December 28, 2008

Tuesday @ Chef T's

Chef T's Happy Holidays Party


Wow. I have to say it, WOW. What a great party. The food, the wine, the conversation. Wow. Kudos, thanks, pats on the back first. Karen, thanks for those great martini's. Both the peppermint and chocolate went down a little too smooth. Chef Tahya. Thank you for providing the magnificent beef loin and making the Bernaise sauce on site. Also, the Egg Nog was yummy. Movie-Man Sandy. You stepped up this time in a big way. Your shrimp cocktail was delicious. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the cocktail sauce, excellent. Baseball Mike, thanks for bringing Tracy because she brought that simply awesome coconut cream pie. Even after eating our huge dinner that pie was scrumptious. And thanks for directing us in the best possible order to drink the wines. I think everyone thought you were spot on. (except me, I personally thought the '90 should have gone first, before the '93) and for bringing the delicious dessert wine. So again, thanks to everyone for making our first of many (hopefully) Tuesday @ Chef T's holiday party a great success. On a sadder note, we were sorry that Tracy P. could not join us because of a conflict at work. Hopefully next year Tracy. Lastly, thanks to everyone for at least trying my Brussel Sprouts.

This party took some time getting scheduled but in the end, after making adjustments for everyone, we all got it in the history books. Thanks to our guests Sherri, Tracy and Karen. We appreciate you hanging out with us.

Before going on to the menu I'll pat myself on the back for opening up an amazing vertical of wine. Opus One. 1989 - 1995. The talk at the table was a possible street value of over $2000. So Happy Holidays to all who got to raise one of our glasses.


The Wine. Opus One. 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 & 1995.
Also, Margan 2005 Botrytis Semillon.












Our Menu:
Chocolate Mint and Peppermint Martini's

Apps:
Shrimp cocktail
Gravlax on pumpernickel bread with mustard dill creme fraiche
Crudités of sliced and whole raw vegetables including celery sticks, carrot sticks, bell pepper strips and broccoli florets with blue cheese dipping sauce.

First Course:
Cream of Wild Mushroom soup

Main Course:
Roasted Whole Beef Loin with Bernaise sauce
Scalloped Potatoes
Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan Cheese
Green Beans

Dessert:
Coconut Cream Pie

Evening wrap up:
Egg Nog with or without brandy



From the Tuesday @ Chef T's family; Movie-Man Sandy, Chef T, Chef Tahya and Baseball Mike, may the spirit of the holidays live within you, your family and those around you. Happy Holidays.

Pilgrim's Pride Bankruptcy

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side so he could sell his shares of Pilgrim's Pride before it was worth NOTHING. Shares of Pilgrim's Pride fell 52.6 cents, or 46 percent, to 62.4 cents before trading was halted on Monday December 1. The company's stock has nearly eroded from its 52-week high of $29.59. Nice job Pilgrim's Pride. Within the year, your stock was trading at $29.59 and was down to 62.4 cents before trading of it was suspended by the New York Stock Exchange.

According to an Associated Press article on Yahoo Finance, "Pilgrim's Pride Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday December 1, hurt like other meat producers by volatile feed prices and slumping demand but also hobbled by an unmanageable debt load."

O.K., demand for chicken is down? Really? Is that what people do when the economy starts slipping? They stop ordering chicken on their Caesar Salad and just order a plain cheese pizza at C.P.K. instead of the BBQ Chicken pizza. Maybe so. But I think it's interesting that Pilgrim's Pride, the countries largest chicken producer which controlls some 23% of the chicken market, is bankrupt. What is up with all of our huge corporations? AIG, The Big Three Auto companies and now Pilgrim's Pride. They all get run into the ground because they're run on CREDIT. As a country, we need small businesses to flourish because that's what truly keeps the economy moving. The little companies, the ones that are usually run without much credit. When a small company makes a profit, they might pay some bonuses, expand or even give raises to it's employees. But what do the big companies do? Pilgrim's Pride did $2.17 billion in business in their 4th quarter. That's $8.5 billion per year. That's a pretty big business. But how much of that business is run on CREDIT? Money that Pilgrim's Pride doesn't have? They borrow and borrow and borrow so they can keep going. Sounds a lot like the american consumer, which has managed to increase personal debt 400% since 2000. Nice. Because of course, we all know that operating at a loss, with huge debt is the AMERICAN WAY. Just look at the Airline industry. They operate at a loss every quarter, yet they continue to stay in business. Why is it that the government is afraid to let these huge companies fail? If Pilgrim's Pride were to fail, do you think all the chicken in your grocery store would vanish? Doubtful. "See a need, fill a need" (Robots) some chicken producer like Tyson would step in and fill the void. And that would be a good thing, because then Tyson and other producers would have a increase in sales. Good for them. What's sad about filing for Chapter 11 is that all of the money owed to creditors before the filing is basically wiped out. So all of the little companies that Pilgrim's Pride owes money to, companies that really need that money to survive, will be left out in the Texas sun. Yet Pilgrim's Pride will get to continue to operate and only have to pay on the new debt. I wonder how many of those smaller companies will fail, yet we'll never read about them. And I also wonder if under their bankruptcy filing, Pilgrim's Pride CEO and president Clint Rivers gets to keep his job. Seems like he hasn't done a very good job this past year. Maybe it's time they sell off their assets and let the other companies, like Tyson, pick up the slack.

December 2, 2008

Tuesday @ Chef T's

The South Shall Rise Again.

Welcome back from the wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Hopefully everyone had a great Turkey day and your football teams won their games. Thanks to Chef Tahya for all his hard work on the Hushpuppies, Corn Chowduh, Fried Chicken and Cheesy Grits. Thanks Baseball Mike for the great selection of bubbly and wine. We'll forgive you for forgetting the evening wrap up Riesling because everything you brought was great (even Tracy). We happily indulged in;

Makers Mark Mint Julep
Toso Brut
Penfolds Eden Valley 03 Reserve Riesling
Joseph Drouhin 04 Chablis Premier Cru
Sonoma-Cutrer 04 Les Pierres Chardonnay
J. Wilkes 04 Bien Nacido Hillside Pinot Noir
Korem 02 Isola Dei Nuraghi

Our menu for the evening:
Apps:
Mint Juleps
Catfish Cakes
Hushpuppies

Main Course:
Corn Chowder
Southern Fried Chicken
Calabash Coleslaw
Cheezy Grits

Dessert:
Apples in Wine & Cinnamon Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream

The Tuesday @ Chef T group welcomed a new guest, Tracy, who was introduced to the group by Baseball Mike. Nice job Mike. Great wine, Great girl. Hopefully Tracy will join us again at our next event. Although with our little "He said/She said" banter, it may be a little more difficult. Tracy, we're not usually that overly animated although we are all very passionate. Thanks for joining us and please, come visit us again at our next event.

Ciao

November 4, 2008

Tuesday @ Chef T's.

Election night. Obama Wins the presidency. Thanks for joining us Sherri it was great seeing you again and adding your wonderful wit to our testosterone braise. Thanks also to Karen for stopping by after you got off work. Great night everyone, even though the power went out again. Movie-Man Sandy, FIRE HAZARD! Seriously dude, I realize that you're not normally using a fryer out on your patio, but in the event that somehow you were to obtain a fryer and wanted to use it, having to use it only during daylight hours when you could shut off the rest of your lights is a bit restrictive.
So, the condo didn't burn down and the food was awesome. Thanks Chef Tahya for amazing grub again. Baseball Mike, thanks for the great wine, loved it, whatever it was... and Movie-man, Thanks for hosting, providing proper water and letting us hang out at your place again. Oh, I must add (because those who know me know I must) WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THE STINKING PARKING again? Chef Tahya's better half didn't even stay because she couldn't find a place to park. Sherri & Baseball Mike both had to park in West Mesa and even late in the evening Karen had to park on the far east side of the complex. Alright, I'm not going to rant about it here, but Geeeeeez. Here's what I think (you all saw this coming, right?) First of all, you have a 2 bedroom, so you should get 2 included spots. You only have 1, so go down to the office and DEMAND a parking pass, for FREE. Second, the next time your homeowners association meets, go there and tell them you want the association (or whomever runs the parking) to offer temporary 24 hour passes (FOR FREE). Plus, you should be able to get as many temporary passes as you'll need for whatever event you're having. That way those people who know that guests are coming over can get passes for them ahead of time. Well, enough about that. Tracy, sorry you couldn't stay, we missed you.

Libations for the evening;
Gordon Biersch Marzen
Gordon Biersch Winter Bock - Dark Double Bock
Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock - Golden Lager
Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale
2003 Yalumba "The Signature' Barossa Cab/ Shiraz- 55% C.s. and 45% Shiraz
2004 Ash Hollow "Terassa" Colombia Valley 40% CS, 40% Merlotand 20% Cab franc
2001 Poliziano Rosso di Montepulciano

Our Menu:
Vegetable medly including; Potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnip, sweet onion, carrot and celery.
French Fries
Mac & Cheese
Grilled Italian Sausages with caramelized onions and sauerkraut

Apple Pie a la mode

Thanks to everyone for attending this evening of great grub and political history.
Ciao

October 28, 2008

Tuesday @ Chef T's.
Glad to see Baseball Mike was feeling better although still not much of an appetite. You're not stopping at Burger King on your way to dinner are you Mike?

Good Wines;
Arista 2007 Gewurztraminer
Gary Farrel 1994 Merlot "Ladi's Vyd"
Rosemount 1995 GSM
Cambria 1999 Pinot Noir "Bench Break Vyd"
Dominio de Conte 2003 Rioja (corked)
Garretson 2003 Mourvedre "The Graosta" (flawed)
Lone Canary 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Balboa Winery 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Substance 2006 CS Cabernet Sauvignon






Simple Menu;
Mini Pizza's from Trader Joes (thanks Movie-man)
Roasted Green Beans
Roasted Root Vegetable Medly including Sweet Potatoe, Yam, Onion, Yukon Gold, Turnip, Carrot and Radish
Whole Roasted Duck and Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry & Wild Raspberry Reduction

Flourless Chocolate Cake Ala Mode (Another Trader Joe's product and NOT very good)

Smokes with Rum and Coke thanks to Baseball Mike

Thanks to all for another great meal. Thanks to Chef Tahya for all your hard work prepping the meal. Next Tuesday we'll have Movie-man step it up on the apps a bit.

Waiter, can I get a clothespin for my nose?

I know people smoke. I grew up in a family where one parent smoked. I know the smell and maybe I'm a little sensitive to it, but there is no excuse to smell smoke on someone who works with the public. As a society, we're not in love with body odor, we complain about it on airplanes, in offices and anywhere we encounter the smell of body odor and we can't get away from it. Well, the smell of tobacco smoke on someones clothing or their breath is the same thing. There probably aren't a whole lot of people who love waking up after a night out and rubbing the clothes they wore the night before all over themselves. It's gross. That stale smell is gross. Sorry to all the smokers out there but I know there are considerate smokers who realize the smell and do what they can to minimize it and I appreciate it. However, those who don't. You STINK. And when I'm out at a restaurant, I DON'T want to smell you and I don't want to smell stale tobacco smoke. Yuk. There are few things that can turn me off more than that smell. It's just gross. The smell of cooking can be wonderful. Fresh baked bread, fresh brewed coffee the smell of bbq or grilling meats. When you walk into a restaurant and smell those things, your mouth starts salivating and you can't wait to eat. That's the way it should be. It shouldn't be overtaken by the smell of a server when they approach your table to take your order. If you smoke use breath spray and Febreze your clothes. The amount you get tipped could very well be affected by your personal odor and how the customer reacts to it.

A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned

Is it acceptable for a server to "keep" your change? Let's say you got a bill at a restaurant that was $31.73. You leave $40 in the wallet and when the server returns the wallet there are 8 $1 dollar bills. Is this o.k.? Is this common? Is this how ANY person should act when returning change from a purchase? NO. NO. In case you missed it, NOOOOO. Are you kidding me? Why would any server EVER think that the change is theirs to keep? I'm miffed by this strange behavior that I've encountered at least 4 times this year alone. Not only is this STEALING, it's WRONG. And, it shouldn't be tolerated. If this happens to you, I guess you can decide whether you feel the server is having a bad day and maybe just forgot all the change and doesn't deserve to get fired, but not in my opinion. They do it all shift long, giving change, so there is NO excuse. No reason to ever short change a customer. Let's look at it this way. Have you ever been given too much change? You know, let's say your bill was $31.05 and you gave the server $40. Have you ever gotten back $9? YES. It happens all the time. And giving back extra is not stealing from the restaurant because when the server closes out for the shift, the restaurant gets what is owed them, not a nickel short. Nobody want 95 cents banging around their pockets or weighing down their change purse anyway. And the server is going to get it back in tips IF, and this is a big IF, they give you the change in the proper denominations. You know, like when you get $7 in change and it's a $5 and two $1's and you don't have any other change. BASIC server stuff here. Let's say the bill is $22 and the customer gives the server $30. The server gives the customer back a $5 dollar bill and three $1 dollar bills. What would you leave as the tip if you didn't have any other bills? Or, would you ask the server to break the $5 dollar bill into ones? Depends on how the entire experience went I suppose. But really, it shouldn't. The server should already know that. Personally, I would leave the $3 and take the $5. Going out to a restaurant is about SERVICE. And making me ask for different change causing me to wait longer to leave, that's not service. Service means you come, you eat, you leave and life is great. You talk about the wonderful food, how the server was attentive to your needs and how much you want to come back. Service is not about waiting for a server to make change when they've already had the opportunity to do so. Rant on my FOODIE flock, what say you?

October 14, 2008

Happy Birthday Chef T

What an awesome evening. Chef Tahya prepared the food and it was all fantastic.
Our Menu:
Leek and Gruyere Tart w/ crumbled bacon

Fish Stew with Scallops, Mussels, Oysters, Clams, Shrimp, Pompano, Red Snapper and Tuna Belly
Grilled Eggplant tossed in vinegarette
Bread from scratch


Banana Splits with HaggenDaz Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry ice cream topped with homemade strawberry, chocolate and caramel sauces and toasted almonds.

It was all very, very good.

Thanks Chef Tahya for all your hard work, time, effort, money etc...
Thanks Movie-Man Sandy for bringing the Haggen Daz and some amazing red wine.
Thanks Baseball Mike for even showing up. I know you're sick so I doubly appeciate you making the drive just to wish me a Happy Birthday. I'm grateful that you did and appreciate the amazing white wines you brought. Yum Yum. The Chablis was great.
Thanks Tracy for letting Chef Tahya host my birthday dinner in your home. (I know you live there too T) and to the both of you for the b-day gift.

Thanks Everyone.

Green Kitchens - Let's ALL commit

Every kitchen should be green. At least, every kitchen built from 2009 on. Since the housing industry has slowed to a crawl, now is a great time for home builders to ramp up and ONLY build eco friendly kitchens in all new construction. Eco frinedly kitchens? If you're not familiar, here's some ideas to get you started and you can check out Eco Design Resources for additional help.
Floors, countertops, cabinets and equipement. These are the basic four ingredients to any kitchen.
Floors: sustainable bamboo flooring is the choice here. Check out Ecotimber for some great ideas.
Countertops should have a high recycled glass content. Check out Ice Stone or F ue Z both of which are great countertop choices.
Cabinets: Again, bamboo is a great and Eco Design Resources is a great resource.
Equipment, or appliances: Energy Star should be mandatory here and really, most builders do a good job of offering energy star appliances in their new homes. The gov. has a great site to help you with your research. Energystar

What else is there to think about? What about Oven mitts, kitchen towels and aprons made from Hemp? Don't get excited Movie-man Sandy, although you could use some mitts and towels. Check these out, Eco Kitchen and their line of hemp products.
And paper plates and cups? I'm sure we've all used them and now we can use biodegradable plates and cups which would really help the environment. Check these out by Verterra.

And aside from some basic tips such as keeping your freezer full and not pre-rinsing your dishes but letting the dishwasher do its job, there is a MAJOR challenge. NO MORE plastic bags. You can find reusable bags almost everywhere. Wal-Mart, Target, grocery stores. It seems they all have their own reusable bag to offer. Or, you could check out BMG Wholesale and buy a bag from them. Either way, we as a society need to stop using plastic bags. They have become an evil that we need to discontinue producing.

So let's work togeter and make our kitchens the hub of our environmentally friendly home.

Mother's Cookies - Bankrupt and Closing

Whoa, Whoa, WHOA. Where am I supposed to get my Circus Animal cookies now? Are you kidding me, one of the oldest and greatest ICONS of cookiedom is gone? What about Taffy's or Frosted Oatmeal cookies? (I actually haven't had either of these in years, just trying to make a point here). Rising prices for raw materials and fuel are blamed for shuttering Mother's Cookies. Raise the price of the goods or services your making or providing. Cut back and only make a few types. Somebody out there has to be able to make the little frosted animal cookies with the colored sprinkles and be able to do it profitably. Why does EVERY business that fails blame outside sources as if they have no control over them? It's such bullshit. These companies buy fuel contracts and if they don't, than they are IDIOTS. Gee, the price of flour has gone up. O.K., so raise the price of the cookies. The 14oz. bag of cookies cost $2.79. Raise it to $2.99. Think anyone would notice? Doubtful. Who else makes frosted sprinkled animal cookies? I'm pretty sure there aren't many out there. And at the stores I shop at, none but Mother's. So, is Keebler or Nabisco/Sunshine going to swoop in and start making them? Did Catterton Partners sell off the recipes? Only time will tell. But I'm sure they'll do whatever they can to squeeze out the last drop of money from the Mother's Cookies brand.

Check out their website. I love this statement: "Throughout our history, we have helped our portfolio companies to rapidly and successfully achieve their business goals and objectives, and to become leaders in their respective industry segments." That was from the Catterton Partners corporate overview. Yeah, great job. Mother's is surely a leader now. C'mon. How do they get people to invest in this equity firm when they ran a 92 year old company into the ground? Now, close your eyes and imagine your local grocery store. Think of the cookie isle. Think of all the Mother's cookies that will no longer be there. Well, here's my take. Those brilliant equity partners were paid WAY too much and Mother's as a BRAND couldn't make the company enough revenue to continue. It's not about taking a pay cut or even letting Mother's operate even-steven. It's about taking too much money out of the kitty and not leaving enough in to run the business. I would love to see this as a case study for business students in colleges around the country. How to completely and utterly fuck up a 92 year old INSTITUTION. If you own a business (Oregenos Pizza Bistro are you listening?) and the suits show up at your door, slam it in their face. Think of the sub prime mortgage meltdown of 2008 and think of those suits as mortgage lenders who are just there to offer you a deal that is just TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Don't fall into the trap of selling your soul or your company, even if it's only 49%, to the suits. Go find a Mother's Cookie wrapper and pin it to your wall right now. Don't let this happen to you or your business. There is no reason why Mother's should have failed except for BAD MANAGEMENT. In today's world, where the only people making money are those middle men making the deals, Mother's has just become another example of the money men taking a viable institution and wrecking it. Don't BLAME the price of fuel or the price of flour. Blame Catterton Partners. We need to get back to the banking and finance arenas of years past where a businesses operated within their means and financial institutions loaned their own money or that of their depositors, not money they borrowed to inflate their own asset list. This is truly as sad day for anyone who appreciates MADE IN THE U.S.A.

I raise my glass of milk and toast those at Mothers Cookies. Farewell my friend, you will be missed more than you shall ever know. The void in my stomach that was once filled with the wonderful goodness of Mothers Cookies, shall remain empty from this day forth.

October 7, 2008

Happy Birthday Mike / Pacific Northwest


Wines: (alphabetical)
Arbor Crest "Dionysus 16" 1995 (Corked)
Bergevin Lane Merlot 2005
Bergevin Lane "Qui Deux" Syrah 2005
Bricco Sangiovese 2006
Bricco Syrah 2005
Cadence Bel Canto (Cab Franc/Merlot)2006
Domaine Serene "Cotes Sud" Chardonnay 1999
Domaine Serene "Clos du Soleil" Chardonnay 2000
Elk Cove "La Boheme" Pinot Noir 2000
Hedges "Three Vineyards" 1995
Ken Wright Pinot Noir 1997
Northstar Merlot 1994
Willakenzie "Aliette" Pinot Noir 1999
Willakenzie "Pierre Leon" Pinot Noir 1999

All wines provided by Baseball Mike. Thanks Mike. Photo provided by Chef Tahya. Thanks.

Menu:
Salmon Cakes with Remoulade sauce

Grilled Flat Iron steaks with game sauce
Sauteed Green beans with parma butter
Roasted medley of new potato, sweet potato, turnip, parsnip and butternut squash
Wild Mushroom Risotto

Carmelized Washington Apples on Puff Pastry topped with Creme anglaise

Wow, what a night. Even though we had the second presidential debate there wasn't much talk about politics. The evening did get a late start since we waited for the debate to end before opening the doors. Hey Baseball Mike, thanks for bringing 2 foodies to our table. Kim, a local wine snob (she said it, not me) was here as was her friend Laci (Hoover) from Washington state. We all hung out while Mike opened the many bottles of wine for us to sip and drip. Chef Tahya cooked away and did a great job. Everything was F A N T A S T I C. (and cooked right too) Well, lets just say the timing may not have been perfect, but the comraderie was. Laci really gave Movie-man Sandy (Hoover Jr.) a run for his stomach. They both powered down two plates of food, but in the end, Sandy threw in the white towel. Laci was victorious. Whoop, Whoop. Sorry Hoover Jr., ya got showed up by a 'goil'. Nice job Laci. Thanks for making Chef Tahya feel great seeing someone truely enjoying his toils.

Mike, how many corks did you break? I guess that just goes to show you that even a $100 cork screw can't pull corks any better than a $3 waiters special. Or maybe it was user error? Hmmm. Probably just dried corks since a lot of these wines were old or should I say pleasantly mature. Either way, the cork particles and dust were kept to a minimum. Thanks Mike.

Water! Water! Where was my water? There were plenty of glasses in the cupboard. Oh well, got my own thank you.

Denturegrip. Upset stomach. Lazy bowels. What's up with these S L O W eaters? I thought the whole idea with serving food hot was to eat it at least while it's warm. Maybe there's some new culinary concept I'm missing here. I think I get it. It starts out as a sauce, then congeils to a gluey goooo,then bonds the fork to the plate and you can't eat anymore. This must be a new diet idea. Hopefully it makes someone rich. Money, money, money.

Northstar Merlot. I guess this was suppossed to be the "STAR" of the evening. Don't you hate it when you get all dressed up for the party only to find someone else wearing the same dress? Well it was o.k.. Mind you, I've probably only had a couple THOUSAND Merlots in my life but I would never profess to be anything more than a stay-at-home dad, ex chef who loves to cook, drink wine and cocktails and hang out with my friends. I've had lots and lots of opportunities to drink really good wine and really bad wine. And in the end, all anyone can offer is just an opinion anyway. Even Robert Parker can only offer his opinion. So here's mine. The 1994 Northstar Merlot was ...

O.K.

But, the story is what makes it cool. Baseball Mike said it was the first vintage. If you want to read more about Northstar, you can click here Northstar Merlot. Unfortunately, they don't list the make-up of the first vintage, but the 1995 vintage was 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet. I thought the percentages for the 1994 were:
80% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. But more than likely there wasn't any Cab. Franc used. However, the current 2004 vintage uses Petite Verdot, which I believe Baseball Mike said they don't have any up there. Hmmmm. Should have asked Movie-man Sandy. He's a certified Sommelier. Just messing around kids. It's all in fun, don't take yourself too seriously. But I digress...

So Laci had on the coolest sandals I've ever seen. They had a bottle opener on the bottom. Check it out. A bottle opener on the bottom of her sandals. They are REEF sandals. Reef Fashion Coolest thing since sliced bread. Really.

It was a great night. Even though Movie-man Sandy only had cigars as his "skin" in the game, it all came together just fine. Sure the venue changed and I still did all the dishes (I'm pretty sure there was more than one drying towel) but alas, so it goes. Maybe next time everyone will pitch in and clean up so we can all sit outside and smoke cigars and drink port.

It was great fun and always nice to meet new, fun people. Thanks Laci and Kim for spending one of your evenings with us, the crazy foodies at Tuesday @ Chef T's.

September 30, 2008

Ordinary to Extraordinary

Menu:
Honey-Tomato Bruschetta
Shoestring Fries
Onion Rings
Gourmet Burgers made with ground Beef & Lamb
Heirloom Tomatoes
Caramelized Onions

Desert:
Angel Food Cake w/ Strawberries

Cigars and Bourbon

Thanks Chef Tahya for making awesome burgers and onion rings and providing some amazing tomatoes. Yum.
Thanks Sandy for hosting although it would have been nice if the power hadn't kept switching off. Call an electrician!!! And next time remember to check your Propane level. Ahem, like someone asked you to...

Thanks to Chef Tahya, Movie-man Sandy and Baseball Mike for another great Tuesday event. Awesome food and friendship. (except for the undercooked burgers)

Olive Garden Raising Prices

Do you ever get the feeling that the higher-ups at some corporations probably didn't graduate college? Or maybe if they did, it's because they got their degree On-Line. Or maybe out of a Cracker Jack's box. Darden Restaurant Group, http://www.darden.com owns the Olive Garden brand and has decided to RAISE prices. Are you people nuts? Really? How many people with a brain sat in that management meeting? NONE. Let's see, money is tight for the average consumer, the economy is stalled, not a lot of disposable income, hmmm, let's raise prices to suck even more money out of our customers, yeah, that's a great idea. Here's a BETTER IDEA you fricken idiots; make slightly smaller portions, which will lower your food costs, and don't raise your prices. See, here's where the idea really shines. You won't have to reprint your menu's. Duh. And guess what else benefits? The environment. Because you'll have less Styrofoam or plastic To-Go containers being handed out. And what's really brilliant? When the economy does pick up, you can then raise your prices and no one will care. The average family goes out to dinner on a BUDGET. They have X dollars to spend. If they can't get their meal for the money they have, they'll go somewhere else. People aren't going to Olive Garden because of the portion size, they're going because they can afford it. They get a decent meal at a decent price within their budget. I think this is a bad move and only time will tell. Darden, DRI, closed at $31.72 on the NYSE today. It will be interesting to see how they're doing in 6 months.

In case you didn't know, Darden is the WORLDS largest full-service restaurant company with almost $6.7 billion in annual sales. So here's a couple of tidbits to chew on. Back in April, 2008, Darden presented at Lehman Brothers Eleventh Annual Retail conference. Yeah, and Lehman Brothers is doing sooo well. Also, Darden owns the Bahama Breeze restaurant chain. That chain was such a hit in Arizona they closed THEM. Every store in Arizona closed. Now, you might think that the worlds largest restaurant company wouldn't make mistakes of that magnitude. Guess again. And I think they just made another one.

September 2, 2008

Happy Birthday Movie-man Sandy

The Big 4-0. Yikes.
Cocktails begin at 7pm.

Sandy's Birthday Menu: Italian Feast
Casalnova Prosecco (2 btl)

Antipasto platter of cured meats and marinated vegetables
Prosciutto e Melone
Fried Calamari

Masi Masianco (Pinot Grigio- Verduzzo blend)
Anselmi Soave

Lasagna Florentine
Braciole w/ wild mushrooms on top of Polenta squares browned in oil
Escarole saute'd w/ garlic & olive oil
Rigatoni topped with Bolognaise

1990 Badia Coltibuono Sangioveto
1994 Michele Castellani "Monte Cristi" Amarone Classico
1999 Terra Rossa- Brunello di Montalcino
2001 Selvapiana "Bucerchiale" Chianti Rufina Reserva
2001 Sentito Croatina-Lombardy

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Poggio Basso Grappa
Luigi Francolli Grappa di Moscato


Everything was fantastic. Great food and great conversation. The chocolate cake was phenomenal and that's from someone who doesn't like cake. Thanks Sandy for bringing your friend Sherri and introducing her to all of us crazy foodies.

Comping a meal

So I've been going to this restaurant for 13 years now. Since January 1 of 2008, I've gone 71 times. My check isn't that much about $11 before tip. However, 2 times a month I take a friend to lunch there and the check is $30 - $35 before tip. I have yet to be comped anything this year. In past years, my meal was comped about every 10 - 12 visits and on most visits my drink wasn't put on the bill, saving me $2 every time although costing them about 10 cents. A small price to pay for good will. Here's the deal. I can spend my $11 - 12 anywhere. I go to this particular restaurant because of the service and food. The service has been dropping off over the last couple years as long time employees have quit and the new servers just don't have the same personalities. The food has also been better in past years. Three times this year alone I've been served rancid Mandarin Oranges as a side dish. Yum. It's sad to watch an established place flounder about. I'm friends with the general manager, all the managers and some of the staff, although not as many as in the past. I bring some of them home made cookies on their birthdays and each manager gets a $25 gift card for Christmas. It's interesting how little the good will I show them translates into the good will they show me. I guess it's time I take my $11, fresh baked cookies and Christmas gift cards to another establishment that will appreciate my patronage.

Rachael Ray earns $18M a year

According to a Forbes article, http://www.forbes.com/wineandfood/2008/08/08/celebrity-chef-earners-forbeslife-cx_cv_0808food.html, little ole "EVOO" (Rachael Ray) earns a cool $18 million a year. Not bad for a cook, right? The sad part is, everyone else listed in the article who makes less, and in most cases a lot less, are better cooks by miles. Mario Batali who I consider one of the best celebrity chefs around makes a paltry $3 million. I'm not a fan of Emeril but his name wasn't even mentioned in the article. Rachael's high salary is largely due in part to her being backed by Oprah. Remember Dr. Phil? It's just another example of how it's not what you know, it's who you know. Rachael didn't claw and climb her way up the chef ladder and yet there she sits perched on top of the money pile thanks to good ole Oprah. Rachael turns 40 on August 25th, 2008 so I guess I should wish her a happy birthday. What do you get someone that makes $18 million a year? A very large money clip. Maybe her 13th book will be "How to invest your millions". I'm sure she'll sell a bunch of copies to all her foodie viewers. No doubt they all need to know what to do with their millions.

September 16, 2008

Happy Birthday Chef Tahya. "39"

Menu for the birthday dinner:

2005 Crauford "Highland" Sauvignon Blanc
Assorted Cheeses and crackers
Fig and Proscuitto Flatbreads
Leftover Turkey Sub sandwich (thanks Ramin)



1995 Saintsbury "Reserve" Pinot Noir
1996 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir
1996 Steele Pinot Noir
2005 Reininger "Helix" Merlot
2005 Saint Laurent Merlot
2006 Substance "Me" Merlot
2003 Garretson "The Craic" Syrah
2003 Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles

Sauteed Spinach with toasted almonds and golden raisins
Oven roasted new potatoes
Pork Loin stuffed with dried apples, dried cranberries and spices

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Rose'
Assorted pastries from Scratch Pastry shop Scratch Pastries



NV BV Muscat de Beaulieu

Cigars on the Patio

August 12, 2008

Tuesday night at Chef T's with a Steak House theme
Hanging out with Chef Tahya, Movie-man Sandy & Baseball Mike.
Our dinner started out with Charcuterie of sliced meats which included spanish chorizo, serrano ham and spanish dry cured pork loin. We also enjoyed an appetizer of grilled spiced rubbed lamb rack. Tahya used the following spices on the lamb: mustard, black pepper, tumeric, coriander, allspice, cumin, ginger and cinnamon which he left on the lamb for 3 days. Just before grilling, Tahya added salt, sugar and m.s.g. We enjoyed a dinner salad of Romaine lettuce, slices of red onion, button mushrooms, carrot, english cucumber and yellow bell pepper and topped with Blue Cheese Dressing. Next were N.Y. Strip Steaks rubbed with Garlic salt, Onion Salt, Paprika and dried Thyme then grilled. We added a salt rubbed baked potato with condiments of Sour Cream, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Bacon crumbles, Sweet Butter pats and Chives. Dessert was Chef Tahya's Bread Pudding with Caramel drizzle.

The wines we enjoyed were all 1996 California Cabernet Sauvignon:

Gallo Sonoma Barelli Creek Vyd.
Ch. Montelena Estate
La Jota "15th Anniversary"
Whitehall Lane Reserve
Stonestreet "Christopher's Block"
Dominus Napanook (corked)

Finished up the evening with great cigars from Baseball Mike.

Thanks everyone.

Olive Garden

So my family and I went to the Olive Garden on Saturday evening. I've already been ribbed enough about the fact that I eat at the Olive Garden but it's my mother-in-laws favorite and she pays, so whatta ya gonna do... Anyways, my wife and mother-in-law order the Tour of Italy which basically is like a small combo with 3 different items. The server tells them that the restaurant is OUT of Lasagna. So, we're at an Italian restaurant that has run out of Lasagna. That reminds me of the time I drove through El Pollo Loco in Mesa and they were out of Chicken. No Lie. They told me to come back in about half an hour. But I digress... So the waiter tells them that they can substitute something for the Lasagna. They both chose the Ravioli. The plates arrive and there they are, 3 cute little Ravioli. 3 Ravioli for a chunk of Lasagna. Hardly what I would call a FAIR trade. Here's the rub. When the check arrives there is a $1.00 charge for substituting the Ravioli for the Lasagna. But they were out of Lasagna. How can you charge a buck to sub something for something that you don't even have. An oversight on the servers part I'm sure... But, Alan, the manager came by and offered to lower the price of their meals since they weren't happy with the 3 measly Ravioli. In the end it worked out, but we shouldn't have had to go through all that in the first place. I'll rant about the challenge of running out of stuff later.

Tips

Why do most, if not all, restaurant customers compute tips on the price of the food purchased? Tips are paid to reflect the level of SERVICE received, not the level of money removed from your wallet based on the price of the item ordered. Here's the deal-e-o. STOP giving your money away. Stop, Stop, Stop. When you go to a restaurant, don't even look at the check when you're computing the tip. Just decide how much the level of service you received was worth monetarily and tip accordingly. And STOP tipping coffee barista's and clerks at Circle K / 7-Eleven. They are paid an hourly wage to do their job. Those tip jars are tantamount to begging.