Welcome to the Bistro!

And, another fine week it has been! There is little to complain about on my 

end, other than there’s never enough time in the day. The hours are gone in 

moments, days fly by and here we are almost to the middle of August. The 

garden is providing me with an abundance of tomatoes, peppers and 

cucumbers. I love picking a sun-warmed tomato and combining it with a 

cuke, garbanzo beans, banana pepper, can of tuna and a drizzle of rich, thick 

balsamic (the expensive stuff—a treat for sure!) and evoo. Add a chiffonade 

of opal basil and sprinkle of grey Celtic sea salt and voila, a beautiful, easy 

and healthy meal. And, the little gem watermelons that are in the produce 

sections of grocery stores now are incredibly sweet. The pups are at my feet 

the minute they see me pull out a cutting board and the “long” knife, 

knowing that they’ll get samples as I slice the juicy, seedless rosy fruit. I 

oblige as it’s a healthy snack. And, the blueberries are so delicious too.  

Eaten “bare” or with a bit of yogurt they can’t be beat. And the corn, and 

cherries and zucchini and …. Ahh, summer’s bounty of fruits and veggies.

One of my all time favorites is a crispy “eat the shell and all” soft shell crab. 

A soft shell is a blue crab that has fattened itself up to make it through the 

process of molting, or shedding its hard outer shell, to accommodate 

becoming larger. It forms a new “coat” under the old shell then swells up to 

“bust” out of the hard outer shell. It is imperative to remove the crab from 

the water immediately as this prevents the new exoskeleton from hardening 

which occurs within hours. The meat is incredibly sweet and juicy bursting 

with pure crab flavor.  And yes, you can eat the whole crab, shell and all. 

The claws are especially delicious, at least in my opinion. And, unlike crab 

legs or whole crabs, there is no picking meat out of the shell. Although I’ve 

had them broiled and grilled I love a lightly panko crusted or tempura 

Lucky us! Sharon and crew have some awesome ChalkBoard Features this 

week including Tempura Soft Shells presented with Almond Basmati Rice, 

Sugar Snaps and a Citrus Beurre' Blanc. Additionally there’s Roasted 

Florida Grouper Accompanied with Re-Fried Black Beans and a Corn-

Cabbage-Tomato and Tortilla Slaw; a 1# Porterhouse served with a Blue 

Cheese Potato Pie & Zip Sauce; Rainbow Trout topped with Bacon-Shallot 

Hash Browns, Wilted Spinach and Caper Butter and don’t forget the 

Cinnamon Pecan Bread Pudding with Guernsey Vanilla and Warm Carmel 

Sauce. Bring on the feast!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE BISTRO!!!

AND WISH YOU MANY MILLION DOLLAR DAYS!!

XO, MARY