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AUTUMN 2002 Dear Neighbors, During our stops we dined in some wonderful restaurants and stayed
in some snazzy hotels that made big impressions on us. As a result the
O.Henry’s sheets’ thread counts are about to double and the
flavors and service at our restaurants will be forever enhanced by our
expanded frame of reference. Cheers! Dennis & Nancy King Quaintance Field Truck – Field Trip
What goes around comes around…
We'll keep you posted, and in the mean time, please let us know what you think. Bart Ortiz, Vice President of Flavor & Consistency, would like to know if not serving tomatoes in the winter (when they taste like cardboard) is o.k. Feel free to share your thoughts with him by e-mailing bortiz@qwrh.com. What’s New at Lucky 32
At our Raleigh
Lucky 32, we've refurbished the terrace and gardens just in time
for the cooler weather that makes outdoor dining such a pleasure. Like
the Postal Service, neither rain, nor sleet nor snow will interrupt
our service because we now have heaters and attractive weather resistant
awnings and side curtains to protect you from the elements on rainy
days (well, maybe the snow and sleet would put a damper on things).
Folks dining outdoors in Winston-Salem will soon notice a difference
in our new garden and expanded outdoor seating – we'll Our menus are feeling the winds of change, too. We've decided to make
some of our most popular featured dishes permanent fixtures on our menus,
and we're bringing back some old favorites that we haven't served in
years. Creole Crab Cakes, Jambalaya Style Pasta, Mrs. Robinson's
Grill (chicken grilled with par-sley sage rose-ma-ry and thyme)
and others will bring back fond memories for our long-time guests and
we'll bet they'll be favorites for some of our new neighbors, too. Our
Featured Selections can now be found on the center panel of the menu
so you can see at a glance what the current "specials" are.
We think the revamped graphics and design make it easier to find exactly
what you're looking for, whether you're hankering for a favorite stand-by
or looking for a new flavor. And, speaking of flavors, we think you'll
especially enjoy ours now that we're cooking with more seasonal, locally
produced foods.
©2002 Quaintance-Weaver |
In
June our chefs, general managers and key team members took a field trip
to the Goat Lady Dairy where we spent the day harvesting Sweet 100 Tomatoes
(we popped a few down, still warm from the sun, while we were picking
– they taste like candy), new potatoes, patty-pan squash, blueberries
and other deliciously fresh fruits and vegetables. We then spent the
evening cooking and indulging in the incredible flavors that result
when you eat food that fresh. On this amazing day our team got the chance
to share ideas about our exciting, experimental plans to bring even
more flavorful, seasonal foods to our restaurants, via our "Field
Truck."
We
have long believed that the "nearer the farm to the fork the better
the flavor." Over the past three years we’ve developed relationships
with area farmers so we can purchase fresher food locally. We’re
thrilled that, in the process of figuring out how to bring the most
naturally flavorful food to our guests, we’re also supporting sustainable
agriculture and our community’s farming economy. 
Years
ago restaurateurs planned the day’s menu based on produce harvested
that very morning. Local farmers would bring their fruits and vegetables
to town then go from restaurant to restaurant offering their selections.
Now it’s not quite so simple (and maybe it ought to be) because
most produce is grown on huge farms. We don’t know them and they
don’t know us, and often the flavors are mediocre. We couldn’t
find a contemporary model that addresses the issues involved when purchasing
and 
distributing
local produce for a restaurant outfit like ours (and we had our friend,
Susan Andreatta from the UNCG Anthropology Department, help us look),
so we decided to invent one. Thus the "Field Truck" initiative,
which includes everything from planning crops with the farmers, to picking
up and delivering produce.
We're
also modifying and developing recipes so we can take advantage of the
changing seasons' bounty and some experimental crops. We're discovering
how to deal with the inevitable challenges that arise when trying something
new. For example, during the drought tomatoes have been hurt. We adapted.
Along with our partner farmers, we've done some scrambling to make sure
we had enough tasty tomatoes for all five of our restaurants. And "tasty"
is the operative word because we're committed to serving only tomatoes
that taste like tomatoes, squash that tastes like squash and corn that
tastes like corn. Local, seasonal vegetables are the key to gaining
this flavor advantage, so, come February, if we don't have tomato slices
on our sandwiches you’ll know why – we're holding out for
the real thing.
Using
only seasonal produce has lead us to experiment with a few ingredients
we haven't used very often. If the recipes we're working on now work
out, our upcoming menus may feature sweet Chiogga beets, also known
as candy-cane beets because of their stripes; Japanese turnips, thin-skinned
golf-ball sized turnips, delicious when lightly seasoned and roasted;
and Parisian carrots because they are small, round, sweet and tasty.
We're also using more locally grown salad greens and spinach in the
fall, and the spring and summer crops of green beans, eggplant and corn
(just to name a few) will bring plenty of flavor. Our use of seasonal
ingredients will continue to increase – in fact, this past summer
at least 1/4 of our produce came from local farms and we expect to increase
that amount to 3/4 over the next year.
As
we use more local produce, we're developing methods to keep our operations,
and the farmers' operations, running smoothly. Jim Scoggin has joined
our team as our Victualer (don't you love that word – it makes
us think of Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies). He travels over hill
and dale to meet with potential and existing farmer partners, developing
relationships and ensuring that our high standards are met. From time
to time you may see our Field Truck (you'll recognize it because it
has "Ours is Fresher" plastered on the sides) parked outside
the Green Valley Grill or Lucky 32 where Jim will be selling some of
the good stuff. Stop by and and get yourself some doggone fresh "vittles."
We've
been having fun tweaking our restaurants. Here's some of the stuff we've
done:
If
you've visited our Cary Lucky 32 you've seen Raleigh artists Matt
McConnell and Mack Farrior's handiwork on our light diffusers and
"tulips." We're so pleased with the warm glow of their innovative
designs that we've commissioned Mr. McConnell and Mr. Farrior to custom-design
sculptural lighting for all our Lucky 32 restaurants. This photograph
doesn't do their work justice, so please come by and take a gander.
have
more tables overlooking the courtyard of Stratford Place. And, the next
time you visit our Greensboro Lucky 32, check out the new
mural in the foyer, created by local artist Chip Holton.
It's a clever piece that depicts Greensboro’s rich heritage.
Our
new "Get Lucky & Go" take-out /curb services are
now in place at all our L32 restaurants. This service is quickly becoming
a favorite resource for many families. Get Lucky & Go also comes
in handy for picnics, tailgate parties and business lunches. Give us
a call to place your order, pull into a designated parking place and
we’ll bring your order to your car. Our services include boxed
lunches, family dinners and “Heat & Eat” selections that
can be prepared in our kitchens and cooked in yours. We even have one-stop
wines at value prices. For more information about our Get Lucky &
Go services, including menus, visit our website at
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