It's been a spring of (mostly) fits with a few false starts, but it seems like summer is finally with us! We've been looking forward to this more than any year we've been open, and I'm sure all of you are ready to enjoy some warm weather and all the good things that come with it.

We've been working hard on ideas to bring some more exciting food to your table than we have been able to do in years, and this week, we've scored some gorgeous porcini mushrooms which we're serving with dumplings, and some novel barbecue dishes to enjoy when you want something summer to enjoy on one of our two outdoor patios.

The growing season is still lagging just a bit due to the cold spring, but we have a renewed focus on our local farm vegetables and so far we've been able to bring in asparagus, rhubarb, ramps, turnips, spring onions, spinach, peas, new potatoes, and as of today, strawberries! These are in addition to our regular supply of local meats and poultry from Fischer Farms, Miller Farms, dairy from Kilgus and Capriole, eggs from Cedar Ridge Farm, and grains from Cahokia Rice, Spence Farm, Hazzard Free Farm, and Janie's Mill, and lettuce from Gotham Greens. All of our honey, maple syrup, and sorghum come from local producers too!

We don't know how long strawberry season will last this year because it's so late, but for now you can count on our legendary strawberry shortcake, strawberries with pancakes, and a few berry delicious cocktails featuring fruit from our favorite orchards, Klug Farm and Seedling.

Next weekend is Andersonville Midsommarfest, a great time to come stroll the street free of cars! Just be sure to count on a little extra time for parking. You can come by for brunch before strolling the fair, take a break from walking with a little afternoon refresher, or join us for dinner after a day enjoying the festivities! It's our outstanding chamber of commerce's biggest fundraiser of the year so please be sure to have Andersonville in your plans.

Father's Day is around the corner and reservations are rolling in for brunch, so please be sure to reserve soon. Dinner still has a lot of availability but will fill up as well, so make your plans soon!

This week's specials include more soft shell crabs, barbecued chicken, and epic barbecued pork shanks with Kentucky black barbecue sauce, all of them accompanied by the best local farm produce we could muster.

We also have a new bar menu for summer, featuring frozen cocktails, summer libations, and an expanded wine list for the warm weather ahead. We've been careful to being in beautiful roses and white wines both familiar and unusual, it's a fun list to explore with our full menu of seasonal summer fare!

Big Jones has always worked hard to be a great place to work, and adding benefits to our employee compensation packages during the pandemic has helped a lot! We haven't experienced the extreme staffing shortages most of the industry has, and have been able to keep our normal hours and expect to be able continue to do so. We're here for dinner seven days a week, and brunch or lunch seven days a week. Your support helps make this possible and we thank you for being part of our story for more than fourteen years!

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