Good morning...
Happy Tuesday from my little laptop inside of Blue Ridge restaurant. I am checking in to give a quick update on the progression of this place.
As I type, there is a saw going off in the kitchen as metal is being cut and fabricated to fit the walls. Some people are here hooking up the surround sound and speakers for the place. Some other company is here linking up our computers, at least the wiring for them, LOL. From a snail's pace to light speed, it seems. It looks like we may actually do a small happy hour here next week on Wednesday for some VIP's, which should be a lot of fun.
All the while, my chef and I are sitting in front of our respective PC's researching vendors and particular food products from all over the southern states, in search of the best sustainable products. Ham and grits weigh heavily on our minds today.
It is not even 11am and I have written and received a dozen emails and phone calls from people in Kentucky, South Carolina, Alabama, and southern Virginia. I loved putting my best southern accent on, but I gotta tell you I can't hold a candle to my chef, who is from Tennessee. The "yes ma'am..." coming from a true southerner will trump the words "I reckon!" coming from me any day!
Oh well, more research to be done and more phone calls to make. We already have 4 different companies sending us samples from all of the states I listed earlier, so someone is eating good this weekend!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
The New Gig
Finally...
So after working at my new place of employment over the past several weeks I finally got up the nerve to ask about writing...about my new place of employment! Well, I guess I should have asked sooner. Chef/Owner Barton Seaver gave me the go ahead in more than a casual way. It almost made me feel stupid for having waited so long because frankly, I have had trouble writing about all the great things I am experiencing since having started.
Now that I have permission to write about my new adventures, let me tell you what I know about Blue Ridge and its much anticipated opening. First off, I am the Executive Sous Chef at Blue Ridge, a new restaurant in Glover Park that is still a few weeks from opening...and I know that is a running joke right now amongst other DC restaurateurs. People know about this place.
You can Google the name "Barton Seaver" and you'll find plenty. Try typing in "Blue Ridge" with his name next to it. People were writing about this place months ago. Partly because it was expected to be open a while ago, but shit happens, so what are you going to do?
Over the past few weeks, myself and the chef de cuisine have spent countless hours moving in kitchen equipment, painting, cleaning, disposing of old equipment, etc. I am not a painter by any means, but I can tell you it looks damn good compared to what it used to! This kitchen is beginning to shape into more then I would have expected the first time I walked in. I have video of everything but that will wait until well after the opening before I can post it.
Ah, as usual I digress. Blue Ridge will be a neighborhood restaurant like none other. Southern food, much better than what is served two buildings up at Kitchen. We actually did some menu work this afternoon for a few hours, and I will get into that later because this is getting to be a long entry. Let me just say that classic cocktails, and southern-infuenced food that is simple "old-new" and shown lots of love will be what Blue Ridge is all about. Sustainability is what Barton Seaver preaches, all the food we discussed today is sustainable, locally grown and seasonal...fucking awesome.
I have to go read my next cookbook now. I already read Zuni Cafe by Judy Rogers. My next one is by Jeremiah Towers, have a great weekend!
So after working at my new place of employment over the past several weeks I finally got up the nerve to ask about writing...about my new place of employment! Well, I guess I should have asked sooner. Chef/Owner Barton Seaver gave me the go ahead in more than a casual way. It almost made me feel stupid for having waited so long because frankly, I have had trouble writing about all the great things I am experiencing since having started.
Now that I have permission to write about my new adventures, let me tell you what I know about Blue Ridge and its much anticipated opening. First off, I am the Executive Sous Chef at Blue Ridge, a new restaurant in Glover Park that is still a few weeks from opening...and I know that is a running joke right now amongst other DC restaurateurs. People know about this place.
You can Google the name "Barton Seaver" and you'll find plenty. Try typing in "Blue Ridge" with his name next to it. People were writing about this place months ago. Partly because it was expected to be open a while ago, but shit happens, so what are you going to do?
Over the past few weeks, myself and the chef de cuisine have spent countless hours moving in kitchen equipment, painting, cleaning, disposing of old equipment, etc. I am not a painter by any means, but I can tell you it looks damn good compared to what it used to! This kitchen is beginning to shape into more then I would have expected the first time I walked in. I have video of everything but that will wait until well after the opening before I can post it.
Ah, as usual I digress. Blue Ridge will be a neighborhood restaurant like none other. Southern food, much better than what is served two buildings up at Kitchen. We actually did some menu work this afternoon for a few hours, and I will get into that later because this is getting to be a long entry. Let me just say that classic cocktails, and southern-infuenced food that is simple "old-new" and shown lots of love will be what Blue Ridge is all about. Sustainability is what Barton Seaver preaches, all the food we discussed today is sustainable, locally grown and seasonal...fucking awesome.
I have to go read my next cookbook now. I already read Zuni Cafe by Judy Rogers. My next one is by Jeremiah Towers, have a great weekend!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Cordon Bleu!
Cafe du Parc...
Here is a place that is fairly well known, but probably under appreciated with an outspoken chef in the city. Located on 14th and Pennsylvania, I did not even make it past the bar because I was too lazy to walk up the steps.
I decided to try the charcuterie and cheese plates. I also tried several different beverages that were phenomenal. The bartender was incredibly knowledgeable and my new chef and I talked cuisine throughout the entire meal. We talked a lot about what we were going to be getting into and the challenges ahead, lots of fun.
But anyway, back to the food. The charcuterie plate was the best I have had in the city in a long time. It had duck prosciutto on it. Pate en crute,
basically a meat paste in bread and in this case, brioche. OK, may sound a little weird to many people, but I promise it is absolutely delicious.
I had foie pate as well. Foie pate to me is a "Torchon," which I haven't made in a few years but I can tell you it is a 3 day process and well worth the wait. You take the duck liver and let it sit overnight in milk and alcohol, we used brandy, and on the second day it is wrapped tightly in cheese cloth and sat in salt overnight again. The next day it is sliced and served...tastes like butter, baby!
Yay! A positive restaurant review!
Here is a place that is fairly well known, but probably under appreciated with an outspoken chef in the city. Located on 14th and Pennsylvania, I did not even make it past the bar because I was too lazy to walk up the steps.
I decided to try the charcuterie and cheese plates. I also tried several different beverages that were phenomenal. The bartender was incredibly knowledgeable and my new chef and I talked cuisine throughout the entire meal. We talked a lot about what we were going to be getting into and the challenges ahead, lots of fun.
But anyway, back to the food. The charcuterie plate was the best I have had in the city in a long time. It had duck prosciutto on it. Pate en crute,
basically a meat paste in bread and in this case, brioche. OK, may sound a little weird to many people, but I promise it is absolutely delicious.
I had foie pate as well. Foie pate to me is a "Torchon," which I haven't made in a few years but I can tell you it is a 3 day process and well worth the wait. You take the duck liver and let it sit overnight in milk and alcohol, we used brandy, and on the second day it is wrapped tightly in cheese cloth and sat in salt overnight again. The next day it is sliced and served...tastes like butter, baby!
Yay! A positive restaurant review!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
A Saggy Dining Experience
Assaggi...
This place is fairly new but is getting a buzz because of its location in downtown Bethesda. It is basically a mozzarella bar.
My date asked for a table instead of trying to eat at the bar because we knew we would be trying a lot of food and needed some space. To start, we picked 4 of the 5 mozzarella cheeses they had to offer. Chose wines by the glass so we could keep our options open, very good stuff. Our cheese plate comes out with several different condiments, like roasted & marinated peppers and smoked eggplant. But the cheese plate has no olive oil on it, and there is no salt or pepper to be found either.
Now, I know everyone is different, but if you are not going to put those 2 condiments on your tables because you believe the food is coming out perfect, it damn well better be. I could never eat mozzarella without a hefty dose of S&P and some really good olive oil to accompany it. It's like a pairing made in heaven and the only thing missing were some heirloom tomatoes and basil, ugh.
So, for our entrees she tried the gnocchi with royal trumpet mushrooms. My eyes were glued to the black cod and pan seared scallops, served with root vegetables and a fava bean mash. I do not usually mention price because it shouldn't matter when on a food quest, but this dish was $32.
What I got may have cost the kitchen 5 bucks to put on the plate. My cod couldn't have weighed more then 3 ounces and it was split into 2 pieces. The scallops were tiny as well, and there was no seasoning in the fava mash or my vegetables. When the plate was first put in front of me, I must have looked like a confused child because I couldn't help but look at it and feel like I had been robbed. Her gnocchi would have been gone in 6 bites had it been me eating it.
Another 2 bills later and we didn't even try dessert. Disappointing. Look, DC has a pretty good restaurant scene, and I'm actually TRYING to enjoy myself...but I'm on a hell of a bad run right now!
We're getting close to our open date, and hopefully soon I can talk more about my new position!
This place is fairly new but is getting a buzz because of its location in downtown Bethesda. It is basically a mozzarella bar.
My date asked for a table instead of trying to eat at the bar because we knew we would be trying a lot of food and needed some space. To start, we picked 4 of the 5 mozzarella cheeses they had to offer. Chose wines by the glass so we could keep our options open, very good stuff. Our cheese plate comes out with several different condiments, like roasted & marinated peppers and smoked eggplant. But the cheese plate has no olive oil on it, and there is no salt or pepper to be found either.
Now, I know everyone is different, but if you are not going to put those 2 condiments on your tables because you believe the food is coming out perfect, it damn well better be. I could never eat mozzarella without a hefty dose of S&P and some really good olive oil to accompany it. It's like a pairing made in heaven and the only thing missing were some heirloom tomatoes and basil, ugh.
So, for our entrees she tried the gnocchi with royal trumpet mushrooms. My eyes were glued to the black cod and pan seared scallops, served with root vegetables and a fava bean mash. I do not usually mention price because it shouldn't matter when on a food quest, but this dish was $32.
What I got may have cost the kitchen 5 bucks to put on the plate. My cod couldn't have weighed more then 3 ounces and it was split into 2 pieces. The scallops were tiny as well, and there was no seasoning in the fava mash or my vegetables. When the plate was first put in front of me, I must have looked like a confused child because I couldn't help but look at it and feel like I had been robbed. Her gnocchi would have been gone in 6 bites had it been me eating it.
Another 2 bills later and we didn't even try dessert. Disappointing. Look, DC has a pretty good restaurant scene, and I'm actually TRYING to enjoy myself...but I'm on a hell of a bad run right now!
We're getting close to our open date, and hopefully soon I can talk more about my new position!
Fart In Bowl
Art & Soul, in the Liason Hotel near the Capitol.
Chef Art Smith, Oprah's personal chef, hired as executive chef a long time friend and someone I looked to emulate while working for a former haunt of mine.
Well, the place is beautiful on the inside and has a patio that is so nuevo I thought I was somewhere in LA rather then downtown. The menu was southern, but didn't have collard greens, it did have chow-chow and red-eye gravy though. Our server unfortunately was rude at times, and when I was offered water I asked for a "bottle of still," and he asked me if I wanted bottled or tap water.
My dining experience is usually tarnished when this happens but I know the chef so things have to get better, right? Well, our server reappears and I ask him if the chef is working and I ask to say hello. He tells me he will tell him I am here, takes my name and disappears as my date attempts to order our wine. He comes back several minutes later and asks if we have decided on what we would like to eat. No problem, but we order a bottle of wine with our appetizers. Our apps come out within 5 minutes, but our wine was nowhere to be found. Within the next 5 minutes, our server comes out and apologizes, saying that there was a new manager and they could not find the wine.
Well, as we are eating our apps we decide to order our entrees. Medium rare duck breast for myself, served with candied cabbage and baby root vegetables. For my date, a rib-eye on the rare side, served with grits and brussel sprouts. Yum yum, and I am not being sarcastic. This should go great with our Petit Syrah.
Oh yes, just after we ordered our entrees, the chef appeared and sat down to talk to us. After hearing him talk for 15 minutes about himself, he decided he would head back into the kitchen and said his goodbyes.
I will not take anything away from him in terms of his fame and fortune, cooking on the White House lawn Monday, on the Today Show Sunday morning, etc. Good for him, but he once told me, and I quote "Chase, you are your own biggest fan." These words spoke volumes about the person I was at the time. Putting my ego on the plate instead of letting the food I was making speak for itself. Well, saying the table has turned would be an understatement. Good for him though, don't hate the playa, hate the game.
Our appetizers were cleared while he was at the table and we waited 25 minutes for our entrees. I guess they had to butcher the duck and the rib-eye to order?
The rib-eye looked like something I would find at a family dinner, swimming in sauce, rib-eye in the center of the plate pushing the grits from under it in no particular pattern, and 2 brussel sprouts cut in half on either corner of the plate. My duck was presented looking away from me and I was staring at the vegetables on the front of the plate.
OK, I know I could just turn the plate around but damn, my dining experience at this place is already going down the drain. We also tried a side of the buttermilk mash. Now buttermilk is a little sour to the taste as is, but these buttermilk mash potatoes were like buttermilk with a side of mash, get it? Dessert doesn't even get a mention with this because it was just bland and sad.
2 bills dropped, plenty of patience displayed and not a single thing taken off the check by the chef that I used to be so enthralled with. This was a good reminder and a lesson for me as I prepare to move up the proverbial restaurant "food chain," though certainly not worth the time and money spent on a terrible experience.
Chef Art Smith, Oprah's personal chef, hired as executive chef a long time friend and someone I looked to emulate while working for a former haunt of mine.
Well, the place is beautiful on the inside and has a patio that is so nuevo I thought I was somewhere in LA rather then downtown. The menu was southern, but didn't have collard greens, it did have chow-chow and red-eye gravy though. Our server unfortunately was rude at times, and when I was offered water I asked for a "bottle of still," and he asked me if I wanted bottled or tap water.
My dining experience is usually tarnished when this happens but I know the chef so things have to get better, right? Well, our server reappears and I ask him if the chef is working and I ask to say hello. He tells me he will tell him I am here, takes my name and disappears as my date attempts to order our wine. He comes back several minutes later and asks if we have decided on what we would like to eat. No problem, but we order a bottle of wine with our appetizers. Our apps come out within 5 minutes, but our wine was nowhere to be found. Within the next 5 minutes, our server comes out and apologizes, saying that there was a new manager and they could not find the wine.
Well, as we are eating our apps we decide to order our entrees. Medium rare duck breast for myself, served with candied cabbage and baby root vegetables. For my date, a rib-eye on the rare side, served with grits and brussel sprouts. Yum yum, and I am not being sarcastic. This should go great with our Petit Syrah.
Oh yes, just after we ordered our entrees, the chef appeared and sat down to talk to us. After hearing him talk for 15 minutes about himself, he decided he would head back into the kitchen and said his goodbyes.
I will not take anything away from him in terms of his fame and fortune, cooking on the White House lawn Monday, on the Today Show Sunday morning, etc. Good for him, but he once told me, and I quote "Chase, you are your own biggest fan." These words spoke volumes about the person I was at the time. Putting my ego on the plate instead of letting the food I was making speak for itself. Well, saying the table has turned would be an understatement. Good for him though, don't hate the playa, hate the game.
Our appetizers were cleared while he was at the table and we waited 25 minutes for our entrees. I guess they had to butcher the duck and the rib-eye to order?
The rib-eye looked like something I would find at a family dinner, swimming in sauce, rib-eye in the center of the plate pushing the grits from under it in no particular pattern, and 2 brussel sprouts cut in half on either corner of the plate. My duck was presented looking away from me and I was staring at the vegetables on the front of the plate.
OK, I know I could just turn the plate around but damn, my dining experience at this place is already going down the drain. We also tried a side of the buttermilk mash. Now buttermilk is a little sour to the taste as is, but these buttermilk mash potatoes were like buttermilk with a side of mash, get it? Dessert doesn't even get a mention with this because it was just bland and sad.
2 bills dropped, plenty of patience displayed and not a single thing taken off the check by the chef that I used to be so enthralled with. This was a good reminder and a lesson for me as I prepare to move up the proverbial restaurant "food chain," though certainly not worth the time and money spent on a terrible experience.
Monday, April 13, 2009
On Tour
The calm before the storm...
So, since I am opening up a new restaurant shortly, with the understanding that very soon I will be dedicated to this place like none before it, I have been trying to enjoy my time outside of work while I can.
In a little over a week I have eaten out at several well known restaurants, looking for fun, inspiration and to raise my pinky toward the sky and snicker at others' expense. Michel Richard's Central, Cafe du Parc, Art & Soul, and Assaggi in Bethesda. I also ate at Lia's in Chevy Chase and unfortunately, because I did not have high expectations, this place I enjoyed more than the rest and it cost about half!
At Central, I know a manager and a bartender that I used to work with at different points in my career. The manager used to take me out for drinks before I was of age. She was awesome, and it is great to see her at such a respectable establishment. I told her where I was currently working and she seemed thrilled or me. She spoke to myself and my date for several minutes in between courses. Our server was around less then she was, and by less I mean I never saw him until each course arrived. We even poured our own wine the entire meal.
The best part about our entire meal was the french fries that came with the tartare of Filet Mignon. $200 down the drain, not including the tip, and the dessert was taken off of the check. Disappointing at best, but just the beginning of my short little food tour, which I'll be posting about all week.
So, since I am opening up a new restaurant shortly, with the understanding that very soon I will be dedicated to this place like none before it, I have been trying to enjoy my time outside of work while I can.
In a little over a week I have eaten out at several well known restaurants, looking for fun, inspiration and to raise my pinky toward the sky and snicker at others' expense. Michel Richard's Central, Cafe du Parc, Art & Soul, and Assaggi in Bethesda. I also ate at Lia's in Chevy Chase and unfortunately, because I did not have high expectations, this place I enjoyed more than the rest and it cost about half!
At Central, I know a manager and a bartender that I used to work with at different points in my career. The manager used to take me out for drinks before I was of age. She was awesome, and it is great to see her at such a respectable establishment. I told her where I was currently working and she seemed thrilled or me. She spoke to myself and my date for several minutes in between courses. Our server was around less then she was, and by less I mean I never saw him until each course arrived. We even poured our own wine the entire meal.
The best part about our entire meal was the french fries that came with the tartare of Filet Mignon. $200 down the drain, not including the tip, and the dessert was taken off of the check. Disappointing at best, but just the beginning of my short little food tour, which I'll be posting about all week.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Layin' Low
Umm...
Well, my exit from the restaurant didn't exactly go as planned. I ended up having to attend a funeral on what was supposed to have been my last day. My replacement actually asked for a day off during my final week as well. Someone must not have told him what the job requirements were. The guy took very little notes during the week, which won't bode well for anyone being that I am no longer there. I heard from a few servers that the new guy already had to scramble and go buy oysters from somewhere random. I almost feel for him, but enough of that.
No rest on my end though, I have already been spending half of my days with the new restaurant. The cool part, depending on how you look at it, is that this place doesn't open for another 3 weeks. As I have learned in the past, I will not be naming my new restaurant quite yet, at least not without permission.
I can say that this place has already been written about several times. My new chef is extremely well known in this city, and I am walking into a restaurant before the actual kitchen equipment makes it inside. It is literally sitting on the patio as we speak. I have yet to even ask my new chef about keeping this blog. It's a big deal to me, though small change to my new chef. Countless magazine and a few TV appearances, a cookbook in the making...this blog isn't even a blip on the radar for my new chef. So hopefully he won't mind letting me continue to emote, bitch, complain and extrapolate in my little corner of the Interwebz.
All in due time, though he has been kind enough to let me take a camera into the place as it becomes our new home. I have got plenty of video, but it won't be making it on here anytime soon. I love my new position and the people I have will be working with. So I don't want to blow it over a blog!
More to come soon...
Well, my exit from the restaurant didn't exactly go as planned. I ended up having to attend a funeral on what was supposed to have been my last day. My replacement actually asked for a day off during my final week as well. Someone must not have told him what the job requirements were. The guy took very little notes during the week, which won't bode well for anyone being that I am no longer there. I heard from a few servers that the new guy already had to scramble and go buy oysters from somewhere random. I almost feel for him, but enough of that.
No rest on my end though, I have already been spending half of my days with the new restaurant. The cool part, depending on how you look at it, is that this place doesn't open for another 3 weeks. As I have learned in the past, I will not be naming my new restaurant quite yet, at least not without permission.
I can say that this place has already been written about several times. My new chef is extremely well known in this city, and I am walking into a restaurant before the actual kitchen equipment makes it inside. It is literally sitting on the patio as we speak. I have yet to even ask my new chef about keeping this blog. It's a big deal to me, though small change to my new chef. Countless magazine and a few TV appearances, a cookbook in the making...this blog isn't even a blip on the radar for my new chef. So hopefully he won't mind letting me continue to emote, bitch, complain and extrapolate in my little corner of the Interwebz.
All in due time, though he has been kind enough to let me take a camera into the place as it becomes our new home. I have got plenty of video, but it won't be making it on here anytime soon. I love my new position and the people I have will be working with. So I don't want to blow it over a blog!
More to come soon...
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