11.29.06
Posted in 1. The Story, 3. Recipes at 1:13 pm by Chef Matt
As if you would want to choose me as an item…
One of the wait staff came in yesterday and asked me how to spell my last name. I of course helped her out seeing as how I usually answer any questions asked of me - especially if I know the correct answer. This was a question I figured I could answer with reasonable accuracy, so I helped her out. She thanked me and left.
“Oh hey Matt, and can I get your Social Security number and bank account number too?…” |
Now, reflecting on this situation, this was actually rather odd. I mean, how often do your co-workers come up to you and say, “Hey, how do you spell your last name?” But there were about 20 roasted beets in front of me that needed to be peeled and sliced in time for dinner service which was only about 15 minutes away. Not to mention a tapenade that I needed to whip together, and I was still trying to find where my extra Manchego cheese had run off to over the course of the weekend. (It was in the walk-in I later found…). So in short, despite the odd nature of the question, I didn’t give it a second thought.
Fifteen minutes later, and the orders were coming in, and another member of the wait staff came in and said, “Well you’re officially here now. You’re on the menu.” I thought I knew what she meant but I was wrong. I thought she was referring to the dish I created for the menu (more about this soon…) that night, but she was in fact referring to the fact that my name is now printed on the menu inserts! That instantly explained why they needed to know how to spell my last name, at which time was graced by an “Ohhhhhhh….” kind of moment.
After two weeks there, I am guessing they figure I am worth keeping around - thanks so much everyone! - and so I am indeed part of the menu. Sure, my name is not first, and I am hardly able to re-write the menu myself, but it feels good to know I am a part of the team that gets mentioned to the public. And I am honored to be a part of such a good menu.
These are persimmons. I actually had never had one until about a month ago - they are sweet and delicious. |
But as for the other way in which I was on the menu, I had the first dish that I created there placed on the menu last night as well. We had some fresh smoked trout in stock, and we needed to create an hors d’oeuvre for it. We had some fennel that I was thinking of pairing with it, but that was claimed by another member of the kitchen staff. So instead I came up with leaves of Belgian endive filled with baby arugula leaves, smoked trout and small slices of orange. My boss changed the orange to pieces of fresh persimmon that we had in house which I agree was a better choice. I then came up with a plating that worked pretty well to surround a small bed of greens with a light vinaigrette with three of these trout-filled endive leaves radiating outward. I think it looked pretty darn good, and I was excited the public would be ordering a creation of mine on a menu that actually featured my name!
There was just one catch.
Nobody ordered it.
Sigh. I guess my moment in the sun will have to wait for another day. I am learning just how hard it is to break into this business. Even when you have a “free spot” on a menu, you still have to convince people to order what you come up with, and that is a lot harder than it looks!
At least I know there will be another chance forthcoming - heck they can’t just “erase” me off the menu. Right?… 
Matt
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11.27.06
Posted in 1. The Story at 1:08 am by Chef Matt
We put oysters on the menu at Vero the other day, and this presented me with a new experience - how to shuck an oyster. I thought I remembered how to do it from when I saw some friends do it, but it was quickly apparent that I did not. It took a quick demo form my coworkers to remind me about the right way to do this, and it was soon just me, 4 dozen oysters and an oyster shucker. What a party.
A quick demo of how to shuck an oyster if you want to cut yourself very badly. |
They were good quality oysters, and they sold pretty well. But with the weekend coming, there was no way they were going to stay fresh (gotta make sure we serve only fresh oysters to the customers!), so at the end of the night, I shucked the remaining 11 oysters for the staff to enjoy.
Well, of course some more than others…
I myself love raw oysters. My first adventure with them was at a friend’s wedding in Pensacola, FL. He took us to his favorite bar in the area, and when we arrived, he announced that they had the best oysters in town, and promptly ordered a dozen. We were all prepared for a good afternoon’s drinking, but few were prepared for such a culinary adventure. I myself had always been wary of the concept of a raw oyster, but as I have mentioned before, I am an adventurous one when it comes to trying foods. The oysters that came were as big as saucers and looked like they needed to be cut into several pieces before swallowing. As I was still ogling the immense mollusks, my friend reached over, threw on some hot sauce and fired the slimy thing down his throat in no time flat.
Goes great with oysters.
And Buffalo wings.
And guacamole.
And oxygen… |
It was put up or shut up time, so I did like he did, and even though I was scared of what something that looked that foul must taste like, I have to admit, it was love at first bite. For the uninitiated, they have a texture that has a firm strength on the outside, and a soft, yielding interior that flushes your mouth with the clean, smooth flavor of the ocean. A perfect compliment to the sauces that accompany them, and a great partner for many types of wine or as was the case on my first afternoon, a bucket of Coronas. I have been a passionate fan ever since.
Which brings us to yesterday. As I finished up the shucking of the remaining oysters for the staff, it was time for the staff to enjoy them. Those of us who liked them dug in, only having one or two each - not to be greedy of course. Those who didn’t like them kept their distance. (It’s OK not to like them, you just have to try them in my book…) Which brings us to the dishwashers. They are two high school kids who do a good job, and are a funny pair, but probably had not yet had the opportunity to try raw oysters.
And like me, they were similarly apprehensive at first. It took a lot of cajoling to get the first one to try an oyster. In fact, it had to be fed to him for him to even try it, and with him being about 6 foot 5, this was quite an adventure in itself. His reception of it was not all that great. He swallowed it fast, and was soon cursing the flavor while hopping on one foot. A reaction I had not seen before, but at least he knew beyond a reasonable doubt that he was not a fan. We were all proud of him.
“OK, we are going to put the oyster in now, and if you have to spit, we have this little sink here…” |
But now with the show he had put on, getting his friend to try one was going to be more difficult. We laid it out on a plate for him, as he requested since the shell seemed to skeeve him out, and handed him the hot sauce. He covered it in the hot sauce, and after several false starts (and several more applications of hot sauce) he finally got it into his mouth. But alas, it did not remain there for long. He was not a fan either - but that is putting it mildly. His oyster achieved “projectile status” upon leaving his mouth, and it gave us all a good laugh (and something to hunt for under the table…).
Again though, I am proud of him for trying one - I am just sorry he didn’t like them. Or maybe I am OK with that, I mean after all, that means more for me.
Matt
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11.24.06
Posted in 1. The Story, 3. Recipes at 2:55 pm by Chef Matt
So…. full….
I think I ate my weight in turkey last night. At least I must have tried. All I know is, I got something on the order of 12 hours of sleep last night after that meal. Thank God I had the day off yesterday. But I don’t today. One of the big trade-ins in working the restaurant business is that there is very little holiday time off - if any at all. Restaurants tend to be closed for the holidays themselves, but the day after, it is back to business as usual. While you all are enjoying a 4-day paid weekend, I have to be back at work in about an hour and a half from now.
How I got ready for the big dinner. |
Of course many people out there have been asking me “What did you cook for Thanksgiving this year?” Surprisingly enough, the answer is “not much”. With the change in jobs this week, and the uncertainty about my schedule that it brought about, I handed over the responsibility of cooking thanksgiving to my mom. She too is a very good cook, and she did a great job. Without further ado, the menu:
Soup Course:
Oysters Rockefeller Soup - Creamy, delicious and an all-around attractive dish. For those of you not familiar with Oysters Rockefeller, it is basically an oyster topped with spinach, cheese and béchamel sauce that is then broiled. To make it a soup, you make a real creamy base that you add oysters and spinach to. It was simply marvelous.
Pasta Course (We’re Italian, so we gotta have a separate course for the pasta!):
Penne alla Vodka - Italian being my specialty, I made this dish, and added prosciutto, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce. It was excellent, and many of us (unwisely) had seconds before the main course.
Main Course:
Turkey and Cranberry sauce - Of course. I did the carving only because this is something they teach you over and over again in culinary school. I had half the bird carved and ready to serve in under 3 minutes. And just to think - 3 years ago, I didn’t have a clue how to do that…
Sausage in the stuffing. Nothing like stuffing meat with more meat. |
Cornbread stuffing with Andouille Sausage - My wife’s addition to the meal. A great recipe she just recently picked up, it was spicy and sweet and loaded with flavor - a really great stuffing that I think will be made again for future Thanksgivings!
Sautéed Beets and Carrots - Nice splash of color on the plate
Roasted Asian Green Beans - The trouble with Thanksgiving dinner is that usually the meal is entirely beige. That is the reason I think people serve cranberry sauce. It isn’t particularly good, it is just something that is not brown. My mom worked hard to figure something out that would actually be green to go on the plate. This was a nice addition of color, flavor and chlorophyll.
They may be pretty now, but these boys have a date with a heck of a lot of oil! |
Fried Asparagus - This is the tip of the hat to my grandmother who was always the matriarch of Thanksgiving. She was a master with pan-frying, and fried asparagus was one of her specialties, so I make it every year in memory of her. Yes, asparagus is green, but with the fried batter around it, it comes out kinda brown, so alas, this too is another “brown” dish usually. But damn it is good!
Cheese Course:
Stilton - OK, not much of a cheese course per se, in that we had only one cheese. But damn, a good stilton with the wine we were having was a nice touch at this point. Though it is about now I realized I was in trouble with how much I had eaten…
Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie - Usually I make a cheesecake for dessert for Thanksgiving - Pumpkin or Apple Pie cheesecake - but this year was my mom’s year to cook, so she made her mom’s pumpkin pie. It was, as always, fabulous.
Now it is time to work off the food I have in me. Fortunately, I have to go to work, which is always a workout in its own right - but I am not sure how busy it is going to be the day after Thanksgiving. Maybe I need to go for a run or something.
If anybody wants any recipes, let me know, I am happy to share!
And finally, a poll to see what you think is the best use for leftover turkey. Everyone has their favorite, so let me know what’s the best!
Matt
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11.22.06
Posted in 1. The Story at 11:45 am by Chef Matt
My career at Tirolo is no more. My last day was yesterday, and I am headed off in search of greener pastures. Well that is, I am off to see what else is out there at my next job.
It’s almost like I am a recovering alcoholic… one job at a time, see what it brings, and head on to the next one.
I am sure you are all dying to know what it was like for the last day at Tirolo. I am sorry to disappoint you in saying that it was really much like any other day. I went through my usual morning set-up routines and handled the lunch crowd in much the same way that I always do. I think there was one major difference though. While I am usually also thinking ahead as to what I will need the next day, or checking up on stocks of supplies to make sure the levels were all where I needed them to be - that I just plain ignored. I couldn’t care less. That was the only thing that really felt different about how I did my job.
Well, there was that, and how the clock ticked about as slowly as I have ever seen it run during my last hour there. We were slammed for lunch, turning over about 100 customers in the meal, but in the final hour, things dried up. And so there I was, like a kid on the last day of school begging the clock to move faster so I could get out of there. It’s not that I hated the place, it’s just that it was time to move on, and here I was, cleaning my reach-in fridge for the 40th time that day waiting for the damn clock to give me the OK to roll on out of there.
Yeah, it’s THAT good… |
My last meal: a chicken parm sub. If you are ever at Tirolo, I highly recommend it - a damn good sandwich to be sure.
It was sad to leave my friends there - especially my partner on the line Meryem. Knowing that they are there today, slaving over that stove and burning their arms on the pizza stove without me makes me feel like I have abandoned them on the one hand, and on the other hand, I am a bit jealous because they get to have all the fun without me now…
But at the same time, I am excited for my new job - I actually worked the dinner shift there right after finishing up at Tirolo. I am getting the swing of things there already (amazing how it only took one week there as compared to 2 months or so at Tirolo…), and for dinner last night, we were slammed once again. It was roughly triple the average customer load for a Tuesday night. We had reservations on the books for something like 25 people, and we guess that we had about 65-70 show up over the course of the dinner. Apparently they all said, “Well, it’s Tuesday, who needs a reservation?!” Anyway, we all worked hard, and even without a dishwasher, we all pitched in, and got the job done. I think I understand now why they make you wash so many dishes in culinary school. The simple fact of the matter is, no matter where you are in a kitchen, you will be washing things all the time. Just a part of doing business.
They threw this party after I left Tirolo, but I am guessing that was in recognition of all the good work I did there… right?… |
So Tirolo is done, and Vero begins. No fanfare, no parade. Just a new place to park my car, a new kitchen to run around in looking for random ingredients, and a new group of great guys to yell at when we find ourselves neck-deep in order tickets. Gotta love it.
Matt
PS And if I don’t write again before then, have a Happy Thanksgiving! I myself am thankful that people choose to eat out in the other 364 days of the year, because that’s what keeps me employed!
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11.21.06
Posted in 1. The Story at 8:01 am by Chef Matt
Real quick post here, as it is late, and I want to get this thought down before I write on my last day at Tirolo, which is tomorrow!
Anyway, this past Saturday was my first ever Saturday dinner shift. I was expecting the worst - getting panic attacks and everything from the thought of having to handle fine dining at its most hectic, and only with 4 days of training. I was doing fine though, I was well prepped, and I have to admit, very well trained thanks to the great guys in the kitchen at Vero.
Orders were coming in at the pace I had become accustomed to, and they were going out with a regularity and quality level that seemed to be OK with all my superiors. At one point I found myself with three orders at the same time, and they were being handled just fine - pears were poaching, greens were being tossed, goat c
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