name this

So, I will make the 40 mile round trip to crazy town for the last time tomorrow. There are many things that I am going to miss, that drive not being one of them. i consider myself very lucky that in the last 4 years i have not broken down, had an accident, hit a deer, turkey or cow, and only ran out of gas once. There are many things that I will miss, the opportunity for endless amounts of R&D, a few of the people and mostly the top notch product that has come out of this dept in the last 3 years. I am moving a million miles away, at least it seems like it. Little Rock better get ready for some real Yankee bbq and some of the best charcuterie that the dirty south has ever seen. That's where ya' all come in(just practicing the new language i will be exposed to soon). I'm planning on opening a butcher/charcuterie/wholesale meat store. Maybe in the future ya'all will buy some of my famous salumi on-line. But I digress, I need a name,,,,,not just a lame-ass name either, something people will have to think about. So far the best I've heard is from eat local, Spare Parts......So lets hear it,,,,winner maybe gets a free pound of bacon. Maybe.

6 Burners in Paradise

Wow, today was a shit show. Close to 400 lunch covers and then immediately into 120 dinner covers. We only have 6 burners on our line. Our deep fryer is a counter top novelty piece of shit. Somebody oughta sell tickets because my cooks performed fuckin miracles today. Servers were dropping the ball left and right. Food runners were misdropping food all day with two full rails of tickets.

There was a point today where every seat in the restaurant was occupied including both terraces. People were sitting on ledges and benches ordering food from the kitchen. At what point should we say enough is enough? This morning I said "Never. We are in it to win it and if you don't agree then there's the door." After crawling up the stairs to my office just now, I am beginning to reconsider. Is this what all summer is going to be like?

Oil problems

We use a few oils at the restaurant. Mostly grapeseed oil but we use some olive oil and numerous infused concoctions. We just ordered this new olive oil called Cori'. This stuff sucks!!!! We called our Silvert rep and he told us that the owner of this company is in jail due to illegal business practices. Apparently the oil was not extra virgin or even olive oil in some cases. Anyone out in the interwebland reading this should stop using this product and return for credit.

Food for Thought; Menu Philosophy

At the risk of being a post whore...

I had to put together some information about my menu/menu philosophy for a new hire at the 'straunt and thought it would be interesting to see how it stacks up with what you do when you plan a menu/new dish/special dinner... etc. This is cut and pasted from the notes I prepared for the newbie...

Our menu philosophy is; As local, seasonal and sustainable as possible.

We purchase 90% of our produce from the Farmers Market. All produce is hand chosen with the finished dish in mind (size, shape, color, variety).

100% of our seafood is local. And , I am happy to say that we have brought almost 70% of our meat program to within the state of California.

We have changed the menu over 110 times since we opened in August of 2008. These menu changes reflect seasonal/crop rotational cooking that goes on in our kitchen. The goal is to bring a connection with the ingredients through our close contact with the farmers we use. Particular farmers grow particular things we use. If that farmer and that crop get hit by gophers, and they lose the crop, we lose the menu item. Very rarely do we settle for a similar product from a different farmer.

We want food to be fun. We attempt to push the envelope on what people feel comfortable with eating. We are not fine dining. We encourage excess and suggest the tasting menu.

Everything is made in house except the bread. That comes from O.D.B.

Our Desserts are not mind blowing and we know that. They are PERFECTLY executed examples of what they are. We are not pastry chefs (thank god) and we don’t have a convection oven.

Halibut; The New Chicken of the Sea

Has halibut become my chicken dish? In a word, yes. We don't serve chicken at the restaurant. It's too safe. I want people to take chances on flavors and textures that they have not experienced before. But halibut has become my chicken.

We serve California Halibut. It is caught by local boats out of the Santa Barbara Harbor. The fish that we get are so fresh that frequently, we cannot serve them because they are too fresh. That's right, too fresh. Halibut is a fish that needs to be rested for at least 24 hours after it dies. Rigamortis takes it's toll after death. Combine that with the searing heat of the sautee pan and the proteins tighten to the point that it curls like monk fish and chews like gum. It's impossible to get a good sear and it's a total pain in the ass to work with. Also, the tendency by the guest is to assume it is over cooked. But after much R & D on un-rested halibut, I can say, with confidence, that range of cooking temps does not help this condition.

It seems to be the apparent "safe" choice on the menu. At first we thought it was because it was the only fin fish we serve. Abalone being the other seafood option (abalone is a post of it's own). But after the last couple weeks of decent fishing conditions, changing water temps and the opening of the commercial rock fish season, we have started to see some other fin fish coming in. For what ever reason, they don't sell like the halibut.

The good news: This is super local, fresh fish. Halibut is more or less a blank slate and goes well with almost everything. Halibut and Pork love each other (frankly because the fish needs the fat). So, I guess in the end I will continue to serve it. There is a certain amount of this business that is just about giving the people what they want. I refuse to give them chicken. So, Halibut it is.

Visitors~> Dansko love

So yesterday was my normal day off and happened to be my only day off this week. Days off will be another post. Two "friends"(a friend and his girlfriend) showed up where I work looking for me and were described as "annoying" by my co-worker. I feel so bad, angry, and embarrassed. I told this "friend" he should not just stop by 3 months ago when I started and he told me he would stop in. His GF lives a few blocks away and my restaurant has a bar next door which I am sure they visited before stopping by to see me. How should I handle this? Some part of me wants to tell him to go fuck himself and never contact me again, the other half feels bad for him in ways that I do not wish to discuss on a public forum. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to handle this?

I also want to tell everyone I made a trip to the Dansko HQ today. I have worn Birks, crocs, chefwear clogs, and now on my second pair of Danskos. Danskos are tough to break in, like a pair of unwashed jeans, but worth the time. I got my new clogs for $62 or $67. Normally they would be $90+. Danskos new HQ also has a coffee bar, wifi, flat screen, and is a LEED platinum certified building. They have a green roof and water cooled walls. Very progressive for the right coast. I loved Dansko's before today and now will never wear another pair of shoes in the kitchen. But, to each his own.

Love you guys... Good luck tonight

pacific northwest style, bitches

http://blogs.wweek.com/foodie.html
http://blogs.wweek.com/foodie.html

Things are going to get better, I promise.

In just a few weeks our small town will say goodbye to a great man and his wonderful family. They are packing it up and heading for new horizons and experiences. This town is about to lose its best/and only real Charcuterie Chef.

We all come and go. We pass through kitchens making friends and colleagues along the way. We go through the busiest of rushes together. We get our asses kicked and go to battle with each other making the impossible possible. We create strong bonds with each other. We make each other better. We change each others lives.

I am excited for you B. You always kick ass at what your doing. Thank you for hiring me 8 years ago. Thank you for not firing me the half dozen or so times when you legally should have called the police on me. Thank you for coming out to Crazy Town and making it a little less crazy. Thank you for making the hard times fun. Thank you for making me laugh when I'm ready to explode. Thank you for becoming the Maitre Butcher that you are today. It made our lives so much better.

We all like to think that when we resign from a kitchen, that we are leaving the place in better shape than we've found it. In your case B you are leaving the food of the entire Willamette Valley in better shape. You've turned our local hogs into fine proscuittos and salumi. There are people from as far as Portland and Roseburg who make the drive because we are their favorite restaurant. Our wine buyers across the country and the world have seen your kitchen, and have tasted your product. They own restaurants. They write menus. Who knows how your product has inspired their innovations and changes! In this era of American Charcuterie you have a lot to be proud of.

Hands down you are the coolest bacon stretchin, air bottling, meat gluing, fly fucking, bung stuffing, amateur intern hillbilly douche bag I've ever met. I love you bro.

Thank you B, for everything.

dance more, think less

so, finally, after a month at the new job, i kicked a ton of ass last night.  seriously.  i whipped ass all over the place.  the place i work now is significantly busier than any place i've ever worked, and it's set up considerably different.  i've never had to work with an expo before, and i'm still getting used to keeping track of stuff in my head rather than glancing back at my tickets every two minutes, but i'm starting to roll with it.  the best piece of advice i've gotten so far is "dance more, think less".

and goddammit, it works.  just crank up the tunes, and get your kitchen dance on.  i've always found the movements of line cooks to be similar to dancing...when there's three or four guys stuffed together in a tight line, and most everybody has hot pans or sharp knives in their hands, it takes grace, constant spacial awareness, and years of practice to shimmy around without doing damage to each other.  and if you're lucky enough to stay out of the way and watch it all happen, it looks surprisingly choreographed.  it doesn't matter if you like to work to iron maiden (like me) or lady gaga (like the rest of the burly thugs in my kitchen) or hippie crap (you know who you are), turn that shit up and get dancing!

on a side note, on saturday night, i had to take a step back and take in the scene...five guys that could from all outward appearances be bikers or roadies for motley crue, or at the very least, shady drug dealer/mechanics, were all dancing like little girls at a slumber party and singing "poker face" by lady gaga.  come to think of it, last night we were doing the same thing listening to bananarama.

anyway, i know i'm just a humble line cook and a lot of the people reading and writing this thing are full fledged chefs, but that's my advice to you...dance more, think less.

lady gaga helps.

jesus, i never in a million years thought i'd ever admit that lady gaga helps anything.

Niman Ranch Pork

This week we received our 2nd Niman Pig. 110 lbs, split right down the center. Whole animals are so much fun to work with. They really allow for total control over the finished product. In addition to custom butchery (which although time consuming allows for some pretty cool things like the cowboy pork rack pictured), they are a great source for endless possibilities in the world of charcuterie. This says nothing to the sustainability of utilizing ONE animal to feed a week's worth of guests as apposed to ordering a case of ________ (<---insert protein here)... where many animals were processed to put enough _______ in the box to call it a case. Again, much more time consuming, but worth the work. It is a love affair.

This week's love affair ended up being much more charcuterie than usual. This must mean that the word is finally out about the charcuterie program at Julienne. Today's work included: Coppa, Buffalo Bresaola, Lonza, Chorizo, Italian Sausage, Guanciale, Braised Pork Belly, Pate with a Tenderloin Inlay, and Mortadella (which has to be re-done. My wife had a successful attempt once before and tried to tackle it again today. But, while multi tasking our staff meal for the crew she broke the emulsion. She's a hell of a women. She took it like a champ. It is never the lost product that is up-setting, it's the 45 minutes it takes to execute the damn recipe).
Next weeks whole animal; California Lamb. Stay Tuned.

The Morel of the Story

Morels are finally popping off. We've had manic depressive spring weather here in Oregon. Three weeks ago market price was $26/lb for #1's and $18/lb for #2's. Today we received #1's for $12. I'm not sure how long it will last so we are stocking up. Spring has finally sprung.

Write It Down

My old man is a chef. He never wrote anything down. If you want to access his bag of tricks you have to catch him on a day that he both remembers, and wants to talk about it. Sometimes it feels like he would just assume forget. Thank god some people did write things down (The Chuck Files, we thank you Chuck)

For this reason (and many others) I write almost everything NEW I try down on paper. I went to art essentials and purchased an 8.5 x 11" sketch book that I journal new recipe ideas, sketches for presentation ideas, notes on how to maximize produtction in my kitchen so that I can somehow salvage a personal life outside the restaurant. It has taken my cooking to another level. Not only do I NOT forget an idea when I have one (short term memory loss is a bitch) but I have intersections to get back to on things that turn out great, and on things that need adjustments. Without this direction I used to just wing it, every batch coming out about the same but not quite. I used to think that using recipes was for house wives and pastry chef's but I am a believer. Plus, there is nothing more satisfiying than executing a recipe that you created. I still cook off the cuff, but when I add another pinch, I write it down.

Dinner tonight

What is everyone having for dinner tonight? Not what your specials are, what you are eating. I wonder what Thomas Keller is having for dinner?

burning hair in the morning

The main thing I miss about line cooking is saute work. In charcuterie you don't use your burners much so after awhile the hand hair comes back. Now every couple days the first thing I do in the morning is crank up the stove top and burn it off. The girls in the bakery love it.

Got tempered glass shelving?

So heres a fun little situation. After a long, busy and hard restaurant week, we close up shop saturday night looking forward to a day of not working while the restaurant sleeps and recovers. Little did we know that the shelves that we store most of our booze is in fact not tempered glass. Really, who checks to see if the glass will break under hundreds of pounds of pressure? Anyway, in the middle of the night the longest of our shelves, the one with the most bottles of booze on it, the most expensive bottles, gives and they almost all bite the dust. Not the worst problem in the world in itself. Domino's are a mother fucker. The a fore mentioned shelf unfortunately was mounted above and behind my beautiful 20 tap system...... all but 4 were tipped on by falling bottles and shards of glass. All but 4 emptied every drop onto the bar and floor. Saison DuPont, Delerium Tremens, Chimay, Hop Devil, 90 Minute and 11 more of their brothers are all dead soldiers in the keg cooler now. The damage to the basement banquet room was no way near as bad as it could have been. After hearing my partners voicemail I was expecting Katrina-esque carnage. Not quite as bad. It smells like a brewery but i like breweries. The moral of this tale is, "There is no way you can expect the dumb shit thats going to eventually happen at and to your restaurant." That and, "Insurance is there for a reason."

Fraternal Order of Chefs

Last night we had an old friend and line cook come in for dinner. Like you guys, he is surely on the list of my favorites I will ever have worked with. He has a real drive to cook good food and can handle the busiest of dinner services with consistency. Needless to say we took care of him and his party of 5 for dinner. While creating his dining experience I felt the inspiration that can only come from cooking for people who love to eat whatever you put in front of them. We are in this business to make each other better. We are on the front lines. Innovation, inspiration, and the highest quality food comes from the support we give to each other.

First course: NW cheeses (coincidentally my cheese purveyor brought the cheese truck in yesterday with samples) including exclusive local cheeses and my own aged feta.

First tasting: Torchon of Foie, candied papaya, ginger confit, and brioche (toasted in equal parts butter and Foie fat) with pinapple gastric.

Second tasting: Seared Diver Scallop with aged balsamic, young beets, crispy morels, and a sauce of sorrell and pumpkin seeds

Second Course: (menu items) Beet Tartare and a Prawn and meatsaltbeermusic proscuitto over wild mushroom risotto

Third tasting: Estate cured lonzino (meatsalt again) with avocado and pickled mustard seeds.

Third Course: (menu items) Filet with Foie, brussel sprouts, estate radishes, pearl onions, gros frites, and red wine vinegar demi glace. I toasted the gros frites in foie fat.

You could tell by the sagging eyes that they had no room left for dessert, however I watched as they tried to talk each other into it. It was precious.

Even better was knowing the cooks on line were the ones who made it happen with grace and good form. I wouldn't be the same chef without you guys in my life. I don't know if I'm ovulating or what, but I feel good about doing this for the rest of my life. Thanks bitches.