It can get pretty slow this time of year, especially during the week. It helps when other restaurants take their vacation/seasonal shutdown, which Brix is doing right now - hence we've been experiencing some decent lunch trade - but it still isn't what one would call "busy". Weekend nights can be one or the other - one is busy, one is not - and who knows which it will be until it arrives. (Although if Friday is extremely busy, we can be pretty sure that Saturday will not be - unless a dishwasher calls out!) Last night one of our guests noted how quiet things were. "You're not full...", they commented. The fact was, we were doing pretty well for a January Thursday! It's all relative.
Making the best of the Winter vegetables available can be a little challenging. So far Kevin has been getting lots of beets (and plenty of tickets reading "no beets"!) from Canada, with the main preparation being in the Harvard style. Cathy's giant turnips are pretty much all gone, but they were very tasty with lots of salt and a little maple syrup. There's always a giant bag of carrots to be had - lately julienned and roasted with shallots. My favorite cold weather vegetable is parsnips. Yesterday they roasted a whole sheet pan of the sliced roots and pureed them into a creamy, nutty mash. Heavenly! Who knows where the carrots and parsnips are coming from - but they sure aren't local! This explains why we don't constantly highlight our sources for product as being "local" on the menu and web page, when for a good 4 or 5 months out of the year, most of it is not. Sure, we still are getting our eggs from Marcia in Kennedyville, and Duncan in Chestertown, and we always get our burger meat from St. Brigid's, alongside their veal and the steer we buy every several months. But produce? Forget it. We do have things in the freezer - such as rhubarb - and in the pantry - such as our pickles - that started out freshly local, but for the most part this time of year we are dependent on the conglomerates that provide the food for the world. A root cellar would be nice, eh?
Good news in the wine world - the 2008 vintage for Alsatian wines is looking to be a banner year! I love Alsatian wines, especially the Gewurztraminer. Today we got in a case of the Pierre Sparr 2008, which we will sample tonight - just to make sure it is good enough for our clientele! Plus it's a screw top! While I miss saving those special corks, the Stelvin closure so many wineries are using is definitely user friendly.
The bright side of being a little on the slow side is the opportunity it offers Kevin to do some new things in the kitchen. He can experiment with dishes, make pasta, try a new bread recipe, tweak a classic favorite, and generally take the time to enjoy what he does. He has a very strong crew right now, especially in the day time when much of the work is done, and this also helps to free him up to do the chores he prefers to do. Less pressure, more pleasure.
There have been a lot of goose hunters in the D.R. lately. Nothing like the late 80's, when it was camouflage from front to back, but still a nice extra boost to business, when you need it most. We miss the days when we could cook the game for them, but the health department has removed that revenue stream from us. We are gifted with the odd bird or breast here and there (thanks Harry! thanks Taylor!) and enjoy them at home. One of the most important things Kevin has learned since his life on the Shore began in 1986 is how to cook a Canada goose!
Well, it's just about time for lunch and I've got a few things to do to get ready, so bye for now. Continue to support your local restaurants so they will be there for you all year long, okay?! We need each other, more than ever.
Making the best of the Winter vegetables available can be a little challenging. So far Kevin has been getting lots of beets (and plenty of tickets reading "no beets"!) from Canada, with the main preparation being in the Harvard style. Cathy's giant turnips are pretty much all gone, but they were very tasty with lots of salt and a little maple syrup. There's always a giant bag of carrots to be had - lately julienned and roasted with shallots. My favorite cold weather vegetable is parsnips. Yesterday they roasted a whole sheet pan of the sliced roots and pureed them into a creamy, nutty mash. Heavenly! Who knows where the carrots and parsnips are coming from - but they sure aren't local! This explains why we don't constantly highlight our sources for product as being "local" on the menu and web page, when for a good 4 or 5 months out of the year, most of it is not. Sure, we still are getting our eggs from Marcia in Kennedyville, and Duncan in Chestertown, and we always get our burger meat from St. Brigid's, alongside their veal and the steer we buy every several months. But produce? Forget it. We do have things in the freezer - such as rhubarb - and in the pantry - such as our pickles - that started out freshly local, but for the most part this time of year we are dependent on the conglomerates that provide the food for the world. A root cellar would be nice, eh?
Good news in the wine world - the 2008 vintage for Alsatian wines is looking to be a banner year! I love Alsatian wines, especially the Gewurztraminer. Today we got in a case of the Pierre Sparr 2008, which we will sample tonight - just to make sure it is good enough for our clientele! Plus it's a screw top! While I miss saving those special corks, the Stelvin closure so many wineries are using is definitely user friendly.
The bright side of being a little on the slow side is the opportunity it offers Kevin to do some new things in the kitchen. He can experiment with dishes, make pasta, try a new bread recipe, tweak a classic favorite, and generally take the time to enjoy what he does. He has a very strong crew right now, especially in the day time when much of the work is done, and this also helps to free him up to do the chores he prefers to do. Less pressure, more pleasure.
There have been a lot of goose hunters in the D.R. lately. Nothing like the late 80's, when it was camouflage from front to back, but still a nice extra boost to business, when you need it most. We miss the days when we could cook the game for them, but the health department has removed that revenue stream from us. We are gifted with the odd bird or breast here and there (thanks Harry! thanks Taylor!) and enjoy them at home. One of the most important things Kevin has learned since his life on the Shore began in 1986 is how to cook a Canada goose!
Well, it's just about time for lunch and I've got a few things to do to get ready, so bye for now. Continue to support your local restaurants so they will be there for you all year long, okay?! We need each other, more than ever.
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