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.

It's Fall. So what do we do now?

Well friends and true believers, Autumn is here, the stock market continues its ridiculous mood swings on an hourly basis and the harvest looks like a mixed bag here in Walla Walla. So what is the good news you say? Well, we do have some new wines just in, some great fall cheeses and some low cost holiday gift items for that "Fooder" on your list this year (I refuse to use the term foodie as it is to much like Trekkie). So without wasting anymore of your time her we go...
We are now the only, as far as we know, retailer of Owen Roe wines in Walla Walla and we have just taken stock of the following:
Abbots Table 2007 A blend of 22% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, 20% Zinfandel, 15% Cabernet Franc, 7% Grenache 6% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, 3% Cinsault, 3% Malbec, 1% Pinot Noir. Wow! That is a potpourri of wine. It has vibrant fruit aromas and delicious flavors, expressing the fruitiness and weight of Sangiovese and Zinfandel- it is such a rich, yet easy drinking wine that it can be paired with the broadest range of foods and also tastes great by itself. Although it sounds very foreign to most it is an interesting blend that works really well.
Sinister Hand 200762% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 17% Mourvedre. Pretty standard fare here on the surface, but really amazing wine. This Rhone-styled wine has very dark fruit flavors and pepper, with an excellent texture - it will work well with a variety of foods especially spicy fare and dark meats. The Sinister Hand label is a family crest - a depiction of a severed left hand that tells the story of a rowing competition among O'Neills and O'Reillys (Owen Roe was an O'Neill). Whoever touched land first after rowing across the lake was rewarded with the land he touched. Lagging behind, one of the kinsfolk grabs his sword and cleaves his hand and pitches it ashore to touch land first. He won the land and eventually ruled over it as king.
Pinot Gris 2007 Those of you that know me well enough know that I has some strong opinions, one of which is that I really don;t like Pinot Gris. That being said I will now eat my hat. The 2007 O'Reilly's Pinot Gris is a classic Oregon Gris - plenty of limey aromas with rich guava-like flavors. Hallmark acidity will preserve this white in your cellar for up to five years. The 2007 vintage was unique following upon several very hot years. This grape prefers a more moderate season which preserves aromas, flavors, and the great minerality that we expect from the finest Alsatian varietals. After this long string of very hot vintages, expect a very rich and forward wine that will pair nicely with fresh and richer dishes.

We have also just received the new anniversary brew from Full Sail a dopplebock that is their 21st anniversary brew. Rich and flavourful. This is a limited release and will be available only for a short time.
On the cheese front. We still have some of the Montgomery Cheddar that we opened two weeks ago. This one is going fast. We also have some of the Mt. Townsend cheeses from Mt. Townsend creamery in Port Townsend. If you have tried the cirrus or the seastack and enjoyed those we also have the Traihead Tomme, which is a older and semi hard cheese. Delicious with rich flavours and a long finish. This is one of our new favorites. The Rogue River blue will be in next week. I am going to repeat this here just so we are clear: THE ROGUE RIVER BLUE will be in store NEXT WEEK!!! We have two wheels coming to us next THURSDAY, and then should, repeat, should, be receiving three more in November. This is a phenomenal cheese that must be experience if you like blue cheese at all.

We also just stocked up on the beautiful slate cheese trays that we had last winter. They are made in the USA from natural slate and come with a felt backing so they won't scratch your table. They come in 12x12, 12x16, and 12x24. We also have some really beautiful hand made maple bread boards, that really need to be seen. These are great for yea, bread boards, but also for serving charcuterie and cheese on. Things change every day in the store including our prepared food, so come in frequently to see whats in store. Cheers.