The difference between good and delicious

I used to think all tomatoes were the same; these round red orbs were good but needed a lot of salt and pepper to make them delicious. It wasn't until I tasted them fresh out of our own garden, that I realized what a fresh tomato tastes like. I used to think tomato soup was good, until I tasted the roasted tomato soup here at Main Course. That was when I realized that tomato soup, when made correctly, should taste like tomatoes, pure and simple. It shouldn't taste like cream or salt; it should taste like those tomatoes we pulled from the garden last summer. I used to think that all beef was the same, until I experienced my first grass fed burger. Who knew a burger could be so tender and delicious, and so different from all those other burgers I've consumed over the decades.

People throw the word local around a lot these days, but at Main Course we really mean it. This important detail - where the food comes from and how fresh it is - really does matter. It matters to our tastebuds because once you've experienced it, you know it tastes better. And eating local is also better for the environment and helps our local farmers (and therefore our community).

Sure we could use canned roasted peppers, regular old caged up chickens, or your standard grain and corn fed beef. But because we are conscientious about what we put in our food, we go the extra mile. We use free-range chicken from Petaluma, olive oil from Ojai, and we even get the white beans for our hummus fresh from local farmer, Tom Shephard. Sure it takes a lot of time and energy to clean and wash them, but to us its worth it. And if you taste our hummus, you'll know what we're talking about.

While many chain restaurant menus are bulging with items, the food is often frozen, highly processed, and yes, microwaved. Our menus are simpler and based on what's in season - whether its asparagus, strawberries, beets, or tomatoes. Because the food is fresh, we don't have to do a lot to it, drown it in sauce, or cover it with salt to make it taste good. And this, my friends, is what makes Main Course unique; and this is the difference between good and delicious.