Latest Newsletter from Charles

Summer's Bounty Brings Great Taste To The Coventry Menu

Two New Appetizers-King Bolete Mushroom, Sea Bass Cheek

Light Summer Fayre Offers Smaller Plates at Lower Prices

The Coventry Inn Is Closed on Friday to Celebrate Independence Day

Reservations, 724-463-0776-Gift Certificates Available


Dear T.C.I. Customer...

    Yes, Coventry's menu is full of summer's bounty, delicious seafood, 
hearty meats, and fresh fruit and vegetables, all crafted into delicious 
foods to delight your taste buds this weekend by Chef Jonathan Nagy...

    The chef has been out foraging for mushrooms with the owner of our 
mushroom vendor, Mushrooms for Life.  The result of an evening's search is 
seven portions only of King Bolete Mushrooms.  Jon is pan-searing the 
mushrooms and serving them over creamy polenta with melted Buffalo 
mozzarella and fresh thyme.

    Jon's other new appetizer is Chilean Sea Bass Cheek, a very sweet and 
tasty medallion of sea bass which Jon is serving atop sweet potatoes 
whipped with molasses along with wilted greens and bacon, a little meal in 
itself.  Soft shell crabs remain on the menu for another week or two.

    A new fish entree this week is a rainbow trout fillet served upon 
Yukon Gold potatoes and caramelized candy onions, surrounded by an 
explosive herb sauce, Salsa Verde, and sauteed mushrooms.  Atlantic salmon 
is Jon's choice this week for his very popular salmon entree.  We know 
that salmon is a very healthy food, and we like to keep it on the menu 
every week to provide customers with a delicious way of including salmon 
in their diets.

    Jon changed his very popular sea scallops last week, and several 
customers were less than pleased with the change.  In fact, I myself did 
not feel that the combination worked as it was prepared.  Jon spent time 
this week working on that entree to perfect it.  I mention this matter 
because it is part of what you get at The Coventry Inn.  Jon is always 
experimenting and trying new taste combinations.  Some are more successful 
than others, but at least he has the courage to try.  He never leaves well 
enough alone, and that is why dining at The Coventry Inn should always 
offer the chance of some new adventure in dining.  Some attempts will be 
more successful than others, but overall progress will be the result.

    Speaking of experiments, we offered some special entrees last week at 
amazing prices, and the result was quite amazing too.  We found many new 
customers, and the prices were so good that many regulars chose the 
special entrees too.  That tells me that customers might like more less 
expensive choices, and we have put together a special menu that I am 
calling "Light Summer Fayre."  This menu was compiled from a short list of 
"small plates" devised by Chef Jon and also a few items from the appetizer 
list, along with entree salads from the regular menu.  I was interested in 
the good response to last weekÿÿs experiment with amazing prices, and I 
will be just as interested to see the response to the menu of Light Summer 
Fayre.

    As highlighted by the headline above, Coventry will be closed on 
Friday this week to celebrate Independence Day.  We will be open on 
Thursday and Saturday, however, to accommodate our customers who want to 
celebrate a portion of the holiday weekend by dining in our restaurant.  
If you live anywhere to the north and east or west of our location on 
North Sixth Street, you may want to walk in to Coventry if the weather is 
suitable.  There is much talk these days of "walkable urbanism," and this 
existed in our town in years gone by and still exists for many who work at 
IUP or at one of the banks and live within walking distance.  When I 
conceived the idea of The Coventry Inn, I always believed that a strong 
portion of our clientele might be those who could walk in for dinner.

    This writer has had a busy week so far, attempting to do in four days 
what I usually do in five.  Today, in fact, I added an additional task 
which is not usually part of my work.  I planted seventy tomato plants, 
and at 2:00 a.m., I am feeling the effects of a long day and a busy week.  
I shall close therefore with the wish that readers will have a marvelous 
holiday weekend, thinking a little on Independence Day perhaps of the 
principles that make our country someplace special.  I hope that you will 
make The Coventry Inn a part of your weekend plans, and if so, I will look 
forward to seeing you in the restaurant.

                        Your friend,
                        Charles A. Runyan
                        The Coventry Inn
                        July 2, 2008