robsimons

Of course Charlotte has a good food scene, but I think you really need to look in the smaller towns that surround it (say 45 minute radius). Lexington has a great place that just opened up not to long ago and is doing some amazing things with "southern food". Check it out: www.SouthernCuriosity.com

Also close to G'boro is Lexington... come eat at www.SouthernCuriosity.com Fine dining, casual atmosphere and NOT BBQ

I know its a food match from heaven, but I think lemon has to be the bain of fish. I like mine prepared more of an asian style. I usually make a teriayki sauce without the sugar, stuff the cavity with grated ginger, chopped garlic and cracked BP (green onions work well too) then marinate, in the teriayki, the whole thing overnight. Through it on the grill when your ready. But you have to be careful because the soy sauce will burn, but when you get done you will have a nice crispy skin that you want to eat instead of pull it off. Only thing you have to warn your guests about is not, unless they want to, eat the ginger, garlic, BP, not because it's not cooked, but more likely it not cooked completely.

I can't even imagine how to de-bone them, but I bet it is an exciting process. I would love to know how it goes. But now I have cooked them and they are great. Two ways I like them... One grilled after they have been marinated in OO, garlic rosemary and cilantro. Grill them so the breast skin is nice and crispy. Unbelievable when done just crispy enough. Be careful with the OO on the grill it tends to flame up , a lot . Secondly make some homemade sausage, I use a boudin. and stuff them then just sauté them in some better to get a nice brown breast skin and pop them in the oven until the sausage is hot. I use the boudin for two reasons, one it already cooked so you only have to heat is and two the spiciness of the boudin goes well with the gamy flavor of the quail. Good luck and it would be nice to know how it goes.

Project, I only got two things to say... 1. If you get insulted when people interrupt you then you must be a total mass of insulted-ness. I mean every time you do anything people are going to interrupt you that’s LIFE. Why limit this to fast food places, I’m sure it happens at your work, home, hell even when you go to Starbucks. And how many times has your server in a non-fast food place interrupted your conversation to ask you if you want another drink? Or you snapped your fingers to get the attention of a server who was engrossed in a conversation with another person? I’m sure they felt insulted. Get over yourself, it’s just how people are, period. 2. Cut those people working at the fast food places some slack. Somebody has to work there, whether they like it or not. I don’t see you looking for a job athe local MacD’s to help improve the customer service. If you got a problem write the corporation. MacD’s/Wendy’s are of the few fast food joints that do listen to there customers? When was the last time you filled out the customer survey on your table. All I see from you Project is a person who thinks they are better (in some way) than the people behind the counters. They are just working for a living, abet a minimum wage, just like you. If you just relaxed a bit and go with the flow I think you might be a happier person.

I have to say that growing up in NC and GA, I don't think the people are "Food Morons". I went to culinary school in Philly and I now see NC and still Atlanta(where I live now) and southern people in general, as culinarily (a word?) inexperienced. But I also see people, most people, as willing to change so it comes back to what every chef in a new market has always said. We, as culinary professionals, must educate people. I helped open a Emeril's Atlanta and we saw it first hand how inexperienced the diners were. For the first 3 months I didn't cook a steak under MidWell. That does not make the night fun. The food there is good despite reviews, but all people want to know is if you can say "BAM" (which we do NOT) and if "the man" has been there lately. From a cook point s of view its a great place to work, good and (outside of the menu) creative specials. But I totally believe that you can serve collards and black eyed peas, the traditional way or you can "gussy" it up to make it a little better. Maybe a nice stack of vinegared collards with some Foie Gras on top... Or a southern version of Foie, chicken livers... This is where we must challenge ourselves. Quit complaining and make it. Do you the the Inn at Little Washington had people there who understood what the food was there when it opened? My Aunt, who eats at the "Inn" about 3 times a year, hates the food there. I eat there once about 2 years ago and I can still taste the food and remember almost every detail. Culinarily inexperienced. I think it takes us as culinary professionals to educate people to that type of eating. From what I know of Ben and Karen at Mag Grill, it didn't happen over night that they got a get following a reputation. Also, another thing... Has anyone ever heard of a restaurant in High Point/Jamestown/Greensboro called Marisol's? If so what your opinion of it? Finally, can the triangle/traid/charlotte support professional cooks? Is the market big enough to provide enough jobs for all of us?

Thanks for these names I have them also. But I guess I'm looking for something "off" the beaten path for restaurants in Atlanta Metro. I am also looking for insider information of any restaurants. Information like how is the kitchen run, what are the station setups, who prep’s the items, are they composed plates put together by the cook or are composed by the expo, etc... Things like this. I would also just like to maybe start a discu7ssion of Atlanta Food, for anyone willing. Thanks,

I’ve lived in Atlanta off and on for the past 6/7 years and now that I have become “culinary” trained I have noticed that Atlanta does not seem to have much in Culinary Creativity. So I want to know from other Metro Atlantians what they consider to be “good eats” in Atlanta. Personally I’m looking for places that are not just exercising use of local ingredients (although this is very important) but I am also looking for a place that uses a tremendous amount of Culinary Technique (read French classical technique) applied to “modern” food. I currently work at one of the 3 stars “meat on a plate” joints and I think I am forgetting how to use a knife. I have been trying to find places but I am having troubles. The AJC food critic sucks and I just think that Atlanta’s idea of good food is not on the same level as NY or Philly. Please I want to hear anything and everything from anyone that might be able to shed some light. Please enlighten me….

Wow this sounds like a great idea. I also read an article about him in the Philly Mag. Really good about how he "invents" his dishes. Does anyone know how he got started doing the "StudioKitchen"? Does he ru7n it ou7t of his hou7se? Does he rent the physical plates, etc? Or does he own them? How long has he been doing this? for the BYO does he give suggestions? Or is it just hit and miss for the diners? I am really interested in some operational details of this concept because I do think it is a great idea. Does anyone know how he got his first customers to show? What a great idea....

Your shameless self-promotion of Bella to my shameless asking for a job? I am TRS attendee (about to graduate in January) and I am looking for a place in Center City to work in. Currently I am working the line (sauté and grill) at a Hotel restaurant on the Main line (working my way up from Banquet Prep cook). I am looking to make a move to a place that has the potential to be a lot busier, better product, with people who take pride in the food they put out and learn as much as I can. It sounds like a great place to work. Although I am not a chick, I am an older culinary student and would love to work with good people and great product. Let me know if you might be interested.

I would like to hear from more people who were older when they went to Culinary School. I myself am 30 and made the jump into Culinary about 1 year ago. Not having a background in the industry I was scared out of my mind and I still am. I am lucky to have pretty understanding Chef de Cuisine (but not someone I want to talk to) and I am having some doubts. Let me explain. I was lucky enough to work for about 7-8 months getting myself into a Line job (Saute/Grill). So for about 2 months I have been working these positions and I am getting frustrated. I know I am the weakest member of the "line" team and I can't seem to work out what I can do to get better. Yes I've heard the usual. Be Agressive, work with speed, work clean and I am doing all I can to do all these things, but still my food is getting returned. The other line guys tell me not to worry it will come with experience. But that is probably the one thing that I hate hearing the most. I don't want to take my time, I want to do it right the first time and the 100th time. So I was just wondering if anyone else had the same missingivings, doubts, etc. and how they worked themselves out of it?

I am currently enrolled in culinary school and I am also working as a line cook at a local Philadelphia restaurant. Our Chef de Cuisine there just finished blessing out myself and the other line cooks for not being creative (with specials) or aggressive enough. So my now my questions: What books, experiences, etc did you go through to continue your education? What do you continue to do to push yourself? From your (both of you) point of view, what can a line cook do to become more aggressive, both in the work and in the food? Thanks,

I think that you all are getting two things confused, cooks vs. chefs. First not all cooks will ever be chefs and not all good chefs are good cooks. There will always be a difference in the cook who can put out 400 covers a night but can't be creative and the chef who can come up with the most create creative dishes ever seen, but can't cook his way out of a 20 cover party. Also as a current culinary student, I take offense that culinary students are of low quality. Formal training does not teach you how to be a cook. It teaches you7 techniqu7es of cooking, ingredients and the base edu7cation that takes the OJT edu7cated person 5-7 years to learn. You7 only learn to be a cook by OJT and everyone mu7st go throu7gh this whether they are school learned or apprentice learned. And ju7st becau7se you7 go to cu7linary school doesn't mean you7 are "learned". Learning is all abou7t what you7 want to pu7t into it. If you7 go the extra mile in school, you7 will become a cook or chef faster than the gu7y who puttered his way throu7gh school. Please excu7se the typing, keyboard is broken. And this cook doesn't get paid enou7gh to fix it.