Definitely ended up doing about 13 hours on Saturday night. Don't mind at all though because I had friends coming in it at around 8pm. It was a crazy night though. We did just under 200 covers...before 8. It sucks to have that happen, and it's an all out bitch for the kitchen to keep up no matter what the circumstances.
My chef was closing and we put 2 specials on for the night because we had a little bit of that fish from Senegal to play with. They were both great. My chef took the sole, not to be confused with the Dover sole we have here either, that stuff comes from Alaska mainly. I had this fish called Monrovian Doctor fish.
Its a coral fish, think grouper but mild flavor. He put his with a lobster mac & cheese and tomato confit. I put mine with a chili-coconut reduction, a crispy herbed risotto cake, sauteed spinach and garnished it with some onion rings I sliced paper thin and tossed in a blackening seasoning.
They both sold out by the time I left, but my chef was glad my friends came in so late because the kitchen continued to get pummeled until around 9:30...we close at 10. The reason? No clue, but it was just awesome walking, scratch that, briskly walking from the raw bar to the kitchen and back, over and over again.
The raw bar of course is in the dining room and I'm checking out the scenery while trying not to shuck my fingers off. The bar is packed and the raw bar is full as well, and I'm working with the cook opening up just under 400 oysters for happy hour. Taking orders from people there and trying to explain that I'm not the bartender, four plates in a steamer working, skyscrapers*** to assemble and individual orders to be shucked. All that, while simultaneously getting "summoned" if you will (via a food runner) to get back to the kitchen.
It's funny, as soon as I step on the line I can feel sweat beading on my forehead, and I can't really bitch though...I haven't been behind that line all night, lol. So call it motivation to work faster because I never spent more than 20 minutes on that line at a time!
***Our Shellfish Skyscraper is a shucker's nightmare but a shellfish lovers equivalent of Valhalla. It contains a dozen or so steamed and chilled mussels, a dozen oysters, 5 jumbo shrimp, half dozen top neck clams, 4oz of lobster tossed in aour remoulade, and 4oz of marinated jumbo lump crab. It's glorious.
2 comments:
That fish is too cute to eat, dammit. :)
The doctor is in...my belly!
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