[Screenshot: ScalesOfEquilibrium]
Previous Menu Statistics
Total Items Served: 423
Most Popular: Red Dragon Isle Honey Glazed Salmon
Least Popular: Zesty Maztican Beans and Rice
* * * * *
172: Flamerule - Eleint
[ 2021: 7th - 13th May ]
+ Appetizers +
Black-Pointe Oysters
A half-dozen raw oysters on the half shell plated on a small bed of ice. Served with lemon wedges, ginger horseradish cocktail sauce, and Cormyrian mignonette sauce (a condiment made with minced shallots, cracked pepper, and white white vinegar.)
Harvested from near the Blackfin sea temple and generously donated by Captain Hando of the Dixie Belle.
Chef's Note: I am not entirely certain how these will perform. Oysters seem to be a "love them or hate them" food. I am appreciative that Captain Hando took the initiative to bring these to me, though!
Savory Sausage Crostinis
Crumbled pork sausage, softened Bellisarian cream cheese, and shredded Mystra Gold cheese mixed together with finely diced onion, red pepper, and freshly picked basil. A spoonful is placed on individual pieces of a toasted Cormyrian baguette and then baked until the cheese is melted and gooey.
Six crostinis are plated and garnished with dried rosemary and a dusting of cayenne pepper.
Chef's Note: these did not perform well the first time I offered them, but I offered them before I started adding descriptions to the main menu. Tymora willing, these tasty bites will be more popular this time. If not, then I know on what I will be munching the most.
Honeyed Bunyols
The signature item of the café!
From-scratch dough, farm fresh eggs, and hand-grated Brunost cheese shaped into bite-sized rounds and then deep-fried in pork fat before they are dipped in locally sourced honey and rolled in turbinado sugar.
Ten bunyols are plated and served on a bed of turbinado sugar.
Chef's Note: not one single half-orc has approached me to ask for a "bunbun," and I am starting to wonder if Melisine told me a tall tale.
+ Main Courses +
Brogdenstein Truffles & Glimmer Cheese Quiche
A slice of a crowd-pleasing quiche designed to showcase a rich, savory mix of melty smoked Glimmer cheese, earthy mushrooms from Brogdenstein caverns, and the café's own blend of truffle zest seasoning.
A side salad of crisp arugula tossed with a tangy and crunchy combo of marinated radishes and roasted pistachios lends refreshing contrast to all the bold flavors.
Chef's Note: my discussion with Argus, the dwarven guardsman, and his praise of truffles led to this culinary creation. I cannot wait to serve it to him and see his reaction.
Crispy Tilapia & Caper Aioli
Flaky tilapia coated with savory seasonings and delicate potato flakes - cooked to crispy perfection, then topped with an irresistible caper aioli.
Served alongside roasted potatoes, tossed with salt and apple cider vinegar, and sautéed green beans.
Baked Chicken & Zucchini Rice Casserole
This comforting, vibrant dish features rice, zucchini, onion, and Sembian-seasoned chicken breasts - all baked under a layer of melty Glimmer cheese, plus a final dusting of Sateeka Fang cheese before serving.
Chef's Note: Sateeka Fang cheese is a mild, crumbly cheese that originated in the Dalelands. It is one of the more popular cheeses to export due to its durability. I think the name sounds like a ferocious animal, but it probably references a mountain pass or somesuch.
Traditional Tenday Pot Roast
A serving of pure comfort food - boneless roast, wedges of white onions, cubed red potatoes, sliced carrots, garlic cloves, and a sprig of fresh rosemary - all oven braised in a blend of beef broth, Harrowdale sauce, and Reirdan Retreat red wine.
Served with a hunk of Cormyrian baguette.
Chef's Note: since I have started tracking what is served, I have noticed that many café patrons do not order the heavier meals. Perhaps this "taste of home" option will change their minds.
+ Desserts +
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
With a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and lovely crinkle appearance, these brownie-like cookies are a chocolate lover's dream come true! Made from Damaran-pressed cocoa and generously dusted with powdered sugar.
Chef's Note: these cookies are adorable! I expect them to be popular. I might have to impose a limit on Tiffa; she will eat these by the handful if I let her.
Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread
Moist and delicious cake-bread made with ripe bananas and strawberries that have been gently roasted to highlight their natural sweetness. Hints of vanilla and light brown sugar further enhance this confection.
Drizzled with strawberry compote and served warm with a side of vanilla bean ice cream.
Chef's Note: another prior offering that did not perform well due to a lack of a proper, mouth-watering description. Still, I have discovered that most patrons want the super sweet option between the two dessert choices.
+ Non-Alcoholic Beverages +
Cinnamon Apple Cider Spritzer
A refreshing juice featuring apple cider vinegar - spiced with cinnamon, maple syrup, anise, and cloves - that has been topped with sparkling water.
Garnished with a cinnamon stick and a sliver of Cordorian red apple.
Golden Sunset Cashew Milk
Blended with milk from Cordorian cows, liquified cashews, Maztican agave, and vanilla bean extract. The unexpected inclusion of turmeric powder - a Kara-Turan spice related to ginger - gives this flavorful drink its vivid color.
Chef's Note: I love the unique color of this milk; that it tastes wonderful is an added bonus!
Premium Roast Coffee
Brewed from beans roasted in the traditional Cormyrian style, this complex coffee features satisfying notes of caramel in addition to smokiness.
Prepared with a Cormyrian press so all the flavors can be extracted before the drink is served.
Calimport Blend White Tea
This tea features a soothing blend of flowery chamomile, honeyed white tea leaves, and an assortment of aromatic herbs from the more exotic southern regions of Faerûn.
Chef's Note: tea is not usually ordered, but I have learned to keep some leaves available after three simultaneous orders. Melisine served this blend in the past; I am curious to see how it performs this menu cycle.
+ Alcoholic Beverages +
Hop Jubilee Pale Ale
Full of hops but well-balanced with the malts used. A touch of rye has been added to the mash to give off a slightly spicy characteristic.
Chef's Note: for whatever reason, the name I gave this beer makes me think of a field full of bunny rabbits.
Cavaz (White Wine)
A light-bodied, effervescent white wine imported from the famed library fortress of Candlekeep, where rooftop vineyards are magically tended by Acolytes of the monastic order.
Chef's Note: finally, a taste from home! During my last visit to Candlekeep, I made arrangements with the vintners to have some cases of wine sent to Cordor. The first shipment arrived last month, and I decided to sample a bottle after that unfortunate incident involving the canopy system Kels created for the café. The wine is as crisp and refreshing as I remember.
Nerys Kerr's Spiced Rum
Made from local sugar cane grown in Bendir Dale and evaporated sugar cane juice from the Moonshae Isle of Alaron.
Chultan vanilla beans, Malatran cinnamon sticks, star anise pods from Shou Lung, and Whidershin Edge pecans make this Cordorian spirit a quality product that is as eclectic as its namesake.
Chef's Note: in exchange for the cases of Cavaz, I sent a few bottles of this liquor back to Candlekeep. I am not sure if Nerys and Markus will visit there again any time soon, but when they do… she should be pleasantly surprised. Markus will probably not be as pleased; no one can really understand what Nerys says when she is sober, much less drunk.