Today I sat at my computer desk thinking, “What’s for lunch?” The options were
- Frozen dinner I bought at Walgreens
- Canned meal I bought at Family Dollar
Neither option was terribly appealing, especially considering today would be the fifth straight day for those options. So I delayed lunch and surfed Twitter to come up with content for my second blog post of the day (scroll down for “House arrest day 20/update 2” if you haven’t seen it yet). While surfing I found this:
Don’t forget about Concourse delivery! Order lunch from @SaucyChicken901, lunch or dinner from @GlobalCafe901, or groceries from @CurbMarket901, and have them delivered for free within a 4-mile radius of Concourse (see image). To order, call the restaurant or order online. pic.twitter.com/tzEoh0iZrn
— Crosstown Concourse (@YourConcourse) April 8, 2020
It reminded me that Global Cafe delivers Downtown now, and trying its cuisine has been on my to-do list since we were all put under house arrest we all agreed to socially distance and flatten the curve. Global Cafe is a really neat concept in Crosstown Concourse, offering cuisine made by Syrian, Sudanese, and Venezuelan chefs. I decided to order enough to have leftovers for tomorrow. I put my two entrees in the online cart and moved to checkout. I was able to put in my credit card information, enter a tip, and save my information for future orders.
I placed my order at 1:07 PM and the receipt I was emailed said to expect my delivery between 1:45 and 1:55. However, Global Cafe and Crosstown Concourse exceeded expectations; at 1:37 I received a text that my delivery driver was outside. I ran down to meet her, and she had on a mask covering her face and nose for safety. No need to do anything other than take the bag; no contact at all. Completely, totally safe.
The Chile Guajillo Shrimp was one of the two entrees I ordered.
This Venezuelan dish consists of seared shrimp in a mild chile Guajillo sauce with Spanish rice. This has some really good flavor but it was not overly spicy – something I was wondering about, because I’ve had Guajillo shrimp in Mexican restaurants that set off a four-alarm fire in my mouth. This dish is one you can enjoy no matter what your preferred level of spice is.
The other dish I got was Dama with Rous.
This is a Sudanese dish of beef tender in tomato sauce with rice, topped with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Yummy! The beef was tender and juicy and the sauce – well, it’s impossible for me to describe the sauce because I’ve never had anything like that before. It was a perfect complement to the meat and the rice, though.
This dish is slightly spicy, which I thought was perfect, but if you’re a wuss when it comes to spice you might want to call the restaurant and ask if there’s anything they can do to tone it down a bit.
Apologies to my Syrian friends for not getting to sample your country’s delicious food. I want to try some chicken shawarma on my next delivery order. I also want to go back for a second helping of Venezuelan food and get a stuffed arepa next time.
Check out Global Cafe’s website to see what they’ve got. In addition to appetizers, entrees and desserts, they have supplemented their delivery menu with family dinners, wine, beer and mixed drinks. They currently have a pretty sweet deal going on with Memphis Made Fireside, Wiseacre Tiny Bomb, or Crosstown Sirene for 99 cents. I am pleased to report that they also carry the Cadillac of beers, PBR, in 16 ounce cans for $1.95.
Given them a try to expand your culinary horizons. Back later today or tomorrow with more news.