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One Block West Sensational Seasonal Cuisine
25 South Indian Alley Winchester VA, 22601 540-662-1455
Newsletter for November 2003 Your source for what’s cooking at OBW |
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Cooking Apples at the Farmers Market Taste of the Town/Chili Challenge 2003 Boo Snider, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals |
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My apologies for the lack of an October newsletter. I got overwhelmed. Ed
Cooking Apples at the Farmers Market
On Saturday November 1st, I demonstrated some techniques for cooking apples and for cooking with cider at the Freight Station Farmers Market from 9:00 am until noon. Among the things I demonstrated were Apple Chutney and Sauerkraut with Apples. As I promised, the recipes are now on the web site. Sorry, these recipes were lost in a disk crash in 2005.
We need a server assistant for the weekends. This would be ideal for a high school student. The position is where all our servers start learning the ropes. If you know someone who needs a job, please have him or her set up an appointment with me at 540-662-1455. (Other job openings)
Taste of the Town/Chili Challenge 2003
We made our first appearance at Taste of the Town 2003 on October 2nd, a benefit dinner for the Free Medical Clinic. The reaction to our Wild Mushrooms on Baked Polenta triangles was overwhelmingly positive, but there was no way to beat Maggie Edwards’ mashed potatoes in martini glasses! It must be nice to own 200 martini glasses! ;)
On October 11th, we did chili at the Frederick County Fairgrounds. Our classically-styled pure pork Chile Colorado didn’t fly too well with the Harley biker crowd—Gary and Josette! But, we loved it!
The bar keeps growing thanks to loyal customers who keep coming and requesting their favorite brands. New on the bar this month are The Glenlivet 12-year old malt, Aberlour 10-year old malt, Wild Turkey 101 bourbon, and Jack Daniels black label whiskey. I’m a die hard Maker’s Mark fan, so it pains me to add Wild Turkey! ;) You drank all the Oban 14-year old malt and since Virginia was allocated only 29 cases for 2003, it’s all gone until next year. Pity.
This month on the 21st through the 23rd, we did another tapas feature. This time, we served five courses of intensely flavored Spanish-heritage dishes with five sherries, for $50. Sherry is one of the biggest bargains in the wine world, probably because it is the last great undiscovered food wine. Among the comments was “Wow! I had no idea how well sherry went with shrimp!” when speaking of our pairing of a light manzanilla with shrimp baked with olive oil and garlic, topped with a romesco sauce.
We stock selected wines from famed Sherry specialist Emilio Lustau. From lightest to darkest, our wine list features Manzanilla Papirusa, Amontillado Escuadrillo, Palo Cortado Peninsula, Oloroso Don Nuño, and East India Solera Cream Sherry.
Next time you come in, consider trying one or more sherries. I will be happy to talk with you about food pairings and/or design some dishes to work with your choices.
Since the beginning, we have offered a Chef for the Day program in which guests may come into our restaurant for a full day on one of our slower days and participate hands-on in any or all aspects of cooking, serving, or running a restaurant.
Just this past Tuesday, the 14th of November, we had WVPT personality and avid cook Tassie Pippert in our kitchen. Look for an article on her day with us in Wednesday’s Northern Virginia Daily.
This program is not inexpensive, but for someone looking to get into the business, it could be invaluable. If you are interested, please call me at 540-662-1455 or send me email at info@oneblockwest.com. A Chef for a Day certificate might make a great Christmas gift.
Boo Snider, Wednesdays, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
Boo Snider joins us every Wednesday evening and entertains guests with covers of James Taylor, John Prine, Jimmy Buffet, and scads of other artists. Boo also does original tunes from his two CDs. Come join us on Wednesdays for great live music.
Our very dear friends at Verizon not only failed to publish our yellow pages ad, they failed to list us in the yellow pages altogether. I don’t feel so bad after calling my attorney to find out that they screwed up his ad too. This omission has gravely concerned customers and is causing people to call us to ask if we are open. I could use your help in spreading the word that we are alive and well.
The new fall lunch menu rolled out at the end of September. Not only is it significantly easier to read and to use, it includes several new dishes. Our fall emphasis is on mushrooms—Backfin Blue Crab-Stuffed Portabella moves from the special board to the main menu with new additions of Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Ravioli with Mushroom Sauce and Pasta with Mushroom Sauce. (View the new menu).
We have also started working very hard on daily lunch specials that are both very different from what you will find elsewhere in town and that are very compelling. As an example, last month we featured Pan-Roasted Halibut Cheeks (yes, cheeks, the most delectable part of the fish) Provençale (with fresh tomatoes, Corno di Toro peppers, onions, basil, garlic, olives, white wine and Pernod).
I hate to pester you, but if you want to book a Christmas Party at One Block West, now is the time to get in the book. We will accommodate requests to be open for parties in the afternoons when we are normally closed. Call us at 540-662-1455 to book a party.
Wine News/Virginia Wine and Food Society
In wine news, we added another 7 or 8 wines to the list since the last newsletter, bringing us to over 45 wines by the glass. New wines include two delicious Tempranillos from Toro in Spain, a delicious Prosecco sparkler from Italy, and a wonderful Sauternes dessert wine. I’m working hard with both Linden and Chrysalis to bring their wines on board. Both are outstanding (and local) Virginia wineries. (View the wine list)
We have just joined the Virginia Wine and Food Society, to underscore our commitment to provide a great wine experience for you. The VWFS has an excellent newsletter that you may want to receive. I was finally able to meet the publisher, Mike Potashnik, at Kysela Père et Fils’ annual game dinner and wine tasting extravaganza on November 16th.
I am seriously considering sitting for the first exam (of three) to become a Master Sommelier. Passing the exam requires a lot of knowledge of wine. I’m not sure that I can pass, but even sitting for the exam should demonstrate how keen I am to have a cutting edge wine program at OBW.
Do you need a special wine for Thanksgiving or the holidays? Could I recommend a Willowcroft Muscat Riesling to you or perhaps a First Colony Cabernet Franc? All our wines are available for retail sale at retail pricing, not restaurant pricing. We offer a discount for full case purchases.
We will be serving a special Thanksgiving menu on Tuesday and Wednesday the 24th-25th. We will close Thanksgiving Day to celebrate with our families, and we will be back to our normal dinner menu for Friday and Saturday. Call for reservations at 540-662-1455.
Need some wine glasses for your holiday parties? Don’t forget Apple Blossom. We have several hundred 7-1/4 ounce lead crystal tasting glasses that we can rent to you. Call 540-662-1455 for details.
With the recent news about the Hepatitis A viral outbreak in PA, I know that many of you are more conscious about food safety than ever. We are diligent at OBW about producing a safe product, much more diligent than any home cook. Just ask my line staff how often I yell “Glove up!” at them. You should also know that I just sat for the national ServSafe exam, after attending more than 16 hours of classroom instruction on the latest changes in the FDA Food Code and on the state of the art in safe food handling techniques. Bottom line, you are probably safer eating at OBW than in your own kitchen (Is your food refrigerated from the time you take it from the cooler at the store, wait on line at check out, run your errands, and finally get home to put it in the fridge?).
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Copyright © 2003 Shenandoah Food and Beverage Holdings, LLC |
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