If you’re downtown this evening for the First Wednesday stop by Venti’s cafe for dinner!  The Moroccan Pita is a great choice!  If you haven’t seen the new location check out the video posted on the Venti’s blog this afternoon – blog.ventiscafe.com.

Enjoy your Wednesday.

As many of you know, Venti’s Cafe is a part of my daily routine: spread the word as much as possible and eat some great lunch or dinner in some cases.  Venti’s has been serving delicious food since 1996.  Dino Venti, my uncle, has done a great job building a solid business.  It has been so fun to watch his business grow.  In July this year he completed his move to a new location in downtown Salem.  He moved just across the street from his old location in the Reed Opera House and is now located at 325 Court St (click for map).

I wanted to highlight Venti’s this week for those of you who have not made the trip to visit the new location. The seating is much improved and the atmosphere is just as fun.  Now having a full kitchen, Dino has been able to expand the menu with new fun dishes ranging from coconut curry to grilled moroccan dishes.

Venti’s is still offering the best local beers on tap and will soon feature a wider selection when the full bar opens in the basement.

But don’t wait for the full bar to open for your trip down to Venti’s.  With more seating available now and the exapnded menu, Venti’s is a fabulous choice for dinner in Salem.  The price is right and the food will “wow” you.

I had an interesting conversation with one of my family members today regarding current state of available mortgages.  Dino Venti owner of Venti’s Cafe in downtown Salem has been building his loyal clientel for nearly 13 years.  When you step into Venti’s you feel a sense of community among the regulars – it definitely has that “Cheers” type of atmosphere.  Having the face to face contact with customers nearly every day for the past 13 years, Dino has established many friends and acquaintances in the Willamette Valley.

He mentioned to me this evening as I was picking up my Boulder Bowl and Teriyaki Chicken for dinner, that he had a client tell him today that there are no mortgages available for people who have a credit score less than 750.

We’ve all heard, seen, or read about the housing industry and the changes in lending from banks.  As I mentioned in my post titled “Yes, You Can Still Get A Loan!” there are plenty of loans originating in these harsh economic times.

Communication is a key element in every aspect of our lives.  The media’s job is to communicate the message to the people.  How that message is interpreted by the people can vary on many levels.  In times when there is a massive amount of information flowing from every source of media imaginable, it is vital to understand where you stand in the midst of the changes.  The lack of financial education in our country has been prevalent for so long that we’re now dealing with the consequences.   Education is the tool that must be utilized to understand the meaning of what we hear, see, and read.

If you have questions about how the changes in our banking, mortgage, and real estate industries affect you, please don’t hesitate to ask!