just eat a little bit, then tell us "I'm so full::::I couldn't eat another thing!" But nooooo.....our little tank-girls consumed more than their fair share, and we poor guys starved and had to subsist on Gold tequila and guacamole. Well, long story short: they are fantastic cooked in the shells, more flavor than you can imagine, messy but soooo good.....try these....Extra napkins on request.
Salmon Wellington - Fresh Pacific salmon filets topped with caramelized leeks and carrots, rubbed with French mustard and tarragon, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. Served topped with a light Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Dee-lish!!!!
Jerk Pork - The "HOT-HEAD" selection this month. I love "jerked" meats and vegetables, and believe it or not, the first place we tasted it was in Cozumel, Mexico. The influenences of the Caribbean, Mexico, Cuba and South America on this little island made my gastronomical juices happier than they have ever been. Hot. No, I mean really, really HOT and spicy and sweet and aromatic and full of flavors that between sweating and dripping, I was ohhh-ing and ahh-ing so much that I wanted to forget about getting back on the cruise ship and just stay there and simmer away....That good. We are taking our Jerk sauce, made with about 25 ingredients of fresh herbs, vegetables and many spices, pureed to a smooth paste, and then cooking the boneless pork and vegetables until they are tender and full of this wonderfulness that HotHeads crave: a #9 on the heat scale. If you love hot spicy foods, you are in heaven. The nice part about this is it can also be a vegetarian option, as the base is meatless. So there Mr. D.....food at last.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Whoo-hoo! Our best girl-friend Sally steered me into this new region of smaller plates and things to try. She is my food concious, the one in the white robe sitting on my right shoulder while I sit on my left shoulder - usually with red on and horns.....
Stuffed Figs: Fresh figs stuffed with Gorgonzola Dolcelatte cheese, wrapped in Proscuitto, and served topped with a bit of a raspberry and Balsamic "gastrique"... a wonderful slowly reduced sauce thick enough to stay on your plate and packed with flavor. Get them while they last.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Heirloom tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Ahi Tuna: Rare Ahi tuna, on a bed of baby greens, topped with an Italian infused Meyer lemon olive oil, served with a red chile aioli with toasts.
Gary's Mac and Cheese: He still amazes me after all these years. Still my favorite version, having tasted hundreds of versions of this confort dish. Macaroni pasta, with minced sauteed wild mushrooms, three kinds of cheese, topped with a crunchy topping, baked and topped with a spoonful of sour cream. What could be better than this?
Torta Rustica: Individual puff pastry pies, filled with sauteed veggies, Mozzarella cheese, baked until golden, and served topped with a bit of a roasted garlic and basil cream sauce. Another vegetable dish that makes you forget about meats.
Italian Sausage Polenta: Italian-style polenta cooked slowly with basil, thyme, Parmesan cheese and diced Italian sausages, cut into wedges, pan-sauteed until a bit golden, and then served layered with our house-made Marinara sauce and topped with Fontina cheese and broiled until golden and bubbly.....enough said.
Salade Nicoise - Lightly Dijon dressed greens topped with steamed potatoes, hard cooked eggs, steamed French green beans, artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoe, caper and Nicoise olives then slices of charred rare Ahi Tuna......see picture above.....its delicious.....
Sesame Noodle Salad - Thin noodles dressed in our own Peanut Sesame dressing, topped with celey, carrot slivers, scallions basil and cilantro, and chopped peanuts, served on a bed of baby greens. Served cold, this is such a hot summer dish!!!
Aug 10, 2009
Hi All You Luna/tics!!
Yes, yes, yes... I am seven days late with this - but for a valid (I think so at least) reason. We are trying a new concept here at Cafe Luna, that I wanted to make sure was workable in my tiny, tiny kitchen. And the fact that Ryan and Teresa are off getting married (many congratulations and success!!) and honeymooning, so it really is a solo effort.
We have included almost a whole page of new appetizers, light entrees and small plates, plus some new salads to the menu along with our page of entrees. This to shake it up a bit for ourselves, and mostly to make my regulars happy with items that they can share, or just have a small portion of. So I think you will be happy with this new rendering.
I have had four nights now of trying it out on unsuspecting souls, and have gotten the rhythm down to a roll, and am ready to proceed into the future. So here you go, new menu is downloadable below, our monthly promotions are here, along with a downloadable page of coupons, and on top of that, some new wine trivia and info of what we are doing.
Next week, you will be getting another letter from me with a great couple of recipes on it that will help relieve summer.
UPDATE: Tomatoes plants at house: Zero (0) on one bush, 18 on the other. But who's counting?
Now here is the real story: Gary and I have been in the middle of a major 12 week project that the builders of our home have been conducting. The paint on our house has bubbled and blistered off, and the contractor has had to strip the paint and then grind all the first 1/4" of plaster off the entire outside of the house. That took three weeks. We have been living with humongous amounts of plaster dust everywhere. And unable to get to the vegetable garden side of the house. So, with the tomato plants full of plaster dust, they dwindled to half their size. And to add insult to injury, these ugly green horned tomato worms from hell suddenly appeared out of nowhere and preceded to eat the rest of the plants leaves.
Now listen, if you have not seen these "things" let me give you a visual:
Imagine your index finger without a bone, all bright green and undulating as you touch them. Squishy and sticking to your tomato plant with Velcro-like strength. And imagine yourself trying to pull them off, and in the back of your mind screaming like a little girl because you have to even touch them, because you are also afraid that they might break in half or worse: squish in your fingers. Well... the butch guy that I am winds up having to lean against the wall and take a breath after just looking at these things, and then sterilize my hands for half an hour afterwards. (yeah, yeah, yeah: wear gloves you say.....well you have to understand I don't want anything of mine to touch these things....).
So this month, the worms win......
I love the Farmers Market.....
We hope to see you soon, and hope you might drop a line of your tomato plant experiences.....and your favorite recipes and things to eat in the summertime....love hearing from you.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
____________________________________________________________
August 2009 Promotions
Double-click here for a printable page of coupons
Here is our promotional plan for this month (oh you Wino's will be happy!!)
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over 50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting two free corkage per table. That alone will be a $30.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......or better yet, how about if I download a copy of our current listings with this mailing?
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons. Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of August, 2009.
___________________________________________________________
Mr. Don's Pan Roasted Chicken Breast - Don is a great guy who loved this chicken dish, and if you love something and are the first to tell me, you get a plate named after you. Well, he and his lovely bride are two people who have opinions that I like to hear, and if he loves it, it must be great. We take a "Frenched" chicken breast - a breast with just one joint of the wing in it - pan-saute it until the skin is ultra crispy, finish roasting in the oven, and then serving it on a bed of baby gnocchi's, Fingerling potatoes, and roasted mushrooms in a rich pan-pan juice reduction with a bit of fresh basil. Heaven on a plate.
Jerk Pork - The "HOT-HEAD" selection this month. I love "jerked" meats and vegetables, and believe it or not, the first place we tasted it was in Cozumel, Mexico. The influenences of the Caribbean, Mexico, Cuba and South America on this little island made my gastronomical juices happier than they have ever been. Hot. No, I mean really, really HOT and spicy and sweet and aromatic and full of flavors that between sweating and dripping, I was ohhh-ing and ahh-ing so much that I wanted to forget about getting back on the cruise ship and just stay there and simmer away....That good. We are taking our Jerk sauce, made with about 25 ingredients of fresh herbs, vegetables and many spices, pureed to a smooth paste, and then cooking the boneless pork and vegetables until they are tender and full of this wonderfulness that HotHeads crave: a #9 on the heat scale. If you love hot spicy foods, you are in heaven. The nice part about this is it can also be a vegetarian option, as the base is meatless. So there Mr. D.....food at last.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Whoo-hoo! Our best girl-friend Sally steered me into this new region of smaller plates and things to try. She is my food concious, the one in the white robe sitting on my right shouldar while I sit on my left shouldar - usually with red on and horns.....
Stuffed Figs: Fresh figs stuffed with Gorgonzola Dolcelatte cheese, wrapped in Proscuitto, and served topped with a bit of a raspberry and Balsamic "gastrique"... a wonderful slowly reduced sauce thick enough to stay on your plate and packed with flavor. Get them while they last.
Mixed Plate: 3 or 4 Artisinal cheeses, fresh fruit, sliced cured meats and Gary's "Pops" peppers - sweet bells roasted, skinned and pickled with onions. Wonderful served with breads to smear everything on.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Heirloom tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Ahi Tuna: Rare Ahi tuna, on a bed of baby greens, topped with an Italian infused Meyer lemon olive oil, served with a red chile aioli with toasts.
Gary's Mac and Cheese: He still amazes me after all these years. Still my favorite version, having tasted hundreds of versions of this confort dish. Macaroni pasta, with minced sauteed wild mushrooms, three kinds of cheese, topped with a crunchy topping, baked and topped with a spoonful of sour cream. What could be better than this?
Torta Rustica: Individual puff pastry pies, filled with sauteed veggies, Mozzarella cheese, baked until golden, and served topped with a bit of a roasted garlic and basil cream sauce. Another vegetable dish that makes you forget about meats.
Pork Sliders: We love barbecued pork, slow cooked, shredded and simmered in our barbecue sauce. So we are serving three of these babies with some fun options: red pickled onions rings, vinegar cucumbers, and little French cornichons - tiny pickles. This is fun food.
____________________________________________________________
Trade Notes / Rants & Raves
More Wine Notes and Cafe Luna Wine Club Information:::
Our local wineries are great. Great to visit, great to taste and sample, and even better because it is good money spent for your collection. We have maps here at Cafe Luna, and believe me, Gary loves to map out a route for you if you want.
Each week, I get to taste some of the very best this county has to offer. I am overwhelmed at what we have around us.....and I only wish that my Cafe and my pocketbook let me buy all of the great and wonderful wines I get to sample (eat your hearts out....)
But, yes, there are some not so great wines out there too. Be discerning. Develop a sense of what you like in a wine and grow from there. The wineries will help you developed your palate and if you learn to trust your own taste-buds, you will be happy. My Motto: you either love it or you do not: no one can convince you otherwise. Stick to you guns, and buy and drink what you love and can afford.
And right now, many of them are having winery only specials that can save you a bundle. Visit them or call them...You will be happy.
I am endeavoring to developed a list of like-minded people who are looking for some outstanding and very reasonably priced wines. This group will be for Case Purchasing only, at a very big discount. If you would like to be included in this Wine Club at Cafe Luna, drop us a line. It will be for pick-up here only, and we will be sampling these new wines a couple of times a month. We just sold an Italian Primitivo for $11.00 a bottle, and it was great!!
These are wines we won't be carrying here on our list, because they are usually small lots of production.
When you check out these wineries, make sure you check their Events pages if they have them. These are the upcoming days when you will be able to enjoy some of the special offerings that the counties have to showcase their wares. Those days are fun, and you get to do something out of the normal range. These summer days ahead are going to be a blast for us wine drinkers, and the wineries are trying to keep us amazed at what they can do. And you can buy incredible wines on top of it all. I love my job....
___________________________________________________________
Thank you for your business, we can only hope that things are getting better for all of us.
We love seeing your faces, and miss seeing those we do not.
Drop me a line with an idea, or a suggestion and I will try to respond.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
Yes, yes, yes... I am seven days late with this - but for a valid (I think so at least) reason. We are trying a new concept here at Cafe Luna, that I wanted to make sure was workable in my tiny, tiny kitchen. And the fact that Ryan and Teresa are off getting married (many congratulations and success!!) and honeymooning, so it really is a solo effort.
We have included almost a whole page of new appetizers, light entrees and small plates, plus some new salads to the menu along with our page of entrees. This to shake it up a bit for ourselves, and mostly to make my regulars happy with items that they can share, or just have a small portion of. So I think you will be happy with this new rendering.
I have had four nights now of trying it out on unsuspecting souls, and have gotten the rhythm down to a roll, and am ready to proceed into the future. So here you go, new menu is downloadable below, our monthly promotions are here, along with a downloadable page of coupons, and on top of that, some new wine trivia and info of what we are doing.
Next week, you will be getting another letter from me with a great couple of recipes on it that will help relieve summer.
UPDATE: Tomatoes plants at house: Zero (0) on one bush, 18 on the other. But who's counting?
Now here is the real story: Gary and I have been in the middle of a major 12 week project that the builders of our home have been conducting. The paint on our house has bubbled and blistered off, and the contractor has had to strip the paint and then grind all the first 1/4" of plaster off the entire outside of the house. That took three weeks. We have been living with humongous amounts of plaster dust everywhere. And unable to get to the vegetable garden side of the house. So, with the tomato plants full of plaster dust, they dwindled to half their size. And to add insult to injury, these ugly green horned tomato worms from hell suddenly appeared out of nowhere and preceded to eat the rest of the plants leaves.
Now listen, if you have not seen these "things" let me give you a visual:
Imagine your index finger without a bone, all bright green and undulating as you touch them. Squishy and sticking to your tomato plant with Velcro-like strength. And imagine yourself trying to pull them off, and in the back of your mind screaming like a little girl because you have to even touch them, because you are also afraid that they might break in half or worse: squish in your fingers. Well... the butch guy that I am winds up having to lean against the wall and take a breath after just looking at these things, and then sterilize my hands for half an hour afterwards. (yeah, yeah, yeah: wear gloves you say.....well you have to understand I don't want anything of mine to touch these things....).
So this month, the worms win......
I love the Farmers Market.....
We hope to see you soon, and hope you might drop a line of your tomato plant experiences.....and your favorite recipes and things to eat in the summertime....love hearing from you.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
____________________________________________________________
August 2009 Promotions
Double-click here for a printable page of coupons
Here is our promotional plan for this month (oh you Wino's will be happy!!)
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over 50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting two free corkage per table. That alone will be a $30.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......or better yet, how about if I download a copy of our current listings with this mailing?
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons. Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of August, 2009.
___________________________________________________________
Double-click here for a printable copy of this months menu
New This Menu:
Main Entrees
Mr. Don's Pan Roasted Chicken Breast - Don is a great guy who loved this chicken dish, and if you love something and are the first to tell me, you get a plate named after you. Well, he and his lovely bride are two people who have opinions that I like to hear, and if he loves it, it must be great. We take a "Frenched" chicken breast - a breast with just one joint of the wing in it - pan-saute it until the skin is ultra crispy, finish roasting in the oven, and then serving it on a bed of baby gnocchi's, Fingerling potatoes, and roasted mushrooms in a rich pan-pan juice reduction with a bit of fresh basil. Heaven on a plate.
Jerk Pork - The "HOT-HEAD" selection this month. I love "jerked" meats and vegetables, and believe it or not, the first place we tasted it was in Cozumel, Mexico. The influenences of the Caribbean, Mexico, Cuba and South America on this little island made my gastronomical juices happier than they have ever been. Hot. No, I mean really, really HOT and spicy and sweet and aromatic and full of flavors that between sweating and dripping, I was ohhh-ing and ahh-ing so much that I wanted to forget about getting back on the cruise ship and just stay there and simmer away....That good. We are taking our Jerk sauce, made with about 25 ingredients of fresh herbs, vegetables and many spices, pureed to a smooth paste, and then cooking the boneless pork and vegetables until they are tender and full of this wonderfulness that HotHeads crave: a #9 on the heat scale. If you love hot spicy foods, you are in heaven. The nice part about this is it can also be a vegetarian option, as the base is meatless. So there Mr. D.....food at last.
Appetizers, Small Plates and Light Entrees
Whoo-hoo! Our best girl-friend Sally steered me into this new region of smaller plates and things to try. She is my food concious, the one in the white robe sitting on my right shouldar while I sit on my left shouldar - usually with red on and horns.....
Stuffed Figs: Fresh figs stuffed with Gorgonzola Dolcelatte cheese, wrapped in Proscuitto, and served topped with a bit of a raspberry and Balsamic "gastrique"... a wonderful slowly reduced sauce thick enough to stay on your plate and packed with flavor. Get them while they last.
Mixed Plate: 3 or 4 Artisinal cheeses, fresh fruit, sliced cured meats and Gary's "Pops" peppers - sweet bells roasted, skinned and pickled with onions. Wonderful served with breads to smear everything on.
Market Pasta: Angel hair pasta, tossed with a bit of butter, fresh chopped Heirloom tomatoes, topped with our house-made pesto sauce. Simple, flavorful and to the point.
Ahi Tuna: Rare Ahi tuna, on a bed of baby greens, topped with an Italian infused Meyer lemon olive oil, served with a red chile aioli with toasts.
Gary's Mac and Cheese: He still amazes me after all these years. Still my favorite version, having tasted hundreds of versions of this confort dish. Macaroni pasta, with minced sauteed wild mushrooms, three kinds of cheese, topped with a crunchy topping, baked and topped with a spoonful of sour cream. What could be better than this?
Torta Rustica: Individual puff pastry pies, filled with sauteed veggies, Mozzarella cheese, baked until golden, and served topped with a bit of a roasted garlic and basil cream sauce. Another vegetable dish that makes you forget about meats.
Pork Sliders: We love barbecued pork, slow cooked, shredded and simmered in our barbecue sauce. So we are serving three of these babies with some fun options: red pickled onions rings, vinegar cucumbers, and little French cornichons - tiny pickles. This is fun food.
____________________________________________________________
Trade Notes / Rants & Raves
More Wine Notes and Cafe Luna Wine Club Information:::
Our local wineries are great. Great to visit, great to taste and sample, and even better because it is good money spent for your collection. We have maps here at Cafe Luna, and believe me, Gary loves to map out a route for you if you want.
Each week, I get to taste some of the very best this county has to offer. I am overwhelmed at what we have around us.....and I only wish that my Cafe and my pocketbook let me buy all of the great and wonderful wines I get to sample (eat your hearts out....)
But, yes, there are some not so great wines out there too. Be discerning. Develop a sense of what you like in a wine and grow from there. The wineries will help you developed your palate and if you learn to trust your own taste-buds, you will be happy. My Motto: you either love it or you do not: no one can convince you otherwise. Stick to you guns, and buy and drink what you love and can afford.
And right now, many of them are having winery only specials that can save you a bundle. Visit them or call them...You will be happy.
I am endeavoring to developed a list of like-minded people who are looking for some outstanding and very reasonably priced wines. This group will be for Case Purchasing only, at a very big discount. If you would like to be included in this Wine Club at Cafe Luna, drop us a line. It will be for pick-up here only, and we will be sampling these new wines a couple of times a month. We just sold an Italian Primitivo for $11.00 a bottle, and it was great!!
These are wines we won't be carrying here on our list, because they are usually small lots of production.
When you check out these wineries, make sure you check their Events pages if they have them. These are the upcoming days when you will be able to enjoy some of the special offerings that the counties have to showcase their wares. Those days are fun, and you get to do something out of the normal range. These summer days ahead are going to be a blast for us wine drinkers, and the wineries are trying to keep us amazed at what they can do. And you can buy incredible wines on top of it all. I love my job....
___________________________________________________________
Thank you for your business, we can only hope that things are getting better for all of us.
We love seeing your faces, and miss seeing those we do not.
Drop me a line with an idea, or a suggestion and I will try to respond.
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
Jul 3, 2009
Hi All You Luna/tics!!
"Ain't it cool?" (To quote John Travolta...)
The weather I mean? Sweaters or t-shirts? What should we be wearing? And with this weather we can see who really has those fake sprayed on tans and how "natural" they look. Ha! Weather in the 80's.....who are they trying to kid?
UPDATE: Tomatoes plants at house: 56 on one bush, 39 on the other. But who's counting? (ME!!!)
So as we start out on the month, I am perplexed as to what we should be looking forward to. The weather, yes, of course. The new menu: a given. New and improved wines? My Holy Grail. Older wines just getting better: the dream and the reality.
But the forecast? Don't know so much about this one.
As a raging optimist, I must say, it is beginning to get me down. To have so many people that we personally know without a job, or getting letters of "intent" to be possibly layed off -- well.........optimism has a tendency to get pushed way back on the burners. And to have people that you love being let go:::::
what are we able to do for them?
Gary and I can at least feed these friends because we do believe that a good plate of good food helps to heal wounds -- for at least the moment you are eating. And maybe pour some great wines that will take the edge off of what we are all encountering daily.
But............
What can we do to get us away from the "ottimista/pessimista" margin?
We walk around and just hope? We talk and we keep this quiet rage inside that helps to balance the sheer dread that is becoming a part of daily life?
We cut back. We cut back. We cut back.
And in the end, we save.
But:
What are we saving for?
I do believe that it is getting to the point of people getting more involved in what we are experiencing in the country - possibly understanding that we do not "need" all the excesses that has become our symbol of "America". Not when so many of our friends and family are part of the citizenship that is looking for a job or hoping to keep their jobs at what ever costs. We are not used to this here. To have people you know wondering WHY did they buy that certain thing or WHAT WERE WE THINKING when they bit off the bit they finally could not chew, the one that put them over the edge. We have all done it at one time or another, made the leap on future faith: in our wages, our ability to pay or what ever.....
And yet, here we are.
And so, on a daily basis, I personally am getting a bit more numb. I am appreciative for what good things happen in our near future, but then somehow, expecting the bad news that seems to be delivered daily.
The cute monkey on our backs.
And with that, the numbness of America.
And with that bit of bouncing off my chest, here is the best thing for me about July: Gary's BIG BIRTHDAY!!! I will let him tell you his new age this month, but just let me say that my Blue-Cross/Anthem bill will be significantly reduced because of this new age!! He has already told me that we will not be changing anything in the house, no ramps in the bathtub, no magnifying glasses next to his books, no big necklace with a big red button on it to wire him into the medics in the event that he falls and cannot get up......
Nooooo not for him.....(sometimes he just sucks the joy out of some of the things I am planning....)
But it will mean another man at a certain age that people look at and say "Damn, he looks good."
I think so.......and that matters.
"Ain't it cool?" (To quote John Travolta...)
The weather I mean? Sweaters or t-shirts? What should we be wearing? And with this weather we can see who really has those fake sprayed on tans and how "natural" they look. Ha! Weather in the 80's.....who are they trying to kid?
UPDATE: Tomatoes plants at house: 56 on one bush, 39 on the other. But who's counting? (ME!!!)
So as we start out on the month, I am perplexed as to what we should be looking forward to. The weather, yes, of course. The new menu: a given. New and improved wines? My Holy Grail. Older wines just getting better: the dream and the reality.
But the forecast? Don't know so much about this one.
As a raging optimist, I must say, it is beginning to get me down. To have so many people that we personally know without a job, or getting letters of "intent" to be possibly layed off -- well.........optimism has a tendency to get pushed way back on the burners. And to have people that you love being let go:::::
what are we able to do for them?
Gary and I can at least feed these friends because we do believe that a good plate of good food helps to heal wounds -- for at least the moment you are eating. And maybe pour some great wines that will take the edge off of what we are all encountering daily.
But............
What can we do to get us away from the "ottimista/pessimista" margin?
We walk around and just hope? We talk and we keep this quiet rage inside that helps to balance the sheer dread that is becoming a part of daily life?
We cut back. We cut back. We cut back.
And in the end, we save.
But:
What are we saving for?
I do believe that it is getting to the point of people getting more involved in what we are experiencing in the country - possibly understanding that we do not "need" all the excesses that has become our symbol of "America". Not when so many of our friends and family are part of the citizenship that is looking for a job or hoping to keep their jobs at what ever costs. We are not used to this here. To have people you know wondering WHY did they buy that certain thing or WHAT WERE WE THINKING when they bit off the bit they finally could not chew, the one that put them over the edge. We have all done it at one time or another, made the leap on future faith: in our wages, our ability to pay or what ever.....
And yet, here we are.
And so, on a daily basis, I personally am getting a bit more numb. I am appreciative for what good things happen in our near future, but then somehow, expecting the bad news that seems to be delivered daily.
The cute monkey on our backs.
And with that, the numbness of America.
And with that bit of bouncing off my chest, here is the best thing for me about July: Gary's BIG BIRTHDAY!!! I will let him tell you his new age this month, but just let me say that my Blue-Cross/Anthem bill will be significantly reduced because of this new age!! He has already told me that we will not be changing anything in the house, no ramps in the bathtub, no magnifying glasses next to his books, no big necklace with a big red button on it to wire him into the medics in the event that he falls and cannot get up......
Nooooo not for him.....(sometimes he just sucks the joy out of some of the things I am planning....)
But it will mean another man at a certain age that people look at and say "Damn, he looks good."
I think so.......and that matters.
Jul 2, 2009
Cafe Luna Dinner Menu (double click here for Printable Version)
July 2009
Ryan and David are in the Kitchen
Appetizers and Light Entrees
Crab and Shrimp Dip - Crabmeat and shrimp, roasted garlic and other herbs minced and pureed' and mixed with three cheeses and baked until golden. Served with toasts for spreading. 9.
(Excellent with a glass of Frexinet Sparkling)
Sauteed Mushrooms - Fresh mushrooms pan sauteed in fresh garlic, olive oil, butter and wine. 8.
Baked Brie- Baked Brie cheese with roasted garlic, our house made chutney, red grapes and toasts for spreading. 8.
Dinner Sized Salad- Mixture of different baby greens and vegetables, with Gorgonzola cheese crumbles 10.
With lemon grilled chicken breast or petite Salmon filet 15.
Pan-Sauteed Prawns - A smaller order of prawns pan-sauteed with garlic and olive oil, finished with a splash of white wine and a squeeze of lemon. With a rusk of grilled bread. 11.
July 2009
Ryan and David are in the Kitchen
Appetizers and Light Entrees
Crab and Shrimp Dip - Crabmeat and shrimp, roasted garlic and other herbs minced and pureed' and mixed with three cheeses and baked until golden. Served with toasts for spreading. 9.
(Excellent with a glass of Frexinet Sparkling)
Sauteed Mushrooms - Fresh mushrooms pan sauteed in fresh garlic, olive oil, butter and wine. 8.
Baked Brie- Baked Brie cheese with roasted garlic, our house made chutney, red grapes and toasts for spreading. 8.
Dinner Sized Salad- Mixture of different baby greens and vegetables, with Gorgonzola cheese crumbles 10.
With lemon grilled chicken breast or petite Salmon filet 15.
Pan-Sauteed Prawns - A smaller order of prawns pan-sauteed with garlic and olive oil, finished with a splash of white wine and a squeeze of lemon. With a rusk of grilled bread. 11.
(Wine Idea: Marimar Chardonnay)
Entrees
All entrees are served with a fresh salad of mixed baby greens featuring organically grown lettuces and mixed fresh vegetables (crumbled bleu cheese available for 1.50)
Italian Sausage Ragu' - Italian sausage meat, simmered with garlic, tomatoes, wild and domestic mushrooms, herbs and red wine to make a wonderful sauce served on a bed of Pappardelle pasta (wide ribbons) sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. 22.
(Wine Suggestion: D.K. Cellars Reserve Merlot)
Rib Eye Steak Cowboy Style - A tender 15 oz. Rib-eye steak, well-marbled and dry-marinated, char-broiled to your specification, and served with a smoky "Cowboy" butter, made with smoked paprika, chile powder, garlic and thyme. With mashed potatoes and vegetables. 28.
(Topped with 4 grilled prawns add 6.)
(Wine Suggestion: Boeger Primitivo)
Hanger Steak - A wonderful cut of meat full of flavor, that is increasingly popular as a marinated and grilled piece of meat. Us? We are dry-brining this meat, rubbing the steaks down with our own "Montreal" style dry-rub, char-broiling to your specification (best served medium to medium/rare) and serving it topped with a dollop of rich Port and shallot butter. With mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. 26.
(Wine Idea: David Girard Syrah)
Rack of Lamb - Some of us LOVE lamb: so here you go! Australian lamb rack coated in minced garlic, bread crumbs, mint and Dijon, roasted medium rare, sliced and served with a fresh mint, garlic and lemon pesto. With mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. 29.
(Wine Suggestion: Bumgarner Cabernet Sauvignon)
Tequila Glazed Pork Tenderloin - Pork tenderloin, maple-brown sugar-brined for juiciness, brushed with a fresh citrus and tequila glaze, char-broiled to medium, served topped
Entrees
All entrees are served with a fresh salad of mixed baby greens featuring organically grown lettuces and mixed fresh vegetables (crumbled bleu cheese available for 1.50)
Italian Sausage Ragu' - Italian sausage meat, simmered with garlic, tomatoes, wild and domestic mushrooms, herbs and red wine to make a wonderful sauce served on a bed of Pappardelle pasta (wide ribbons) sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. 22.
(Wine Suggestion: D.K. Cellars Reserve Merlot)
Rib Eye Steak Cowboy Style - A tender 15 oz. Rib-eye steak, well-marbled and dry-marinated, char-broiled to your specification, and served with a smoky "Cowboy" butter, made with smoked paprika, chile powder, garlic and thyme. With mashed potatoes and vegetables. 28.
(Topped with 4 grilled prawns add 6.)
(Wine Suggestion: Boeger Primitivo)
Hanger Steak - A wonderful cut of meat full of flavor, that is increasingly popular as a marinated and grilled piece of meat. Us? We are dry-brining this meat, rubbing the steaks down with our own "Montreal" style dry-rub, char-broiling to your specification (best served medium to medium/rare) and serving it topped with a dollop of rich Port and shallot butter. With mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. 26.
(Wine Idea: David Girard Syrah)
Rack of Lamb - Some of us LOVE lamb: so here you go! Australian lamb rack coated in minced garlic, bread crumbs, mint and Dijon, roasted medium rare, sliced and served with a fresh mint, garlic and lemon pesto. With mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. 29.
(Wine Suggestion: Bumgarner Cabernet Sauvignon)
Tequila Glazed Pork Tenderloin - Pork tenderloin, maple-brown sugar-brined for juiciness, brushed with a fresh citrus and tequila glaze, char-broiled to medium, served topped
with a mild fresh grilled pineapple-lime salsa. Served with mashed potatoes and fresh sauteed vegetables. 24.
(Wine Suggestion: Il Gioiello "Estate Block 1" Zinfandel)
Chipotle Chile Pasta - This incredibly flavorful and spicy dish combines boneless chicken, Spanish Chorizo sausage, shrimp and ham pan-sauteed and then simmered in a smoky sauce made with chipotle chiles, tomatoes, cilantro and onions,. Served with Penne pasta, sprinkled with a bit of Mexican Cotilla cheese. Hot, but can be made hotter. 25.
(Heat Scale of 1 - 10 = 9)
(Wine Suggestion: Il Gioiello "Estate Block 1" Zinfandel)
Chipotle Chile Pasta - This incredibly flavorful and spicy dish combines boneless chicken, Spanish Chorizo sausage, shrimp and ham pan-sauteed and then simmered in a smoky sauce made with chipotle chiles, tomatoes, cilantro and onions,. Served with Penne pasta, sprinkled with a bit of Mexican Cotilla cheese. Hot, but can be made hotter. 25.
(Heat Scale of 1 - 10 = 9)
(Wine Ideas: RED: Noceto Sangiovese / WHITE: Vionta "Albarino")
Almond Chutney Chicken - Boneless breast of chicken lightly coated in ground almonds and curried Panko bread crumbs, pan-sauteed and finished on the char-broiler, sliced and served topped with a house-made chutney sauce. Served with Basmati rice and fresh vegetables. 23.
(Wine Suggestion: Shadow Ranch Sauvignon Blanc)
Hot Head Special (For All Of You Craving Hot, Spicy Food):::Chicken Vindaloo - A wonderful curry dish from Goa, a state in southwestern India, made with onions, garlic, curry, chiles and tomatoes and sauteed pieces of boneless chicken breast, simmered in this rich spicy sauce and served on a bed of Basmati rice pilaf, topped with a cooling cilantro creme. 26.
Almond Chutney Chicken - Boneless breast of chicken lightly coated in ground almonds and curried Panko bread crumbs, pan-sauteed and finished on the char-broiler, sliced and served topped with a house-made chutney sauce. Served with Basmati rice and fresh vegetables. 23.
(Wine Suggestion: Shadow Ranch Sauvignon Blanc)
Hot Head Special (For All Of You Craving Hot, Spicy Food):::Chicken Vindaloo - A wonderful curry dish from Goa, a state in southwestern India, made with onions, garlic, curry, chiles and tomatoes and sauteed pieces of boneless chicken breast, simmered in this rich spicy sauce and served on a bed of Basmati rice pilaf, topped with a cooling cilantro creme. 26.
(Scale of 1 - 10 = 9)
(Wine Ideas: WHITE: Madrona Riesling / RED: Runquist "R" Cabernet Franc )
Fresh Halibut- Fresh filet of Halibut, one of our favorite fish - white, firm and flaky when cooked - brushed with butter, pan-sauteed in white wine and olive oil with Roma tomatoes, fresh thyme, roasted garlic and fresh lemon zest, finished under the broiler with small prawns, and served with Basmati rice and fresh vegetables. 28.
(Wine Suggestion: Marimar Estates "Acero" Chardonnay )
Clams and Prawns Linguine Portugese Style - Fresh clams and prawns pan sauteed with Portugese linguisa sausage, garlic and tomatoes, simmered in a rich saffron broth, and served on a bed of linguine pasta. Delicious! 24.
(Wine Suggestion: "J" Pinot Gris)
Duck Breast - Maple Leaf Farms duck breast, pan sauteed until medium pink, sliced and served topped with a Marsala wine and fresh berry Gastrique.(a French style strained reduction sauce made with wine, Balsamic vinegar, shallots and berries). Served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. 29.
(Wine Suggestion: Dillian Wines Barbara)
Ryan's Fresh Grilled Salmon - Fresh Atlantic salmon filet rubbed with spices and a bit of olive oil, pan-sauteed and then finished under the grill, served on a bed of fresh roasted corn salsa, topped with an fresh citrus, Dijon and cilantro vinaigrette. With Basmati rice and fresh vegetables. 24.
(Wine Suggestion: RED: Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir / WHITE: Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay)
Catch of the Day : Basa - A wonderful white fish similar to Filet of Sole: sweet, flaky and moist. It is lightly dusted in Panko bread crumbs, pan-sauteed and topped with a lemon-butter pan reduction sauce and toasted almonds. Served with rice pilaf and fresh vegetables. 24.
(Wine Suggestion: Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc)
Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls - Fresh lasagna sheets layered with Crimini and Portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, roasted fennel, caramelized onions, basil, thyme, roasted butternut squash, and three kinds of cheese, rolled up and baked until golden. Served topped with our house-made marinara sauce. 18.
(Wine Suggestion: RED: C.G. DiArie Zinfandel / WHITE: Uvaggio Vermentino)
(Wine Ideas: WHITE: Madrona Riesling / RED: Runquist "R" Cabernet Franc )
Fresh Halibut- Fresh filet of Halibut, one of our favorite fish - white, firm and flaky when cooked - brushed with butter, pan-sauteed in white wine and olive oil with Roma tomatoes, fresh thyme, roasted garlic and fresh lemon zest, finished under the broiler with small prawns, and served with Basmati rice and fresh vegetables. 28.
(Wine Suggestion: Marimar Estates "Acero" Chardonnay )
Clams and Prawns Linguine Portugese Style - Fresh clams and prawns pan sauteed with Portugese linguisa sausage, garlic and tomatoes, simmered in a rich saffron broth, and served on a bed of linguine pasta. Delicious! 24.
(Wine Suggestion: "J" Pinot Gris)
Duck Breast - Maple Leaf Farms duck breast, pan sauteed until medium pink, sliced and served topped with a Marsala wine and fresh berry Gastrique.(a French style strained reduction sauce made with wine, Balsamic vinegar, shallots and berries). Served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. 29.
(Wine Suggestion: Dillian Wines Barbara)
Ryan's Fresh Grilled Salmon - Fresh Atlantic salmon filet rubbed with spices and a bit of olive oil, pan-sauteed and then finished under the grill, served on a bed of fresh roasted corn salsa, topped with an fresh citrus, Dijon and cilantro vinaigrette. With Basmati rice and fresh vegetables. 24.
(Wine Suggestion: RED: Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir / WHITE: Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay)
Catch of the Day : Basa - A wonderful white fish similar to Filet of Sole: sweet, flaky and moist. It is lightly dusted in Panko bread crumbs, pan-sauteed and topped with a lemon-butter pan reduction sauce and toasted almonds. Served with rice pilaf and fresh vegetables. 24.
(Wine Suggestion: Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc)
Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls - Fresh lasagna sheets layered with Crimini and Portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, roasted fennel, caramelized onions, basil, thyme, roasted butternut squash, and three kinds of cheese, rolled up and baked until golden. Served topped with our house-made marinara sauce. 18.
(Wine Suggestion: RED: C.G. DiArie Zinfandel / WHITE: Uvaggio Vermentino)
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This Month's Promotions:::
Here is our promotional plan for this month (oh you Wino's will be happy!!)
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over $50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting two free corkage per table. That alone will be a $30.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons.Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of July.
___________________________________
Café Luna Stimulus Program
½ Price Dinner Discount Card
Buy first meal at regular price, get second dinner
at 50% off each Tues., Wed. & Thurs. Nights
For the Month thru July 31, 2009
Please present this card; limit two cards per table, food only;
not good for to-go items.
Let’s get this economy moving!
Thank you for your patronage...Café Luna
_______________________________________________
Café Luna Stimulus Program
½ Price Dinner Discount Card
Buy first meal at regular price, get second dinner
at 50% off each Tues., Wed. & Thurs. Nights
For the Month thru July 31, 2009
Please present this card; limit two cards per table, food only;
not good for to-go items.
Let’s get this economy moving!
Thank you for your patronage...Café Luna
_______________________________________________
Jun 4, 2009
June 2009
Hi All you Luna/tics:
I am sitting here in my home office and looking at the lightning and listening to the thunder. I am reminded when as a kid, you first experience the excitement of it all....the flashes of light, remembering to count slowly until you hear the noise of the thunder and realize how far in miles it is from you.....
and that little kid comes back...
You can't help but smile at the safety of our homes while this is happening, the light show in the sky and the gloriousness of nature in its ticked off moods.
It is amazing what we can see and yet take for granted. The sky, black and full of clouds straight out of "First Encounters of the Third Kind". Just waiting for something to emerge out of the clouds that will play that huge piano and those five notes that some of us can remember so well from the movie....
...and hoping upon hope that maybe, just maybe we will see what we have wondered about all these years.....a friendly face from the sky....
These are the things I think about when I am home during a thunder and lightning storm
while drinking a glass of good wine.....
How very odd it is to be having a major rain storm in June, but how delightful at the same time. Our world is not the same predictable place it has been in the past. We have different aspects of our lives to think about, to adjust to and to contemplate about on a daily basis.
And, so back to what I was thinking.....
Its June!! The Farmers Markets are back on track here in Placerville, each Saturday morning, and in El Dorado Hills each Sunday morning. Seeing the fresh produce, and knowing that the Heirloom tomatoes will be here in abundance any day now just gets me giddy with joy. (My mom, the non-cook, used to take sun-warmed tomatoes (you know the kind that just smell so fresh and "tomato-y", I swear she would just wipe them off with her shirt, because the old gardeners were probably the ultimate organic gardeners and you never had to worry about anything on them except a bit of dust....) from my Grandpa's garden, slice them thickly, and put them between two pieces of bread with just a bit of mayonnaise on the bread, and light salt and pepper the tomatoes....maybe a basil leaf or two, and make these great sandwich's that I still think is the ultimate in simple tastes that warms my soul.....).
And now look what we get to have: if you have not tasted a "Pineapple" tomato, or a "Cherokee Purple", or a Brandywine....especially warm from the yard or the vine, well, for you tomato lovers: nirvana.....
And so that leads me to tell you that Gary and I have two large pots of tomatoes that we are growing and even though they have only been in the dirt for 4 weeks now, we have over 28 on one plant, and about 15 on the other......I won't say it is because of our expert tomato growing skills.....but it just might be from the combined spirits of our Aunt Tiny, my Grandpa and our friend Farley. They knew how to grow tomatoes. And so each time we plant them, or water them, or just look at them growing, we can't help but think about the people who got us to realize how essential having a little garden growing can be for our psyche....It is humbling to say the least.....
My garden at the house is coming along very nicely, thank you very much. One side of the house now harbors a four shelf unit of just cuttings and snips that I keep propagating, and potting up and hoping that the right person will come along and appreciate them like I do.....and so I give them away, when they are grown enough to maintain on their own, in someone else's garden....that is the fun part about being a "closet" gardener....the fact that when a branch breaks, or a succulent leaf falls off, you have the opportunity to start a new plant for someone else. I love this part. It is funny how my patience is endless when it comes to this, and yet I have no patience for other things....we pick and we choose don't we....
And June is also a time for us to lighten up on our menu and to lighten up on our eating, and to enjoy some of the things that are quickly cooked, barbecued or just quickly sauteed. Our new menu reflects this part of the year.
This Month's Promotions:::
Here is our promotional plan for this month (oh you Wino's will be happy!!)
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over $50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting two free corkage per table. That alone will be a $30.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......or better yet, how about if I download a copy of our current listings with this mailing?
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons.
Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of June.
THE DINNER MENU:
Portuguese Prawns: In my March 2008 letter, I let you know about stock making that included Paella stock, rich with seafood, vegetables and saffron seasonings, long simmered and used for several different recipes (oh the virtue of house-made stocks....). Well, here we have another use for good stock as a base for a wonderful meal: large pan sauteed prawns, Linguisa sausages, with Kalamata olives, red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and white wine quickly sauteed and served simmered with Penne pasta, topped with Feta cheese and toasted bread crumbs (for a bit of "crunch"). This is delicious for you seafood lovers.
Fresh Halibut: Halibut is one of those wonderful fresh fish that many people do not know about: sweet, flaky, and moist all at the same time. We are doing a version of flash pan grilling (?), that we brush with a bit of butter, saute very quickly on one side, turn over and add some roasted garlic cloves, wine, minced onions, tomatoes, and shrimp, roast under the broiler, and turn it out on a bed of Basmati rice topped with a bit of fresh lemon zest. Fresh, simple, and so very good.
Lasagna Rolls: Crimini and Portabello mushrooms, roasted fennel bulb, butternut squash and three kinds of cheeses on pasta, rolled up and baked with our house made Marinara sauce, topped with grated Mozzarella cheese. A vegetarians heaven.
Honey-Ginger Chicken: You know one of the things we restaurant people do is brining. It is the secret between dried out chicken and moist chicken. We do a brine with honey, ginger, and allspice that starts this dish out on the right foot: brine overnight, and then marinate in a fresh ginger, garlic and honey base, grill over and open flame, slice and served topped with a mince of fresh mangoes and red bell peppers. Again, outside eating inside. Light and flavorful.
Hot-Head Special: Chicken Vindaloo: One of the spiciest of our "Hot-Head" dishes, this one is from Goa a region of Southwestern India, made with a base of chilies, tomatoes and of course our own "curry" blend, with the twist of vinegar, the only well-know curry using vinegar. It is so subtle and yet so essential in the recipe. But it is also one of the spiciest, rating a # 9 on the heat levels. HOT-HEADS REJOICE!!! Boneless chicken breast meat pan seared, and then simmered in the Vindaloo curry sauce, served with Basmati rice and topped with a cooling Cilantro Cream. This dish is very soul satisfying for my Hot-Heads. (Mr. David Z: The nice thing about this dish: it is a vegetarian base, so we can make it a vegetable-only dish also.)
Tequila Glazed Pork Tenderloin: Pork tenderloin brined in maple and brown sugar blend, grilled on our char-broiler, sliced and topped with a fresh salsa made with grilled pineapple and limes and a bit of kick from Serrano chilies. Delicious.
Fresh Grilled Atlantic Salmon: Grilled with a toasted almond, curry and Panko crust, this dish is drizzled with a Coriander and Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. This is one of those concoctions that leaves me just patting myself on my own back I love it so much. Coriander is the seed from the plant in the parsley family, but does not have any flavor of parsley at all. Rather, it is more like a mix of lemon and sage but with a perfume so intoxicating, you have to smell it to believe it. And does it make a great seafood topping!! (Why yes, it does to answer my own question...).
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THE WINE MENU:
It seems this time of the year, we are always playing catch-up on the list of wines we have tasted over the last several months, that we try to make room for when we can, due to vintage changes, eliminations or unavailable wines. So......we get to try new wines....
Often......
Usually every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon, you will see me sitting at the round table in the dining room, with my "Tasting Note-Book", my calculator and my pencil, with at least 6-10 glasses in front of me, in various forms of use. We, as I have stated so many times, live in a wonderful area for wine drinkers. El Dorado County and Amador County is so full of excellent wineries that I do not know where to start: so looking for something to knock my socks off, we taste. And socks are knocked off, believe me....
(If you want more information about each of these wines, just double click on their high-lighted names, and you will magically be transported to their respective web-sites...)
Please Note: Like a parent with many, many children: I am just noting some of our new wines on the list. The list of incredible wineries we represent is large. I am not choosing one over the other, just the new wines listed. (The only way I would choose one child of mine over the other is if they looked like me, only more handsome, or taller, or thinner, or maybe if they didn't look like me at all....it is all so confusing.....I should have had kids....)
Il Gioiello Wines: this winery just is producing some of the most fruit-forward wines I have tasted in along time. Full bodied, rich and so food friendly, I can't say enough about them as one of our new wineries on our list. We carry their Mourvedre, their Estate Block 1 Zinfandel, and their Barbara.
T-Vine Cellars: My Cult Wine!! Our good friends Phil and Julie turned us on to this wine about 4 years ago. We have been lucky enough to feature their wines (when we can get them) and are the only restaurant in the area to have them. The wine maker Mr. Greg Brown, is a creature of the same cloth as myself (I am sure he knows all the words to "White Rabbit" like I do) that just happens to make incredible wines, all of them!! We are carrying his Napa Valley Petite Sirah, Napa Valley Zinfandel and Frediani Vineyards Syrah. We also carry his "Psychedelic Rooster" Rose. See if I am right in thinking this may be one of California's finest wineries. We run out of this wine makers wines each year, and look forward to when the new shipment arrives. IT'S HERE NOW!!
Ladera Vineyards : Ladera Vineyards is a venerable winery in the Napa region that produces beautiful wines that people in their local area consider excellent. We got to taste them and we are now followers of this winery. Their Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon received a 91 Point score from Wine Spectator Magazine this year! We are also carrying their "Howell Mountain" Sauvignon Blanc, and if you know of the area, this is like the magic kingdom of grape growing. Big, crisp, grapefruit nose, and excellent.
Jeff Runquist: We started carrying Mr. R's wines last month. We are huge fans of this style of wine: big fruit, big full mouth flavors, and big finish. His wines are just LUSCIOUS!! Everyone we have introduced this wine to have become partners in crime with our love of his wines. Barbara, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc are the varietals we are carrying and you need to try them if you have not. The tasting room is a blast, with his Mom and Dad showing all the pride a parent can have, pouring for guests at the winery. And the greatest dog! Right there at the winery. GO THERE. Tell them you heard about them from Cafe Luna.
Shadow Ranch: Here is a smaller winery in El Dorado County that is making people take notice. Their Sauvignon Blanc is excellent: dry, crisp, big citrus nose and so easy with these coming summer months. And if you know anything about us, we really recommend Sauvignon Blanc as the white wine for food, since it is not so perfumed and tastes so clean. A style I prefer. Their Zinfandel is big on taste, and better yet, it is so drinkable right now, so why not? Enjoy it like we do.
Boeger Winery: Gary and I have been associated with Boeger winery since the early 1970's from our old restaurant "Vineyard House" in Coloma. We started carrying their wines in 1973. we have always carried their wines, and always will. We love them. The winery, the people who work there (Happy Birthday Miss Sara!!!), and their products. We carry many of their wines, and several by the glass offerings. New this month? Their Primitivo which we are offering by the glass. Excellent with foods, barbecues, and just enjoying all by itself, a Zinfandel lovers dream. Rich, big berry taste, with just enough of a dry factor to savor with cheeses, and chocolate desserts both. And it not bad with meats either!!
C.G. Di Arie: Close to our heart, C.G. Di Arie is, year after year after year, producing some of the very finest wines we have to offer. We carry many of their wines, but new this menu is the "Block 4" Primitivo and their Sauvignon Blanc. These wines sell out quickly so enjoy them while we have them available.
Dillian : We are new to this winery: we are carrying their Primitivo and Barbara...I am almost reluctant to tell you we are carrying them. Because it is a small production lot of wines, and if we sell too much of them, what will I have left to drink when it is "MY TIME" to enjoy? Get it while you can!!! That is all I can tell you. An Amador County winery that is superb. Just great wines!
DK Cellars: Our local El Dorado county winery that is making some very impressive wines, notably the "Pratt Vineyards" Meritage and their Reserve Merlot. These wines, once again, such excellent food wines, and if you are a Meritage (rhymes with "Heritage") lover, you will be blown away. Their Merlot, is coming along as one of the new - what I like to call - California-style Merlots: less "dirt" taste, and more of the big fruit this grape has to offer. If you were not a Merlot lover before, TRY THIS WINE!!
When you check out these wineries, make sure you check their Events pages if they have them. These are the upcoming days when you will be able to enjoy some of the special offerings that the counties have to showcase their wares. Those days are fun, and you get to do something out of the normal range. These summer days ahead are going to be a blast for us wine drinkers, and the wineries are trying to keep us amazed at what they can do. And you can buy incredible wines on top of it all. I love my job.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A note to you wine makers: I am just a little guy. I am a restaurant owner who is so very dependent upon my representatives to visit and entice me with your wines, you have no idea. I have my own criteria of great wine representatives: Some of you on the other hand, seem to have another.
Winery Owners, during these economically depressed times, ask yourself a question about your representation:
1. When was the last time you got a new account from your representatives? An account that they themselves visited and presented your wines personally?
2. When was the last time you asked your representatives how many places they have had a personal tasting of your wines recently?
3. How many orders do they personally fill as opposed to a business calling in the orders themselves?
4. When was the last time your representatives called on clients carrying your wines, updating materials, bringing new information about your winery and your wines, and generally updating your on-going accounts about changes within your business?
and finally:
5. How much of the culture of your wines and your winery is conveyed through your representatives?
I ask this because, as a small business man who has a pretty extensive wine book, I have eight, count 'em eight, good reps (you know who you are and bless you from the bottom of my heart). I carry over 150 + wines. These are reps that I personally see not less than once a month, representatives who hand deliver new information about your wines, who deliver new catalogs, and who bring good representation about your business TO ME. These wine people take a shelf inventory count of your products, let me know what I am running low on, and let me know about the remaining availability from you, BEFORE WE RUN OUT!! If you know me, you know I love to talk and to learn about what your wines represent. It ticks me off to see the good guys pounding the streets selling their products, week after week, and then the others who do nothing except get their commissions from products they do nothing to enhance.
'Nuff said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your business, we can only hope that things are getting better for all of us.
We love seeing your faces, and miss seeing those we do not.
Drop me a line with an idea, or a suggestion and I will try to respond.
Take care.
David
Cafe Luna
451 Main Street, #8
Creekside Place
Placerville, CA
530/642-8669
www.cafelunatics.blogspot.com
Hi All you Luna/tics:
I am sitting here in my home office and looking at the lightning and listening to the thunder. I am reminded when as a kid, you first experience the excitement of it all....the flashes of light, remembering to count slowly until you hear the noise of the thunder and realize how far in miles it is from you.....
and that little kid comes back...
You can't help but smile at the safety of our homes while this is happening, the light show in the sky and the gloriousness of nature in its ticked off moods.
It is amazing what we can see and yet take for granted. The sky, black and full of clouds straight out of "First Encounters of the Third Kind". Just waiting for something to emerge out of the clouds that will play that huge piano and those five notes that some of us can remember so well from the movie....
...and hoping upon hope that maybe, just maybe we will see what we have wondered about all these years.....a friendly face from the sky....
These are the things I think about when I am home during a thunder and lightning storm
while drinking a glass of good wine.....
How very odd it is to be having a major rain storm in June, but how delightful at the same time. Our world is not the same predictable place it has been in the past. We have different aspects of our lives to think about, to adjust to and to contemplate about on a daily basis.
And, so back to what I was thinking.....
Its June!! The Farmers Markets are back on track here in Placerville, each Saturday morning, and in El Dorado Hills each Sunday morning. Seeing the fresh produce, and knowing that the Heirloom tomatoes will be here in abundance any day now just gets me giddy with joy. (My mom, the non-cook, used to take sun-warmed tomatoes (you know the kind that just smell so fresh and "tomato-y", I swear she would just wipe them off with her shirt, because the old gardeners were probably the ultimate organic gardeners and you never had to worry about anything on them except a bit of dust....) from my Grandpa's garden, slice them thickly, and put them between two pieces of bread with just a bit of mayonnaise on the bread, and light salt and pepper the tomatoes....maybe a basil leaf or two, and make these great sandwich's that I still think is the ultimate in simple tastes that warms my soul.....).
And now look what we get to have: if you have not tasted a "Pineapple" tomato, or a "Cherokee Purple", or a Brandywine....especially warm from the yard or the vine, well, for you tomato lovers: nirvana.....
And so that leads me to tell you that Gary and I have two large pots of tomatoes that we are growing and even though they have only been in the dirt for 4 weeks now, we have over 28 on one plant, and about 15 on the other......I won't say it is because of our expert tomato growing skills.....but it just might be from the combined spirits of our Aunt Tiny, my Grandpa and our friend Farley. They knew how to grow tomatoes. And so each time we plant them, or water them, or just look at them growing, we can't help but think about the people who got us to realize how essential having a little garden growing can be for our psyche....It is humbling to say the least.....
My garden at the house is coming along very nicely, thank you very much. One side of the house now harbors a four shelf unit of just cuttings and snips that I keep propagating, and potting up and hoping that the right person will come along and appreciate them like I do.....and so I give them away, when they are grown enough to maintain on their own, in someone else's garden....that is the fun part about being a "closet" gardener....the fact that when a branch breaks, or a succulent leaf falls off, you have the opportunity to start a new plant for someone else. I love this part. It is funny how my patience is endless when it comes to this, and yet I have no patience for other things....we pick and we choose don't we....
And June is also a time for us to lighten up on our menu and to lighten up on our eating, and to enjoy some of the things that are quickly cooked, barbecued or just quickly sauteed. Our new menu reflects this part of the year.
This Month's Promotions:::
Here is our promotional plan for this month (oh you Wino's will be happy!!)
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over $50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, we will be having diners wishing to bring in their own bottles of wine getting two free corkage per table. That alone will be a $30.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......or better yet, how about if I download a copy of our current listings with this mailing?
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons.
Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price. Bring the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of June.
THE DINNER MENU:
Portuguese Prawns: In my March 2008 letter, I let you know about stock making that included Paella stock, rich with seafood, vegetables and saffron seasonings, long simmered and used for several different recipes (oh the virtue of house-made stocks....). Well, here we have another use for good stock as a base for a wonderful meal: large pan sauteed prawns, Linguisa sausages, with Kalamata olives, red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and white wine quickly sauteed and served simmered with Penne pasta, topped with Feta cheese and toasted bread crumbs (for a bit of "crunch"). This is delicious for you seafood lovers.
Fresh Halibut: Halibut is one of those wonderful fresh fish that many people do not know about: sweet, flaky, and moist all at the same time. We are doing a version of flash pan grilling (?), that we brush with a bit of butter, saute very quickly on one side, turn over and add some roasted garlic cloves, wine, minced onions, tomatoes, and shrimp, roast under the broiler, and turn it out on a bed of Basmati rice topped with a bit of fresh lemon zest. Fresh, simple, and so very good.
Lasagna Rolls: Crimini and Portabello mushrooms, roasted fennel bulb, butternut squash and three kinds of cheeses on pasta, rolled up and baked with our house made Marinara sauce, topped with grated Mozzarella cheese. A vegetarians heaven.
Honey-Ginger Chicken: You know one of the things we restaurant people do is brining. It is the secret between dried out chicken and moist chicken. We do a brine with honey, ginger, and allspice that starts this dish out on the right foot: brine overnight, and then marinate in a fresh ginger, garlic and honey base, grill over and open flame, slice and served topped with a mince of fresh mangoes and red bell peppers. Again, outside eating inside. Light and flavorful.
Hot-Head Special: Chicken Vindaloo: One of the spiciest of our "Hot-Head" dishes, this one is from Goa a region of Southwestern India, made with a base of chilies, tomatoes and of course our own "curry" blend, with the twist of vinegar, the only well-know curry using vinegar. It is so subtle and yet so essential in the recipe. But it is also one of the spiciest, rating a # 9 on the heat levels. HOT-HEADS REJOICE!!! Boneless chicken breast meat pan seared, and then simmered in the Vindaloo curry sauce, served with Basmati rice and topped with a cooling Cilantro Cream. This dish is very soul satisfying for my Hot-Heads. (Mr. David Z: The nice thing about this dish: it is a vegetarian base, so we can make it a vegetable-only dish also.)
Tequila Glazed Pork Tenderloin: Pork tenderloin brined in maple and brown sugar blend, grilled on our char-broiler, sliced and topped with a fresh salsa made with grilled pineapple and limes and a bit of kick from Serrano chilies. Delicious.
Fresh Grilled Atlantic Salmon: Grilled with a toasted almond, curry and Panko crust, this dish is drizzled with a Coriander and Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. This is one of those concoctions that leaves me just patting myself on my own back I love it so much. Coriander is the seed from the plant in the parsley family, but does not have any flavor of parsley at all. Rather, it is more like a mix of lemon and sage but with a perfume so intoxicating, you have to smell it to believe it. And does it make a great seafood topping!! (Why yes, it does to answer my own question...).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WINE MENU:
It seems this time of the year, we are always playing catch-up on the list of wines we have tasted over the last several months, that we try to make room for when we can, due to vintage changes, eliminations or unavailable wines. So......we get to try new wines....
Often......
Usually every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon, you will see me sitting at the round table in the dining room, with my "Tasting Note-Book", my calculator and my pencil, with at least 6-10 glasses in front of me, in various forms of use. We, as I have stated so many times, live in a wonderful area for wine drinkers. El Dorado County and Amador County is so full of excellent wineries that I do not know where to start: so looking for something to knock my socks off, we taste. And socks are knocked off, believe me....
(If you want more information about each of these wines, just double click on their high-lighted names, and you will magically be transported to their respective web-sites...)
Please Note: Like a parent with many, many children: I am just noting some of our new wines on the list. The list of incredible wineries we represent is large. I am not choosing one over the other, just the new wines listed. (The only way I would choose one child of mine over the other is if they looked like me, only more handsome, or taller, or thinner, or maybe if they didn't look like me at all....it is all so confusing.....I should have had kids....)
Il Gioiello Wines: this winery just is producing some of the most fruit-forward wines I have tasted in along time. Full bodied, rich and so food friendly, I can't say enough about them as one of our new wineries on our list. We carry their Mourvedre, their Estate Block 1 Zinfandel, and their Barbara.
T-Vine Cellars: My Cult Wine!! Our good friends Phil and Julie turned us on to this wine about 4 years ago. We have been lucky enough to feature their wines (when we can get them) and are the only restaurant in the area to have them. The wine maker Mr. Greg Brown, is a creature of the same cloth as myself (I am sure he knows all the words to "White Rabbit" like I do) that just happens to make incredible wines, all of them!! We are carrying his Napa Valley Petite Sirah, Napa Valley Zinfandel and Frediani Vineyards Syrah. We also carry his "Psychedelic Rooster" Rose. See if I am right in thinking this may be one of California's finest wineries. We run out of this wine makers wines each year, and look forward to when the new shipment arrives. IT'S HERE NOW!!
Ladera Vineyards : Ladera Vineyards is a venerable winery in the Napa region that produces beautiful wines that people in their local area consider excellent. We got to taste them and we are now followers of this winery. Their Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon received a 91 Point score from Wine Spectator Magazine this year! We are also carrying their "Howell Mountain" Sauvignon Blanc, and if you know of the area, this is like the magic kingdom of grape growing. Big, crisp, grapefruit nose, and excellent.
Jeff Runquist: We started carrying Mr. R's wines last month. We are huge fans of this style of wine: big fruit, big full mouth flavors, and big finish. His wines are just LUSCIOUS!! Everyone we have introduced this wine to have become partners in crime with our love of his wines. Barbara, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc are the varietals we are carrying and you need to try them if you have not. The tasting room is a blast, with his Mom and Dad showing all the pride a parent can have, pouring for guests at the winery. And the greatest dog! Right there at the winery. GO THERE. Tell them you heard about them from Cafe Luna.
Shadow Ranch: Here is a smaller winery in El Dorado County that is making people take notice. Their Sauvignon Blanc is excellent: dry, crisp, big citrus nose and so easy with these coming summer months. And if you know anything about us, we really recommend Sauvignon Blanc as the white wine for food, since it is not so perfumed and tastes so clean. A style I prefer. Their Zinfandel is big on taste, and better yet, it is so drinkable right now, so why not? Enjoy it like we do.
Boeger Winery: Gary and I have been associated with Boeger winery since the early 1970's from our old restaurant "Vineyard House" in Coloma. We started carrying their wines in 1973. we have always carried their wines, and always will. We love them. The winery, the people who work there (Happy Birthday Miss Sara!!!), and their products. We carry many of their wines, and several by the glass offerings. New this month? Their Primitivo which we are offering by the glass. Excellent with foods, barbecues, and just enjoying all by itself, a Zinfandel lovers dream. Rich, big berry taste, with just enough of a dry factor to savor with cheeses, and chocolate desserts both. And it not bad with meats either!!
C.G. Di Arie: Close to our heart, C.G. Di Arie is, year after year after year, producing some of the very finest wines we have to offer. We carry many of their wines, but new this menu is the "Block 4" Primitivo and their Sauvignon Blanc. These wines sell out quickly so enjoy them while we have them available.
Dillian : We are new to this winery: we are carrying their Primitivo and Barbara...I am almost reluctant to tell you we are carrying them. Because it is a small production lot of wines, and if we sell too much of them, what will I have left to drink when it is "MY TIME" to enjoy? Get it while you can!!! That is all I can tell you. An Amador County winery that is superb. Just great wines!
DK Cellars: Our local El Dorado county winery that is making some very impressive wines, notably the "Pratt Vineyards" Meritage and their Reserve Merlot. These wines, once again, such excellent food wines, and if you are a Meritage (rhymes with "Heritage") lover, you will be blown away. Their Merlot, is coming along as one of the new - what I like to call - California-style Merlots: less "dirt" taste, and more of the big fruit this grape has to offer. If you were not a Merlot lover before, TRY THIS WINE!!
When you check out these wineries, make sure you check their Events pages if they have them. These are the upcoming days when you will be able to enjoy some of the special offerings that the counties have to showcase their wares. Those days are fun, and you get to do something out of the normal range. These summer days ahead are going to be a blast for us wine drinkers, and the wineries are trying to keep us amazed at what they can do. And you can buy incredible wines on top of it all. I love my job.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A note to you wine makers: I am just a little guy. I am a restaurant owner who is so very dependent upon my representatives to visit and entice me with your wines, you have no idea. I have my own criteria of great wine representatives: Some of you on the other hand, seem to have another.
Winery Owners, during these economically depressed times, ask yourself a question about your representation:
1. When was the last time you got a new account from your representatives? An account that they themselves visited and presented your wines personally?
2. When was the last time you asked your representatives how many places they have had a personal tasting of your wines recently?
3. How many orders do they personally fill as opposed to a business calling in the orders themselves?
4. When was the last time your representatives called on clients carrying your wines, updating materials, bringing new information about your winery and your wines, and generally updating your on-going accounts about changes within your business?
and finally:
5. How much of the culture of your wines and your winery is conveyed through your representatives?
I ask this because, as a small business man who has a pretty extensive wine book, I have eight, count 'em eight, good reps (you know who you are and bless you from the bottom of my heart). I carry over 150 + wines. These are reps that I personally see not less than once a month, representatives who hand deliver new information about your wines, who deliver new catalogs, and who bring good representation about your business TO ME. These wine people take a shelf inventory count of your products, let me know what I am running low on, and let me know about the remaining availability from you, BEFORE WE RUN OUT!! If you know me, you know I love to talk and to learn about what your wines represent. It ticks me off to see the good guys pounding the streets selling their products, week after week, and then the others who do nothing except get their commissions from products they do nothing to enhance.
'Nuff said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your business, we can only hope that things are getting better for all of us.
We love seeing your faces, and miss seeing those we do not.
Drop me a line with an idea, or a suggestion and I will try to respond.
Take care.
David
Cafe Luna
451 Main Street, #8
Creekside Place
Placerville, CA
530/642-8669
www.cafelunatics.blogspot.com
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