Old Timer

Please allow me to throw my 2 cents into the mix. Here's how I do our Reuben's. Plop a decent amount of Kraut on the flattop and do the same with 4oz of good Corned Beef (I prefer Sy Ginsberg's) Next I put 2 pieces of thick sliced rye on the flattop as well. After a minute, I turn the kraut and put the corned beef on top of it, after which I add a slice of swiss cheese. I cover that with a lid so the cheese melts. After I turn the bread, I place the kraut/beef/cheese on top of one piece and slather Thousand Island on the other. I then put the sandwich together and put a grill weight on top. I leave this for about a minute, then turn it and do the same. When it is done... A gooey, cheesy, blend of corned beef heaven.

Hollandaise Sauce Microwave 4 oz. stick of butter. While that's cooking, break 3 egg yolks into blender. After butter is melted, slowly add it to egg yolks while blender is running. Add pinch of salt, pepper, and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste. Done in under a minute. For Bearnaise Sauce.. Small dice 2 shallots add to 1/2 cup White wine Put in microwave and cook for a minute or so until wine reduces to half. Add to Hollandaise mix in blender Chop fresh Tarragon and add to blender. Blend until Tarragon is incorporated.

I don't imagine the win was literally promised to Tsai...but I can imagine that in meetings he may have been told that he had a very good chance of winning as the FN reps *winked* a few times. One of the key elements of all of the FN hosts and chefs is their ability to play to the masses, regardless of their cooking skills (shudder...Paula Deen) for example. She is no more than a home cook but her ability to communicate with the audience makes her a FN diva. Tsai has the same ability which he has polished via his own show. None of the other have a proven track record beyond the kitchen. And as the FN constantly reminds us...you don't have tho be a top quality chef to appear on their network. Just look at Aunt Sandy, Rach, Paula, that Cooking for Real chick and of course, the Neely's.

Ming is definitely going to win. He would not have entered into this fray otherwise. While the others may be good chefs, I think the fix is in. Just like when Symon was up against John Besh, who in my opinion cooked rings around Symon. Ming has too much reputation to risk losing to a relative unknown.

I came across this bit of news today. Here is the source.. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1326046/Gordon-Ramsay-suffers-new-blow-bank-stakes-claim-3m-home.html It seems Ramsay owes quite a bit of money and has given up ownership of several of his restaurants. I remember reading recently, that his hew restaurant in London had been delayed as well. That was where the winner of the latest Hells' Kitchen was supposed to work. I think her name was Holli Grieg.

We were doing a tasting of prime steaks which were to be featured on our menu. We asked GFS and Sysco reps to bring us their respective cuts. Mind you, we are paying in the $12-$14 per pound range for these. The GFS rep not only brought several beautifully marbled cuts and took the time to explain the grading process, butchering, and even the availability of different thicknesses of the cuts. He also stood there and explained the best grilling methods for each cut and the origin of the butchering at their own facility. All in all, he spent over an hour with us, even participating in the tasting. The next day, the SYSCO rep came. He brought some cuts that looked like they came from the corner supermarket. When asked some of the same questions as the GFS rep, he did not really know the answers. He actually walked in with a small box and said "Here are the steaks for you to try". Then, he wanted to sit down talk to the manager about putting together an order. We gave his steaks the fairest test we could, (he was nowhere to be found) since he was making a sales pitch to the GM. Needless to say, SYSCO steaks were no comparison to the GFS meat. We now buy Filets, Strips, Ribeyes, and Top Sirloins from GFS and have had nothing but consistent quality throughout.

I can't find anyone on FN who's cooking inspires me. Some are downright unappetizing (Cooking For Real quickly comes to mind.) How can they think this new channel will have a good enough following to sustain it? The real FN is a joke to real chefs.

Thanks guys. That all seems pretty simple and straightforward

I find myself having to seek new employment. In a few of my interview's, the exec. chefs indicated that they want a cooking skills demonstration at the next pre-hire interview. I have no problem with this, but I am curious to know if there are certain dishes that have become more or less standards that chefs ask prospective new hires to demonstrate.

A few weeks back a customer said I made the best Muffaletta sandwich she ever tasted-and she's from New Orleans, home of the Muffaletta! Another said my Coconut Cream Pie was the best piece of pie she ever had (even at $4.00 per slice). A customer happened in on the day I was serving Polish Mushroom soup and he told me mine was better than his Polish Grandma's. He called her on his cell and told her to come have some. She ended up buying a quart to take home.

I kind of thought that the recipes were his to keep. Its okay, I'm just blowing off steam. I actually researched and created the recipes in question on my own time at home with my own ingredients. I even typed them out on my home computer. Maybe I could try a bluff and say "take my stuff off your menu"! and see where it gets me. One of the lines I created was a variety of crepes dishes that has proven popular. No one else is serving crepes and we cornered the market. That's where I'd like to "stick it too him". I never had a problem teaching others my cooking methods and sharing recipes with the kitchen staff. Usually though, I held back an ingredient or two from the written recipe. Oh well, life goes on. The irony here, is the other chef is hinting at leaving as well. I am the only one who knows so far. If he does, the owner will literally be screwed. He is not very well liked in the business community and there are not a lot of chefs/cooks in the area.

Here's my situation. Recently, I have had some heated discussions with the owner of restaurant I work at. Not shouting, name calling fights, just discussions. Business is slow due to the seasonal nature of our place and I'm sure that is the reason for the owner's attitude. He wants to go down to one chef and since my protegee makes less money than I, he is being fingered as the one to stay. That's okay, I trained him from scratch and he has turned into a good cook who is just as passionate about his food as I am. For my part, I have created many dishes that are now featured on the menu. If things get really pissy, I'd like to tell the owner to remove my dishes from his menu and I will take the recipes with me to my next position. There was no non-disclosure agreement signed, and I don't fell I am obligated in any way to give them up. So who owns the recipes? Me or the restaurant?

In the old Italian neighborhood, its olive oil with Parmigiano Reggiano served on the side.

My son is a cop in Chicago. His beat used to be Chinatown, just south of downtown. Sometimes while on patrol, he would go walking around the main drag to stretch his legs and since he worked midnights, there was little activity or traffic. What he told me about the place was shocking. Now, granted, Chinatown is very overcrowded with many people and buildings are literally side by side, but... While walking around (particularly on warm summer nights) he saw a near constant flow of large rats crossing the street and running through the alleyways where garbage was strewn all over the place. He also saw rats and mice eating food left on the line through some of the restaurant windows. I have no doubt that this same food was to be served the next day. I doubt this was the case with every restaurant there, but I've never seen an extermination truck in the vicinity. My son has since moved upward in the PD and these events happened at least 5 years ago. Hopefully Chinatown has cleaned up its trash problem and eliminated the vermin. Still....I would have a hard time eating there.

To The Producers of Hells Kitchen... In years past, I have always found reason to watch the show. Sure, we all knew there were many chefs picked, not for their cooking ability, but rather for comedic relief. In that regard I am quickly reminded of Aaron, the crybaby. Still, through it all, I watched, not to see who wins, as that is secondary to watching a world class chef run a kitchen. I watched to pick up little tidbits of Ramsay wisdom, and apply them to my own kitchen and staff. I will admit, that due in part to watching Ramsay in both Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, I have come away with a greater appreciation for fine dining and top quality foods. That being said, after I watched tonight's double episode, I came away somewhat angry. These are the biggest bunch of incompetent cooks ever assembled in one room. I honestly believe none of them could even survive working at McDonalds. Burnt fish, an Executive Chef who can't clean a shrimp? An ex-Marine who is obviously suffering from PTSD and is a loose cannon ready to step outside with Ramsay? Then there's the kid from Texas (Van?) who actually told another competitor to "suck his d--k?" Are you kidding me? Bringing Robert back was a nice gesture, but he quickly showed his incompetence hasn't left him. In short... There is not one person on the show I want to win. In only one episode I am completely turned off by this group and will not watch again. Good God, now you are rivaling FN's "Next Food Network Star" for the laughingstock of the cooking world award. Sad really. I think Ramsay deserves better.