Sausage

Jamin' and I decided to play around with some charcuterie. I think we need a little more practice. The flavors were there for the most part....
but, the texture of the final product just isn't right. It wants to just crumble apart.

Crepes

I've been running "BBQ Chicken Crepes" on the menu for a couple months now. I am yet to be happy with the final dish though. Every tweak brings me closer.

the addition of a goat cheese cracker has helped, but to be honest with you it was supposed to be a goat cheese puff. It's close, I can tell it wants to puff but.....it won't.

My patience has never been a virtue though.

The BBQ sauce is an Asian BBQ sauce that I was taught when I was 17 and it's something I'll never forget. It's a great sauce that can fit in almost anywhere and It was taught to me at a time when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I still remember the day it was taught to me. I tasted the final outcome of it and realized how incredible cooking was. How (what seemed to be) random ingredients treated with appropriate care and love and technique could be combined to make amazing things. I also had a girlfriend that actually knew the name and number of the only Chinese place in our "Mon valley" and she knew to order General Tso's. It was an opening to a new world to me. And this sauce reminds me of that. I still use the same approach to it, kinda, the technique looking back on it doesn't really make sense, but it still works.

Matt Baer had a great idea though, (concerning crepes) I'm gonna wait until we can work on it, but it will be new and unique...as far as we know. You'll probably be the firsts to find out.

Zach's Dinner

Hot Dog Sushi with soy ketchup, wasabi mustard and soy drizzle.

Rice Crispy fried shimp salad with pop rocks to make it talk.
Third course (not pictured) was StarBurst Candy Cane dusted Scallops on Old Bay risotto with Creamy Cream soda foam.
Prime Rib Poached strip steak with Goat Cheese creamed cous cous.


Fried and BBQd Venison stuffed chicken (Sweet Baby Rays)
Blue Cheese brownie with Thyme Chocolate and Grenadine.

It's always fun to cook for your employees. When there's time to really have fun with what they're going to be eating that night. You get to insert some of their favorite
food items in some not so familiar ways.

Square Chicken

Different applications. The Agar Agar was the favorite. And it help up really well in the fryer.
I just need to play around with the proper breading.
And get some Malt.

Brothers

A couple weeks ago, my brother's soon to be open kitchen Explodes! Literally.
As he was walking out the clubhouse door, Life Flight was landing behind the building. He had just walked through the kitchen as the workers where talking about firing up the pilots.
............With some time off, he decided to bring his kids up north to visit their Grandparents. When I told him that, do to lack of staff, I would not be able to join him there, he decided to just come out to my restaurant and hang out in the kitchen for a couple days.
A wine dinner was already in the works, months ago, although I had no time to create a solid menu nor would I be able to focus as much attention on it as I would normally.
The busy season is upon us and I have no sous chefs. I work saute all day long with some incredible die-hard kids keeping me alive. The type of kids (I say kids in the most loving way, they are adults but are all very new to fine dinning) that will work 10 to 16 hour shifts without bitching once and they will go along with your stupid sense of humor, clean up at the end of the night, help the dishwashers finish and make sure everything gets turned off while you do your orders for the next day.




When you first started cooking, and the guy next to you on that busy Friday night had maybe two more weeks experience than you did. But, he was your life line. You asked him the "stupid" questions as to not bother the Chef and to not look "stupid". Next thing you know, you're best friends, war buddies practically. Like Brothers.
My (real) brother just said "cool, I'll come in and help you with the wine dinner".
Some emails and a lot of help from our sommelier www.mountainplayhouse.org/gg/sommelier.html">Ben Grace a rough draft of a menu was put together.
Wednesday and I only have one solid course in mind that I would be able to do while cooking a la carte. But! My brother is now here and I know he can do anything. And he does. Working while on his vacation, he not only works on the Wine Dinner, but helps during our service rush. Helps bust out prep that we need for a ticket that's hanging to be sold.
That night (over much bourbon) we pretty much knock out the menu in theory. A quick switch-a-roo on two courses to match the wines and presto!!!! ......I'm still cooking for lunch service (Thursday) and have little idea how I'm gonna find time (or inspiration) to get my part of the dinner ready.
My brother's got my back. I've always known this and I always will. He's my best friend, he's my old war buddy (Turtle Point plus several others) and he is my brother.
Everything goes well. We pretty much split the evening. Some parts of mine really pissed me off,....no excuses. They just didn't come together as well as I would have liked. Randy's plates came out awesome though. Just solid flavors and colors and combinations that I know he can produce and produce like no one else.
Menu:
Scallop Civiche, Watermelon pickled Cucumber, Watermelon foam, Red Onion Juice, Arugula.





Tostones: White peach, shrimp, Banana Horseradish.



Pollo Frumado: Saffron Potatoes, chorizo + bomb (not hot enough), Chocolate-Ancho-Goat Cheese, Potato Churro (good job Churro Girl)








Raspberry Duck: Hominy tamale, Blue cheese, Strawberries







Short Rib Crepinette: Sweet Potato, Foie Gras, Raisin Puree








Four Figs: Turnover, Upside down cake, Brulee, Grandma Newton, Goat Cheese Ice Cream.

"Filthy"

"Buffalo Wing Hot Dogs"

We love hot dogs and we love hot wings. Natural progression....100% Chicken with crispy skin attached (Ativa).

Just for the sake of posting SOMETHING!

The past two or three months have been months of "survival".
I am in no way able to play around with anything lately. No time.
My title of "Executive Chef" has seemed pretty much worthless as of late. I am a "Line Cook" before anything else right now. (try explaining that to the owners)....(and they know about my blog.........).
This....This town(?) I work in, has very little. No one wants to live or work here. We have a really beautiful piece of property in the middle of F'n nowhere, but it is really special. I can't stress that enough. It is really beautiful. Old, but with character. But, there is no modern culture, there is no outside thought, there is no change from the past 50 to 80 years. Therefore, I've progressed backwards in the forward movements I intended to make.
I thought I could create a place that would stand out amongst the mountains and the backdrop of colored leaves and bring people from all around. The core foundation of this kitchen was me. That's fine. But for how long?
I am so incredibly grateful for the help that I have currently and have had in the few months that I've been here. (to them, You know I need and respect all of you.) But, when my purveyors need me to spell the food items I'm looking for...........that's when I get nervous. When my main produce purveyor tells me that "you and two other people in P--tsb--gh might know what you're asking for is, and I can't keep it on hand for you three", that made me nervous.
When I'm told not to feel bad, because i'm "not the only person that can't find the help they need around here, because people just don't want to move to the area.".........................
These are some items I have to take off the menu this week do to the increase of volume that is coming my way and the decrease in time that has been lacking from my life for the past couple months.



Halibut. Truffled cauliflower puree. Bacon-corn succotash. Bacon emulsion. Chocolate-Cabernet reduction.



Bacon and chocolate work really well together. fyi.










Myers farm chicken breast, Chocolate goat cheese ancho chili smear, Black bean-corn relish, Chicken confit and Chorizo whipped potatoes, Poblano Puree.

Chicken Shanks