Lactic Solar Dust
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Posts posted by Lactic Solar Dust
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At the 1st restaurant I cooked in the chef instructed us to pass a container full of garlic cloves through a meat grinder into a bucket and cover the "crushed" garlic with olive oil. We cooked with this stuff and the service staff placed little ramekins of it on the tables for the customers to dip their bread in. Personally, I wasn't down with it, thought it was quite disrespectful to the product to ram it through a meat grinder (I didn't work very long at that restaurant).
I choose to sous-vide my garlic with olive oil and salt. The final product is a perfectly infused oil with very sweet garlic.
SV garlic with olive oil and salt at what temp. and how long?
60F for 6 hours; I also place a few sprigs of thyme in there as well.
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"Fresh Ahi Tuna" Shouldn't we all expect whatever fish we order is fresh?
"Excuse me waiter, I'll take the fresh tuna as opposed to the smelly tuna".
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At the 1st restaurant I cooked in the chef instructed us to pass a container full of garlic cloves through a meat grinder into a bucket and cover the "crushed" garlic with olive oil. We cooked with this stuff and the service staff placed little ramekins of it on the tables for the customers to dip their bread in. Personally, I wasn't down with it, thought it was quite disrespectful to the product to ram it through a meat grinder (I didn't work very long at that restaurant).
I choose to sous-vide my garlic with olive oil and salt. The final product is a perfectly infused oil with very sweet garlic.
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Sautéed fish, steak, chicken, etc... when it is really pan-roasted. If you are placing your protein in a hot sauté pan with an eighth inch of oil and leaving it alone until browns it is pan-roasting not sautéing.
um, no its not. pan roasting is finishing by throwing the "pan" in the oven to "roast"
putting a piece of fish in a pan with a little hot oil is called "saute"...a lot more oil its called "pan fry"
pan roast is finishing in the oven. period.
I respectfully disagree. Saute translates into "jump". You might saute vegetables in a hot pan with very little oil while constantly tossing the vegetables until done.
When a cook places a product, i.e. rack of lamb, in a hot a pan with a eighth inch of oil and does not touch it until a beautiful dark golden crust is achieved and, yes, places the pan in the oven with a dab of butter to baste, that is pan-roasting.
Unless a cook is placing a piece of salmon in a saute pan and is constantly tossing it then it can be called "Sauteed Salmon".
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Sautéed fish, steak, chicken, etc... when it is really pan-roasted. If you are placing your protein in a hot sauté pan with an eighth inch of oil and leaving it alone until browns it is pan-roasting not sautéing.
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any of you that have ever worked in a professional kitchen know that there is a certain lingo used by cooks to communicate. Some are universal...and some might be specific to a particular kitchen. For example, shouting "fire" when an order needs to be cooked. At my current job, "two yardbirds", means two roasted chickens. Almost every kitchen I have ever worke at uses "behind" to let somebody know you are passing behind them, so that they will not turn just as you pass. This is very important..In the cramped space of a fasted paced kitchen, the last thing you want is somebody turning into you with a pot of boiling water or a knife. I must yell "behind" at least 50 times a night.
So, before I get to far off subject, there are just some things engrained into your head after working in this industry for a little while. The other night I was walking through a department store looking for a father's day card. When I came to the card aisle, it was packed with last minute shoppers doing the same as I. Trying to inch my way down the crowded aisle, I accidently shouted "behind", subconsciously thinking people would jump out of the way. They didn't...they just stared as if there was something wrong with me. It made me think of that old joke, "you might be a redneck if"....but instead of redneck, "you know your a cook when...you shout "behind" at total strangers in public as you pass behind them".
What about you? What is your "You know you're a cook when......." It can be anything. For example "You know you're a cook when you catch yourself sticking an instant read thermometer in your pocket to go on a date". Just things we do out of habit and kind of laugh about later.
Occasionally I catch myself tasting my wife's soup with my finger.
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Add some red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and a little fresh thyme. Toss with some baby greens and add whatever accroutments makes sense (grilled zucchini/yellow squash, roasted cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, etc...) for a nice summer salad.
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I've been making fried egg sandwiches for several years and try different variations to avoid burnout and sustain my affection for eggs. My latest trend is to fry an egg in extra-virgin oil over medium heat with fresh marjoram, oregano, and chili flake sprinkled on top basting the egg with the oil as it cooks (yolk broken). Grill a few spears of asparagus. Toast 2 slices of nice crusty Italian bread and assemble with a slice of a nice melting cheese, e.g. fontina, fresh mozzarella, scamorza, etc...
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If you know which wineries you'll be visiting we can lead you to a great dinner nearby. Will you be checking out the boutiques on the West side of the county or will you be heading up 101 into the Dry Creek and Healdsburg area?
We have never been to the area; staying at La Rose in Santa Rosa. We will be there 2 days and will make sure to head up to Healdsburg at some point. I am open to suggestions, but not sure which wineries we'll hit.
Thanks!
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The Farmhouse Inn in Forestville is very good. If you get over to Healdsburg, Cyrus is amazing, we have enjoyed two fantastic meals there.
Thanks for the suggestions; I'll definitely place them on our list of candidates.
LSD
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My wife and I will be attending a wedding in San Francisco in a few weeks, and have decided to visit the Russian River Valley during our stay. I was hoping I could find recommendations for a few good restaurants in and around the area.
Can anyone speak specifically about the Applewood Inn; we've heard some good things.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
LSD
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Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let everyone know how what I choose.
LSD
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Thanks for the recommendations. My friend does not fly-in until April 26th so there is still plenty of time for other people to offer suggestions.
I am all ears!
LSD
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I welcome any thoughts into the above question as well. I live in Northwest Indiana, and find it extremely difficult to find quality fresh fish at a reasonable price.
I've frequented numerous grocery stores offering "fresh fish" at outrageous prices. I'll ask the person behind the counter to smell and touch the fish, and often the fish are smelly and slimy. It's really frustrating.
I visited a few online fish markets, and the only value in purchasing from these sources comes when ordering in large quantities.
I'm lucky to have streams and rivers nearby where I can catch Coho salmon, bass, and trout.
LSD
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I need a little help. A friend of mine living in San Francisco is traveling on business, and will have a 4 hour layover in Chicago.
We thought it would be nice to meet up at a decent restaurant near O'Hare Airport to have a nice lunch, and play catch up. However, neither one of us are familiar with the restaurants surrounding O'Hare.
I welcome any restaurant suggestions. Please note we do not want to "break the bank", but would like to have a very enjoyable experience.
Are we better off driving a little further into the city?
Thanks in advance.
LSD
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-- have had this argument many times with my father who is a union representitive and he laughs when I try to explain how hospitality is different and that you cant apply union practices to a restaurant enviroment,the creativity is sapped and the kitchen ceases to function as a progressive enviroment when work to rule practices come into play.--
Absolutely 100 percent true. If kitchens were unionized, ultra fine dining would cease to exist in this country. There are so many unique dynamics and grey areas in the kitchen environment, and none of them fit into the classic union shop mold. I did it for 7 years in Atlantic City and refused promotion twice because I didn't want to deal with Local 54 and its idiotic rules. Half the cooks know that the rules hold restaurants back, but it's the other half that keep things the way they are...as long as they get their fat check with minimal work, everything is copacetic.
I think it is a broad statement to make that if kitchens were unionized fine dining would cease to exist.
If a little bit of creativity is compromised so that cooks can call in sick without loosing pay or make enough money to be able to raise a family with benefits then I am all for it. Personally, I think we can have our cake and eat it, too. I do not believe compromise. I think creativity can just be as strong in a unionized kitchen as it is in our current kitchens.
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If there is a profession that needs to desperately be unionized it is the culinary profession. In an industry where it is acceptable to work for free for lengthy periods of time with no other reward than the experience of working in a 4-star restaurant is just wrong.
We choose to enter the culinary profession, because we love food and cuisine. In the end, however, we all need to get paid. Culinary school is not cheap by any means.
The stage needs to come to an end in this country. For restaurants to receive free labor is wrong.
I feel very passionate about this issue. Unionize the culinary industry!
Is the concept of staging so wrong that it should end only because the employer receives free labour? I look at it as the only way I can get "higher education" in a field where there are no schools that can give you the same qualifications. Ok, so I ll work for free, but I look at it as education. Down the line Ill be able to ask a employer for more salary based on my experience. So working a few months for free is investing in a higher future salary.
I think for a restaurant to incorporate staging into their work force is taking advantage of people who have spent so much money towards their culinary education. The United States is not a third world country. We can afford to pay our work force. I just think it is a matter of worker's rights. We should be able to make enough in this country to be able afford to support ourselves comfortably.
Basically, restaurants are taking advantage of people who desperately want to work at their restaurant for name recognition and knowledge so much so they are willing to come in for 14 hours a day to work for free.
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Is it ever possible to stage part time? For people who work full time jobs and want to stage on weekends, or for dinner hours, or does this just conflict too much with the restaurant's actual schedule?
On a separate note, does anyone have advice on finding a restaurant to stage at? I have a friend who's interested. She'd rather do it at a solid restaurant where she'd have a lot of learning oportunities than reaching for an über-restaurant with a star chef who may not actually have time to show anything.
I think it would be possible to find some chefs who would be willing to let your friend come in on the weekends to learn.
I always felt that working for a chef right before they become famous is the perfect situation. The chef has not become so famous that they are distracted from the operational aspect of the kitchen by interviews, events, etc... Yet, they have enough knowledge for you to absorb and they also have enough time to show you how they want tasks completed.
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Let me begin, though, by agreeing with Lactic Solar Dust (shouldn't that be intergaactic Solar Dust?
) that not only chefs but FOH people need to be unionized, as well. Health benefits, reasonable hours, grievance procedures -- every deserves those. And imagine how many people get sick every year because some waiter or line cook couldn't afford to lose the salary they's earn if they took a sick day or two. I forgot to mention benefits. They are a multitude of reasons why the industry needs to be unionized.
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If there is a profession that needs to desperately be unionized it is the culinary profession. In an industry where it is acceptable to work for free for lengthy periods of time with no other reward than the experience of working in a 4-star restaurant is just wrong.
We choose to enter the culinary profession, because we love food and cuisine. In the end, however, we all need to get paid. Culinary school is not cheap by any means.
The stage needs to come to an end in this country. For restaurants to receive free labor is wrong.
I feel very passionate about this issue. Unionize the culinary industry!
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Some good suggestions here, particularly by knoxy.
I would highly reccommend Stonehill Tavern as well. Additionally, as knoxy mentioned the Loft at the Montage Resort is also supposed to be very good though I have not dined there.
I would also recommend Blue Coral in Newport Beach, great seafood and vodka bar. I would pass on mastros ocean club personally and go to blue coral, similar type of restaurant but I found the food to be better at BC. Right near the mastros are two much better options, Bluefin, for japaneese and Sage on the Coast. Sage is wonderful and I hear a lot of good things about Bluefin, though I have not been there. The sushi chef there is very highly regarded apparantly.
For a fun, hip place with interesting small plates and great cocktails, try Aire in Costa Mesa, I love it. Great food, great cocktails, great atmosphere, and a really nice, reasonably priced wine list.
For an awesome Sunday Brunch try Bayside restaurant, excellent food reasonable prices for a very nice setting, try to get a spot on the patio.
For an old-school vibe and good food try La Cave in Costa Mesa/Newport. Like a throwback to the jazz club times its an underground bar/restaurant with great steaks. I am not sure your ages but it gets pretty crowded with the young bar scene after 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Where specifically will you be in San Diego, I can give a bunch of recs for there as well but it might depend on where you will be.
Cheers!
Thank you for all the recommendations. My fiancée and I both appreciate the help from everyone.
We do not know approximately where in San Diego where we might be. More or less we will know when we arrive. I think a lot of it is going to have to do with where we are going to meet up with old friends.
We are both from Northwest Indiana located approximately 1 hour away from downtown Chicago. We are both very excited about the idea of being somewhere that is temporal pleasant rather than the frigid weather of the Midwest. Also, for the both of us, being immersed in the pleasure of true fresh seafood is what makes people like us break out in dance and hymn.
I will write back when we get back to give my opinion about everything.
Does anyone have recommendations for neat little artesian shops and "chilled" drinking establishments that would be excellent? The jazz recommendation is right up our alley. We are both big fans of old school blue, reggae, and jazz.
Thank you!
Though touristy, downtown San Diego is really really cool, tons of great restaurants, shops, and bars. As for drinking establishments I would highly recommend Thin/Onyx Room, on 5th. www.onyxroom.com for their music schedule. A two level spot and one of my favorites. The top (Thin) is loungey, the bottom (onyx room) is more like a basement club. The Field is a great Irish Pub if you fancy a pint, so to speak. Candelas, a fine mexican restaurant, also has a nice lounge. JBar at the Solamar hotel is a great outdoor bar with a great view of the ballpark.
I would also recommend downtown La Jolla, around Girard streets and that area, a ton of nice shops and some nice cafes, and obviously beautiful views down by the ocean cliffs. The Shack, near windansea beach is a great beach bar.
And the answer is yes, I like to eat and drink a lot!
my kind of guy
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I believe that if you truly love business, cuisine, and serving people then I think we should support whoever wants to open a restaurant. It is important, however, that this person needs to seriously consider if they truly love business. As we all know there are so many different variables that are entered when running any business: marketing, upkeep, etc... You need to be ready to put your heart and soul into your business. If you are not ready to commit to being the first one there and the last one to leave perhaps as late as two or three in the morning then do not even think about.
Of course you need a passion for serving people and making them happy.
Passion for cuisine comes last. You need to possess a good business sense and a passion for serving people.
A lot of work...but very fun if you love it!
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Talk about the top. I've considered shooting for a place like that, however, I was under the impression that TFL and Per Se did not pay externs? Or am I wrong?
Unfortunately, it would have to be a paid internship. I'm old enough to need to be on my own and don't see how I could live in NYC without pay.
Don't think a place like that isn't tempting though.
Expect to work without pay even after your unpaid externship is complete. High-end restaurants such as Per Se require lengthy stages before they even think about hiring you.
My advice is to forget the French cuisine and try to land an internship at WD-50. In New York City, their style of cuisine is setting standards for the next twenty years.
I completely respect French cuisine and its contemporary masters such as Thomas Keller. However, in my own personal opinion, I think an education at wd-50 would be very beneficial for you.
Future Food - Airing 3/30 @ 10pm cst on Planet Green
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
Congratulations on an excellent debut, Chef. This is going to be fun to follow.