Prix Fixe

Is this thing on?

Or alternate title of "Damn, you haven't blogged in ages and something at work spurred you to write this". Which is true. For those who don't know, I've opened a restaurant in Bremerton WA called Orion (Yeah it's a fb 'fan' page -but at the moment it's getting the job done) there's also the obligatory Yelp and Urban Spoon pages as well. But that's not why I'm here.

I need to get back into this form of expression and be able to write down all the jumbled things that are going around in my head. Tonight though, I was personally challenged. First the gentlemans wife had food restrictions pretty much no dairy and nothing from the allum family. No problem - I can work around that - and did.

Then he pipes up with "make me something" (mind you, it's a open kitchen and I'm all but sitting in the dining room - 800sq - 9 tables.) it a second but I put together a tempura with beer (cliche I know - but it was a local beer from Vahlholl brewing).

Batter some shitakes I had bought yesterday - fried them up - tossed with truffle sailt that I got at Pikes Place Market the last time I was there and served it with a quick sweet chile sauce (though the wife had to forego the sauce..). I couldn't go too wild, because of the wife - and I didn't have much to play around with as I'm pretty well portioned out to the point - I didn't want to throw things off. He was pleased, his wife was as happy as a clam and I was able to give them a personal experience.

I love my job, and I love what I'm doing. Radio was fun, but I'm starting to feel like this was what I was ment to do - I'm just a bit slow on the up take. I'll admit, (WARNING: Cliche Ahead) I'm still finding myself and that groove. 

If you're curious as to what the place looks like, take a look at this.

 

Now I will admit some of the plating has changed as the menu has progressed - though it's pretty dialed in at this point. But first menu change is coming up in April - while some dishes will carry over - I'm excited for the new additions.

This is also the first time ever that I've put together a wine list, and it's growing each and every week. It's exciting to be the one directly involved with the process (though doesn't the saying go: Chef's have control issues?). So now it's time to start working writing back into my schedule of things to do. Though being crazy busy, took a bit to adjust to - I think I'm at a point where I can find the time to do so, it maybe breif at times but this here blog ain't going nowhere. 

The Dance

I've got a more informative post in the works, just a couple things you should know before I move on to this video from Micheal Ruhlman. 

1. I'm no longer at Scratch.
2. I'm in the process of opening a restaurant in Bremerton WA.
3. Yep, no longer in Oregon
4. Don't have home internet yet, thank god for tethering. 

Awareness in the kitchen is mandatory.  If you don't have it, your frakked.

Had Something to Say - The Dance from michael ruhlman on Vimeo.

  

 

Meat Loaf....?

Last week while my son was in town, we brought them out for dinner. I figured we'd just go off the menu - silly me for thinking. Chef decided that we'd do a tasting menu, and go all but completely off the menu.

Pictured above is called "meat loaf" because honestly we couldn't think of a better name.

But it's far from the baked loaf of meat, smothered in ketchup you had as a kid. Hidden inside is gooey cheese center, wrapped around the cheese is wild flower and grass fed beef. It was then breaded and deep fried. Fishing it off is a cheese tuile and a on the fly marinara sauce.

One word: Outstanding

New Rule #65: Just Cook Good Food.

If you haven't read Studio Kitchen, you really should. Shola puts up New Rules from time to time - and while some of them I'm not all that agreeable with, this particular one hits the nail on the head.

ALL food served in restaurants ultimately comes from a FARM somewhere.

All of it.

ALL food served in restaurants will be served on a TABLE unless it is some casbah in Maroc.

So what is the point of the phrase descriptor "FARM to TABLE".

It is completely meaningless.

We should just cook good food instead of trying to use romance to create a 100% deceptive phrase that really has nothing to do with how much integrity actually goes into sourcing food just because overuse of the words "Local" and "Organic" has gotten tiresome and transparent.

Just Cook Good Food.

via blog.sholaolunloyo.com

Making The Cut

As you might know the Scratch menu changes each month, if a dish is popular enough it gets a stay of execution and is with us for another month. But after that; it goes into the vault - maybe you see it again - maybe you don't.

The first week of the menu is like a 'shake down cruise', we don't have the space to test dishes and figure out the plating. Chef has a general idea and we work with that, and each dish on the menu is fine tuned. This goes for both in cooking and plating.

For you fish lovers, the Black Cod gets a stay of execution; and stays with us another month.

New Blazers GM Rich Cho loved this dish (more on that tomorrow..).

BFF's on a plate: Pork and Chicken

This was an app special we ran last week. 

Bone out drumstick confited in bacon fat, stuffed with cheese and then wrapped in serrano ham. It would finish cooking with a quick go around in the oven. On the other end is our "un-tot" as there's no potato in it. 

The dish was complemented by the dueling sauces. 

A spicy romesco that was balanced by a creamy and refreshing lemon yogurt sauce.

Bacon Stuffed Scallop You Say?

This was a dish we did Sunday night for a private dinner party. 

It's a play on our scallop dish currently on the menu, only this time we stuffed the scallops with house cured bacon. 

It echo's whats below them, fava's, bacon, and champagne. 

FF: Improvise and Adapt.

On Wednesday I talked about the fact we smoke Feta in house.  

Here it is in all it's glory. 

Old Ricotta tub? Check.

Hole cut in lid? Check.

One PolyScience Hand-Held Smoker? Check.

With limited space in the restaurant we are constantly finding new way's to adapt and improvise in our surroundings. The need to maximize the limited space we have is a daily battle. If you don't work clean, you're not going to make it in our kitchen (or any other kitchen for that matter - but it is by far paramount here). They say to work clean, but here we have little choice - and there's no room for messy.

You just can't. 

You spread out, you crowd what little space you had and most likely piss off the guy prepping next to you. Like I've said before, I think a submarine has more space in their galley than we do, but I personally wouldn't have it any other way. I've learned to be more economical when it comes to working during prep.

Now thinking about ways to use the liquid that is expelled from the feta during the smoking process. There isn't a lot, but it's the brine now infused with smoke.

I've got some white miso that is up next for the smoker. Smoked white miso? Interesting.

Duck, Duck, Goose [Beta]

All of us at one time, played the game "Duck, Duck, Goose"...remember? This is a bit different than that, but again it invokes a childhood memory, does it not? 

Any guesses on which part is the "Goose"?

Rabbit Shenanigans.

Rabbit Pate
Pickled Carrot
Pickled Pepper Gelee`
Rocket
Hazelnut Espuma
Toast Points 

This was a special we've ran in a couple different forms, while having rabbit on the menu. This shows how you utilize an entire animal. While using the hindquarters and saddle we needed to do something with what we had left over - so we made rabbit stock, and what you see above.

And I can't even explain the joys of using rabbit butter.....