Foo - calling all foodies: your alltime favorite places to eat out?

I'm working on revamping my restaurant, so I was wondering what you guys remembered as your alltime favorites. what blew you away at those places you'll always remember fondly? now, I'm talking everything from greasy spoon dives to moms and pops to the five star places. the meals, the drinks, the desserts, the quirks, the decor, the service, the music, the lighting, the people -- anything and everything about the experience. I'm looking at the entire industry for ideas, but FWIW, our place is an upscale, but very unique and accessible bistro.

thanks!

-alex.

I think it depends on the dining experience I'm after as well as the food choice. Two of my favourite restaurants incloude La Fondue in Saratoga, CA for an eclectic experience and Bob Chinn's Crabhouse in Palwaukee, IL for just good seafood (extremely good) with a no-frills atmosphere. La Fondue offers an interesting (almost carnival - as in magical, not circus carnival) feel with a personal touch whereas Bob Chinn's ambiance consists of a almost a cafeteria feel... however their mai tais and king crab legs are to die for.

Mike's Burgers makes the best hamburgers in Portland. Two locations to serve you. Simple mom 'n' pop style.

Da Vinci's Italian Ristorante is not tops for ambiance and the space is small, but has the most exquisite Italian cuisine I've ever eaten. All their fettuccine alfredo lacks is an at-table angioplasty.

The Grand Buffet has a large space but isn't exactly posh. It's designed to shovel food at lots of people at one time, but the food is very good and from all over the world. Last time I was there they didn't feature fried crickets, but it's just a matter of time.

India Grill was the first place wherein I sampled Indian cuisine. I almost killed myself. Upstairs via a narrow, steep staircase, the dining room is small and crammed with little tables and it's dark, but ooooh the food! This dining experience was the one that finally convinced me that I had to lose weight, because I was snatching breath in hitches by the time I left.

Two things that make an eating experience worthwhile in my view: Large servings (the more food for the buck the better as far as I'm concerned), and the setting. That bistro I found at Strathgordon set amid amazing natural scenery is one thing I will never forget.

Chili Cheese everything. There is this greasy spoon in Northwest Indiana called Zels. They have chili cheese fries, hot dogs, hamburgers, and even polish sausage (my personal favorite). I went to Hardees about 2 times a week when they had the chili cheese burger. Now that Hardees doesn't serve it anymore, I go there about once a month.

Bob Chinn's Crabhouse in Palwaukee, IL.
Next time you are out this way, let me know. I'll tag along for leftovers!

As far as one of my all-time favs, the Blue Star Lounge in Colorado Springs, CO. And, in the same town, Phantom Canyon Brewery. DE-LISH!
There was also a Thai joint in the Springs, near the theatre I think...Thai Orchid? Cannot remember. Nice atmosphere and GREAT food. Prep and presentation were above par for the average price. That is rare these days

It has been years since I lived back east..What I miss from back there is Eastern European food.
Something in rare supply in the Western U.S. is Hungarian restaurants. Used to be in Detroit a restaurant called 'Hungarian Village.' I miss hungarian food.Love their pasta. Had a real Hungarian feel about the place. Why did not more Hungarian people migrate to the west.?
Locally..Our town has a restaurant called "Le Bistro." California and continental cuisine. I always have to have dessert there.."Cherries Flambe.'My wifes birthday coming up soon , so will return there soon.
Do like Mexican food..So many Mexican restaurants in California.In our town, we have excellant Mexican food at a 'La Caseda' restaurant... Favorite dish...' Enchilidas Yucatan.' Enchilidas in Ochate sauce..Which is an orange flavoring. They prepare their food in olive oil too.Not greasy..Really authentic Mexican food, very well done.

what has impressed me, at almost every eatery,
bistro, cafe, haute-cuisine establishment from N.Y.
to Johannesburg is the service. One of my absolute
favourite places was a small cafe, where after your
first time in the place you were treated like an old friend.
owner would come over, sit down and chat (at oppertune times) and generally fuss over you.
Where in the SouthEast are you? whats name of your
place?
Marty

China Delight lounge in Corvallis- What kept drawing me in was a combination of $3.00 dinners in the lounge (the same meal that cost $8.00 in the restaurant) and an excellent veggie menu. I always ordered Sesame Tempeh, which was truly a delight. The stiff drinks didn't hurt either!

Here in Portland, Than Thao (Thai-Vietnamese) is the one I keep going back to. Good, hearty portions with a generous veggie menu. It's always packed, but you get served quickly and the price is super resonable.

These are our favorites (mostly my creation, sometimes based on an exsisting recipe)
Light clam chowder, with clams, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, tarrogon, pepper, red pepper flake, salt.
I have similar soup without the clams and potatoes and using chicken stock
Boneless steak grilled with blue cheese inside.
Vinegar base barbque chicken Grandfathers recipe
Artichoke stuffed chicken Stuffed with artichoke, sundried tomatoe, basil, feta, red pepper flake.
Lemon pepper chops, grilled
marinated burbon mollassas ribs
scratch chili with chocolate.
grilled sausage spaghetti
Jumballia sic? wifes recipe
scratch pancakes with chocalate chips, a good dessert.
Popcorn with, butter, parmesean and fresh ground pepper (movie time)
Home seasoned burritoes/tacos.
grilled asparagus, excellent side. Oil and grill
Habanero hamburgers, remove the seeds, HOT but sweet, mustard and soy in the meat as well.
BBQ chicken pizza, with vidalia onion
Brats and onions/mushrooms on potatoe rolls
Scotch eggs, boiled egg with a thin layer of sausage and bread crumb, then fried.
mollasass marinades or oil/vinegar marinades for tough meat twentyfour hour+ marinate time
Garlic/breadcrumb shrimp kebabs
Almost all of these items are cooked on an open grill(The only way to cook)
PM for any recipes,(I don't use them myself but my wife insists on getting them) Anyone feel free, they are really good

STOP CHUCK! My God, I just made muffins for tha kids breakfast (ate 2)
Read your list and I'm salivating like mad, A couple more muff are gonna meet their maker in the next couple seconds..bye.

sad to say, 2 more will not see the morning light. :D

For me the key is atmosphere. I can eat too much at the house, so the amount served isn't really as important as the people I'm eating with, staff included.

My current favorite is the Camel City Cafe and Wine Bar (http://www.camelcitycafe.com) . A great place in downtown Winston Salem that makes us feel like we're joining old friends for dinner every time show up. It's small enough that it doesn't have a lot of noise and big enough to not be crowded.

Oh, and they have quite a selection of wines. (This too is key)

Dave

Good food is made memorable by exceptional service.

At a restaurant in Chicago, I left the table for a few minutes. When I returned the waiter had refolded my napkin. Before the dessert course, he brushed the crumbs from the table with a small brush and dustpan.

One of my favorite touches in a restaurant is the wine tasting area at La Paella, in Madison, Wisconsin. ( http://www.lapaella.com/ ) Patrons can sample any of their wines before purchase.

I always appreciate it when the chef visits my table.

Pollack Johnny's and The Dog House in Bawlamer, Murlan. A Pollack "all the way" at 2 in the morning was a great pre-emptive strike against the hangover that was sure to raise it's ugly head in the morning. And nothing chased away hunger like a couple of Dog House meatloaf sandwiches. Other than that, anything with clams in it. Steamed. fried, in chowder, clams are the greatest.

I'm working on revamping my restaurant, so I was wondering what you guys remembered as your alltime favorites. what blew you away at those places you'll always remember fondly?

-alex.

Two years ago, just after Christmea, we went to Tahoe with my brother and his wife. My family reached the cabin first. We deposited our stuff and proceeded back to a nearby casino to obtain sustenance. Went into the coffee shop there and all of us had hamburgers. They were 1/3 pounders and we were actually asked how we wanted them cooked--you know, like rare, medium rare, etc.! It was the best burger I had eaten in years! Just this past year, in Tahoe again I had a craving for one of those burgers, but never got back to the same casino. If we go this year, I am getting one of them, first thing when we are up there. Ya know, if those germs are killed at right around 150 degrees F, then why does every restaurant elsewhere incinerate their burgers? Seems like too many restaurants use the "let's avoid a lawsuit by incinerating our food" as an excuse for half-a$$ed cooking.

There is a wonderful little restaurant in Big Bear Lake, CA, called Madlon's... they have an incredible Filet Mignon Hamburger... the meat just simply melts away in yourmouth.. it is beyond words...

As far as what I like in a restaurant... it should feel light and airy... warm lighting, earthy tones on the walls.. a wait staff that is friendly, but not overly so... I should feel welcome, and not just another customer...

a good wine list doesn't hurt either :-)

jeff

thanks so much for everyone's replies!!! some really great material in there. now I only have to find the time to make all the things in my head *try* to come a little closer to reality.

again, thanks to everyone!!!

-alex.

Well, let's see: food quality is always critical, but atmosphere is also a big deal in your high-end establishments!

High-End:
Boulevard in S.F. is fantastic - great atmosphere, the best food and very attentive service with no attitude. It's spendy, but you feel like you got your money's worth. The portions are not overly generous, but enough that you don't feel the need to head over to Bow Hon for greasy chow fun afterwards!

Low-end:
Jerry's Inn - A former Brannan Street hangout for Rolling Stone writers and other pre-SOMA habitues (including my father and myself). A bar that served grilled burgers on fresh S.F. sourdough bread ("Jerry's Jawbreakers"!), with a side of rigatoni! It closed about 10 years ago - death of an institution. It was the kind of place where the owner knew everybody's name (he greeted me by name after a 10-year hiatus!).

Dive:
Roosevelt Tamale Parlor in S.F. - a dive, great food, super-cheap. Always want to go back there!

Overall, the thing that keeps me from returning is a place that feels it's too special for its own good - attitude, indifferent service and poorly prepared tiny portions of "nouvelle cuisine". I paid $40 for a tiny salad, and a miniscule portion of lukewarm swordfish with about 3 green beans at one place that is billed as "the best restaurant in Davis (CA)". Have I been back there? I think you know the answer to that question...

So give the people decent portions of fresh, well-prepared and generally simple dishes, make sure the staff is courteous and attentive, and I think it's generally a winner!

Radfahrer, dude, you are my target demo. I'd love to have you over, sometime. there're things I keep telling myself on a day-to-day basis, and some of them are: NEVER PRETENTIOUS, must *always always always* be satisfying, -must always feel like an "occasion," must be a place that can be thought of as a neighborhood anchor, must have the freshest, best possible ingredients that can be sourced, must be imaginitive and must always have that one-on-one relationship.

I sometimes think of it this way: quite simply, I believe that (for better or worse) most people's exposure to any other culture comes through the food. and we eat 2 or 3 times a day. and if food, and the act of eating, constitutes some of the most comforting, important, relaxing, satisfying, rejuvenating acts of the day, then I have a chance to make a difference in people's lives, in a very substantive and meaningful way. a way that most people don't get to make in their workaday jobs. so while they get to work a pissant 8 hours a day, from 9-5, and they get a nightlife while everyone else can, even though I'm working from 9 in the morning until 10 or eleven at night, at least I'm doing something that makes a difference in people's lives. and for anyone who's never lived the life, it isn't just a job. no. not where I can look down at my hands and arms and see the scars from cuts and burns, and where I dream, daydream and have nightmares about what I do for a living.

sorry that this became a rant; let's see if I don't erase it out of sheer embarrassment in a few minutes,

-alex.

p.s. and oh yeah, all the preceding is (sometimes) the kind of stuff that helps me stomp on those cranks, on some of *those* days. (just to help tie this all in to something bike-related.)

One of my many daydreams is to open a seafood restaurant in our little downtown. I'd recommend that if you are in a mid to small size town consider the downtown district. You may do better at lunch than dinner.

If you aren't too modest, I'd like to know where this restaurant may be. I'd like to visit a place run by a guy with your attitude.

The places that stand out in my mind have (had?) good food, atmosphere by virtue of what they are, (not what the try to be), and aren't pretentious.

Ivar's, in Seattle, used to have a little place down on the water front (near Pike Place). You could just order at a window, and eat outside. Or you could go in, get clam chowder, oysters, a pitcher, whatever. Nice break on a clammy (pun intended) Seattle day. It'd been there since forever, last time I was there was maybe 30 years ago, I understand there're several Ivar's restaurants in the area, now, and they're pretty upscale these days.

In Dallas, there used to be this place called Jamie's... named after the owners daughter or something. Anyhow, it was sort of an upscale burger place. Just lots of different really cool burgers, they served 'em with fries and a bowl of chili.

The best breakfast I've had in my life was at a place named Doegis (sp?) somewhere in downtown San Francisco, maybe 10 years ago. It wasn't about atmosphere, location, size of portions, or any of that stuff... just excellent food prepared with the best, freshest ingredients. (I'm a breakfast person.)

Then, around the same time (and maybe still), there was a Mexican restaurant down in Burlingame named La Pinata(?). There, the draw was atmosphere, volume (size of portions), and good, although not necessarily outstanding, food. I dunno, maybe I was just really hungry that evening.

In downtown Fredericksburg, Va, there's a little italian restaurant in a basement, run by an italian couple (named Roma 52, I think). Unlike a certain Italian chain restaurant, when you're there, you *are* family.

That's something that I really don't care for... the cookie cutter chain restaurant you wait 20 minutes to get seated, whether there's room or not... you get the feeling they really want you to go to the bar or at least buy a drink. And whose servers are more like hard nose sales people... "would you like to try our house wine?" When I want wine, I'll ask. And reappear with a tray of artistically named wax delicacies after you've eaten, "could I interest you in desert?" No, thanks, you're giving me heartburn, "bill please."

Ivar's, in Seattle, used to have a little place down on the water front (near Pike Place) where you could go in, get clam chowder, oysters, a pitcher, whatever. Nice break on a clammy (pun intended) Seattle day. It'd been there since forever, last time I was there was maybe 30 years ago, I understand there're several Ivar's restaurants, now, and they're pretty upscale these days.

Ivars does a dual-class approach. The place down on the waterfront still exists. It has a walk-up window on one side and if you go inside, it's an upscale restaurant. They have a similar restaurant in Edmonds near the ferry dock. Ivars also has a fast-food style line of restaurants that competes with Long John Silvers and Skippers.

...must be a place that can be thought of as a neighborhood anchor...

BINGO. There are enough chains and fast-food places as it is. Some of those even serve good food, but the atmosphere is not enjoyable. Make your place a "livingroom extension" for the neighbourhood (think about a village pub in the UK). I have been known to extend the limits of what I consider "neighbourhood" by several kilometers to find a nice place. Yours will probably still be out of my reach, but good luck with it!

--J

thanks so much, everyone!!! it really does make a difference to know there are still people out there (in the back of my mind, I'm hearing a business-speak translation: untapped-market) who resonate to something real and substantial, instead of the brass rail, potted fern, franchise, corporate, focusgrouped concept money sieve businesses that just happen to serve food.

-alex.

p.s. Moonshot, I PMed ya!

What, just a PM, tell us all. I live in the south east and I have friends that live further south and east., Come, on.


I also never gave props to my two favorite fooderies: Las Margaritas, great, cheap mexican food, get lots of diablo sauce(all habenero) run by Columbians(?!)

Oak City Diner, diner food. Cheese sandwich $1.20 Open faced roast beef with fries $4 The food is bad for you but oh so tasty

The food is bad for you but oh so tasty

... oh yeah, baby, give me more of that!!!

(oof, it's difficult to type. caught a kick in the hand in TKD tonight.)

umn, okay, on the who we are issue; I kinda wanted to stay away from any appearance of Shameless Promotion, but since you asked ...

the family business is a little (ten tables) thai bistro called Baan Sawan. (damn, my right hand hurts.)

been open since '99, we don't advertise, we have a really, really interesting and eclectic core clientele who've all become great friends, and we pour our heart and soul into what we do. no kidding. and let me tell you, there are some nights when I know for a fact that certain tables closer to the kitchen get an earful of our delightful family dynamic. I've got a big voice, a quick temper, I'm fanatical about just about every conceivable detail -- and my dad, mom and brother are all exactly the same. so, it's intense.

my brother's a charmer; he's rather like the Niles to my Frasier, as a good friend likes to say. he deals with the FOH (front of the house,) playing a tremendous range of music, from Paris Match to Johnny Cash to John Coltrane to Tom Waits to Elliot Smith to James Brown to the Stones to Etta James to The Shins to Sesame Street clips to public radio taped from other states.

we do everything a la minute, which simply means we do everything possible from scratch, at the last minute, so everything takes a really long time.

specials for Valentine's day were: 2 crispy-skinned quail served over spicy, peanutty mussamun curry; trout prepared upright, to look as if it were swimming across the plate, over mixed veg with a tamarind fruit sauce; sliced duck leg confit finished by searing on the grill, then simmered in a spicy red curry; something else I don't remember and one of the desserts was a baked-to-order clafoutis (or molten chocolate cake, if you prefer,) which is an individual dark chocolate cake baked so that it's set on the outside, but when you fork into it, the middle gushes a rich, lush chocolate. that went with a warm coconut sauce and an orange reduction on the side, with these long, lacy, spun sugar garnishes that my mom made.

we take a lot of pride in what we do.

so anyhow, lookit, if ANY of you guys come by Columbia, SC, way and ask for Alex (remember to say you're from BikeForums!) -- I'll buy you a beer! not to mention maybe finding time for a ride! there's a nice 17 mile loop out at Fort Jackson, which is pretty much just a road winding around out in the woods.

yikes. I feel self-conscious, now,

-alex.

That menu for Valentine's Day sounded simply delicious. Thanks for sharing the info. The food I like is any. Although some of my favorite menu items are:
The onion loaf at Hackney's on Harms.
The breakfast meals at the Machine Shed(the Davenport location only) and the Davenport Square.
The sky high pies at the Norske Nook in Osseo, WI. They also have lefse omelets and apple stuffed french toast.
From experience, the restaurant business is tough. I wish you well.

Cool, we might be able to take a little trip down there.
Another one: Herbed onion bread sticks with dip (Wife made them, GOOD)

P.S. You are supposed to block with your forearm :D

Machine Shed(the Davenport location only) and the Davenport Square.

megaman, you don't mean ... the Quad Cities, do you?

jeez. Whitey's Ice Cream, where there's a line to the door, even when there's snow on the ground. that ****ing awful place that sells the loose steamed meat sandwiches on plain buns (no offence) but where it genuinely warms my heart to see so many people reinforcing and enjoying a local delicacy. and that out of the way deadend road she took me to see, once upon a time ...

not a few memories from there; see, that one girl from sometime when, who broke my heart in 95, was from Davenport. what a small world!!!

Rev.Chuck:


Cool, we might be able to take a little trip down there.

drop me a line, definitely!


P.S. You are supposed to block with your forearm

hardy freaking har! :)

well, see, I was taking this one kid (24 or 25, but I'm already calling them kids at my ripe old age of 32) for one on one sparring, and we've already been tossing a few of the ole wisecracks at each other, so he was just aching for a chance to show up the old man. you could just see it in his eyes, he wanted to get at me as soon as he could. so I did the old man's trick (or a tired one, if you want to put it that way) and I let him come at me, tiring himself out. long story short, I blocked all his non-focussed, over-extended moves fairly well, but one of those big moosie flailing kicks connected quite unexpectedly with the back of my hand. ouch.

oy gevalt,

-alex.

Hi Alex; you're a bit far away for casual dining, but my wife and I drive up to Elkin, NC from time to time to see her sister. We come right through Columbia, (transitioning from I-26 to I-77). I'll try to make it a point to stop in next time.

I haven't had any good Thai food since I lived in Thailand for 18 months, some 30 years ago. ;)

One of my personal favorite eateries around here is a little place between here and St. Augustine called "The Outback Crabshack", on a small tributary of the St. Johns River. You can go there by boat or by car, and sit outside by the water and stuff yourself on crawdads or crab. They usually have some sort of Jimmy Buffett-ish style guitar player or small band playing.

Artie

Artie! you've done it now, man; unless your sister moves, you've got ZERO excuse to not-drop-in the next time you come through! (unless you fall outside our hours: T-Th 5:30 until 9:00, F&Sat 5:30 until 10:00.) and it is VITAL that you ask for me as SOON as you walk in. if we're on a wait, here's what we'll do: we'll say in a semi-loud voice, "Aha! There you are! You're back!" -- because we don't take reservations, and this'll let people think you were in earlier to put your name on the list.

and TOC sounds exactly like the kinda place I love to visit while travelling. in fact, I was down your way once, on a weekend away with a girl I was dating a few years ago. stayed at a lovely old mansion converted into a bed & breakfast, right on the good ole St. John's. we saw Phantom of the Opera while in town, as a matter of fact.

btw, where did you live in Thailand? my dad's family is in Bangkok and Nakhon Sawan, mostly. I BET you've got some good stories from those days! :D

-alex

. . .btw, where did you live in Thailand? my dad's family is in Bangkok and Nakhon Sawan, mostly. I BET you've got some good stories from those days! :D

-alex

Thailand was a beautiful place. I lived in the North East, up near Udorn. Not to far from the Laos border. My best "story" involves a trip we took up into Loas to see my girlfriends parents. Along the way we stopped at a little roadside park where people would just lay out a blanket and eat "picnic-style". I remember their being a large fountain there shooting up from the middle of a pond. My girlfriend fixed a nice lunch of that sticky-rice and a dipping sauce. She made a big bowl for her and our two traveling companions, (both Thai), and a smaller one for me. I assumed she made me a separate bowl because I was American, and maybe not used to everyone sharing the same bowl. I didn't want to appear "uppity" in front of the other two folks whom I only recently met.
So, I reached over and dipped into "their" bowl. Just as I was bringing my hand up to my mouth, my gf jumped up to try to stop me, yelling "Noooooo . . ."

But it was too late. . .the sauce hit my mouth like taking a nice long swig of battery acid. I could feel the skin peeling off my tongue, and I was choked just from the fumes. Their was a Fanta pop machine nearby, and I can remember just standing there, downing one Fanta grape soda, while simultaneously feeding Baht into the machine for the next.

Quite a number of locals were having a pretty good chuckle at my expense. :rolleyes:

Seems, the sauce she made for her and her friends was made from grinding up some green bug that actually lived off of some kind of hot peppers. The effect was of hot-sauce-concentrate. I'll leave phase two of the ordeal - the next day staying in a plumbing-less jungle community - to your imagination.

I did manage to supply further entertainment to the locals. :(

Other than that - great country, beautiful people, and good food.

Artie

My dad lived in Thailand off and on for a while and he talked about having a "picnic" lunch in the shoe department of a large store(like a Sears) with items they had purchased from a street vendor. He was surprised when his friend stopped and layed out the food but no one even noticed. He had a lot of video of the rural areas, his favorite place to explore.

There are two things I look at when I go to a restuant Quality of the food and quality of the service. I like to try new foods so the taste of the food is important. some chefs make really pretty food but it isnt flavorful. Nothing sucks more than paying lots of $$ for pretty food that my wife could have cooked better at home!!

As a foodie myself I find that my favorite restaurants are the ones that change there menus to follow the foods of that season. Right now I am big on comfort food. Last time I ate out I had meatloaf and carmilized onion mashed potatos. What really gets me going is an place that has braised meats. Right now I'm serving a duo of game, roasted venison loin with braised bison short ribs in an anise b-b-q sauce with roasted carrot puree and roasted baby beets. Osso Bucco, lamb shanks, short ribs, anyplace that serves these types of dishes is a place that I want to eat. As well, any place that serves honest food is high on my list. In T.O. Harrys serves great pork chops and mashed potatos for $6.95. Unbeatable value and tastes good as well. Nice menu for valentines, creative and good, the duck confit really sounds great. Curious about how you were able to grill the duck confit. Sounds awesome.

Curious about how you were able to grill the duck confit.

well, as you're probably thinking, it's not completely straightforward. first, I confit the duck, then each leg quarter gets wrapped and refrigerated. when the order comes in, the first thing I do is make sure the grill is hot, very hot. Cut the leg away from the thigh, then score each piece twice, on opposite sides, down to the bone. I use my fingertips to ease the the chilled (and therefore firmer) meat off and then use a knife with smooth serrations (bread knife or a knife designed to cut roasts in a similar fashion) to slice the pieces into wide, thin slices. these are arranged on a prep plate, brushed with a blend of white wine, fresh black pepper, a bit of salt, coconut cream etc, then seared on the grill.

actually, I inadvertently discovered something the other night. it turned out that I didn't have enough duck fat to do the last batch of duck legs, so in a fit of desperation I decided to brine them. the quarters went into a large, deep pan, covered completely with salty water, and then left overnight in a warm (150-175 dg F or so) oven. let's see ... I took them out around 5pm or so the next day, so that puts the time at around a complete 24 hours, I don't precisely remember.

but ... my god! they came out un-****ing-believably tender! of course, it's not the kind of thing you can serve straight, but for the kind of thing I do, i.e. simmer the seared slices in a curry, or put them in a spicy noodle dish, it works like a charm. definitely a better food cost, too.


Right now I'm serving a duo of game

right then, I knew you had to have something to do with the life; very characteristic choice of words. and it sounds absolutely fantastic! I've been looking for an opportunity to do braised beast, just haven't gotten around to it. I envy your location, Toronto; no worries about interesting sourcing opportunities, and you know your market will go for all the cool things you want to try.

what's the name of your place? how long have you been there? how many seats?

take care!

-alex.

I just grilled a 13lb turkey. I should have brined it as it has been sitting in the freezer for three(yes, 3) years. But I just thawed it in the fridge for four days rinsed it and brushed it with oil, then dry rubbed it with curry powder, red pepper, crushed red pepper, pepper and salt. Stuck it in a foil lined pan(to protect the pan) put it in a propane grill with one side on low, the turkey was on this side, and the other side on high for two hours tented, then with half a beer in the pan for the last half hour to brown it thoroughly. Turned out great, made four days worth of food. Plus I put all the leftover trimmed bits in the freezer for a stew/soup.

Right now I am working at The Granite Club. It is a private club with around 10 000 members. We have 6 kitchens. A bistro, dining room, banquets, staff cafe, sports bar, fromal dining(that's me) and in the summer a patio kitchen that seats about 120(me again). The bistro and dining room seat 150, the formal can do 50. On a good Sat we might do about 800-1000, depending on banquets. Working a private club is a different experience, lots of old school cuisine, roast beef buffet ever night, 365, shrimp cocktail, french onion soup etc. Plus everone is a regular and wants things done their way, every time. There is a fair amount of flexibility and we do serve more modern dishes as well, hubbard squash and pommagranite salad, roast venison, grilled liver with pancetta chips.

Our formal dining room, open Thursday-Saturday jacket and tie required, has a new, 7 course menu every two weeks. Amuse bouche, choice of four apps, salad, sorbet, choice of four mains, imported cheese plate and choice of dessert. Not bad for $75. Right now we have the duo of game, grilled veal chop with a mushroom gateau and port reduction, med sea bass with a burnt blood orange/anise sauce and beef tenderloin with poached bone marrow.

All in all it is an excellent place to work. Being the tournant is a benifit as well. I am leaving in Aug after two years to get married and then I am moving to Bangalore India for a year. Going to learn how to make real curried goat. Being immersed in a new culture and learnig that culinary style is going to be an amazing expeience.

Let me know more about your restaurant and what style of food you serve.

I just grilled a 13lb turkey. I should have brined it as it has been sitting in the freezer for three(yes, 3) years. But I just thawed it in the fridge for four days rinsed it and brushed it with oil, then dry rubbed it with curry powder, red pepper, crushed red pepper, pepper and salt. Stuck it in a foil lined pan(to protect the pan) put it in a propane grill with one side on low, the turkey was on this side, and the other side on high for two hours tented, then with half a beer in the pan for the last half hour to brown it thoroughly. Turned out great, made four days worth of food. Plus I put all the leftover trimmed bits in the freezer for a stew/soup.


Now that's the way to eat.