March 14, 2024

Hello everybody!  I know, I am even later than my usual lateness getting this newsletter out.  I sincerely apologize and I promise to try to do better.  However, I do know myself pretty well.  Therefore, I do not feel I can offer any guarantees.

As I write this, it is fairly early on Thursday morning.  The sun is brightly shining and air is warming quickly.  Though currently in the 40’s, it is predicted to get up to the mid 70’s today!  It seems that spring has sprung and we are beginning to have optimistic thoughts of summer.  Yesterday, after a long hot day on the food truck, I went home and actually put on a pair of shorts, just to cool off!  From that experience, I can honestly say…I need a tan.

You may have noticed a “title” on the subject line of this email.  I was appreciative of the many responses I got for suggestions on what to call this.  There really were a lot.  Some of you are truly funny.  For instance, one response was ‘Johnnymac and Cheese.’  That made me laugh out loud.  But then, the very next day as I am still giggling, someone else said, ‘Johnnymac and Cheesy!’  Now I am just worried about the carb intake of some of you.  Let me say this, though:  if this newsletter was about me, or if the food truck was about me, or if we specialized in a variety of Mac and Cheese dishes…ABSOLUTELY!  However…

Most of you know the story, so I won’t bother with all the details.  Leigh Anne and I started this in order to help people.  We were retired.  We wanted to be able to do more for friends and local organizations.  Food is something we love.  So, a part time food truck and catering business seemed like a good way to accomplish those goals.  And, it has been an educational experience.  We have learned how to run a food truck.  We have learned a lot about catering.  We have made a lot of mistakes and learned from them.  We will surely make more.  Thanks to you folks, though, we have been able to give some part time hours to friends and support organizations here locally like Open Doors, Brain Injury Connections, Arts Council of the Valley, Wounded Warriors, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, Alzheimer’s Association, and more.  I will, of course, sign these as Johnnymac because that is who I am.  But, Ott Street Eats is about a lot more than just little old me.  And, thanks to you, it’s working.

Moving on!  Any of you that are local and happen to have Facebook have undoubtedly started getting ads on your feed inviting you to vote in the Daily News Record’s Best of the Valley contest.  Well, I have to admit, I am no different.  There are no major prizes (that I am aware of) but there are bragging rights and a pretty certificate involved.  Let me give you a brief rundown of how this works.  There are three phases to the contest.  The first phase is the nominating phase.  The public (you) are encouraged to go online to the Daily News Record and nominate your favorite local businesses in a WIDE variety of categories and subcategories.  In Food and Beverage for instance, who has the best ice cream?  Who has the best seafood?  Who has the best food truck? Etc. etc. etc.  Once all the nominations are in (which they are) there is a first round of voting.  This round will determine the top 5 in each category and subcategory.  As an example (spoiler alert): 15 food trucks, including us, got nominated for Best Food Truck.  This round will whittle that down to five.  Then, there will be a final round of voting to see who is the Best of the Valley.

You folks nominated us in 5 categories!!  Wow!  Thank you!  They are:  Best Food Truck, Best Appetizer, Best Burger, Best Delivery/Take Out, and Best Outdoor Dining!  Just to be nominated is such an honor for us.  To have our name mentioned alongside some amazing establishments in this area is humbling.  The voting in the next round (to determine the top 5) will be from March 27-April 4.  Then, in May, the final round of voting will determine the winner!  While one cannot vote yet, one can see who the initial nominees are by going to the Daily News Record Best of the Valley and getting logged in.  Once voting starts, it looks like you can vote every day!  Hey, if we don’t win this, we will be fine.  We really aren’t here to win contests, especially against some really good competition who have been around a lot longer, serve quality food, and have developed a large and loyal following.  HOWEVER, if we DID happen to win, it would go a long way towards legitimizing us in the eyes of those who walk past the food truck and raise an eyebrow.  So, if you feel we deserve it, feel free to vote for us!  And again, thank you so much for nominating us!

Welcome to Irish Week here at Ott Street Eats!  In my humble, but accurate opinion, this is such a fun menu this week.  Green eggs and ham on a biscuit?  Corned Beef Hash?  Guiness Stew?  Turkey Sandwich with Irish Soda Bread?  And even an Irish Cream Cheesecake Parfait?  Seriously, this is fun…for me anyway.  We even have a quesadilla with Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Why not?  We will be at Bluestone Vineyards on Saturday evening to help them celebrate St. Patrick’s Day from 6-9, so we really wanted to go as Irish as we could.  Come on out, have some food, listen to a band, enjoy some beverages, etc.  Check out the Bluestone Vineyards website for more details.

Did you know that April 26th will mark our first year of being in business?  That sure is coming up fast!  Personally, I think we need to have a celebration to mark the occasion.  It’s a Friday, so maybe we could stay open later, get some music, make food available (of course), maybe games?  Maybe we could get some city council members and local news out for the occasion?  I’m just spit balling here. So, if you have some suggestions, reply them back to me. Again, time does seem to be marching forward, so we need to get some plans in place. 

What is the culinary tip of the week?  Let’s talk Egg Rolls!  I will discuss the technique while describing our egg rolls this week.  This week we have ‘Fried Colcannon Egg Rolls’ on the menu.  Colcannon is an Irish mixture of creamy mashed potatoes and usually cabbage.  However, research determined that kale is an acceptable substitute for cabbage.  Since we have a corned beef and cabbage quesadilla, we went with the kale option.  Creamy mashed potatoes were made, then kale was sauteed, then the two were mixed.  We put that mixture in the refrigerator to cool.  Now, let us make egg rolls.  We have tried several egg roll wrappers, but we have found one that works best for us.  They can be found in Asian markets in the freezer section.  This brand is called Wei-Chuan Spring Roll Shell.  They are in a square package of 25, 8 inch wrappers.  The packaging is white, red and yellow.  Ok, now that you have the right ones, let them thaw, but don’t open the package before you are ready to use them.  You will need to have ready—one package of wrappers, a mix of something you would like to put into the shells, a tray to put the newly made egg rolls on, a cup of warm water, and a smile.  Pull out one shell and put it on a surface, a decent size cutting board works for me.  Turn it so you are looking at a diamond, instead of a square.  Take a spoonful, handful, or whatever measurement you like of the filling you have chosen.  There will be two outside points to the diamond, and a bottom point.  Find the spot halfway down to the bottom point from the outer points.  Make a little ‘log’ of the filling.  Don’t take it all the way to the edges, leave about an inch on each side.  Next, put a couple of fingers in the cup of water and make about half of the top triangle wet…not just slightly damp…pretty wet.  Now, fold the bottom triangle over your log of filling, then pull back slightly to remove any extra air.  Then, fold the left triangle over.  You will want the new ‘edge’ to be as close to perpendicular as possible.  As you can guess, do the same with the right triangle.  The two edges should be parallel, and the top point should be in the middle.  Now, roll from the bottom to the top.  The wetness on the top triangle should be enough to help it stick together.  Place your newly created egg roll on the tray point side down (to encourage the sticking together).  Repeat!  Repeat!  Allow yourself to make some mistakes.  The shells may rip if they are done too tightly.  They may fall apart if you roll them too loosely.  Give yourself a few rounds to get the feel for it.  Once you have rolled all you wish to roll, cover them with a damp paper towel, or other light towel and refrigerate.  Or you can freeze them for use on another day.  Once you have a technique down, you can apply almost anything to the process.  On a past menu, we put corned beef, sauerkraut, and 1,000 island dressing inside to make a Reuben Egg Roll.  This week, it’s mashed potatoes and kale.  Different ingredients, same technique.  Ok, I know this is a lot of words.  Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand of them.  So, check out a YouTube video and see it all in 20 seconds. 

 Most of you follow us on Facebook, so you know what we are serving.  However, for a few of you social media holdouts…

March 13-16

Breakfast 7:30-11:00

¨ Cat Head Southern Biscuit                          $9

Green Eggs and Ham, with Cheddar

¨ Corned Beef Hash with Fried Egg                  $9

Side of Sausage

¨ Garlic & Chive Hash Browns                        $1

¨ Side of Bacon                                         $3

Lunch 11:00-3:00

¨ Fried Colcannon Egg Rolls                          $8

Creamy Mashed Potato and Kale

¨ Guiness Beef Stew                                    $8

¨ Irish Soda Bread Turkey Sandwich                 $14

With Potato Ribbons

¨ Corned Beef and Cabbage Quesadilla             $14

¨ Fried Potato Ribbons w/ Sauce                     $5

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

¨ Soft Pretzels                                                  $5

With Irish Red Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce

¨ Irish Cream Cheesecake Parfait                     $5

Next week, we are getting back to our eclectic selves.  We will be serving…

March 20-23

Breakfast 7:30-11:00

¨ The Malone Tiger Biscuit                            $9

Ham, Bacon, Sausage, Egg, Cheese, Tomato Gravy

¨ Monte Cristo                                           $9

Turkey, Ham, Swiss, on Grilled French Toast

¨ Garlic & Chive Hash Browns                        $1

¨ Side of Bacon                                         $3

Lunch 11:00-3:00

¨ Chicken Croquette Ebelskivers                     $8

Creamy Herb and Parmesan Dressing

¨ Egg Drop Soup                                        $8

With delicate vegetables

¨ Spring Frittata                                         $8

Fresh Peas, Asparagus, Arugula and Apricot Cheese

¨ Monte Cristo                                          $14

Turkey, Ham, Swiss, on Grilled French Toast

With Grape Salad and Potato Ribbons

¨ Chopped Spinach Salad                             $14

Boiled Eggs, Cheese, Grape Tomatoes, Red Onions, Brown Beech Mushrooms, Fried Crispy Leeks

¨ Fried Potato Ribbons w/ Sauce                    $5

Choice of Ketchup, Chipotle Honey Mustard, or Malt   Vinegar

¨ Soft Pretzels                                                  $5

With German Mustard Dipping Sauce

¨ Crepe with Hazelnut Butter and Bananas                    $5

Whipped Cream and Chocolate Drizzle

Always appreciate the support from each and every one of you!  Thank you!

Johnnymac