Fun At Work

It's been like the last day of school before summer vacation around here!

First we had to play a bit of a joke on Gerry - the customer who has the main claim on Table One.  Gerry and Marie have been in 4 out of 5 days this week, and I think have missed out on their favorite table only once.  But once is enough for Gerry.  He makes Marie haul ass so they can get here at 4:45, to guarantee that "his" table will be open.  Kevin came up with a plan - we'd put police tape around Table One, so no one else could sit there!  And that's what we did before lunch service today - since Marie had given me a heads up that they'd be in for one last meal before vacation.

Table One - apparently out of commission...

Ha!  Gerry is really pleased that we will go to such lengths to make sure he gets his table!

And then of course I had to take a picture of Nicole in her 8th month of pregnancy.  Oops - what is this? some kind before and after shot?

Nicole is expecting a baby girl sometime in the next 4 or 5 weeks - we all hope it happens over vacation so that she can be right back to work on the floor when we come back, but that is probably not going to be the case.  We do have a back-up plan if the baby doesn't arrive before her March 20th due date.  Nicole has been managing in the dining room quite well, big as she is, and I think the regulars have enjoyed seeing the blossoming of a baby. 

The Ever Exciting Wednesday Report

Coq au Vin was the entree for last night's prix-fixe menu, and it is bound to find some version of itself on the next menu - which would be in mid-March, I am hoping - if the positive response to it was enough votes.  It not only loooked as good as chicken can possibly look, it smelled heavenly when we served it.  It was preceded by a Caesar salad and followed by a flourless chocolate torte, neither of which earned photo rights for some unknown reason.  The menu was quite popular with the early crowd - of which there were many - but not so much with the late bunch - of which there were many.  We had a few post Valentine's celebrants in the mix, which was nice.

In other news, we will be celebrating our Fifth Birthday this coming May.  How about that?  Between now and then I will be planning a variety of ways to honor our customers who have been so supportive of us, and have paved the way for us to reach the Five Years Old anniversary.  I have to come up with ideas that don't involve extra work for Kevin, or at least that he doesn't think involves extra work for him.

That reminds me that our Thursday Burger Mania special began last year around this time.  Up until then, we had been struggling with slow Thursday nights and trying to come up with an idea that would bring in more business yet not be more work for Kevin.  Well, we sure succeeded - beyond any hopes - of filling the empty seats, but it definitely has not been without additional effort from The Chef.  Oh Well.  

I have succeeded in reducing my man hours on the floor, however.  (Funny how that works...)  Kentrall has been hosting at lunch for me which has provided valuable hours in which I can keep up on my paperwork, shop online, plan my ordering, surf the web, do some wine research, check FaceBook, pay bills and all the other office work that is the main reason for my existence.  He is a big help to Nicole - who, in her eighth month of pregnancy, needs a little extra help - and is great with the guests. This week he is picking up a bit more responsibility during service, so he can help out even more when she is on maternity leave next month.  He has been working here for about 18 months, in the dish room and on the floor, and we hope to have many more with him.

VDKD

We entertained some Valentine's Day Kitchen Diners last night:

Will and Jenna.  Will made these plans weeks ago, to surprise Jenna on Valentine's Day.  They are no strangers to the restaurant, but usually do their dining at the more dimly lighted bar area.

It wasn't a bad Valentine's Day, business-wise.  A nice steady lunch crowd, and very busy early at dinner, with things tapering off around 7PM, ending on a rather quiet note.  We weren't sure what to expect, knowing that most people would rather have a guaranteed seat for a night like this.  We took a lot of calls, and we sat all comers, with barely a wait, but it sure tapered off early.  Next year, reservations!  What do we know?  It's been 3 years since Valentine's Day fell on a "regular" day for us, and that was in 2009 when it was on a Saturday.  Last year it was on a Monday - oh well - and the year before that, even though it fell on a day we are normally closed, a Sunday, we opened with reservations only because we had lost so many days to snow that year.  The first year we were even open for the big dining day was 2008, when it was on a Thursday.  So, next year - Thursday again.  We'll plan for it.

The other V-word is looming on the Horizon.  Vay-Cay-Shun.  We are gearing down for a few weeks of closure, and pretty much everyone on the staff is looking forward to the break from reality.  Nothing really changes until that very first day when you don't have to go into work, like summer's freedom from school used to be.  (And by the last week you are ready to get back to it.)  People ask if I am "ready" for vacation, and my response is simple - I am always ready for vacation!  It just isn't always ready for me!  We will be using the time wisely, rest assured (pun intended), but until the week ends, it is business as usual here at BT.

Two "Finally"s

Finally we got a little snow.  Not much - although probably enough to kill our lunch business today, even though there is nary a flake on the road or even on the sidewalks - but it is stuck to all the tree branches, making everything quite pretty.  Unfortunately I left the camera in the office last night, so I couldn't take a picture of the daffodils at home, that are a foot out of the ground, in full bud, nodding under the weight of the snow...

More importantly, we finally got Marvesta Shrimp back!!  Not sure exactly what's been going on with them, although it seems as if they are going through a wholesaler now. All I know is that they are shipping to us again and we are thrilled.  Yesterday we offered them at lunch on a bed of that gorgeous burgundy spinach we get from Teddy Bear, and at dinner with the chickpea cake, kumquat chutney and a shrimp cream pan sauce.  

Hendrick's Gin

We have several customers, our landlord among them, who prefer the unusual taste of Hendrick's Gin over all others.  Generally they require a cucumber garnish, as opposed to the traditional olive or twist.  I like it myself and it has been on our back shelf ever since it came out in 1999.  At Hell's Point Seafood in Annapolis, during a summer trip over the bay last year,  I alerted to the huge dummy bottle of Hendricks they had perched on their bar.  I coveted it immediately and began bugging my salesman for one.

He came through yesterday.  The giant six liter bottle dwarfs the normal liter that we carry.  Acquiring that cool bottle for our bar is the highlight of my winter - and doesn't that tell you something about the life I lead?

Shaken, not stirred.

Company in the Kitchen

The Newtons, Mavis and Frank, travel from their home in Dover several times a month to have dinner - and sometimes lunch - with us at Brooks Tavern.  They are delightful people who enjoy dining out and all that it entails.  This was their first time sitting at the kitchen table, and while it wasn't, as per usual, the busiest Thursday night we have ever seen, they both had a terrific time.  I think we will see them again.

Wednesday Report

Last night's prix-fixe started with one of Kevin's soon-to-be-famous sausages - duck this time - on a chickpea cake with goat cheese cream and herb oil.  The sausage was a bit of a surprise and certainly added a whole new dimension to the menu.

The main event featured Kevin's already-famous meatloaf, this time with a bit of curry in it to change it up.  His meat loaf is always good, hot or cold, and this was no exception.  The curry aspect was very subtle, just enough to add a little "je ne sais quoi" to the meal. 

For dessert, diners received a slice of this tangy orange glazed orange angle food cake, a nice light ending to a meat centric meal on a rainy (not snowy) February night. 

I've been saying these past few weeks that for January business hasn't been too bad.  I won't be saying that for February.  Good grief it's been slow!  This past Tuesday was one of the slowest days on record, especially dinner.  Not that we mind so much, a slow Tuesday.  But Wednesday wasn't a whole lot better and neither was last week.  First Friday, while not always that great, was a complete bust.  I think we closed at 8:30, to no one's disappointment.  Has February become the new January? 

Of course there could still be confusion over our vacation dates...

Vacation is in two weeks.  Someone suggested yesterday that I broadcast that fact as a way to activate our customers into coming in before we close for three weeks.  "Only two more weeks to get your oyster fritter fix until March!" or something of that sort.  Maybe.  But frankly I don't think there is much more to do about it - it's February, people are away or waiting for VD or just cocooning at home, pretending to be snowed in.  We've been so fortunate this winter, to not be completely dead, that a few weeks of down business toward the end is not really coming as a surprise.  We order accordingly.  We close a bit early.  We are stress free.  The one thing we don't do is cut staff, aside from sending a busser home early now and then.  We all need all the hours we can get right now.

On to other news:  one of the most popular red wines we've served of late has been the recently introduced Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red, from Paso Robles in California.  I cannot recall where I first read about this wine, but I do remember that they mentioned, as an aside, that it was the best selling wine at Target!  What a hoot!  I didn't necessarily consider that a promising recommendation, but hey, it is good, and it has been very well received by our dining public.  I've been ordering a case a week, this week two.  It knocked the last favorite - a malbec no less - right off the pedestal, and has succeeded in shaking off any other competitor as well.  Why the name?  Because the wines are so rich they turn the Rhone Rangers teeth red...  I gather it is also available at Pip's and Lewes Dairy in Chestertown. 

Okay, so don't forget - only two more weeks to get in your oyster fritter fix until vacation arrives!!

A Few Miscellaneous Pics

First off, this one's for you, Hugh.  Our TG amaryllis is finally showing signs of a bloom!  It's been in its annual place in the front window - where we are all constantly kicking at it - and there is now, two months into it, a noticable bud.  Just goes to show, never give up the fight!

While Kevin is usually "working" with food, he is not beyond playing with his food as well.  'Nuf said.

Yesterday's soup prep of roasted mushrooms, parsnips, onion, garlic and carrots was not only a beautiful mosaic of colors, it smelled outrageously good as it cooled on the table top.

And finally, this is a picture of the lunch time version of the tortilla pie, served with some slices of St. Brigid's Farm flank steak and the jicama salsa.  It also has made a great breakfast with the vegetarian chili and more of that roasted sundried tomato sauce.  I know for a fact, seeing as that is what I am eating right now.

Fussing With The WebSite

Of the many jobs I attempt to accomplish from the office at Brooks Tavern, managing the WebSite is one of my favorites.  I'm don't know why I thought this was a skill I could master, but the spring before the restaurant was scheduled to open I took two online classes through Chesapeake College for WebSite design.  I managed to handle the courses at home on our laptop at the dining room table, with dial-up as my internet connection.  Not sure now how I did that, but it was good enough apparently. And I loved it.  I found the whole process to be amazing, how a change in the html could instantly change anything on the site, from the background color to the alignment of text to the placement of pictures.  We learned how to make a favicon, how to create links, how to add sound and motion (without resorting to "flash"), how to put in surveys and comment pages.  The instructor had us build a real WebSite, as you went from lesson to lesson, and I used this process to slowly put together the one for our business. 

Five years later (Five Years!!) much has changed in the world of the web and I have not kept up with my lessons.  I know I couldn't build a page from scratch today;  I can't even remember how to do much of anything without referring to notes from the class or one of the reference books I bought to accompany the class.  Luckily, much of the work is copy and paste, and the web hosting site that we use is a big help as well. 

I understand how important a WebSite can be to a business in this digital electronic mobile age.  Ours is on the hum-drum side, no flash or UTube or music, but it tries to serve the purpose.  And I try to keep it updated.  I figure the first page - or "index" - needs to convey the most information so the viewer really doesn't have to go further into the site if they don't want to or aren't able to.  Phone number, basic hours, email address, that sort of thing is right there for the surfer to find immediately upon entering the site.  After that it's all gravy - menus, FAQ, pages that offer the viewer a picture of the business before they get to the actual brick and mortar location.  I keep all the menus current, at least within a day of changing them, and I try to maintain a seasonal view with pictures and lead page greetings.  "Happy New Year!"  "Spring is Coming!"  "Kevin is 57!" (oops, maybe not that!)  Not everything on the site changes all that often, but "they" say it is important to keep it fresh, and since I maintain it myself, it is not too hard to do that. 

 Last week I updated the wine list, and while I was at it I changed the message on the first page and checked the links page, to make sure all of them were in working order.  One was no longer in business, so that had to go and was replaced by another.  I still find it amazing to have the WebSite up on one tab, open the web hosting site on another, make the changes, return to the BT site, hit "refresh" and watch the updated page magically appear.  Or not.  Sometimes I've made an error in the html and that will be quite visible as well.  I'll go back, fuss with it, try to figure out what I did wrong and make the correction.  Eventually it will come right. 

I am sure it's not a perfectly correct WebSite, but hopefully it appears equally attractive in all browsers and gets the information where it needs to go.  It is certainly one of the most cost-effective marketing tools we use today and I can't imagine having a business without it.

Wednesday's Review

I'm not sure why I got in this habit of posting a review of the Wednesday night prix-fixe each Thursday morning, but I suspect it has something to do with the lack of much else to report on!  The menu last night read very well, but we were still pretty slow.  It's more than likely a combination of time of year and confusion over our vacation.  What ever, we cannot complain about business overall this January - it has seemed to be a little better than usual, although that could be a figment of my ever hopeful imagination.  

Anyway, here's the menu report:

Kevin came up with this idea of a "tortilla pie".  He's been into all sorts of  "pies" lately, from the turnover last week, to the "crepe cake" he's been serving as a lunch special.  This time it's flour tortillas, layered with beans and ricotta cheese, browned on top with jack cheese.  Sort of like a "Mexican" lasagna I guess.

It was cut into triangles and garnished with a tortilla chip sail, sauced with a roasted sundried tomato sauce.  I didn't try all of the components together last night, but it sure made a tasty breakfast this morning!

The entree was pork tenderloin under a bed of jicama salsa, made especially savory with some roasted poblano peppers and cilantro.  Had to be good.

The wedge of chocolate cake had a little cinnamon in the batter, but perhaps not enough.  That was supposed to be the Mexican connection to the rest of the menu, but to my taste there was no cinnamon flavor...still a nice chocolatey cake for dessert. 

Big food events on the horizon include Super Bowl Sunday Supper and Valentine's Day.  Sunday's repast is sure to include guacamole - I know this because we are making it - and more than likely chicken wings and chili, in most living rooms.  I have no idea when this annual indoor sporting event became so food centric, but I understand that more avocados are sold for this feast day than at any other time of the year.  And you better get them early, since they won't be ripe in time if you wait until Saturday!

Valentine's Day - on a Tuesday this year - is billed as the second biggest day for restaurants around the country.  When it falls on a weekday like this, it is an especially attractive boost, since it heaps extra business on a typically slow day plus often adds to the guest counts for the weekend prior as well.  We expect to be pretty busy - I  am definitely scheduling a bartender - and the kitchen will be preparing a special "For Two" menu to greet the lovers in the dining room.  Kevin usually tries to get a heart on the plate somewhere or another, and of course we have to have those aphrodisiac foods that will help the rest of the evening along. 

Of course, my Valentine motto is not especially good for business:

     "Every day is Valentine's Day 

for Kevin and me."

Ha!

Hope your team wins! 

Burger Mania on Sunday

Burger Mania at Unity on Sunday was fun, even for the Chefs.  Kevin and Robbie cooked and grilled and cooked some more, trying (in vain at times I think) to keep up with the lines at the buffet for Andy's Burger Night, the second annual.  

Sliders from four different farms put out some tempting aromas, and were ferried into the dining room for rapid consumption by the participants. 

 

All were good.  I managed to snag three of the four samples, and tasted them side by side.  I did have a preference and I will leave it up to you to guess which one that was!

Kevin and Robbie worked pretty hard, and I don't see a beer in either of their hands.

Thanks Kevin!

The Pork Chop

One of the currently most popular dinner entrees is the pork chop.  It's done in a way that most people wouldn't bother with for dinner at home, unless it was dinner party fare, with flavors that rise above the typical restaurant offering.  

Of course Kevin starts with the whole pork loin, favoring the VanDerRose brand that he can get from Fell's Point Meat via United Shellfish.  He breaks down the loin, cuts the chops and brines them in a savory sugar/salt/water blend overnight.

 They come out of the brine and go on a rack to dry a bit before being wrapped individually.

This is the chop Kevin wanted for his own.

The finished plate - placed on a bed of stir-fried rice noodle cakes, sweet potatoes, a little broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, and spiced with Asian inspired flavors including ginger and fermented black beans.  It is delicious.  

Wednesday Prix-Fixe Report

A very nice menu last night, and I got shots of all three courses this time!

 

First course was a small spinach salad garnished with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and goat cheese, dressed with the balsamic vinaigrette. The spinach is a new product we got from Teddy Bear Fresh; called Bordeaux Spinach, it has a little red in the stems and is very tender, perfect for salads.  (Have I told you yet how happy we are with TBF - they are really great and our biggest regret is that we didn't call them sooner!)

Main course: SBF beef shank, braised and wrapped in the brick pastry, browned and then baked until crispy and hot.  It looked really good.

As did Angie's lemon angel food cake, with it's smear of lemon glaze, which was the perfectly light dessert.  

Of course the menu wasn't the only meal we served last night.  Mussels have returned to the kitchen, and here is Rodrigo prepping a bag for service.

They are PEI mussels, which, while farm raised and available all year, are typically better in the winter months, when the water is colder and the mussels are fatter.

Last night we served them with a coconut curry sauce, which had a tiny bit of heat.  This is personally my favorite way to eat them, with a creamy sauce that gilds the mussels.  You need a spoon!

Rockfish was on the special list too last night, topped with a couple of the soon-to-be-famous fried oysters.  The important thing to note here is that the oyster garnish is gluten free, being dredged in a mixture of corn and rice flours before frying.  It surprised me how many people ordered the rockfish sans oysters - I kept trying to get Kev to give me their unwanted oysters, to no avail.

In other news, Chef Kevin will be working on Sunday.  Well, sort of working.  He'll probably be drinking a beer while he helps man the grills at the Second Annual Andy's Burger Night (Revisited) at Unity Nursery on Sunday.  He will be grilling some sliders, along side Chef Robbie Jester, from Harbor House, at the Washington College Center for Environment and Society sponsored event.  The burgers will feature ground beef from four local growers: Roy Crow's Angus beef,  Sassafras River Beef from Cecilton, Chestertown's own Cedar Run, and, of course our favorite, St. Brigid's grass fed Jersey beef from Kennedyville.  The rest of the menu will also spotlight local, as in Colchester and Against the Grain, not to mention 16 Mile and Cassinelli.  What a line-up!  It was a lot of fun last year, despite some organizational glitches, which means this year will be even better.  Arranged by Andy and Tara, fueled by Eastern Shore food and drink, and entertained by local music, this is a day to get out and do. 

Speaking of all things local, this man you see running from my camera is none other than Fairlee entrepreneur Melvin Thompson.  Melvin and his wife own Chestertown Paper, and have to be two of the hardest working people I know.  We have been buying just about all of our paper goods and a few of our cleaning supplies from Melvin for our entire restaurant career here in K.C., which is going on 26 years.  You call him and he delivers - or rather, lately, Melvin Junior delivers - often the next day.  If he doesn't have it, he can usually get it.  When he's not driving around the county delivering paper products, he and his family can be found in the evening hours cleaning offices, banks and stores throughout the area.  I don't think he ever stops.

Not even to have his picture taken.  Unknown to me, Melvin is apparently camera-shy.  He says he wouldn't even let his wife take a picture of him at the family reunion, so if I took one and she saw it, "I'm dead", he says.  Hence the ducking around the corner with the collar rolled up...

To Make a Ham

Kevin made the leg of his little pig into a ham this weekend, a process that began Friday morning and ended Monday afternoon - a nice weekend project.  

First, of course, he did a lot of research.  In the end, it all came back to Michael Ruhlman and his book, "Charcuterie", to which almost every internet blogger referred when it came to making a ham.  Nothing new there.  So, since Kevin already has the book, he has the recipe and the methods most found useful.  

The weight of the leg of pork determines the brine and the length of time it goes in the smoker.

Kevin made his brine with a little spice and a little sweet, as well as a salt called "Cure #1".  Sodium Nitrite is necessary to make any kind of sausage, bacon or ham.  It is basically mixed with salt dyed pink - pink so you don't mistake it for regular table salt, a mistake which could actually be fatal. Kevin's brine is heating on the stove, right next to Mr. PC, who is cooking up some turkey legs.  (14 minutes!)

It's going to stay in this brine for 60 hours - or two and one half days, the formula being 24 hours for every two pounds of meat.

Half way through he turned it over and checked the progress. 

The cooking/smoking part began on Monday afternoon. The brined leg is tied up so it will cook more evenly, and put on the smoker with some cherry chips.  The meat must get to 165 degrees. 

One of the joys of having to do this at home is the quality time

it offers on the patio.

 Kevin opens the smoker to let me get a picture of the

leg on the grill.  Smokey!

 This should take a few hours.

When the probe reads 165, Kevin deems it Done! 

Looks gorgeous!

He slices into it this morning.  The review?  Moist and flavorful, maybe a little overly smokey, not too salty.  I see a ham sandwich in my future!