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Chef Fowke

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  1. Rule number 9. Hire the right people who have the right answer. I have not hired a bar/beverage/sommelier yet. I need to ASAP. I do not even have a job description drafted for the position. I do for every other position in the restaurant. I guess I know what I am drafting tomorrow. So much for watching some football (actually, hockey.... I am Canadian after all).
  2. Problem is that although the majority of customers are OK, every party of 8 or 10, whom you need, has one or two fringe eaters in it. If they feel comfortable, the whole party does, and they may select the restaurant just because they fussy eater can be accomodated. Often its as simple as marking the menu to show suitable dishes.. So this becomes rule number 8! You are so correct and right on the money! Thank you for the post.
  3. My wife, Kathleen, and I just got back from a fantastic month of traveling down the west coast from Vancouver to Dana’s Point, California (with a small side trip weekend to Las Vegas). The hotels, food and service amazed me. On the whole everything was great (with the exception of the Burger Kings who did not understand ‘off the broiler’ or ‘cut in half’ {another post…. sorry}). Unfortunately we did have one meal that was down right awful in Huntington Beach, California (Surf City). For anyone who has been to this region of Californian they will tell you that the restaurants, as a whole, are very good and consistent. To keep this post from becoming too large I will stick to the details…. We entered a second floor restaurant across the street from the Huntington Beach Pier around 6:30pm on the second Friday of November. The hostess was cold. Ice cold to us. But to be fair we had traveled 8 hours that day and looked less then vagabonds. She sat us at a table one row back from the view. We asked to move and were told that all tables were reserved for the entire night (two window table remained empty our entire dinner à if you are going to be dishonest to me do not make it obvious!). Kathy and I were laughing about the hostess at this time. Our server arrived and we ordered some cocktails and he adjusted the heaters to make us more comfortable. He was very personable and professional. It was turning into a good night. We ordered dinner. I had a salad to start and the ‘Lamb Special’ from the wood fired oven and Kathy had the Prosciutto pizza with arugula. The timing of the food was extremely fast. The food runner presented the food and listed the ingredients on the plate. I was really impressed. Then I looked at my medium lamb. It was well done, crusted and oozing a dry blood crusted mass from sitting under the heat lamp. I tried to eat one chop but had to stop because of the dryness and the iron flavour produced from ‘boiled’, soggy protein. Kathy’s pizza was like a soup cracker with Prosciutto and arugula on it. No oil, no sauce and no dressing. Unfortunately it was the best of the food we had. We drank our beer (only two because we never saw our server again) and ate the Prosciutto and arugula. I did not touch my plate after I tried to eat the first chop. We are in the industry and can be really hard on other establishments. I know things go wrong at Joes so both Kathy and I had a sense of humour about our experience. But after 25 minutes of sitting at our table with no drinks and food we could not eat we were getting irritated. The server was in the ‘shits’ in his section and he had no management help. He finally approached our table and picked up our full plates and asked how we liked our meals (I reiterate…the plates were untouched except for maybe 10%). I told him that I found the lamb to be inedible and the pizza dry. He called the busboy over and handed him our plates and told him to take them to the kitchen and tell the chef that we hated the food (quote). He asked if we wanted dessert and I asked for the bill, stating that I was tired and just wanted to leave and go to bed. He brought the bill and the full charge for all our meals was on the bill. This is where this discussion gets interesting. I paid the bill and left the restaurant mad. My wife told me to relax because the lamb was only $22. She asked me what I had expected for $22….. If something is cheap should it be buyer-beware? I will continue in the next week with the letter I sent to the restaurant and their response. Anyone have any idea the name of the restaurant?
  4. I have added your post to my notes. I never considered the fringe groups....
  5. Not to dump to much info on one day, I cannot keep up with the questions.... Here is the first draft of the menus. The menus will be developed and changed weekly by myself, the Executive Chef and the Corporate Chef with input from both the purchaser and the market manager. Opening Day Market Menu for Market Shopping (take out) or Dining In Fresh Oysters & Raw Bar 1. Malpeque, Royal Mayagi, Totten Creek & Fine de Clair Oysters tomato-horseradish sauce, vodka mignonette, crushed ice & seaweed ($2.55 each) 1. Cold Poached Gulf Prawns, Baja Scallops & Penn Cove Mussel Salad shallot-black olive mignonette, cognac & tomato aioli & sweet garlic puree ($12) 2. Jumbo Alaskan King Crab Claws thyme, sherry vinegar & lemon aioli ($9 each) 3. Shucked Little Neck Clams orange-sauterne, fresh mint & persimmon ($3 each) Vegetables & Potatoes 1. Roasted Garlic Scalloped Potatoes thyme, Asiago cheese & double cream ($5) 2. Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes double smoked bacon, sour cream & chives ($2) 3. Garlic & Thyme Hashed Potatoes scallion cream friache & ham hock ($3) 4. Gratin of Cauliflower farmhouse Stilton & caramelized onion cream sauce ($2) 5. Aldergrove Farm Spinach 4 year old Reggiano cheese, nutmeg & butter cream ($4) 6. Hot House Tomatoes Provencal fresh basil, EVOO & garlic confit ($3) Rotisserie 1. Juniper & Garlic Studded Hind of Fallow Deer Port & shallot jus ($16) 2. Royal Baron of Prime Beef Yorkshire pudding & fresh horseradish cream ($12) 3. Jerk Spiced Free-run Chicken rubbed with a lemon-sage butter ($6) 4. Montreal Smoked Meat Canadian cracked rye bread, pickled Serrano peppers & spicy deli mustard ($9) 5. Salt Meadow Lamb Leg minted leek jelly ($8) Meat Grill 1. Canadian Prime Striploin Steak ($14) 2. 28 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye steak ($16) 3. Montreal Provimi Veal Loin ($15) 4. Washington State Double Cut Lamb Chop ($9) 5. Marguez Lamb Sausage ($8) 6. Jumbo Aldergrove Quail ($7) 7. Beech Smoked Tenderloin of Alberta Beef ($16) Seafood Grill 1. Wild Sockeye Salmon line caught Skeena river ($9) 2. Baja Diver Scallop (extra large) café de Paris butter ($12) 3. Queen Charlotte Island Halibut tropical fruit salsa ($8) 4. Shrimp & Seafood Sausage mango chutney ($7) Steamed Seafood 1. Penn Cove Mussels garlic & white wine broth ($5) 2. Whole British Colombian Spot Prawn dark lager & basil broth ($4) 3. Fanny Bay Oyster drizzled with a caramelized shallot, honey & caper aioli ($3) 4. Steamed Manilla Clam Chowder roasted Chilliwack corn & Vancouver Island nugget potatoes ($3) Cold Garde Manager 1. Hearts of Organically Grown Romaine Salad roasted garlic dressing, sourdough croutons, double smoked bacon ($8) 2. American Slaw coriander seed, shaved Napa cabbage & Walla Walla onions ($2) 3. Chicken & Duck Liver Pate Lingon berries & lemon brioche ($6) Hot Garde Manager 1. Hickory Smoked Chicken & Sundried Tomato Fettuccini tomato-cream sauce, basil, rotisserie onion & wild Vancouver Island mushrooms ($11) 2. Pan-fried Chicken Livers Madeira & roasted garlic glaze ($3) 3. Deep-fried Fanny Bay Oyster traditional tartar sauce ($2) Pomme Frites (Signature Item) 1. Twice Cooked Yukon Gold Potato Frites in peanut oil & served with malt vinegar & chive mayonnaise Dijonaise ($5) Bakery 1. Crispy Potato Baguette sweet churned butter ($2) 2. Sundried Tomato & rosemary Focaccia Bread Parmesan cheese & cracked pepper drizzled with EVOO ($2) 3. Lemon Butter Brioche ($3 each) 4. Okanagan Peach Cobbler cinnamon swirl biscuits ($5) 5. Pear Tarte Tatin maple caramel sauce ($6) 6. Pumpkin & Raisin Pie streusel topping & double vanilla bean cream ($7) 7. Freshly Churned Okanagan Peach Double Cream Ice Cream ($4) Rösti Potato (Signature Items) 1. Swiss Style Crispy Potato Pancakes pork hock, chives, roasted leek served with sour cream & fresh scallion ($3) 2. …add Hickory Smoked Sockeye Salmon ($3) 3. …add Montreal Smoked Meat Hash ($2) 4. …add Chicken & Lemon Cracklin ($1) Cold Market (Take Home Only) This market will have a continual flow of cooks from the kitchens at the Marchè selecting their daily needs for their cooking stations. All products will continually be rotated with the draw from the Marchè guaranteeing only the freshest & largest selection of seasonally available products for our clients. Un-pasteurized, local & Artisan Cheeses 1. A cold counter will contain 45 types of cheeses (cut to order). 2. Every customer will be offered samples of the cheese before they purchase. 3. Cheese trays will be pre-packaged & ready at a minutes notice for office parties & home entertaining in servings for four to one hundred & fifty. 4. This station will also be stocked with cheese hardware such as cutting boards, cheese knives & cheese baskets. Locally Produced Dairy Products 1. Small batch organic producers of creams, butter & milk. 2. Value added products; flavoured creams, cream cheeses & dairy products. Tropical, Californian & Okanagan Seasonally Produced Fruits 1. A selection of 50+ fruits stacked perfectly in rows in artisan wooden crates with authentic ‘green grocer’ signs’. 2. Weigh stations need to be continually manned & samples need to be offered to the public at all times. 3. Price point of fruit need to be equivalent or lower then the local supermarket. 4. Fresh bottled juices & vegetables. Local & European Produce, Vegetables & Specialty Products 1. A selection of 70+ local & foreign vegetables & specialty vegetables displayed in authentic containers. 2. Price point of vegetables need to be equivalent or lower then the local supermarket. On Premise Fresh Bakery Goods 1. All baked goods will be available for take home. 2. Each checkout station will have a basket filled with warm potato baguette. 3. Individual pastries, flans & cakes will be wrapped & easily accessible for take home on large, colourful displays in front of the exits. On Premise Cut-to-Order Meats, Poultry & Game 1. Large glass display case over-flowing with pre-cut meats at market or less then market pricing. 2. Three man butcher teams cutting meats to order at all times. 3. Large chalkboard with specialty cuts continually changing. 4. Meats to be wrapped in authentic butcher paper & tied with twine. Grease pencil to mark the name of the product & price. Daily Caught Local & Exotic Seafood & Shellfish 1. Large display of 50+ species of whole fish, lobsters & crabs. 2. Display case of freshly cut portioned fish. 3. Loud crew of fishmongers attracting the crowds & cutting fish to order. 4. Fish to be wrapped in authentic fish paper & tied with twine. Grease pencil to mark the name of the product & price. Fresh Cut Tropical & Local Flowers 1. 20+ types of flower bouquets easily accessible at checkout. 2. Professional florist cutting & arranging flowers on site. 3. Florist will be continually updating & refreshing the flowers in the Marchè, bar & dining areas. Specialty Dry Goods 1. Olives, olive oils, mustards, etc from France, Italy & Canada. 2. Bulk purchases because of the usage of the Marchè’s cooking stations will allow a superior level of purchasing power to reduce costs. For the table service a simple menu will be presented to the guests. Of course they can have anything cooked at the stations delivered to there table. table service please browse the open market at you leisure to discover the daily specials with your passport or have your host serve your table icy cold canadian oysters on the half shell malpeque, royal miyagi, totten creek, classic cocktail sauce, fresh horseradish $8 hearts of organically grown romaine salad roasted garlic dressing, sourdough croutons, double smoked bacon $9 cold poached gulf prawns, baja scallops & penn cove mussel salad shallot-black olive mignonette, cognac & tomato aioli, sweet garlic puree $12 hickory smoked chicken & sundried tomato fettuccini tomato-cream sauce, basil, rotisserie onion, wild mushroom $11 from the beechwood fired grill marguez lamb sausage $8 jumbo aldergrove quail $7 prime Canadian steak $14 beech smoked tenderloin $16 wild sockeye salmon $9 queen charlotte halibut $8 baja diver scallop $12 shrimp & seafood sausage $7 from the slow roast rotisserie jerk spiced free-run chicken $6 salt meadow lamb leg $8 royal baron of prime beef $12 fallow deer venison loin $16 seasonal vegetables & potatoes cassoulet of roasted autumn vegetables gratineed with smoked gruyere $7 vancouver island potato hash with roasted garlic & thyme $3 pomme frites, double crispy fried, chive-dijon mayonnaise $4 yukon gold potato rösti, scallion sour cream, pork hock, caramelized leeks $5
  6. Beans, one day we must meet! I love your website. Any ideas on how to set up the perfect bar/winebar?
  7. I am back from a month of vacation and ready to tackle this most important topic. Being Canadian I see it as being my civic duty to help in the production of more beer for the masses. Where should we start? Is there a kit that is international that we can all buy and produce? The Techies can explain what is happening through each step of the preparation and then we can all try the final product and report on it.... Then we can become more advanced and start brewing beer from scratch together! Who knows maybe we will make it into the eGullet recipe page!!! Anyone interested? Start time: December 8th, 2003. Suggestion:
  8. Brian’s new found LAWS OF OPENING A RESTAURANT…. 1. People who have $500k to invest in a restaurant are smart and you need to have all the answers answered before they ask them or you are dead in the water. 2. Amendment to rule #1. People who have $500k and are not smart are scary. They are either criminals or have inherited/found the money and they only care about stroking their egos in opening a restaurant. 3. Statistically in Canada: multi unit franchise operations survive the first year of operation 9 out of 10 times. Single unit restaurants survive the first year 1 out of 9 times. It would appear that the extensive systemization in all aspects of operation in a franchise guarantees the success of the operation. A majority of single unit restaurants feel that the ‘glamour/charisma’ of the owner is all that is needed to be successful or that developing systems is too expensive of an undertaking! Opening of a restaurant should not include ego and operators should never eat/drink in their establishments for pleasure. They must always be treated as a business. 4. A room needs to be more then a place to feed the biological needs of hunger. It needs to be entertaining. The guest needs to enter a fantasy world and forget all about the problems of the real world. The goal of a restaurant is not to serve brilliant food and fill the hunger but to exceed in the expectation of the guest in their need to escape from reality for a few hours. Food, ambiance and service are the most powerful drug known to man if mixed and prepared in the right proportions. 5. 35 – 65 year old men have two main criteria that need to be met when they go out to dine. First they need to feel secure. They cannot feel that there is something on the menu they cannot afford and they need to understand the nomenclature of the restaurant. If they need to ask for help in a description or with a product or pronunciation they will hate the restaurant because their ego will not be properly serviced. Secondly even married men want to eat in a restaurant filled with young beautiful people. Case in point: the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco. The average age of the clientele is 45 years of age for the men. The women are ½ that age and perfect (very smart, well dressed and beautiful à in that order). The music is David Bowie from the 70’s and 80’s. People drink Manhattans and martinis. 6. All the money in the world and all the best service and food is lost to the customer if he/she waits more then 45 seconds to be greeted, a minute for a drink/recognition (once they have been seated) and 30 seconds for the bill at the end of the meal. Service is the key to success and needs to be the number one priority of any restaurant venture. We are looking at using table management software that tracks from the front door the progress of the customer through their entire meal that will flag a manager if the timeline is not met at every ‘moment of truth’ in the customer’s experience. The servers will be trained specifically on these criteria and rewarded appropriately on completion of set standards. Gratuity to a server is not guaranteed unless all criteria are meet. As well, technology will be used to enhance the customer’s time in the restaurant. I have been working with an IT guy who tells me that we can use ‘proximity chips’ in passport size cards that could eliminate having to wait for a bill at the end of a meal. Give each customer a lapel pin and when they are finished eating they can get up from the table and make their way to the nearest exit. Checkout could either be manned, like at a grocery store, or electronic. With existing technology we never, ever need to wait for a server to produce a bill again. Wall Mart is using self-service checkouts in the States right now with great success. More to follow in the next weeks….
  9. Thanks. I am so busy it is hard to adjust to all this technology. Now that I look at what you did I think I got it. I appreciate it.
  10. Actually you are not far off. I am building on experiences in France and Hong Kong (across the bay) where I bought fish and went to a nearby kitchen and they cooked it for me for a small fee. If it wasn't for the rice vodka I could give some accurate names, descriptions and locations. As well I am relying heavily on my experiences at the French bistros in Paris that had the fishmonger at the front of the restaurants...The fruit de mer to go! All that glorious fish on ice. I spent three weeks exploring these vendors and sampling the fish. They would package it in quaint little paper wrappers and I would explore the streets eating great seafood looking for other delicacies trying to fulfill my need for gastronomic brilliance. What a great way to enjoy the culinary world!
  11. you guys/gals are too quick! I edited the posting as you were typing!
  12. I have spent the last two hours trying to write out a description of the dining rooms worthy of the egullet community. It only took a half hour to design a quick JPG. If I could figure out how to digitalize the blueprints I would post them... blueprints (edit...this looks like crap, I will figure something out to post blueprints that are viewable!) When I say eight different dining rooms I mean eight different spaces within one dining area. I am working with a very clever young man who is producing some fantastic digital imagery (its not cheap, but it is truly amazing!!). Keeping in mind that the room will have the feel of a French Parisian market, Bill (designer guy) has really begun to push the envelope on some of the rooms. You will see a true pewter bar, teak wine cellar, marble bistro tables, etc but he is developing some key focal (conversation) points within the room. The first example is the washroom: More to follow....
  13. YES Yes yes!!! lets grab a few rusted pots and pans and brew a simple beer online and compare the outcome. Lets pitch the yeast next Sunday!
  14. It has been really hard not to ask the eGullet community for help over the last few months with my new venture. I have been diligent in working out my contract at Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House as the executive chef to its glorious end. I have been in transition for the last 4 months with the new chef (Chef Michael Lampuu; Four Seasons Hotel fame) and have concentrated on finishing my time at Joe’s on a high note. As many Egullet members know I in the process of opening my new concept restaurant in Vancouver this year. A concept that sees 350 full service seats surrounding a high volume open (walk through ‘food network’ style) kitchen placed in downtown Vancouver within walking distance of five of Canada’s best hotels. The restaurant will be structured around Vancouver’s largest indoor FOOD MARKET with many unique European and American features that will make it a leading venue in the North American food service industry. Not only will the market offer a full 15 000sq farmers market with the freshest in produce, seafood (where is the best place to buy fresh seafood? The busiest restaurant in the City!!!), meats and wines but the customer will be able to enjoy the products found within the market space in a selection of eight unique dining rooms with full international style table service. The space we are looking at is over 30 000sq feet. The management team is in its infancy and is developing with the business plan every day. A full business plan has been developed and prospective investors have been approached and finalization of the partnership will be complete by the end of the year…. I would be interested in hearing from other eGullet member their opinions on the concept. As the discussion grows I will offer additional data, specs and details. I am looking at an extremely large project that has never been attempted in Canada. I want to thank, in advance, members of Egullet, such as Wesza, who has help launched this project out of its infancy!! Food Network has its Reality TV. I want to start a restaurant based on the combined knowledge of Egullet!!!
  15. Wow! I have worked really hard the last few months (vacation in San Fran, LA, Napa, Las Vegas)..... The subtle flavour the garlic lends to the meat is intrinsic to the finish product.
  16. So after reading the information here I see that I have not made a lager yet. The kit (a can filled with worts that you add dry yeast to) I used for Australian Lager was fermented at 75f so it really must be Ale.... Presently I am working with a 22l plastic fermentation bucket and a 20l glass carboy (both fitted with an airlock). Should I get rid of the plastic bucket and replace it with glass? Will it make a huge difference? I have all the tubing and being a Chef I have lots of large stock pots. My next step will be to do some extract brewing. I remember seeing 'bulk bins' full of different grains at the local brew shop. I need to investigate more. As well I will look into liquid yeasts.
  17. I have dabbled over the past year in making beer at home. I started off with a very simple kit I bought at the local grocery store for $10 Canadian. It was an Australian lager from Cooper. With an initial investment of less then $40 I brewed my first batch... It was awful, but it had an interesting aftertaste I wanted to duplicate in a good beer. I went to the local brew store and asked for some advice. I left the store that day with a glass carboy, an airlock and was told to take the same kit but this time siphon the beer out of the primary fermentation vessel after 4 days and put it into the glass carboy for two – three weeks to let it clarify. It worked. The beer was 100% better and my friends kept asking for more. I have made 10 different kit beers this year and I now want to brew my own lager/ale at home without using a kit. I am looking to develop some different flavours and incorporate different sugars, maple syrup and honeys. I have looked on the Internet and the sites are all selling kits. Bookstores have beer books but they are all written by hippies and seem to all include hemp in one form or another. For all those interested I would like to start an online brewing forum. We will start by developing a recipe using our own resources on eGullet; individually procure the products and work through the fermentation process. First question: What type of beer is best brewed at home; ale or a lager?
  18. Chef Fowke: The "Dijon", type Mustards are rarely ever served with Pastrami. The main reason is that in the better places serving "Pastrami Sandwiches", the preferred Mustard Codiment is a Brown Mustard Seed, NYC Deli Type Mustard. The more traditional reason is the Dijon Mustards aren't Kosher Certified, due to the Wine Content not being Kosher. There may be some types of Dijon, that are in fact prepared especially for Kosher Consumption but i'm not aware of any being sold. Irwin, kosher dijon is available. I can't remember the brand off the top of my head, but it's imported from France. But dijon has no business on a pastrami sandwich. Only grainy brown will do. As an aside, next week is Kosherfest, which is the big kosher food show at the Javits Center in NY. It's amazing how many products are available these days. I plan on attending and eating my way through. It may not be 'kosher' but I love to eat pastrami with Dijon...call me crazy.
  19. ...and a true kosher pickle is a must!
  20. Chef Fowke

    Black Cod

    Are we talking about West Coast Black Cod (Sablefish, Butterfish)? We sell a lot of fish at the restaurant ( Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House ) and Black Cod always is in the top 5 most popular ( 4800 pounds a year). We used to have a Mega Chef living in Vancouver named Michael Nobel (competed in Iron Chef, Japan) who smoked Black Cod and served it with a simple beurre blanc and roe. He was the originator of the popularity of this fish. It really was a byproduct of the West Coast fishery until he realized the potential of this beast.
  21. And if we are going to taste pastrami with mustard, my favorite is Dijon from William Sonoma.
  22. How do the fat contents compare. My experience shows a simple formula: %fat + potato chip = good eats.
  23. Apples to oranges. It is hard to rate pastrami unless it is presented in the same manner. I do not, generally, like hotdogs...but whenever I am in Australia I eat dozens of them because of the spicy mustard. We need to keep this thread pure; and I was the first to deviate on the different mustards. The pastrami needs to be compared and contrasted using simple criteria ---> light rye, deli mustard and 14oz of hand cut pastrami (simply steamed or ‘wet held’).
  24. Just south of us in Oregon is a cheese company that makes extraordinary mustard. I tried it today with the pastrami and it was outstanding! I need to go back, soon, and try some other condiments (and the cheese was good too!).
  25. Very, very cool! Give me a call and I will try to drive down!
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