February 28, 2024

February 28th Newsletter!  Welcome!

I am a huge Stephen Covey fan.  Many…many moons ago, I was a trainer for managers in a local franchise of a national chain.  I taught the students using two books:  the corporate operations manual, and The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.  The whole book is worth reading, repeatedly.  To be honest, I read the book over twenty years ago and life changes, as we all know.  So, many of the responses to questions in the book have changed. 

Anyway, the seventh and last habit of successful people is called “Sharpen the Saw.” 

An excerpt from the book…

Sharpen the Saw is a phrase that means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--yourself12     It refers to having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four key areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.12.

A few days ago, my wife decided that I was getting a little too stressed.  She found a sweet little town in Maryland called Saint Michaels on Chesapeake Bay.  She said, “You are a Pisces, and you are overdue to get to the water.”  She knows me very well.  Saturday, we closed the truck at 2:00.  We boxed up a few remaining items and took them to The Friendly Fermenter.  We love them and they seem to love us!  Then, we went home and packed.

Sunday, we drove.  We stopped for dinner in Manassas on the way up.  The place we found is called 2 Silos Brewing .  They are a brewery as well as a restaurant.  We had a couple of very good beers, a wonderful wood fired pizza, and a pretzel with mustard.  All of it was nice as well as the live entertainment.  Then we continued our drive to Saint Michaels.  We stayed at a wonderful little hotel called The Old Brick Inn.  It’s a VERY small town with one main drag, not called Main Street as one would think, but Talbot Street.  The inn was pretty much in the center of town, and everything was walkable.    

We had a nice breakfast in the hotel on Monday and started walking. There are shops in the main thoroughfare that are all locally owned and operated. And, there are several restaurants.  St. Michaels is a very nice town, and everyone is very friendly. 

We visited a few shops and had lunch.  Then we went to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.  What a great experience!  Several acres and about six buildings are part of this waterside ‘museum’. They do an excellent job of giving a history of Chesapeake and that area in particular.  Oysters and crabs have been a big industry for them since the beginning.  It was a wonderful educational experience.

After a bit more walking through shops, we went back to the hotel and rested a bit.  We went to one of the best Italian dinners I may have ever had, and I have spent time in Italy itself.  I want to say that every shop and every restaurant in this town had impeccable service.  Even people walking on the street offered a genuine greeting, “Hi.  How are you today?”  Wow. Though, as a truly honorable mention, we went to a place called The Fool’s Lantern.  It was an interesting concept of a self-service wine and beer bar with a unique card system.  Anyway, there was a man named Christopher there who walked us through the system, made recommendations, talked to us about the menu and more.  The more we asked about the place, he answered.  We asked about the town, and he gave us entertaining information.  He recommended other restaurants and more.  Should you have the occasion to be in St. Michaels, go there and make sure to talk to him. 

Tuesday, we got up, packed the car, and started walking.  We stopped in a few shops that we hadn’t been in before including an amazing Italian store called Simpatico.  That was an incredible food and wine store.  We may need to take another mortgage out on the house, but we left with a LOT of great food.

I asked a lot of people over the last couple of days, “Where can I get genuine Maryland crab meat so that I may make my own crab cakes?” There were several answers, but the one that came back the most was “Chesapeake Landing.”  It seems that they are a bar, restaurant, and seafood market.  So, as we left town, we stopped.  We had some amazing oysters and a great shrimp salad wrap.  And, before we left, we picked up some crab meat to make this week’s crab cake sandwiches! Yes, genuine Maryland crab!

Why Johnnymac?  Why are you telling us this?  Well, let’s get back to Stephen Covey and Sharpen the Saw.  While we all need to enjoy the comfort of some routine, we also need to mix it up a little.  We need variety.  We need inspiration.  We need new stimulus.  This may be especially true of creative types…such as chefs.

We can cling to our routine.  But, after a while, it becomes less comfortable.  It may actually begin to weigh down on us.  “What am I going to do today?  The same thing I did yesterday!”  Without variety and a break from our daily routine, there can be no growth.  There can’t be growth as an individual, a couple, a company or a basic citizen of the world.  We must try to be productive, and we must strive for growth.  The past few days really brought that home for me. 

We do actually work hard to provide the best food truck and catering experience that we can.  Often, there is routine involved.  6:30 the alarm goes off and work begins.  We serve food, we clean up, we prepare for the next day, we talk, we watch tv, we go to bed…6:30, again.  It was great to take a few days off and see something different, to try someone else’s food, to learn about something I didn’t know, but most of all…to spend a couple of relatively carefree days with my wife. This trip was just about us, and taking a few days off.  It was wonderful and needed.

So, the Italian restaurant reminded me that I had not given you a ‘culinary tip’ last week, or one this week, yet.  So, here we go.  Let’s talk risotto.

I take a fair amount of pride in my risotto.  But, what is risotto?  Is risotto a type of rice?  Is it pasta?  Well…no.  Technically, risotto is a technique.

I am sure that most of you, if not all, have boiled rice before.  Rice goes in a pot of boiling water.  Rice absorbs water.  Rice swells, having absorbed the water.  Once the rice is about cooked, the water that remains is drained, butter added, and served. 

Risotto follows some same principles.  One starts with a dry ‘rice.’  Traditionally, risotto is made with something called Arborio rice, found in every grocery store.  Most often it is put in a pan initially with a little bit of butter and given a little color, or ‘toast.’  In a separate pot or pan, have some stock.  Note that I am not telling you what kind of stock.  If you are cooking shrimp, use a seafood stock.  If you are cooking steaks, use a beef stock, etc. etc.  We will discuss stocks next week…I promise.  They are easy to make, healthier than those you buy, less expensive, and easy to store.

As the rice becomes toasted, start adding warmed stock a ladle at a time, just enough to cover the rice, stirring occasionally.  Keep the temperature at a high simmer.  No need for a rolling boil. The rice will absorb the stock, and the flavors in that stock.  If you choose to use a mango infused water…yup, that is what your risotto with taste like.  When the rice has absorbed the liquid, add more the same way…just covering the rice, stirring occasionally.  Repeat until the rice stops absorbing.  You can test it by taking a couple of grains on a spoon and putting them in your mouth.  If they are still a bit crunchy, it’s not done.  If your teeth go through them easily, yet they maintain a structure on their own, you have succeeded.  Here’s the reason most people don’t make risotto…it can take about 30 minutes.  Patience is of paramount importance, and a watchful eye.  You certainly don’t want to leave it alone too long; it could absorb your latest round of liquid and start burning.

Anyway, when you feel you have achieved success, I recommend a generous pat of butter to be added to the rice.  The fat from the butter will help maintain the structure of the rice and the flavor…well seriously…butter?

So, Johnnymac, what are you serving this week?

February 28-March 2

Breakfast 7:30-11:00

¨ Cat Head Southern Biscuit                          $9

Buttermilk biscuit, Egg, Pulled Pork, Chorizo Cheese Sauce

¨ Sour Cream Waffles                                  $6

With Bacon and Real Maple Syrup

¨ Garlic & Chive Hash Browns                        $1

¨ Side of Bacon                                         $3

Lunch 11:00-3:00

¨ Slow Braised Riblets                                  $8

Homemade BBQ Sauce

¨ Carrot and Caramelized Onion Bisque             $8

¨ Crab Cake Sandwich                                 $14

With Potato Ribbons

¨ Spinach, Tomato, Shitake Quiche                  $14

Also available gluten free as a Frittata

¨ Fried Potato Ribbons w/ Sauce                    $5

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

¨ Soft Pretzels                                                  $5

With Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce

¨ Buckwheat Shortbread Cookies                    $5

With Berries and Whipped Cream

“And then?”

March 6-9

Breakfast 7:30-11:00

¨ Cat Head Southern Biscuit                          $9

Chicken Pot Pie Gravy

¨ Breakfast Tacos                                       $6

Sausage, Egg, Cheese, Tomatillo Sauce

¨ Garlic & Chive Hash Browns                        $1

¨ Side of Bacon                                         $3

Lunch 11:00-3:00

¨ Roasted Brussel Sprouts                            $8

With Orange, Cinnamon, and Cashews

¨ Minestrone Soup                                     $8

¨ Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus                $14

¨ Asian Inspired Chicken Salad                       $14

Water Chestnuts, Bean Sprouts, Edamame, Wasabi Aioli

¨ Fried Potato Ribbons w/ Sauce                    $5

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

¨ Soft Pretzels                                                  $5

With Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce

¨ Margherita Cupcakes!                                $5

Friday is March 1st!  This is a truly monumental day for the history books.  First, it is First Friday for the Arts Council of the Valley!  Cruise by the house on South Main Street to see some great works from 5-7.  And, there will be many other displays throughout the area as well.  Next, it is the date of the Downtown Happy Hour put on by the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance!  That will be from 6-9 pm at the Loft at Liberty Street Mercantile.  Tickets are required.  Check out their website for details.  Make sure you buy those tickets because we will be there along with other downtown eateries and breweries!  Most importantly, come so you can wish me a happy birthday! 😉

We are grateful for all of your continued support!  Thank you!