Earlier today, I sat down with Ron and Tom to ask about how giving away a whole restaurant works, plans for the future of the Deli, and what Tom will do with all of his spare time (and cheesy jokes) in life after small business ownership; here are some excerpts from the conversation:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRnKMIDW5gk

I love this city!  Thanks to Tom, Ron, Rachel, and the entire staff of Tom’s Deli for living out a great vision for small business and community building in Richmond, Indiana.

This morning when I spoke with Tom, the owner of Tom’s New York Deli here in Richmond, he talked of troubling health issues and financial factors in his decision, but he seemed as energetic and excited as ever.  He opened the restaurant in December of 1991 and it’s been a fixture on Main Street in the downtown business district ever since.  Professionals, passers-through, families and sports teams alike frequent the establishment, which is known for its great sandwiches, corny jokes and extensive collection of local and national memorabilia.

But as he looks toward the next phase of his own life, instead of trying to sell the small restaurant to the highest bidder, or close it down altogether, he’s ready to give it away to the person who would bring the best vision for its future.

It’s all a part of Tom’s desire to see the small business culture in the downtown area thrive in the face of a new economic reality.  If he can find someone with a little bit of money and a lot of energy, he’d rather see them spend that money on making the Deli even better, instead of financing the sale in the first place.  And in the meantime, the Deli will keep operating as usual.

Are you interested in owning and running a quirky little deli in a small town in the Midwest?  Tom’s taking applications, but he’s not just looking for an impressive resume; he’ll be looking for the person with the best plan and passion to build on what he’s already started.

Contact:
Tom Amyx, Tom’s New York Deli
820 East Main Street
Richmond, IN 47374
(765) 962-4441
tfamyx@gmail.com

For now I’ll skip over last year’s resolution – which failed miserably – and bring you to my 2009 resolution, which is to eat less meat. Specifically, I’m trying to eat meat at no more than two meals per week. This is a revised plan of attack from past attempts to try an all-vegetarian diet, which I eventually decided wasn’t tenable for me.

Without getting too far into the food ethics involved in meat-eating (which are nonetheless important and deserving of further treatment), I thought I’d note why I’m doing this, and how it’s going so far:

I’m eating less meat because:

1. There are myriad statistics and resources showing that eating less factory-farmed meat is a good thing for my body, and for reducing the harm I cause to the planet and the life on it. Since most of the meat I have convenient access to is factory-farmed, I should eat less of it until I can change that reality.
2. I don’t want to give up all meat. I don’t want to practice “kingdomism,” and I recognize that having some meat as a part of my diet is important to me for a variety of reasons. I also didn’t want to take an approach that puts friends and family in an uncomfortable position when they’re cooking for me, or that precludes me from eating meat that was brought to the table in an ethical, humane way. (I fully realize that there are plenty who say there is no way to humanely eat the meat of other beings, or that the discomfort of the cook is far outweighed by the discomfort of the animal being eaten.)

How’s it going after a month? Well, mostly so far so good, but definitely with some complexities:

• Handling leftovers remains an interesting point of debate. If I eat at a restaurant and have meat at a meal there, and end up having leftovers, does it “count” as one of my two meals to eat those leftovers the next day? I think it’s mostly about intent – if I make a batch of meat-filled lasagna that lasts me all week, that’s definitely a major violation, but if I happen to have some leftovers, it seems within the spirit of the resolution to give myself some leeway, right?
• Despite eating almost no meat at home, I’m still not conditioned to hone in on the meatless dishes in some settings. I was at a catered event last week where I got a bowl of soup that looked vegetarian, and only found after I was eating it that it had meat in it…should’ve asked. At a Chinese buffet I found myself mindlessly putting a dish with meat in it on my plate as I’d done in the past, even though I’d fully intended to not eat meat there. So there’s definitely some mental adjusting still to be done, all worthwhile I’m sure.
• Vegetarians everywhere will roll their eyes at how obvious this is, but of course the whole experience is reminding me how hard it is to go against any given cultural norm when you’re in the minority, e.g. trying to avoid meat in a town that has more steakhouses than grocery stores, and where saying you’re vegetarian still prompts the question, “but you eat chicken, right?“

To be clear, I’m not at all prescribing vegetarianism or any particular diet as the right or wrong thing for anyone else, I’m just talking about what’s right for me.

As Jim C. noted two years ago, I have to be careful of “quitter’s righteousness” here, and not let a month of relative success go to my head. That’s partly why I’m blogging about it – if you dine with me or see me on the street, feel free to ask “how’s that meat twice a week thing going?”  I will hopefully give you the thumbs up sign, but I also might pretend I didn’t hear you and avoid eye contact.

If anything, this resolution is helping me to balance an increased attentiveness to what I eat (and the health/environment/social implications of that) with a desire to remain a little more flexible than quitting cold-tofurkey, and to try a personal change of habit that’s not so dramatic I can’t sustain it.

I’ll keep you posted.

1) The Fireplace Shop at 1000 North F Street in Richmond is an amazing little brick complex that showcases all that can be done with wood and other heat sources. From traditional fireplaces to wood burning stoves to corn pellet stoves to crazy other conflagrant configurations, it was quite a wonderland of temperature control. With the added bits of atmosphere like lazy cats sprawled across warm surfaces, fireplace and chimney sweep nostalgia everywhere, and the hustle-bustle of workers in workshops catering to the demands of the cold season, it was a nice place just to be and observe. The store also adjoins a ceramic tile store (which sells the locally made Terra Green Ceramics line) and a brick/stone store, so you can knock out quite a bit of home improvement planning in one place. I can’t imagine there’s one of these in every community these days, and I’m certainly grateful to have one here.

2) Rohan India is a new-ish Indian Food restaurant in Oxford, Ohio that offers slightly faster access to this cuisine from Richmond than similar options in Dayton, Cincinnati or Indianapolis. The Chicken Shahi Korma with Mushrooms dish I had was probably the best Indian dish I’ve had at any location in the region, and when I got a spice level of 6 (out of 10), they really came through with that. The proximity of this dining option may be just enough to balance out the problems with the atmosphere and service – several large screen televisions blaring music videos, sports games, etc. dominated the visual landscape, and we had to play the “forced eye contact and hand waving” game at times just to get a server to pay attention. But overall, it was a fine experience, and quickly becoming a destination for Richmondites – I’ve heard at least three other distinct mentions of it this weekend alone.

3) At Home Kitchen and Gourmet at 414 North 10th (in “The Loft” where Ghyslain is) is a new location brought to us by the folks at Warm Glow Candles. Right now the shop features a variety of kitchen and bath items with Warm Glow candles sprinkled amongst them. Many of the items seemed “pricey” for Richmond, but they were generally quite unique and beautiful, and compared to a Williams-Sonoma visit in Chicago, probably a good value. The clerk who checked us out indicated that the inventory was largely just overstock from the main Warm Glow store in Centerville, and that after the first of the year, they’d be reworking it to focus much more on being a comprehensive kitchen and bath supplier. Even though I’m not one to go shopping for such things regularly, it was just great to see a locally owned place like this pop up here.

On top of that, I got to attend the Alternative Holiday Bazaar at the Clear Creek Food Cooperative, which showcased locally-made crafts and gifts on Saturday against the backdrop of live music and smiling faces – the items will be on sale all this week too.

Seeing these places, these events, these people reminds me that there are people investing anew in this community and in the surrounding ones, people making a living here and doing it in such fun and interesting ways – I’m thankful for that.

But, third time’s a charm. Tonight’s dining experience at Galo’s Italian Grill here in Richmond was worth the potential for injury or embarrassment, and neither occurred. In fact, from start to finish, it was a pleasure all around.

First of all, there’s something really impressive about a brand new, locally owned, built-from-scratch restaurant that’s unique in its community (or “market”). Most of the restaurant openings in Richmond are either a revamping of a familiar space, the introduction of a chain restaurant that you pass five of between here and anyplace else, or the dressing up of a food concept that has been done over and over. Don’t get me wrong: I’d rather existing buildings be reused than new ones built, and I’m all for recycling things that are still useful and known to work…but still, stepping through the Galo’s front door into a space unknown and full of promise was quite fun.

As our server noted, Galo’s had clearly brought in approximately 300 staff people for every customer on opening night, and so we were welcomed by a gaggle of greeters who sat us promptly in the large open area at the center of the dining room. While it feels a little bit like a food court layout right now, the well lit ceiling mural, sturdy tables, hefty dinner ware and pleasant music countered that well; some plants, columns, candles and other decorations will help that along nicely. On the outer edges of this inner space one finds more intimate dining spaces, a nice non-smoking bar area, and a partially exposed kitchen. All in all, a very dynamic space with touches of elegance added while avoiding anything too pretentious or fancy.

The menu presented classic Italian fare with some nice variety thrown in. It was not too long or complicated, and though I resist treating a chain restaurant as a standard, it will feel familiar to those who have visited The Olive Garden. There was a decent wine selection for the price, the antipasto Bruschetta was fresh and flavorful, the salads were crisp and full of interesting ingredients – no iceberg lettuce here – and our pasta dishes were delicious – I can recommend the Pasta Mediterranean and Pasta Milano both. Topped off with rich and well-presented Tiramisu and fresh coffee, it was quite a meal, high quality all the way. Perhaps best of all, the portion sizes weren’t ridiculously large or pitifully small (by American standards, anyway).

Perhaps because of my limited past experiences, I did have low expectations for the quality of service on opening night, but the place ran like it had been there for years. The staff were friendly and relaxed, there was only one dish that had to be preemptively declared unavailable, and the service was prompt and well-timed, even with what seemed like a pretty good crowd for the hour.

One should expect to spend at least $10/person at Galo’s including tax and tip, and by the time you throw in any beverages, appetizers, salads, or desserts, you could be on your way to $25/person or more. For me, this puts Galo’s up there with The Olde Richmond Inn (also owned by Galo and Linda Molina, who opened this newest venture together) as something of a “special occasion” dining spot, though I don’t mind saying that the experience here seemed more “worth it” than at The Inn.

Time will tell how Galo’s holds up in the oversaturated and unbalanced local restaurant scene, but if the opening night experience I had was any indication, it will be a new favorite destination for many. If you’re not going to eat as local as your own garden, root cellar or pantry, then consider eating locally at Galo’s Italian Grill.

Update May 5, 2008: A number of people have written me asking about how to contact Galo’s, their hours, menu information, etc. In case it wasn’t already clear, I have no official affiliation with Galo’s, and don’t have access to any special info about the restaurant that isn’t available to other members of the public. If you need more information, please contact Galo’s at 765-973-9000 or by postal mail at 107 Garwood Road, Richmond, IN 47374. Thanks!

This is not an isolated incident. This is not a bump in the road on the way to a better Richmond. These things must not go unconsidered in the context of larger trends. This is about more than coffee shops, and an adequate response requires more than our sympathy and wistfulness.

The story that’s tempting to tell is that the introduction of a Starbucks into the market had a deleterious effect on sales at Sacred Grounds, and that the enterprising owners of the local shop just couldn’t keep up with the big nasty national chain. It seems the reality might be more complicated than that, but that doesn’t make it any less sad to see a space that promoted good food, live music, long conversations and local culture closing its doors.

And so we take note, keeping score in the comings and goings of these community spaces in our town, always working to make sure that there are more coming than going.

Pine nuts are an essential ingredient in good pesto; my recipe is available to qualified persons on request. They are also excellent in salads, lightly toasted.

A to-go lunch buffet for one person at the Golden Corral costs $6.69 (no drink), and they give you a container that I estimate could hold around 3 to 5 pounds of pine nuts, depending on what kinds of spill-prevention mechanisms you’re able to install on the fly (a small bread bag from your pocket should be fine). Pine nuts generally cost quite a bit at the grocery store or your local food cooperative, and even if you buy them in bulk or from discounted online dealers, they can cost as much as $11.99 per pound.

So, is it safe to say that the best deal on pine nuts in town, and perhaps globally, is to fill up your to-go container with them at the Golden Corral in Richmond Indiana? Beautiful.

[Paul] Brittenham opened the restaurant with his brother-in-law — Lee Schwegman, thus the name — in 1948 after surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor and five years in the army during World War II. He has kept the ham and eggs and coffee coming and the customers moving on ever since then. But Thursday was his last day behind the counter. Brittenham is hanging up his spatula and retiring at 89.

It’s worth noting too that today is the 15th anniversary of the opening of Tom’s New York Deli, a frequent Uptown lunch spot for some Summersault staff and a place we love to take visitors. Owner Tom Amyx and his staff have always treated us well since our early days of starting up our own business in the business district, and I’m so glad that they continue to survive in the face of chain restaurants and fast food.

Here’s to local restauranteurs!