Read Online Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) by Dianne Harman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dianne Harman
Ads: Link
we’ll call it even.”
Kelly laughed. “I’m sure
that will be fine with her. Here’s the new menu. She wants it in black ink on
pale rust colored paper.”
“No problem. Well, better
get to work on these. Nice meeting you.”
“Thanks, and you really
have created a special shop. I’m sure everyone who comes here tells you that.”
“Yeah, pretty much,” he
said as he walked into the back room, “but that’s exactly what I want them to
say. Hey, it’s the Pearl District, and all of us who live and work here are
free spirits.”
CHAPTER 13
Kelly spent the rest of the remaining
afternoon meeting with Nico and Sophie as the three of them prepared to launch
the new menu the following day. Nico gave her a list of the foods he wanted for
the dishes and which food purveyors she should call to obtain some of the rarer
ingredients. All of them promised to have the needed foods at the restaurant by
9:00 the next morning.
“Kelly, Sophie, I think
this is really going to work. I want to push two entrees - a seafood bucatini
and a lasagna. Both are pasta recipes I learned from my grandmother. They’re
quite different from the usual recipes for those dishes, and I’m sure the diners
will love them. They’re a classy take on timeless comfort food dishes. The
bucatini has several kinds of seafood in a marinara sauce which has been
enhanced by some spices. I let the sauce cook for a long time so the flavors
can marry. Sometimes I use lobster in the dish, but I think we’ll begin with
shrimp, mussels, and some clams.
“By the way Kelly, Sophie
told me about a frozen key lime pie you made last night that she said was
fabulous. I looked at your recipe and took the liberty of adding some silvered
almonds to the topping to give it an Italian feel. It will be a nice addition
to the heavier desserts that are on the menu. Those are the three main new
things we’ll be offering. I’ve updated some of the pasta and vegetable dishes,
but I’m really hoping to make those three dishes the new signature dishes of
Mangia! Mangia! Sound good?”
“Yes,” Sophie said. “Nico,
I’ve never done anything like this, so I have to trust your restaurant
judgment. I not only hope it works because I want to keep the restaurant open,
but I also want to do Dede proud. She entrusted me with what she valued most
other than her daughter, and I feel an obligation to live up to her faith in
me. Do you both understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Absolutely,” Kelly said,
“and I’m sure Nico feels the same way. You can rest assured we both will do
everything we can to make this work for you.”
The evening dinner crowd
started to arrive shortly after 7:00. Some were returning customers, while
others were new and wanted to eat at Mangia! Mangia! before it closed, or so
the rumor mill was predicting. Waiters were busy carrying food to hungry guests
while in the kitchen pulsating background music matched the orchestrated
cadence of the cooks’ movements as they began their kitchen dance, a dance that
required many steps so all of the components of the meal were ready at the same
time.
“Mrs. Reynolds, Carlotta
would like to see you out front,” one of the waiters said as he came into the
kitchen and grabbed a plated meal.
“Wonder what’s up now? I’m
not sure I can handle another crisis,” Kelly said to Nico and Sophie. “I’ll be
back shortly.”
“What is it, Carlotta?”
she asked the receptionist a few minutes later.
“Kelly, do you remember me
telling you about the woman named Elena Wright? She was the one who gave the
dinner party where Mrs. De Luca served the scallops, and her guest became very
ill.”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s pretty
strange. She hasn’t come to the restaurant since that incident happened, but
she’s here tonight. I thought you ought to know.”
“Thanks. Which table is
she
Kelly laughed. “I’m sure
that will be fine with her. Here’s the new menu. She wants it in black ink on
pale rust colored paper.”
“No problem. Well, better
get to work on these. Nice meeting you.”
“Thanks, and you really
have created a special shop. I’m sure everyone who comes here tells you that.”
“Yeah, pretty much,” he
said as he walked into the back room, “but that’s exactly what I want them to
say. Hey, it’s the Pearl District, and all of us who live and work here are
free spirits.”
CHAPTER 13
Kelly spent the rest of the remaining
afternoon meeting with Nico and Sophie as the three of them prepared to launch
the new menu the following day. Nico gave her a list of the foods he wanted for
the dishes and which food purveyors she should call to obtain some of the rarer
ingredients. All of them promised to have the needed foods at the restaurant by
9:00 the next morning.
“Kelly, Sophie, I think
this is really going to work. I want to push two entrees - a seafood bucatini
and a lasagna. Both are pasta recipes I learned from my grandmother. They’re
quite different from the usual recipes for those dishes, and I’m sure the diners
will love them. They’re a classy take on timeless comfort food dishes. The
bucatini has several kinds of seafood in a marinara sauce which has been
enhanced by some spices. I let the sauce cook for a long time so the flavors
can marry. Sometimes I use lobster in the dish, but I think we’ll begin with
shrimp, mussels, and some clams.
“By the way Kelly, Sophie
told me about a frozen key lime pie you made last night that she said was
fabulous. I looked at your recipe and took the liberty of adding some silvered
almonds to the topping to give it an Italian feel. It will be a nice addition
to the heavier desserts that are on the menu. Those are the three main new
things we’ll be offering. I’ve updated some of the pasta and vegetable dishes,
but I’m really hoping to make those three dishes the new signature dishes of
Mangia! Mangia! Sound good?”
“Yes,” Sophie said. “Nico,
I’ve never done anything like this, so I have to trust your restaurant
judgment. I not only hope it works because I want to keep the restaurant open,
but I also want to do Dede proud. She entrusted me with what she valued most
other than her daughter, and I feel an obligation to live up to her faith in
me. Do you both understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Absolutely,” Kelly said,
“and I’m sure Nico feels the same way. You can rest assured we both will do
everything we can to make this work for you.”
The evening dinner crowd
started to arrive shortly after 7:00. Some were returning customers, while
others were new and wanted to eat at Mangia! Mangia! before it closed, or so
the rumor mill was predicting. Waiters were busy carrying food to hungry guests
while in the kitchen pulsating background music matched the orchestrated
cadence of the cooks’ movements as they began their kitchen dance, a dance that
required many steps so all of the components of the meal were ready at the same
time.
“Mrs. Reynolds, Carlotta
would like to see you out front,” one of the waiters said as he came into the
kitchen and grabbed a plated meal.
“Wonder what’s up now? I’m
not sure I can handle another crisis,” Kelly said to Nico and Sophie. “I’ll be
back shortly.”
“What is it, Carlotta?”
she asked the receptionist a few minutes later.
“Kelly, do you remember me
telling you about the woman named Elena Wright? She was the one who gave the
dinner party where Mrs. De Luca served the scallops, and her guest became very
ill.”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s pretty
strange. She hasn’t come to the restaurant since that incident happened, but
she’s here tonight. I thought you ought to know.”
“Thanks. Which table is
she
Similar Books
