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From steaks to crepes, Coquette's Bistro makes it easy to be gluten free
Specials on their delicious crepes next week during their anniversary celebration
 THE SCOOP: Coquette's Bistro and Bakery, 915 Manitou Avenue in Manitou Springs, celebrates their third year in business by offering complimentary dessert crepes (limit two per table) from August 13 through the 20th. Try out their fabulous new 5 p.m. dinner menu... it includes Ranch Foods Direct steaks, pan-seared duck breast, pot pies, fried chicken and much more. Everything is gluten free.
THE BACKSTORY: Owners Michelle and her daughter Turu Marx are native New Yorkers with a family background in the restaurant business who always dreamed of opening a place of their own. After years spent working separately in the entertainment industry, mother and daughter finally decided to team up on a restaurant endeavor in Colorado Springs, where Michelle had relocated to in 2011. Turu had fallen in love with crepes while living in San Francisco and again on trips to Paris. Michelle, meanwhile, had developed a gluten sensitivity. Born of those experiences, the two initially opened as a creperie, fine-tuning their own gluten-free flour. A year and a half ago, they were ready to expand into sandwiches, cocktails and more. Today's bistro offers indoor and sidewalk seating six days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also tempt with a bakery case full of luscious (and glutenless) pastries. Private parties are welcomed; a room inside can accomodate up to 25. Families are warmly welcomed too.
HIGHLIGHTS: All of the beef served is from Ranch Foods Direct. "I've been interested in the company for a long time," Michelle says. "I was afraid they would price us out of the market, but I've been pleasantly surprised." Everything on their menu is made from scratch, down to the syrups in the cocktails. Portions are plentiful; the crepes are thick and hearty. Dishes are healthy but never bland, "gluten-free but gourmet friendly," so while the place is a godsend to the gluten intolerant, it leaves every guest smiling.
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At Coquette's, these lovely lavender cupcakes are gluten-free, along with everything else on display in the baked goods case.
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Don't skimp on shrimp --
Get a great deal at Ranch Foods Direct
Did you know... roughly 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported, in many cases from third world countries with few environmental or food safety regulations. (CLICK HERE for more.) At Ranch Foods Direct, the wild-caught shrimp is harvested from U.S. waters by Mississippi fishermen.
SIZZLING SUMMER SHRIMP SPECIAL: Now $12.99/pound.
GET REAL; AVOID FAKE FOODS: In Tom Mueller's recent book on olive oil, CLICK HERE, he describes how manufacturers began cheapening their product with low-grade vegetable oils as far back as the 1870s. These adulterating substances "became edible thanks to recent chemical and technological breakthroughs in vegetable oil refining, which allowed food manufacturers to de-colorize, deodorize, and otherwise denature what previously had been unpalatable if not downright revolting substances, fit only for making soap, greasing axles, burning in lamps, and feeding hogs," he writes.
Too many wholesome food products have been adulterated by industrial processing, fake ingredients or inferior imports. Look for and support producers who provide the real deal!
What's in store?
Enjoy sweet corn, Jalapeno peppers, Rocky Ford cantaloupe and much more!
Colorado-grown and in season, abundant produce and melons, now at Ranch Foods Direct. Fresh new items arriving weekly.
Bonus Recipe:
Corn Chowder Salad
(from recently published The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook)
2 tsp. olive oil
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 pound boiling potatoes, in 1/2 inch dice
1 red (or Jalapeno?) pepper, cut in 1/2 inch squares
3 c. fresh corn kernels (cut from 6 ears)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 T. cider or rice vinegar
Hot pepper flakes
Heat oil in skillet and fry bacon til crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel to drain. You should have about 2 T. fat in the skillet; add more olive oil, if necessary. Add potatoes to skillet, cook til golden brown, approx. 5 minutes. Add pepper, season with salt and cook together until both are tender, another 5 minutes or so. Add the corn, and cook until the dish is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a salad bowl, add onion, vinegar and cooked bacon. Season with salt and hot pepper flakes, stirring to combine.
Serve warm, or chill and serve later.
Pie time: Pitted frozen cherries from Austin Farm of Paonia Get a 4-lb. pail for $23; 9-lb. pail for $46.
Summers only: Take advantage of the popular burger deal... 
 Pick up your weekly share at Ranch Foods Direct... then shop for some Ranch Foods Direct meats... it's quick and convenient!
"What you support prospers,
what you feed grows."
-Mike Callicrate
When eating out, use Ranch Foods Direct's interactive restaurant map (or the smart-phone QR code.)
Shop Ranch Foods Direct online, CLICK HERE.
Keep up with Ranch Foods Direct on Facebook, CLICK HERE.
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