One Block West Newsletter -- April 2008

Thank you for taking the time to read the April edition of our monthly email newsletter. As many of you will notice, I’ve started reformatting the look of the newsletter, as well as rethinking the content. Now that I am writing entries to One Blog West nearly daily, I’m thinking that perhaps some portion of the newsletter is best used as an index to the articles in the blog. You can visit and read the articles of your choice.

As many of you now know, we’ve stopped serving tapas for lack of interest. I promised many of you who have come looking for tapas a tapas dinner and we have now scheduled that for April 24^th. Please sign up early so that I can get on with my menu development. And, those of you who want tapas, don’t give up. Please feel free to get a group together and call us in advance; we’ll be happy to do tapas for your group.

Finally, I’m looking some specific artwork for the restaurant. Starving artists see below.

All my best,

Ed Matthews, Chef/Owner

Events Calendar back to top

Thursday April 24, 2008 Tapas and Spanish Wines	We have a new supplier of Spanish wines who is importing some very interesting wines, things that you probably have never tasted. We are planning a wine tour of Spain during this dinner, sampling wines from all over. We’ll pick some favorite tapas from our vast repertoire and no doubt, we’ll create some new ones. $65 per person, does not include taxes or gratuity. Reserve by credit card at 540-662-1455. We start receiving guests after 6:30; the dinner starts promptly at 7:00pm.
Friday-Saturday April 25-26, 2008 Old Town Wine & Fine Arts Festival	We are planning to be a vendor at the Old Town Wine & Fine Arts Festival for its inaugural year on the Old Town Mall. Are we serving OBW food to 50, 500, or 5000 people? I don’t know. Come find out and support our local Virginia wineries. Also, if you are planning to eat at OBW afterward, book today! We’ll be swamped.
Tuesday-Saturday April 29 – May 2, 2008 Closed for Apple Blossom Festival	Sadly, we are forced into closing for the Apple Blossom Festival. Everyone wants to eat junk food from the street vendors and the streets are blocked such that you cannot get to the restaurant by vehicle, even were we open. In a way, it’s OK. I have a lot of work that I need to do on the restaurant, starting with some remodeling of the bar.
Thursday May 22, 2008 Fabbioli Cellars	Doug Fabbioli is making some wonderful red wines over in Lucketts, near Leesburg. He’ll be here to talk about not only his wines, but his interesting philosophy of making wine. We’ll be tasting Doug’s Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Tre Sorelle (“three sisters”—a classic Bordeaux blend), and Raspberry Merlot (which means we’ll probably be having chocolate for dessert!) We’ll be doing 5 courses @ $70 per person, not including taxes or gratuity. Reserve by credit card at 540-662-1455. We start receiving guests after 6:30; the dinner starts promptly at 7:00pm.
Thursday June 26, 2008 Linden Vineyards	Jim Law of Linden Vineyards will be here for the fourth June in a row to discuss his wines which we will pair with an early summer menu. This dinner will sell out early. $80 per person, does not include taxes or gratuity. Reserve by credit card at 540-662-1455. We start receiving guests after 6:30; the dinner starts promptly at 7:00pm.

What’s New @ One Blog West back to top

Now that I’m posting articles to One Blog West nearly daily, I’m rethinking the mission of this newsletter. Rather than a newsletter full of articles, here’s a list of food and restaurant topics that I wrote in March:

§ Got Farmers Market?, please support your local market.

§ The Myth of Sysiphus, an essay on tapas, with thanks to Albert Camus.

§ Thursdays, a day of contrasts at the restaurant.

§ Marcona Almonds, the crack cocaine of nuts.

§ Capsicum Confusion, I say tuh-MAY-toe, you say tuh-MAH-toe.

§ Chef's Tasting, can we cook just for you?

§ What's Your Mascot?, have you met OBW cat?

§ Reflections, it’s good to be a kid in this day and age.

§ Just Cook, 11 courses of inspired improvisation.

§ Of Roses and Spring, meditations with clippers.

§ Does Spelling Matter?, about being meticulous.

§ Steuben Yellow Eye Beans, maybe my favorite bean ever.

§ Mea Culpa, when server training and customer expectations collide.

§ Menu Layout: Best of Intentions, unintended consequences explored.

§ What, do we *NEED* a reservation?, why do customers act like this?

§ Of Spring and Groundhogs—Shad Roe, there is no surer sign of spring.

There are also other articles below in Recipes, How To, and Something to Wine About.

Morels back to top

It’s almost morel season here in Virginia. We typically have morels from mid-April until mid-May, depending on the weather. We need rain and then a good warm spell to start them growing. As every year, I will buy morels in good condition at my front door. If you know any foragers out there, send them to me. What I cannot use in the restaurant, I can generally wholesale to other restaurants. Worst case, I can always dry them and use them in the winter.

The Deck and Alcohol back to top

Here comes the annual reminder, now that the weather is nice. We have three separate alcohol service areas: the deck, the dining room, and the bar. ABC regulations prohibit customers from moving alcoholic beverages between service areas. This means that our servers must move your drinks for you. Moreover, with the exception of the bar, you must be seated to be served. In practical terms, ABC says that you may not possess any alcoholic beverages while you are standing in front of the restaurant smoking. And technically, you’re in the parking lot and may be cited for drinking in public. Please remember this when you are at the restaurant and please comply with our servers’ requests without giving them grief. We have no choice but to enforce these rules.

Recipes back to top

Here are the recipes that I have published this month:

§ What Does a Chef Eat on His Night Off?, tomato, cucumber and Canadian bacon salad.

§ Almond Brown Sugar Croissant French Toast, by fan request.

§ Homage to the Sweet Potato, the sweet potato hash from the TV show.

How To back to top

These how-to photo essays are a lot of work, hence their scarcity. I hope you appreciate them.

§ Pomelo: A Lesson in Citrus Suprêmes

Something to Wine About back to top

And last, but not least, wine-related articles:

§ Waiter, There's Something in My Wine!, relax, they’re just harmless tartrates.

§ Rappahannock Cellars Wine Dinner, see what you missed.

§ Chambourcin Anyone?, a grape that does well here in Virginia.

Last Words back to top

The deck will be opening this month as soon as the weather is nice enough for us to get out there and scrub everything down. Remember, tables are first come, first served, and you need to send someone inside to let us know that you have taken a table—as hard as we might try, we cannot see through block walls.

I’ve found two more interesting web sites to share with you foodies. The first is a great Mexican index of chiles (the chile index disappeared 12/08) and the second, a professional site from Sysco, the food distribution giant, is a great reference site that includes lots of pictures of specialty produce.

Finally, I’m looking for a piece or several pieces of artwork to fill a wall space about 2 feet by 5 feet. I’m thinking multimedia collage/sculpture but am open to suggestions. If you know an artist who will trade artwork or who will execute a commission for food, let me know.

Thanks for all your support of the restaurant. I appreciate your business and am looking forward to seeing all of you this spring.

sensational seasonal cuisine and the W logo are trademarks of Shenandoah Food and Beverage Holdings, LLC.