In your bag

If the parchment circle is not in your repertoire, it should be.  Cut a bit off the pointy end to use in lieu of a lid when braising.  My parchment is fully stocked, recipe testing has begun…

Comments: 3

Buck A Suck

In the skyway of Tri-Tech building in downtown Minneapolis There was an Asian restaurant whose name escapes me.  The reason being that it was utterly unremarkable save for their take on Bi-Bim-Bap.  But as it constituted the only Korean dish I could find in downtown, and was at the very least edible, I found myself carrying out on 3 or 4 occasions over the last 2 years.  I felt a craving for it at lunchtime today, so I strolled down 2^nd Avenue to the Tri-Tech and what I found when I got there wasn’t Korean, but shockingly American.

Seems someone bought the unnamed Asian restaurant, painted it in a springtime institutional green and put out free samples for passersby.  But what really got me intrigued was the long line down the skyway, the unusually high number of employees at work and the sign above the (served) buffet that read, “EVERYTHING $1, NO EXCEPTIONS”.  Come again?   Well, it seems that the folks at BAMBOO have decided to fuse those two great American institutions…the Chinese Buffet and The Dollar Store…into one frightening concept.  Just walk down the line, name out your 2,3,4,5 items and each scoop or eggroll or (2 chicken wings!) is a buck.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

You know that annoying guy in the cube across from yours that thinks Subway is the best sandwich ever, who digs CiCi’s pizza buffet and who knows which skyway joints have $3 lunch specials on which days?  Well he was there, and so were all his friends and so were all their friends.  And they were all wearing frayed khakis, clunky shoes and ill-fitting polos.  I can’t imagine that BAMBOO is doing too well in terms of margins…but in terms of sheer lunchtime volume they are right in the sweet spot of those cube dwellers.  How did it taste?  Well, let’s just say that it’s really not “passable” any more.  But you should see how much I got for $4!!!

Comments: 6

My brown bag

1.  Bagel sandwich, sesame with turkey and mustard (held at room temp until lunch time)

2.  Dill pickle, wrapped in “tin foil”

3.  Apple or grapes

4.  Fruit roll up/snacks

5.  Capri Sun

7.  Pepperidge Farms cookie–usually Sausalito

My mommy made my lunch until the day that I graduated from high school.  First day of school in Minneapolis today brought me back.  Looking for some “reusable school lunch transporter” inspiration for the little ones this year.  Back in the day I was told the heavies at Zaroff’s Deli packed the best lunches…the winner must prevail!!!  Happy 2010-2011 school year!

Comments: 9

MSG

Have you been noticing as I have more and more usage of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in varies styles of restos.  In my travels across the country this summer at many level of cuisines it seems pervasive, so much so that at one place of a very high repute it was on the table as a condiment.

Not sure how I feel about the whole acceptance of MSG.  Plenty of articles seem to be very critical of the stuff, including this one by Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Do we really have enough info on this chemical?  Are most consumers aware that restos seem to be using this much more than in recent years?  Is this one of those that comes back to haunt us?

Comments: 12

Update

The latest on goings on with the opening of our next resto; Heidi’s Minneapolis.  Ever wonder what the heck goes on when you read about a resto that has signed a lease, but then the space seems to kind of sit around for a while?  Here is what we are doing (or at least some of it).

1. The folks down at the city whose job it is to analyze our construction plans and insure that we know and understand the applicable codes are going over the plans in detail.  This process can take some time, but we have had such a great response so far, and are well prepared, that we feel confident the process will continue to go smoothly.
2. Heidi spoke with the Whittier Alliance Board members last night, the reaction was very positive.
3. We are waiting for chair samples to arrive.  Many, many chairs have been looked at and considered, we believe we have narrowed it down to one.
4. Meeting with contractor and architect today to finalize construction details.
5. Many of the other quotes, for everything from glassware to water pitchers have been received and are being looked at.
6. We are in the planning stages for the October 15th book launch, and party.
7. The whole team is working on equipment both large and small and securing quotes on all of those items.

The construction work will commence in earnest when the plans receive approval, until then we continue to plan for everything from training to how to change the light bulbs and where to keep them, so that on the day we open we can spend all of our time cooking and serving you.  (That last line was a little cheesy, I’ll admit. but true!)  For the opening date click here.

Comments: 1

Tomorrow’s Diners Today

On a recent visit to Bouchon in Yountville, we discovered that while there was no “children’s” menu, the kids were very welcome diners.

For whatever reason, whether famous chef, cookbook author, or one of a few chefs in the country with a highly prized Three Michelin starred resto–Thomas Keller runs restaurants that are hospitable to everyone, regardless of age.

“Right this way Hollywood”, said the Maître d’ to my 4 year old as we walked in.  To which he responded “Hey, I’m not a Hollywood, I’m an Aaron!”  The Maître d’ wheeled around, faced Aaron and laughed, “I had no idea.”  Aaron then blurted out, no this table, I like this table.”  He said pointing to a random two top we were walking past.  I interjected, “Aaron let him decided where he has place for us, and please use your please and thank yous.”

“Not at all sir, this is a great table, fantastic choice, let me just push another one up to it, and voila, enough for your whole family. Please enjoy.”

And so it was, service that not only accommodated us with children, they treated our kids like little customers, they actually spoke to them directly, listened for their responses, and all without the usual look to the parents for assistance or impatience. So much so that as Heidi and I began with our salads, Aaron asked for his “mac ‘n roni right away, please”, to which the server responded, I’ll ask the chef to speed it up, and sure enough a few minutes later it arrived at the table.

At one point, when Heidi and I were finishing our entrées the server came to the table and requested the two boys follow her.  They disappeared out of sight toward the front of the resto for several minutes, then returned with stamped pieces of paper, just as they arrived back at the table Aaron excitedly waving the piece of paper around dropped it.  Without missing a beat, she brought him back to the front, despite a full and busy section, despite the fact that this customer wasn’t drinking wine, or eating much, made it right for him.

This behavior is not accidental, and while none of us should be surprised that Mr. Keller runs extraordinary restos, this aspect was especially significant to us.  In our travels over the summer, and visits to some fantastic spots, Bouchon remains a highlight. While bloggers and writers comment on whether children should or should not dine in fancy places, Mr. Keller makes sure that whatever the results of the debate, his guests–all of them–are treated with the utmost respect.

Comments: 10

“Smoke and Mirrors”

Why would a chef as prominent as Wylie Dufresne say in an interview with bigthink.com that “I think sometimes that becomes a pedestal or a soap box to get people into your restaurant, but it’s not… it’s almost empty in a way.  I mean, my food comes from a farm and I serve it on a table.”  He also shops at the Greenmarket, but he doesn’t brag about it. “I think you have a right as a diner to expect when you come to my restaurant that I’m using good ingredients, responsibly sourced.  If you want to ask me about them, I’m happy to tell you, but the notion that ‘farm to table’ somehow signifies I’m shopping well, or ‘responsibly,’ I think is unfair.  Is almost … it’s like smoke and mirrors for the diner.”

Perhaps this is why: The reality is that the vast majority of decent restos don’t make much money on food.  Even if the COG on paper runs at a good %, by the time it’s purchased, stored, prepped, trimmed, served, and the garbage thrown away–you will have not made much money at all.  So often when clever folks figure out a way to charge more for it, they do.

Lately the catch phrase, or “buzz” word is “Farm to Table” restaurants. Granted, it’s a very tough thing to define, Stacy Pampuch defined it recently this way on Twitter, “no third party handling” (which I understand as: no food coming off broad line trucks, straight from the farmer, no “corp” trucks).  In her defense 140 characters is not a lot of space to explain such a convoluted concept, not to mention that defining this concept is like hitting a moving target.  Much like making your own club up, the rules need to be big enough to keep your people in, and “them” out.

It would be nice if solving the worlds problems were just that easy.  Let’s look at a couple of the assumptions this movement implies:

• If something is local, does it imply a higher standard?  Then why do we buy cherries from Washington, crab from Maryland, or olive oil from Italy?  Is it perhaps because they do are very good job at cultivation specialty ingredients indigenous to their regions?  Just because a local farmer grew it does not mean that it’s the best.  An assumption we reject roundly when it comes to grapes.
• If something arrives on a non “corp” truck can we assume that its carbon footprint is less heavy?  A farmer that drives a truck that gets four miles to the gallon, and pops around town delivering a few items here and there could leave a terrible carbon foot print.  Generally the big broad lines (“corp”) run so efficiently that they do a much better job with this piece.  They often drive better trucks, that get better mileage, are maintained better, and have union drivers.  Can you imagine the environmental impact of no third party deliveries if these practices were adopted on a broader scale?  Then wouldn’t BP love it if we adopted this philosophy.
• If only certain restos are “Farm To Table” then can we assume that there are restos that don’t serve food that was grown on a farm? Frankly every resto serves food that is “farm to table” on some level–even McDonalds.
• If we want our dining choices to matter, shouldn’t we support restos that make an effort to source ingredients locally?  Then we must also assume that because a farmer is local, they must be dedicated to growing food that is environmentally sound, that they employ the best labor practices, that they operate in a conscientious way–more so than farmers from “elsewhere”.  Isn’t making the assumption that we are better than others prejudicial?

In my opinion what matters most is the HOW.  How a resto prepares it’s food, the quality that goes into the labor, and the ingredients (whether local or not), the care and attention dedicated to detail.  How it conducts it’s affairs, who it sources its ingredients from is a part of that, but can also be very misleading.  Believe the latest hype if you must, but know that it’s mostly just that, and know that the primary source of profit for all of us including the folks peddling this latest gem often-very often-comes from Bordeaux.

Comments: 17

thrice baked crispy crunchy savory sweet chicken wings

Comments: 9

i’m back

“so i’m back to the velvet underground
back to the floor that i love
to a room with some lace and paper flowers
back to the gypsy…that i was…to the gypsy…that i was…” Stevie

now to open a new resto…

Gotta pick up the keys to my new joint.  Meetings galore today, prep for meetings galore an enormous mind fuck.

Having crazy dreams these nights about the food, and the feel.  My head is doing that thing that it does when you’re at the top of a roller coaster, weeeeeeeeeeeeee (mixed with HOLY SHIT!).  I’ll post some pics when I get the chance later today.

One last thing.  I do declare that when we started nearing Minnesota on the road we noticed that the grass was a little greener, the trees a little taller, and the roads a little smoother.  15 states, and one province for me and Heidi this summer, and I just hafta say that we live in a very special place, shhh.

Comments: 3

WTF Resto 2.0

Former Minneapolitan, MNSpeak founder, digital bon vivant, narcissistic dilettante and dating overachiever Rex Sorgatz is the brains behind the social media reach of about-to-launch 4Food restaurant in Midtown Manthattan.  4Food is a fascinating (or superfluous, depending on your take) attempt to reinvent the fast food hamburger, and even restaurants as we know them, for the digital era.

http://4food.com/

On the surface, it’s a build-your-own burger joint with millions upon millions of flavor combinations. They’ve also, thankfully, taken a “local, fresh and unprocessed is better” approach. But what really sets 4food apart as something entirely new is the extent to which they’ve integrated social media into their flow of business.  They’ll have monitors all over the joint with live feeds of Twitter, Foursquare, etc as they pertain to the restaurant itself, including a big screen with stadium seating.  If you curate an interesting burger, you’ll get a .25 in-store credit towards your next purchase.  They’ve certainly got the advantage of having to spend very little, if anything, on traditional marketing as the people will spread the word.  I just wonder about the viability of inundating consumers with an onslaught of burger options.  But if it can work anywhere, it can work in NYC. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to making my own burger next time I’m in Midtown.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/making-lunch-a-social-networking-game/

Comments: 5