Hello! Happy Easter! Sorry all for missing last week's entry. I was in Seattle visiting my daughter and spending time with family. One of the great benefits of working here at Vi is how generous they are with vacation days, but of course sometimes taking the time to use them can be a challenge. I will be missing a few days again in April, but this time to attend a conference of our Directors of Dining in Napa Valley. Yes, I know it will be difficult but its a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Thank You all who attended the Food and Beverage Forum last Thursday, I think we got quite a bit accomplished even if our challenges remain. At every turn I am reminded of how much simpler all these problems would be to solve if we simply had more staff. With record unemployment and a surging economy I don't expect the staffing problem to be fixed anytime soon. Keep working with me and we will come up with the best solutions we can.
No update on construction dates yet, it's frustrating (I agree). We are expecting an update on Tuesday and I hope it is good news.
We have a new "Always Available" menu starting this week, the last one before the dining room closes, I suspect. At lunch the menu features Salmon, Burger, Pasta, Light Entrée dishes, as well as the "Build-your-own-Sandwich, -Salad, and -Pizza". At dinner, things are very similar.
We have a a Spring Salad of Asparagus and House-Made Cheese, a Butter Lettuce Salad with Almonds and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. We will offer a Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon, and the Grilled Salmon has a light cucumber sauce.
In the Dining Room this week, check out the Roasted Tomato appetizer. We stuff Roma tomatoes with cornbread and fresh herbs, then roast them until they are bubbly and hot, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. It's a nice, simple but delicious app that is also quite filling.
The cheese the week is a Gruyère from Austria, served with fresh pears. The flavor of Gruyère is similar to Swiss cheese but the texture is firmer and there are not usually holes.
Try the Grilled Swordfish topped with fresh salsa and fried avocadoes. we top it with our own house-made farmer's cheese and it is served with black beans and rice.
I hope you'll try the grilled New York Strip Steak this week, topped with garlic and herb butter served with baby carrots and Yukon potatoes
And, I recommend our Carved Pork Loin this week with a light citrus cream, and the light special is sesame and Soy-Braised Edamame beans over quinoa with chilled, grilled tuna and seaweed salad.
I hope to see you all at Easter Brunch or on Monday Morning at the Culinary Corner 10am in the Dad Clark Bar.
