Bring on Spring

With the sunny day we had today and the warmer weather too, I just can't not make salad. So until it runs out we have Aruguala for sale in the store and I will be making Arugula Salad too. Lightly dressed with extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed citrus juice, it will make you want to put your short pants on. COme in and try a little bit of spring in the middle of winter. It just tastes good.

Me So . . .yeah I'm not going there.

Miso soup is on the menu for Thursday Jan 29, 2009. Our miso soup is hand made start to finish. I even make my own dashi. Yes. You heard that correctly. I make my own dashi. For those of you who do not know what dashi is think of it as the Japanese equivalent of chicken stock. Used in soups, sauces and many other things it is one of the key ingredients in Japanese cookery.

To our dashi we add miso paste and some finely sliced scallions. Very simple, very delicious and very good for you, especially when it is cold outside. We also have our house made Oi Kimchi (Korean style pickled cucumber). All you need is a cold beer to wash it all down, and yes, we have that too. Cheers.

Ham-ade?

When I was in grade school one of my teacher has this poster with a big picture of a lemon on it. You know the kind. The cheesy ones with the little kitty hanging on a stick that says "hang in there". This one stated "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade". I never understood this as I loved lemons, still do. It seemed obvious to me, you have a tree full of lemons you make lemonade. 'Nuff said.

So, what does this have to do with anything, well not much as it turns out. But, I have this over supply of some of the most gorgeous ham sent to us by Ms. Nancy Newsome of Newsome's Hams, and we are making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches Friday January 16, 2009. Pair this with a bowl of onion soup and you have a pretty tasty little lunch.

Now the rules. We are making HAM and CHEESE sandwiches. Not cheese sandwiches, not ham sandwiches, and not halves. And don't ask. You gotta dive in with both feet here. Come in and get warm! Cheers.

And no, we are not making ham-ade.

Onion Soup

Ok. So we have officially announced the food service and the new menu in the Grocers Bag newsletter. So I am now obligated to post something here about daily specials. Well as it so happens, and belive me it dosen't happen often, I have been preparing for this.
I am happy to announce that today Friday January 9, 2009 our special of the day is Onion Soup. Yes French Onion soup with the cheese and the bread, only better. Guaranteed not to be salty. Guaranteed to have lots of ONION flavour. Guaranteed to make you go; mmmmm soup is good (we'd get sued if we added any more).
Come and get it.

Sunday Brunch at Salumiere Cesario

Ok, so not really a full brunch, but if you are hungry and downtown you can stop in today and get french toast with butter caramel sauce, panettone bread pudding, and even some fresh made carrot and ginger soup. Or if you just need a place to sit and get warm for a few minutes you can come in for a glass of holiday cheer. We'll be here until four. So what else are you doing today?

It's not Woolworth's but . . .

Our lunch counter is finally finished and ready for all of you. I know it's not the same as the lunch counter at Woolworth's when you were a kid, but hey what are you gonna do? We are serving Mac n' cheese today as our first lunch special, we also have gougeres if you get hungry for a snack. We also now can serve wine and beer on premise so you can come and have a glass of wine with lunch or stop by in the afternoon for a nosh and a sip.

We will have daily specials as well as a simple standard menu. Wines and beers will change frequently and you will always be able to buy a bottle here and open it on premise.

So there it is. Long time coming and hopefull all of you will be able to enjoy it. Cheers.

Cabot Cloth Bound Cheddar

We just received our first wheel of the very special Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Cabot Clothbound Cheddar is the result of a unique collaboration among cheese craftsmen in Vermont. Cabot Creamery makes sixty clothbound wheels each quarter and then ships them off to be skillfully matured in the cellars at Jasper Hill Farm. While the partners differ considerably in scale - Cabot is the largest dairy in Vermont, Jasper Hill one of the smallest - this Old World style cheddar exists thanks to their neighborly cooperation.
So, what is the big deal you ask? Well Matteo Kehler of Jasper Hill is just geeky, in the best possible ways, about cheese. And he translates this into really well aged cheese. See it is not just the milk and the cheese maker that make great cheese, as many of you who buy cheese from us regularly know. It is the environment that cheese is aged and stored at that can really develope a cheeses potential.
We will be cutting into this wheel Saturday November 15, 2008 at 12:00pm. If you have never tasted a FRESH cut wheel of cheese then you have missed out on a unique experience. Do not miss this opportunity as we do not expect this wheel to last long and again, when it is fresh cut, there is nothing else like it. Cheers.