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)