Wine, Women, and Song

I haven't posted anything since we opened-- nearly a year. Things have been crazy and wonderful and terrible and tumultuous and fantastic. This year has been a whirlwind of emotions-- good and bad. Whatever people say about small business ownership is absolutely true. It is a rocky road full of bumps-- good thing that's my favorite ice cream. I just grab a big spoon and dig in!

Things that have happened this year:
 * We expanded our beer and wine menus. We applied for a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence; we will know if we got it in May. We now have 150 wines on our menu and have 50 by- the- glass wine choices. Our wine cellar is beautiful and actually pretty well organized. Jack just passed his introductory Master Court of Sommeliers Class, so he is very close to being a full-fledged wine connoisseur.
* We are having a new bar built to celebrate our new venture into winedom. After a long wait, we are finally going to get to see what it looks like this weekend. It is being built off site to avoid disrupting the flow of business here.
* Virginia Living readers voted us one of the top three Vegetarian Restaurants in the area. We were thrilled to be even mentioned, much less one of the top three within our first year of being open. 
* We bought a lot of new equipment-- including, but not limited to new refrigerators, more prep tables, AND a keg cooler with three, soon to be four, taps. 

* We lost a few employees that were a large part of our business plan and persevered. I spent more time in the kitchen than I had planned, but I discovered that I have a talent for food that I didn't know existed.We now have a menu that changes nightly. I have read a lot of cookbooks and watched a lot of videos that have taught me some skills that I was lacking. Apparently, the girl who couldn't boil water and used butter to fry bacon not so terribly long ago can actually cook.
* We have maintained our relationships with our local purveyors and have actually expanded the number of farmers that we work with. As we come into the growing season, we are really excited that we have a menu that reflects the wealth of agriculture this area has-- and reflects it on a basis that evolves as the season does.
* We continued to offer different entertainment options for our patrons-- from plays to poetry reading to book signings and music with locals and one Grammy award winning violinist, we have run the gamete of events that have graced our modest stage. We are so excited to continue to offer a variety of things that you just can't see anywhere else. My personal favorite night was when Kisihi Bashi from Of Montreal played with Wes Swing and Lola Mullen. It was packed and the music was transcendent. Some of my favorite evenings have occurred when the shows were over and the musicians just jammed with the friends and staff that were hanging out. I don't know many places were that type of fellowship is facilitated, but I am glad that we are one of them.

Well, that is an all too brief recap of the past year. New things, more growth, and a constant evolution. We like to think that as we grow, our customers and restaurant grow with us. It has been a long strange trip and I am excited for what the coming year has to offer. I look forward to continuing to offer our patrons and friends foods, beverages, and events that they cannot get anywhere else in the Valley.

It has been a whirlwind of a summer. Jack and I are officially hitched in what we (and everyone who attended) thinks was the most magical and sweet ceremony ever. It was Rockbridge County's first and only vegan wedding (at least we like to think so). There were fireflies and a carousel. It was AWESOME!

Also, the City of Staunton gave us our best wedding present-- an approved set of plans for the Cafe. It only took two months longer than we had planned. Then, we had to get the stairs reapproved due to a glitch in the plans that we didn't notice. Now, things are well on the way.

So-- the new things that we will be doing at the Cafe--
1.) We have created our own blend of teas using teas from the around the world and herbs sourced from our wonderful friends at Harvest Thyme Herbs. The on-line store will be up within the next week so that you can get your tea fix until we reopen in September.

2.) We will have a wine list that will have 30 wines by the glass and about 35 beers. We will have an off premise license and will be the only wine shop in the area where you can taste before you buy. That's a lot of wines by the glass. Seriously.

3.) While we still have our fantastic lunch menu that everyone knows and loves, Kelly has come up with an amazing tapas menu for our evening fare. Our new evening menu will be entirely gluten free and have a LOT of vegetarian/ vegan options, but plenty of fantastic choices for all of our meat eating friends, almost all sourced locally. We are even looking at a cow from the Harris Ponderosa in Lexington.

4.) We have our musical line up set through the winter. As always, it is music that you cannot find anywhere in else town. Looking forward to new rock, metal, classical pianist, and funk bands throughout the winter. And, in addition to our Open Mic night, we are pulling together some really cool new events for Monday and Tuesday. There will be something going on every night of the week at the Bigger, Better, Cozier Darjeeling Cafe.

We miss you all and can't wait to see all of friends in September.

Going to the Chapel...

The Darjeeling Cafe has been very good to me. On top of providing me with food and an overabundance of caffeine, one day about a month after we opened this tall guy with pretty blue eyes came in and ordered a vegan wrap. He then proceeded to steal the crossword that my friend and I were working on. Later that night I ran into him as I was out with my girlfriends. We struck up a conversation and spent the entire night talking. Of course, the following day he left to go back to California and I never thought I would see or talk to him again. Well, the old boy kept calling me and texting me and emailing me and sending me packages filled with poetry books, little pictures, and wonderful letters written in beautiful script. And then he moved all the way across the country because I had just started a business and couldn't just up and leave.

And, now, we are getting married.

Jack Morgan has been integral to the success of the cafe. I would not be in the position that I am now if it were not for him. I couldn't be happier to have found a partner in life and business.

On that note, this spring will be one of transitions for the Cafe and for me. Please bear with us as we plan an awesome wedding and make some big changes to our business. And on that note, we are planning one heck of an engagement party to celebrate with all of our friends and loyal patrons! Be ready for it!

Making your way in the world takes everything you got... Sometimes you want to go where everyone knows your name...

Every time I write a blog post I promise to be more diligent about keeping it, but with everything else going on, it's hard to remember to post here as well as Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and Darjeelingcafe.com.... So for the (not so) New Year I won't say that I will post regularly, but at least with more frequency than every 6 months.

We have had a spectacular winter (until February when Mother Nature's depth perception got screwed up and she mistook Staunton for Alaska). Not many businesses can say that they have doubled their sales repeatedly since the previous year, but we can!

This fall I hired Kelly Seymour to be our chef and that relationship has worked splendidly. Between Kelly, sweet Sarah Pool, and me we have run a tight ship and made this little shop a fun lunch spot, a teen hang out, a place for a multiple course dinner, and a friendly neighborhood bar. We're like a multi-purpose Cheers!

We are now hosting monthly Wine Tastings that involve a four course meal and multiple wines! I am very excited that those are so successful we have to take reservations!

Our role as a music venue is continuing to flourish. At this point, we are booked through mid-May. I have more people asking to book shows than I have available dates.

I think that the Darjeeling Cafe is continuing to solidify its' role in the community as an authentic European style cafe where you can enjoy a fine glass or wine, a good beer, a cheap beer, exotic tea, or a French Press of coffee, as well as a wrap, comfort food, or fine dinner. The direction that this place has taken is so much more than I ever expected. I couldn't be prouder of the little Cafe that could.

Just a small town girl

Sometimes I feel really boring. I have only lived in Lexington and Staunton. I have never traveled extensively (like my brother and Jack) or been invited to NYC Fashion Week (like a girl I went to school with). I don't make a lot of money (or really any for that matter) and everything that I do make goes directly back into the business. So I have to say that it is pretty surprising when people that have known me for a long time say that I am doing cool things-- because I don't notice it and God knows I have never been cool.

I get some really great bands in here-- traveling troubadours, electronic bands from Prague, famous metal acts-- and we have fun events like last nights Shakespearean monologue slam and magazine launch parties, but I look at those things as work, because without them I wouldn't have a job.

I have to say that it is really nice that while I frequently don't recognize what we do here as awesome it is really reassuring to know that others do. So thank you to everyone who frequents the Cafe and makes everything that we do here worthwhile. Without your continued support there would be no reason to keep having such a variety of "cool" events.

I'm leaving Monday, It's better than Sunday, I'm leaving younger, It's better than wiser

Among my friends and I has been a long running joke about the fact that I am an old man magnet. For some reason, old men just really like me. Yesterday I was slated to learn to cook traditional Hungarian food from a Transylvanian. I have to say waking up yesterday I was not in the mood for a tutorial on anything. I had a to do list as long as my arm and knew that none of it was going to get done.

Jack and I walked to work and Steve showed up soon after. We had to go to the store because being a predominantly vegetarian restaurant I don't have a lot of chuck roasts just hanging out. He drove and showed me exactly what I would need to make a real meal, not just the Americanized slop I served up the last time we did Hungarian night. Everything from the type of meat to use to the type of peppers was laid out for me.

As we were leaving he stopped to get gas. Since he drove I offered to pony up for some gas money. He filled up and said, "Ok, $20." I was more than a little surprised and said, "But you just drove to Martin's not Budapest!" but I handed him the cash. He got back in the car and handed me $10 back, proclaiming, "I'm a Hungarian, not a gypsy!"

We spent the rest of the day chopping vegetables. The whole place smelled divine. He showed me the proper way to trim meat which is much more economic than my hack and toss routine. The Happy Hungarian told me about his life, growing up during World War II, joining the merchant marines, cooking in the Hungarian army... It was truly fascinating. I could have gone without hearing about his hog butchering technique and the proper way to make blood sausage, but everything else was really amazing. His great disdain for porridge made me crave Cream of Wheat for the rest of the day.

All in all, this day that I did not want to deal with turned into an awesome learning adventure. I must remember to start each day in a more open frame of mind, because I grow much more that way. And now I can make a killer goulash!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you...

Today is my one year anniversary. One year. It is such a small step when it gets down to it. After all, one is the loneliest number. It seems more like it actually feels when you break it down into actual days. 365. That's a lot of days. Out of those 365, I have been here for 345 of them. Out of an entire year, I have only had 20 days where I did not set foot in the cafe. Most of my days here have been great; not all of them, but most.

Let's face it, if I wanted to get rich I would not have started a restaurant. I'll never make a million dollars doing this, but I love it anyway. I have managed to take a business that was only open a couple days a week and turn it into a seven day a week operation. When I started I had a staff of 1 and a half and now I have 5 employees. As I said, I'm not setting the world on fire, but I am managing to turn a profit and in today's market there's a lot to be said for that.

Every penny that I have made has been reinvested to improve the cafe. I doubled our refrigerator space recently, which may not sound like a lot, but in a kitchen as small as ours every inch helps. I expanded the food menu and increased the number of local purveyors and farmers that we work with. The wine list has gone from 5 to 36. The beer list has gone from PBR and Bud Light to fine German crafted beers, microbrews, and imports-- 30 to be exact.

A lot of really good things have happened here since I opened. During our first week we more than doubled the biggest day that the previous restaurant had ever had. We have done that on several occasions since then. Also, we have become a venue. At this point, I don't even have to book bands anymore; they come to me. We have had people from all over the east coast play here as well as popular local acts and this summer we even have a group from Prague coming in. I have had 6 art openings, one of which was a sell out show. We have hosted bridal showers, baby showers, an engagement party, and the Blu launch party for about 200 people.

A couple of other pretty monumental things have happened in the year, too. I met Jack Morgan here shortly after I opened. He just happened to be in town from California to review plays and came here for some vegetarian grub. Little did the poor guy know that it was served with a side of sassy tea maiden. We carried on never ending transcontinental conversations and he ended up moving here in November. Since he's been here the entreprenual bug has bitten him as well and he has become one of the co founders of Blu Magazine, a local arts and culture monthly that launched to rave reviews.

It hasn't been easy and it won't get any easier. The more we expand and grow the harder it will get. I've learned that the hard way. But I am moving in the right direction. It might be at a a glaceral pace sometimes, but I'm moving nonetheless. So happy birthday to you Darjeeling Cafe. It's been a wonderful eye opening year. I hope to share many more with you. Now I'm going to close early and make a toast in your honor.

Hot child summer in the city...

It has been brought to my attention that I have been remiss in posting blogs, so here is an update on what has been going on at the Darjeeling (which explains why I haven't had the chance to blog much lately).

The music business at the Cafe is booming. At this point I have so many bands that want to play that I have decided to have music nights on Mondays as well as Friday and Saturday to accommodate all of the musicians that will be coming through this summer.

We have started doing a trivia night on Tuesdays that is really starting to take off. With the grand prize being a $25 dollar gift certificate, we have been getting a lot of regulars in to compete. It really is a blast and I would highly recommend stopping by at 7 on a Tuesday. I would play if I could, but a $25 GC here does me very little good.

One of my only gripes about Staunton is that there is nowhere to get ethnic food in town.
Being someone of action I decided that Wednesday nights are now ethnic food nights at the Cafe. Sushi nights have been such a success that we will do them every other week and on "off" weeks we will do foods from another country as well. We have done Moroccan which was fun and have Indian night coming up very soon. In June we will do Hungarian and Thai nights in addition to two Japanese nights.

We are also in the middle of creating a tapas menu for the patio during the summer. I am working with the health department and City to see if I can have an outdoor grill in which to entice people up the block and expand my menu because of the spacial limitations I have in the kitchen. So if you notice some great smells wafting through Newtown, more than likely they are coming from the Darjeeling Cafe. Regardless of the outdoor grill, we will have a tapas menu and I have greatly expanded the beer and wine lists to include a wide variety of high quality beverages at affordable prices.

Every other Thursday we will host a writer's group. It is open to all ages and people of all writing backgrounds. I know I am looking forward to having an open forum in which to share my work and recieve constructive criticism.

And speaking of writing, my boyfriend, Jack, and his friend Jason have started a new arts and culture magazine for the valley. Blu will include articles of human interest, a calendar and dining guide (by yours truly) and many other wicked awesome things. It's free and wonderful so check it out. www.theblumag.com

The Blu launch party for over 100 is being held here next week, so I have been running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off. Stop by the unveiling, hors d'ouvres and a champagne toast.

So that's that. The Darjeeling Cafe is in a constant state of evolution. I have the coolest staff in town and we are working really hard to make the Cafe an artistic community and eclectic place to come for health conscious and local foods, fair trade locally roasted coffee, organic and exotic teas, world class beers and wine, local artwork, and great music. It's finally all coming together. Come check it out.

I'm so excited and I just can't hid it/ I'm about to lose control and I think I like it-- Uh-huh

Today was one of my favorite days at the shop. Nothing spectacular happened. I didn't have record sales. I just got a lot done and I got to cook a lot. I didn't make one wrap today which was awesome because they are labor intensive and a pain to make. I did make a potato leek vichyssoise which I ended up selling hot (and sold out of), a borscht which I almost sold out of, and a creamy broccoli and cheddar soup. I also made fresh banana bread, southern style beet tops, sauteed spinach, and a ton of salads. I really do love making salads because they always turn out so beautifully.

There's nothing like a snowy day to bring out the tea drinkers in Staunton. I ran the gamut with the varieties that I sold today. It really was a little bit of everything.

I also sold lots of wine and several of the new beers that I got in. I think people are liking that I have an IPA now.

Doug Day is in the middle of playing an awesome blues set and I have Addison Brady rock and roll to look forward to tomorrow. Plus, I start staying open until 10 next week so I have that going too. Square will be on Tuesday and Thursday is another bluegrass jam session.

Now that I have employees I actually have to train them, so I wrote a training manual and did a full inventory for the first time in a long time. All in all, it was a really productive day and I hope it bodes well for the upcoming months.

Tea is good for you-- MSN says so

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28982279/?GT1=43001&pg=4#Health_PVN_KillerImmunity

Tea in the morning, tea in the evening, tea at supper time

I sometimes forget that I have so many teas in the shop to choose from. Most of the time I stick to Genmaicha or Jasmine Pearl or Yunnan Velvet Tips, which makes drinking something different such a pleasant surprise. Today I had Lung Ching, a Chinese green, also known as Dragon Well tea. It has a unique nutty yet mild and smooth flavor and a great aroma. Because it is hand fired in a wok it takes on a flat shiny appearance.

This tea is considered the tea of emperors and is characterized by its jade green color and unique shape. This tea is of particular interest for me because it is only grown in the Hangzhou region of China, where my brother lived for a while. He has actually been through the tea fields in the area. He said that they were mountainous and woody.

Stay tuned for more tea blogs as I rediscover all of the teas that I tend to forget.

Sleepless long nights/ That is what my youth was for...

The past couple of weeks have been great ones for the Cafe. I have had some awesome music in here! Two weeks ago I had Red Satellites with special guests Addison Brady. I swear, those kids never cease to amaze me-- they are so young, yet so talented! And Addison Brady was a lot of fun, too. I am really looking forward to having them come back in March.

Detroit Lounge City was a ton of fun what with their costume changes and moving farm animals. Those guys are always good for a laugh and some good tunes.

Thursday brought The Darjeeling Cafe's second impromptu jam session. I had a great time, except for the ass handing that I received. I had just gotten a tetanus shot and was miserably suffering from a sore arm, hives, and flu- like symptoms that made banging out 27 dinners a little less fun than usual. I made it through and really enjoyed the fact that the cafe is not just a venue for younger musicians, but also older people who enjoy the comfortable atmosphere and lack of a "bar" feel. They do like their PBRs though.

Friday brought one of the best musicians I have had thus far, and, I must admit, a disappointing turn out for one so talented. Todd Schlabach deserves such accolades for his musicianship! His loops and ability to play percussion on a stringed instrument are absolutely incredible. While it may not have been the biggest crowd in the shop it was definitely one of the most appreciative.

Saturday's crowd more than made up for Friday's turn out! The three band line up was started by Preacher, one of Harrisonburg's burgeoning new bands. They were great, creative, and even made hand bills to go along with their snake oil and brimstone act. Thank you, brothers! American Tourist followed with an awesome one man band and lovely sound that I could have listened to all night. (Side note: He is the cousin of my childhood friend and kindergarden crush.) Mild Winter, the headliners, played a wonderful set. I am truely in love with their Old Crow Medicine Show meet the Pixies sound. I cannot wait to have all three acts back later in the spring. What a fun night!

Tomorrow I start Darjeeling Cafe breakfast-- it was supposed to be today, but I flaked because of the snow. I am excited and apprehensive at the same time. My butt typically does not see 7 am unless it has been a carry over from the night before. I am really looking forward to offering healthy and GOOD foods to people who are looking for an alternative to bacon and eggs. (Don't despair-- I'll still serve eggs.)

Lots of exciting things are going to continue to happen here at the shop throughout the spring. After we get the breakfast thing down, we will start to work on evening hour expansion and really start to create the artistic community spot that I hope the Cafe becomes.

I use my dress to wipe up my drink/ You know, I care less and less what people think

I so want to be one of those "together girls." The women featured on the pages of Real Simple and Domino. Those bastions of Martha Stewartism who run successful business, have pretty white kitchens, make fabulous meals from scratch, and keep everything organized in neat little white boxes with perfectly labeled script telling them where their tax return from 2002 is.

I, unfortunately, am the antithesis of these women. Having some semblance of a great desire for the pretty white boxes and neatly organized perfection that said boxes represent, I buy all sorts of things to get me organized-- boxes, day planners, magazines, carts-- all in a failed attempt to get it together; always falling several steps from the mark.

Couple these organizational failings with a depression era mentality of "waste not, want not" and you have a severe problem. I reduce, reuse, or recycle everything from old milk jugs to tee shirts that I have had since middle school and belonged to my mother before me. I save clothes for fabric even though I can't really sew. I drain my olive oil bottles but invariably come back to find an oily mess oozing off the counter top. While this is seemingly great for the environment, it leaves my personal environment more than a little cluttered.

This has become more and more evident to me since Jack moved here. Much to my (and his) chagrin everything that I didn't want him to know about me has begun to surface. My inability to put clothes in the hamper and propensity to read online celebrity gossip instead of doing actual work, the fact that the dog pees on the carpet more than he does on grass and while I have an entire closet devoted to shoes most are in the floor, all of the things that I knew would expose me as a fraudulent together girl have appeared and now he knows.

I would like to say that my resolution for 2009 is to become organized and lead the life of a Real Simple woman. But I fear that it will be another year of dragging around a purse full of receipts and unfinished to do lists much like my mother before me and her mother before her. You see, this is an inherited flaw and while I may attempt to over compensate for it by buying compartmentalized bags it's going to show through just like my clumsiness. Try as I may to be graceful and lithe, somehow I always tend to drop the disorganized bag.

Hey good looking/ What ya been cooking...

I have been working on a lot of different recipes lately. I have to say it's been a lot of fun. This past week alone I have made vegan cupcakes with AWESOME vegan icing, a wonderful cranberry onion chutney to go on the chicken or turkey wrap, a cream of potato and broccoli soup, and a pumpkin soup.

I'm getting ready to start vegan oatmeal cookies!

All of the recipes I came up with are vegetarian and most are vegan. I have to say that I am really enjoying this cooking style and think if I could cut out the dairy in my diet I would make a great vegetarian/ almost vegan. I just really like cheese, dammit!

Looking forward to an awesome good weekend what with the early 90's dance party and Brian Chandler and whatnot.

Also, looking forward to 3 whole days off next week! Can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. My mom has been diligently working on vegan recipes all month. So cute that she's trying so hard.

After that I have my second art gallery with the Brooms, Jeremy Anderson, and the Cinnamon Band.

November has shaped up to be not that bad after all.

I've got a Halloween head/ Head full of tricks and treats/ It leads me thru the nighttime streets

Yesterday was one of those amazing days that make me remember why I opened a restaurant. I had a really busy lunch and an insanely busy night. It was my second best day since I opened.

During lunch I had a group of women who came in and ordered a wide variety of teas, appetizers and entrees. They were very complementary of the decor and the teas. When I brought them their lunch, one of them looked at me and said, "You have turned food into an art form." And, according to them it tasted great too. That was one of the biggest compliments I have gotten since I opened.

Having had no formal training in culinary arts (though I did get into Johnson and Wales), for most of my life I have been happy to slap stuff on a plate and call it food. I still do when I get in a hurry. If it tastes good who cares what it looks like, right? But now I think about the arrangement of my salads, the colors I use for garnishes, and texture of my soups. I have even told customers that I was not happy with the quality of something and made them wait or told them that their meal was on the house, because I will not serve something that I feel is sub par. I feel like that is the mark of a true cook and of someone who takes pride in what they do.

Speaking of taking pride in what you do, I also take pride in the fact that I have in the words of one of my dearest friends, "Created a place to drink in Staunton that doesn't suck."

So, on that note, here are some pics from the first Darjeeling Cafe Halloween party.

Elliot Downs art show was a smashing success. All but a couple of his pieces sold. There are only three left, so if anyone is looking for reasonably priced, yet incredibly striking art stop by. All proceeds go to a good cause-- helping a talented starving young artist.

The Smell of Death kicked off the evening with some amazing feats of metaldom and showmanship that are rarely paralleled by bands with so few shows under their belts.

The gentlemen/ lovely ladies of Pablo and the Dregs of course rocked the house. The shoulder to shoulder crowd of fans of all ages seemed to have a fantastic time. I know I did. There's nothing like I a bunch of hairy dudes in drag to get my feet tapping. Especially when they play some of the best music in town.

392 beers, 100 people, and one tired proprietor later, the Darjeeling shut down for the night, but I have to say, yesterday was unequivocally the reason that I made this my dream in life.

I'm no heroine, at least not last time I checked/ I'm too easy to roll over/ I'm too easy to wreck

For someone who claims to have thick skin, sometimes I let little things really get to me. Like today, I opened up eightyone to find my ad, which was right in the front in a great location (sometimes you really do get what you pay for). Then I went to the food section to read what their critic had to say. She hadn't reviewed me, nor anyone else for that matter, but I was mentioned-- "The new owners of the Tea Bazaar renamed it Darjeeling Cafe."

Just a little sentence. Nothing to upset me (except that I opened in July and this is the first mention that I get), but one little "s". "Owners." I know it sounds petty but there is only one "owner." Me. I'm the person who is here every damn day, I'm the person who has not gotten paid since I opened, I'm the person who, regardless of whether this does great or fails, is responsible for it.

In the past two weeks I have been set up by ABC (they sent in a kid who was under 21 until 2011, whom I IDed and refused to serve-- kudos to me for doing my job) and had a health inspection with zero violations. These two things are a reflection on me and my business. If they had not gone well I would have been the one who had to pay fines, face criticism in the newspaper, or, worst case scenario, close.

Also, I was talked down to by some good old boy in Lowe's that I almost punched in the nuts with a two by four. This was because I was a young woman in a pink coat who asked where to find hanging equipment. I figured out what I needed on my own, no thanks to Boss Hog, might I add. Being a young female entrepreneur I have to deal with people treating me like I don't know what I'm doing a lot. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they are right. And, sometimes, they are just sexist ageist assholes.

I have not had a complete day off since September 18. I know that this is all part of owning a restaurant and I did this to myself. I'm not complaining. I come in and cook and clean and make tea and smile at everyone that comes in and pay bills and sometimes-- a lot of times-- I spend too much time on the internet instead of actually working. Those are the perks of restaurant ownership.

And maybe I'm letting my narcissism get the way here, but I think I deserve the credit of being the sole owner, singular, of the Darjeeling Cafe.

Food, glorious food/ We're anxious to try it

I have tried most foods at least once and, in many instances, have ended up pleasantly surprised. Pigs cheek is bomb ass. Escargot is pretty much what you would expect, slimy and salty even when covered in a mountain of garlic. Rattlesnake tastes like a combination of chicken and clams.

Now, I admit, until I became a vegetarian again, that my palate was a bit broader than most and I do have a sense of adventure when it comes to food that would frighten a lot of people, most members of my family included. My brother is even more adventurous, being the world traveler and all. But I do have to laugh when I see adults shy away from foods in ways that mimic a four- year- olds reaction to brussel sprouts.

Today I made an awesome cream of potato soup that I sold like gang busters. I had a woman order that and a side salad. Simple request. I asked her if she would care for some apples or beets on the salad and, I swear, when I said "beets"I might as well have said, "Would you like some fetuses on that?" She crinkled up her nose and said, "Oh, no. No beets. No way."

Just to see her make that face again, I wanted to look at her and say "Seriously? What about some placenta? It's good for the complexion." But I showed a little restraint.

Speaking of showing restraint, none was shown last week at the Walrus Bonecock/ Smell of Death show. Brewtalitea was awesome as usual. The next one, on November 10, will feature iODIC and Rebirthing Candace. Also, be on the lookout for Brewtalitea T-shirts.

Coming up over the next couple of weeks will be Uncle Jemima, from Charlottesville (Oct. 24), Oktoberfest (Oct 25), and the best Halloween party in town (Oct. 31) with a gallery opening of Elliot Downs work and the Smell of Death and Pablo and the Dregs playing. Jonny Fritz, aka Corndawg, will be making an appearance Wednesday after a couple of months touring mid-western Moose Lodges.

Mark your calanders, bring an open mind and a willingness to expand your palate.

Control yourself/ take only what you need from them/ a family of trees wanting to be haunted-- Loving MGMT this week

So, September is done. Another month down. Not as dejecting as August, but not as cool as October is shaping up to be either. I'm really excited about October. I had a crazy busy Friday, a normal Saturday, and a nice Sunday brunch. Saturday's artist Matt Morrell, was so awesome that he has planned to have his CD release party here in December. Thanks, Matt.

Friday's band, Arctic Rose, was awesome, with a great opening act from Nelly Kate and Pablo. Arctic Rose was glam rocking at it's best and they have also booked another show at the Cafe, so I feel like I'm becoming a real music venue. FUN! The shop is shaping up to be the Cafe I always wanted it to be. I'm in the middle of picking out beers for the upcoming Oktoberfest. That's going to be awesome! Three bands and me in Liederhosen. It's going to be all sorts of rocking. I'm also working on the coolest, most evil Halloween party ever. Pablo and the Dregs will be back and I will also be hosting my first gallery opening with more of Elliot Downs' art on display here at the shop.

The second BREWTALITEA will be next Monday. The Walrus Bonecock Conspiracy will be playing with the Smell of Death. I don't know if I smell death, but I definitely get a wiff of something and it smells like METAL.

I just had my ABC agent stop by and tell me that they have been keeping an eye on me and so far so good. Wheew. I can finally breath a little better knowing that. Just stay dilligent. I have to keep telling myself that even when I just want to say, "Whatever. It's all good." It's not my house; it's my business. I have to make sure that I am always on my toes. The minute I let my guard down, I know that's when it's gonna hit the fan.

All in all, things are going really well. I'm so excited about all of the events that I have coming up this month and I'm getting even more excited about November. That's more for personal reasons, but I can say that in November, the Cafe is going to be even cooler than it was in October. And I plan to actually write myself my first paycheck by the middle of the month. Suh-weeet!

Hush, hush/ Keep it down now/ Voices carry

BREWTALITEA was Ah- Mazing last night. Good music and lots of folks turned out. It was super exciting to be part of something that pushes the envelope downtown some. Sorry-- I'm not really downtown-- I'm actually in Newtown. That quarter of a block seems to make all the difference. Whateves. I'm still the only venue in town that can pack 40 little head bangers into one small space. And not a noise complaint one!

My neighbor, sixty- something Sally, walked by last night and said she was so happy that I was helping to breath life into our little corner of town. She thought Metal Monday was a great idea and said it never bothered her to see young people having fun. Her mother, 80- something Tess, thinks that all the drums I have playing are people hammering, so it doesn't bother her either.

As elated as I am, though, I'm also quite sad. My Dr. friend came into the shop today and he told me that while the swelling in my face will go down, there is no way that the discoloration will disappear by Sunday-- which means I will look like a well- attired Quasimodo when I see CA for, ironically, our second face to face meeting. Brilliant. At least Dr. Rob said that if anyone can pull off facial contusions and a major shiner it's me. I've been dressing really girly lately, but mixing in studded belts and wife beaters. I'm calling it my rock and roll ballerina look. If the shoe fits...

Fun week as of yet. Working on the new menu and new teas are arriving each day. Looking forward to some cool bands from C'ville this weekend.

I can't stand up for falling down

Being the consummate clumsy klutz that I am, I fell down the stairs outside the apartment looking for my keys. Luckily, a rock stopped my face before I hit the ground. Covered in dirt, blood, and the stench of my extreme embarrassment, I trooped across the street to scare Owen out of mind by knocking on his door at two in the morning looking like an axe wound victim. Several blood filled towels and threats made by the cook to call an ambulance later, I found my keys in the front yard and took my cracked skull to bed.

I probably should have gotten a stitch or two. CA says that girls with no tatoos need scars to give them character. Not only am I going to have a couple of scars from this one, but I also have facial lacerations and a black eye. He hits me because he loves style! Makes me look totally bad ass. Which is exactly what I'm going for since tonight is the start of BREWTALITEA. I look more hard core than the band members!