February 14, 2024

I know, I know.  I am at least a day late getting this week’s newsletter done. I apologize.  In the meantime, Happy Valentines Day!

So, my favorite and most common question today has been, “What is a Reuben Eggroll?”  Well, it’s something I have been wanting to try for a while.  Leigh Anne and I were in Charlottesville, Virginia a couple of months ago.  It was getting late, so we found a restaurant we knew nothing about (our favorite kind) and had dinner.  It turned out to be a nice place where they pride themselves on making everything from scratch.  I ordered an appetizer that I believe they called a Crunchy Cheesesteak, or something to that effect.  It was a cheesesteak in an eggroll!  My mind was blown.  How brilliant!  What a great way to reimagine a classic!  My mind began running rampant with possibilities.  After reviewing about ten iterations with my VERY patient wife, I decided to start with a Reuben…classic…recognizable, yet fun and different.  So, I took my eggroll wrapper, smeared a little thousand island dressing on it, put some sauerkraut on, some corned beef, a little grated Swiss cheese…folded it up, sealed it, fried it, and said “YES!  NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!”

I met Leigh Anne through her brother.  He was a Chef as well, and for a while, he and I lived together.  If you want to hear the full story, bring a bottle of wine.  It’s a long, but humorous story.  Certainly, there is more than I should type here.  But, anyway…he could cook some very good food.  One such dish was lamb chops.  I can’t remember all the specifics, but I know he wrapped them in foil after slathering them with mustard and some spices.  I should have paid more attention.  Unfortunately, he has passed, and I can’t ask him.  Leigh Anne thought it was a recipe that he may have gotten from their mother.  So, I decided to take a little stab at it.  After Frenching the bones (removing about two more inches of stuff off the bones which is largely inedible anyway) I covered the rack lightly with oil.  Then I seasoned it with finely chopped rosemary and sea salt.  I know, we talked about salt before, but sea salt really works best for this recipe.  Then, I seared the outside all over.  I was going to use a cast iron pan, but the one I had was too small to fit the rack in, so I ended up using the flattop.  After a quick sear on all sides, I pulled it off and put it on my cutting board. I put some crisscross cuts on the fat side, then I slathered it with stone ground mustard.  Next, I wrapped it foil and put it in a 425-degree oven for about 20 minutes.  The foil would keep the moisture inside and essentially steam it until the internal temp is about 125-130, then rest the rack for about 10 minutes. Why ‘steam’ them?  Well, have you ever been burned by steam?  It’s an experience one does not forget anytime soon.  Steam penetrates deep and quickly.  And, we want to get the flavors of rosemary, sea salt, and mustard into the meat while keeping it moist and cooked through.  I have wanted to do lamb popsicles ever since we started this food truck as that was the tone of what we want to be.  However, great ideas and nerves aren’t always found in the same place at the same time.

We are so grateful and humbled by the friends we have made since coming to Harrisonburg and even since starting this culinary adventure.  This morning, a friendly face came by the window and asked if we had any heart shaped cookies for sale today, after all, it’s Valentines Day!  Ummm, no.  Well, it turns out she was shopping for her team.  Jenny is the Director of the Arts Council of the Valley.  They are right across the street from us and have been so generously supportive that I could not turn her away.  Fortunately, I happened to have a couple of heart shaped molds used for eggs or pancakes and I offered her some red pancakes in the shape of a heart.  She was happy!  She and her team work tirelessly promoting the arts here in Harrisonburg.  If you haven’t met them, please stop in, see what’s currently showing, and meet the people that really make it possible.  They are each awesome. 

Another encounter today made me so happy.  We get our tea from Purple Witch Teas out of Penn Laird, a small community just East of Harrisonburg.  The young woman who runs the business and blends the teas is a woman named Mandy.  Mandy is a lot of fun and has been with us from the beginning.  Today is not only Valentines Day, but also her husband’s birthday!  And where did they come for lunch?  Ott Street Eats!  I don’t know whose decision that was, but it made our day.  A holiday and birthday all rolled into one, and we got to be part of that…wow!  And thank you!  As we grow and meet new people each day, we are happy.  As people call us to cater special events, we are happy.  However, as friends come back repeatedly, and then brings loved ones…especially on special days, that means the world to us.

So, this past week, we tried something a little different.  In the past, on Saturday afternoon, we load up our vehicles with whatever food has not been sold and take it home.  There, we give a heavy sigh and put it in the refrigerator knowing exactly what we will be eating for the next few days, or, we invite our friends and neighbors over to enjoy a ‘noshing’ party and break open a bottle of wine…or two.  This past Saturday, however, we paired up with a very good friend and business owner, Shawn Gatesman.  Shawn owns The Friendly Fermenter which is a local brewery.  It is a wonderful place to get locally made beers.  He usually has about 7-8 different varieties on tap ready to serve you.  He is located on the corner of East Market Street and Mason Street in Harrisonburg, just BENEATH Glo-Fiber.  Anyway, we have done some collaborations and events with Shawn.  So, this past Saturday, we took our leftovers and portioned them out in small boxes and sold them for $5.00 cash. 

Guess what?  It worked pretty well on short notice, So, this is something that we intend to continue.  If you are not able to get to the truck, and if we have menu items left, we will portion it into small boxes and take them to The Friendly Fermenter by around 3-4:00 and they will be available for you!  If we are not there, we will provide a box where you can put in a $5 bill on the honor system.  Don’t forget to enjoy some delicious beers from Shawn and great service!

We got some great emails this week.  We have gotten notifications of dates available from Brothers Craft Brewing Company and from Augusta County!  We have nothing scheduled this week, so we plan to be at our beloved little corner each day.  Let us pray that our spring-like weather continues!  We will look at the various calendars from Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, Brothers, Augusta County, etc. and see what we can do this summer.  Thank you for constantly and consistently supporting us.  The fact that you are part of this newsletter is heartwarming to us.

This week, we have…

February 14-17

Breakfast 7:30-11:00

Kitten Head Biscuit Menu (Kitties)

¨ Plain Biscuit with butter and/or jelly                 $3

Raspberry, Blackberry or Apple Butter & Sharp         Cheddar Cheese

¨ Cat Head Southern Biscuit                          $8

With Fried Beef Bologna Swiss and Mayo

¨ Hash Browns                                          $1

¨ Side of Bacon                                         $3

Lunch 11:00-3:00

¨ Reuben Egg Rolls                                     $8

Beer Mustard Side

¨ Kale, Apple and Tarragon Slaw                     $6

With Candied Maple Pecans and Capers

¨ New England Clam Chowder                        $8

¨ Fried Potato Ribbons w/ Sauce                    $5

Choice of Ketchup, Mayo, Chipotle Honey Mustard or Malt Vinegar

¨ Soft Pretzels                                                  $5

With Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce

¨ Lamb Popsicles                                       $16

With Haji Spiced Cashew Wild Rice

¨ Baguette Sandwich                                   $14

with Roasted Grapes, Burrata, Prosciutto

¨ Homemade Brownies                                 $5

With Whipped Cream

And, because you are subscribing to this newsletter, you get a sneak peak into what we are looking at for next week!

February 21-24

Breakfast 7:30-11:00

Kitten Head Biscuit Menu (Kitties)

¨ Plain Biscuit with butter and/or jelly                 $3

Raspberry, Blackberry or Apple Butter & Sharp Cheddar Cheese

¨ Dirty Cat Head Southern Biscuit                              $9

Buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, pimento cheese,

bacon, scrambled eggs smothered in gravy

¨ Garlic & Chive Hash Browns                        $1

¨ Side of Bacon                                         $3

Lunch 11:00-3:00

¨ Salmon Taco Sliders                                 $8

Napa Slaw, Tomatillo Sauce, Cohito Cheese

¨ White Chicken Chili                                  $8

Green Chilis,  Hominy, Salsa and White Corn

¨ Fried Potato Ribbons w/ Sauce                    $5

Choice of Ketchup, Mayo, Chipotle Honey Mustard or Malt Vinegar

¨ Soft Pretzels                                                  $5

With Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce

¨ Mediterranean Meatloaf Sandwich                 $14

With Vegetables and Herbs Inside! Ciabatta Roll

 And Siracha Aioli & Potato Ribbons

¨ Paradelle Pasta                                        $14

With Roasted Tomato & Garlic Sauce, Crispy Bread Crumbs

¨ Mixed Berry Cobbler                                 $5

With Whipped Cream, because all great desserts have whipped cream.

Thanks again for loving us enough to read this.  We hope you have a great week!

Johnnymac!