We stopped by today and Simple Tidings is an amazing store. The left side is kitchen, the right side is everything you can imagine: candles, cards, the kinds of soaps that make good presents for the ladies, gifts, refrigerator magnets ( we bought one that said "When words are both true and kind they can change the world. The back of the store has tons of signs. Kathy wanted to find a card for one of her friends that is going through some struggles. Interesting note, she only found one card with scripture.
I tried to find some turmeric, or turmeric extract, I guess Indian food may not be that popular in Sumner :) And best of all, they were open on a Monday when a considerable number of historic district shops are closed.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
http://bonneylake-sumner.patch.com/
I was reading the Sumner Downtown Association September Newsletter and they mentioned advertising with Patch.com. I had never heard of that, so I went to the site. Looks like a fairly useful source of local news! Give it a try.
AJ's Treasure Shack
We stopped by AJ's Treasure Shack ( they are open on Sundays) to see if we could find a silver plated serving spoon. We did and it was six dollars. Of course the danger of a shop like that is an impulse purchase and now I have a copy of "Ghost Stories of the Great Northwest". We also picked up some stationary since Paper Muse has gone out of business.
Alicia (Lisa) was her usual friendly self greeting each customer as they came in. Today it rained on and off and while we were in the store so we stayed and chatted with our neighbors Bob and Sandy who also walked in.
The maple trees are in full bloom and it really put a fine light on Main Street in Sumner.
And as I sign off, congratulations to the broker of the quarter Myra Corcoran.
Alicia (Lisa) was her usual friendly self greeting each customer as they came in. Today it rained on and off and while we were in the store so we stayed and chatted with our neighbors Bob and Sandy who also walked in.
The maple trees are in full bloom and it really put a fine light on Main Street in Sumner.
And as I sign off, congratulations to the broker of the quarter Myra Corcoran.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Tiny's Tire
I had the pleasure of having my truck’s tires serviced at Tiny’s Tire Factory in Sumner this afternoon. The reason for my visit was the tire pressure light had come on so I decided I should have it checked out. While I was at it, I might as well have the tires rotated as it was about time for that maintenance. Because Tiny’s was just around the corner, I decided to give them a try. When I arrived, I was greeted promptly. I told the service manager that the light came on and that I’d like them to check it out as well as rotate the tires. He said that’d be no problem and that the tires were likely just low on air. I was in and out within the time estimation I was given and the issue was in fact just low air. I was happy with Tiny’s for their customer service, reasonable prices and no up-sale pressure offering services that were not needed. I will use them again and would be happy to refer anyone there.
Monday, October 8, 2012
El Charro
El Charro in Fredericksburg VA has been one of my favorite restaurants for 30 years so when I saw the sign on Main St in Sumner, I was very excited. As we drove up, we could tell this is popular with the locals because they were voting with their tires in the parking lot.
We arrived earlier than usual, about 5:30 PM, but things were already hopping. It was mostly an older crowd.
The salsa service was fine, a nice sauce, but the water glasses were teeny. Compare and contrast that with Margaritas at Emerald Downs that brings a pitcher of water to the table. We ordered; I had the chicken enchildas, Kathy ordered Pollo la crema. Both the menu and entrees were OK, not exceptional.
Service was minimal. I can't find my receipt, but when I went up to the payment counter, I remember thinking that for what you get, it is just a shade high.
The purpose of this research project is that we are considering buying or leasing some commercial property and starting a business in Sumner over the next few years. Even though I have worked in a number of restaurants and am a fairly well known private chef on Kauai, I don't want to open a restaurant because it is such hard work. El Charro has settled on a path of targeting the lower end. Nothing wrong with that, Sumner needs affordable choices. But you have to wonder if something a little higher end like the chain Margaritas or something modeled after Frida's in Anacortes would quickly grab market share and increase profits for the owner. One thing I would consider doing is hooking up with a source for Mexican original paintings, hang them on the walls and put a price on them.
Update: November 6, 2012. Flavio Ramos and his son Flavio Jr were working the restaurant. We came even earlier and since it was a Tuesday, we virtually had the place to ourselves. Flavio Jr. made some recommendations, including a vegetarian enchilada that is his own creation. Kathy tried it and loved it. I had the steak ala diablo, it was great. And the kicker? Flavio is selling his restaurant and business. It is not time for us to take on a business, but it is a nice building and the restaurant is laid out very efficiently.
We arrived earlier than usual, about 5:30 PM, but things were already hopping. It was mostly an older crowd.
The salsa service was fine, a nice sauce, but the water glasses were teeny. Compare and contrast that with Margaritas at Emerald Downs that brings a pitcher of water to the table. We ordered; I had the chicken enchildas, Kathy ordered Pollo la crema. Both the menu and entrees were OK, not exceptional.
Service was minimal. I can't find my receipt, but when I went up to the payment counter, I remember thinking that for what you get, it is just a shade high.
The purpose of this research project is that we are considering buying or leasing some commercial property and starting a business in Sumner over the next few years. Even though I have worked in a number of restaurants and am a fairly well known private chef on Kauai, I don't want to open a restaurant because it is such hard work. El Charro has settled on a path of targeting the lower end. Nothing wrong with that, Sumner needs affordable choices. But you have to wonder if something a little higher end like the chain Margaritas or something modeled after Frida's in Anacortes would quickly grab market share and increase profits for the owner. One thing I would consider doing is hooking up with a source for Mexican original paintings, hang them on the walls and put a price on them.
Update: November 6, 2012. Flavio Ramos and his son Flavio Jr were working the restaurant. We came even earlier and since it was a Tuesday, we virtually had the place to ourselves. Flavio Jr. made some recommendations, including a vegetarian enchilada that is his own creation. Kathy tried it and loved it. I had the steak ala diablo, it was great. And the kicker? Flavio is selling his restaurant and business. It is not time for us to take on a business, but it is a nice building and the restaurant is laid out very efficiently.
Windmill Bistro
My friends Shanda and Rudy and Kathy and I got to visit this lovely restaurant on Saturday October 6. It was my third visit. I was a bit nervous as I pulled into the parking lot, it was nearly full.
Turns out Sumner High was having their homecoming and it was so fun seeing the boys and girls all dressed up. And they were able to seat us right as we walked in. We ordered a bottle of Petite Syrah called Crusher. The have a small wine list, but the selections are well chosen.
Shanda had the Shrimp Scampi, she really enjoyed it, but it was too much food for her and she got a box and finished it off for Sunday lunch. Rudy ordered the Planked Cedar Salmon and said it was fabulous. Kathy and I both ordered the Olive Roasted Chicken, that was very tasty, rich mashed potatoes and fire roasted asparagus rounded out the plate. Generous portions and we both shared a box, we will finish off the meal tonight. We also ordered their Chocolate Torte to share; also excellent.
Service was prompt and attentive, we had two people monitoring our table, but the receipt says our server was Denise. Cost was 105.44 before gratuity. One curiosity, the menu listed the bottle of Petite Syrah as $32.95, but the receipt says 24.95, maybe I missed a special of some sort.
Turns out Sumner High was having their homecoming and it was so fun seeing the boys and girls all dressed up. And they were able to seat us right as we walked in. We ordered a bottle of Petite Syrah called Crusher. The have a small wine list, but the selections are well chosen.
Shanda had the Shrimp Scampi, she really enjoyed it, but it was too much food for her and she got a box and finished it off for Sunday lunch. Rudy ordered the Planked Cedar Salmon and said it was fabulous. Kathy and I both ordered the Olive Roasted Chicken, that was very tasty, rich mashed potatoes and fire roasted asparagus rounded out the plate. Generous portions and we both shared a box, we will finish off the meal tonight. We also ordered their Chocolate Torte to share; also excellent.
Service was prompt and attentive, we had two people monitoring our table, but the receipt says our server was Denise. Cost was 105.44 before gratuity. One curiosity, the menu listed the bottle of Petite Syrah as $32.95, but the receipt says 24.95, maybe I missed a special of some sort.
Sorci's Italian Cafe
Saturday was my second visit to Scorci's and I went with three of my friends. We got there right at 11:30 because the tables can fill up fast. We elected to eat inside, my friends are from Hawaii and it was about 60 degrees. The table we selected had a cross breeze and we moved and put Shanda in the sun streaming in from the window. Our server, Jeremy said we should not sit there, if a large group came in he would have to move us, it was reserved for six people. We moved, ordered our food, another group of four came in and Jeremy promptly seated them at the six person table (#gofigure).
Other than that we had a fine experience. Shanda had the Crab Manicotti and a Side Caesar and asked for Anchovies. She thought the salad was excellent, but the crab disappeared in the dish. This is actually a common problem when using Dungeness Crab, I have had this happen at other restaurants. Rudy had a bowl of Minnestrone soup and the Meatball Sliders. He said the soup was the best rendition of Minnestrone he had ever tasted and he should know, he has opened and managed five different restaurants as well as a luxury resort in Tahiti. Kathy had the Toscano White Pizza with no meat and their gluten free crust option. It was a lovely white sauce pizza and we all got to taste it. I had a slice of pizza and one of Rudy's sliders. If you go to Scorci's and I do recommend the place, I think you would be wise to skip the meatball slider. The bread gets really soggy and while the Marinara ( I think ) sauce is a fine sauce, it doesn't quite work in this context. The meatball is lovely.
Despite the seating whoopsie, the service was excellent. I ordered ice tea and was a bit thirsty, every time I drank my tea down, Jeremy was right there with a pitcher to fill it up. My companions all had water and I noticed the same thing with their glasses.
Total price of the meal before gratuity was $58.69.
After two visits, my biggest suggestion is to carefully study the menu. Someone is clearly working hard to develop creative renditions of Italian food. They are also sensitive to the whole gluten problem, if you are avoiding gluten, you will have no problem with the menu here. Scorci's advertises a wine tasting on Thursdays from 5 - 7 and that would probably be fun.
Other than that we had a fine experience. Shanda had the Crab Manicotti and a Side Caesar and asked for Anchovies. She thought the salad was excellent, but the crab disappeared in the dish. This is actually a common problem when using Dungeness Crab, I have had this happen at other restaurants. Rudy had a bowl of Minnestrone soup and the Meatball Sliders. He said the soup was the best rendition of Minnestrone he had ever tasted and he should know, he has opened and managed five different restaurants as well as a luxury resort in Tahiti. Kathy had the Toscano White Pizza with no meat and their gluten free crust option. It was a lovely white sauce pizza and we all got to taste it. I had a slice of pizza and one of Rudy's sliders. If you go to Scorci's and I do recommend the place, I think you would be wise to skip the meatball slider. The bread gets really soggy and while the Marinara ( I think ) sauce is a fine sauce, it doesn't quite work in this context. The meatball is lovely.
Despite the seating whoopsie, the service was excellent. I ordered ice tea and was a bit thirsty, every time I drank my tea down, Jeremy was right there with a pitcher to fill it up. My companions all had water and I noticed the same thing with their glasses.
Total price of the meal before gratuity was $58.69.
After two visits, my biggest suggestion is to carefully study the menu. Someone is clearly working hard to develop creative renditions of Italian food. They are also sensitive to the whole gluten problem, if you are avoiding gluten, you will have no problem with the menu here. Scorci's advertises a wine tasting on Thursdays from 5 - 7 and that would probably be fun.
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