Today’s inspiration from a busy lifestyle: Mise en place. In French it means “put in place.” In the professional kitchen it refers to all the product a cook needs to wash, cut, chop, portion or cook ahead of time to be able to prepare your meal in a half hour or less. At home itContinue reading “Mise. En. Place.”
Tag Archives: Living
Staying in for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is both one of the best and worst days of the year for restaurants. It’s a great day for business, but is probably one of the most difficult days of the year. The dining room and the kitchen gets deuced to death. A 100 seat dining room filled with parties of two isContinue reading “Staying in for Valentine’s Day”
Beyond Kitchen Doors: To Complain or Not?
The clams were sandy. The more I ate the more grit I chomped. The spaghetti was a little salty, but edible. Wait. Nope. The more I ate, the saltier it got and the thirstier I got. Spaghetti with clams seems simple, but clams are very sandy and very briny. So they need to be scrubbedContinue reading “Beyond Kitchen Doors: To Complain or Not?”
First Look
Well here she is, my new home away from home. One fryer, a flat top grill, an open flame grill, a six burner range and oven, and a salamander to serve a 50-seat restaurant. That’s all folks. Yesterday I brought my sous chefs over for a meet ‘n’ greet with the owner. We went overContinue reading “First Look”
Countdown to 2014
Essential for smooth execution of any special occasion menu: working menu, complete prep list, quantities, schedule, assignments, and product order guide. Any other obsessive list makers out there?
