Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Geoff and Laura Show
On Saturday we had the Geoff and Laura show for dinner service. Chef said he is kicking us out of the nest, clipping our wings or some such thing. I figure it would be hard to fly with clipped wings but maybe that's not what he meant. And so I cooked Saturday's dinner service all by myself. Apparently I did an outstanding job and should be proud of myself. The food looked amazing he said -- I'd hope so, he was plating it for me -- and it tasted great. Can't take credit for the food, it is his menu and his ingredients, however it was my execution. It was not as busy as Friday and I was able to keep up. For a while there we didn't think there would be a dinner service at all because of the Santa Clause parade up here seems to draw half the town but we were steady.
The compliment at the end of the night felt good. So good, in fact, that having closed the kitchen I stuck around for a few drinks. There was one last table having drinks after I closed the kitchen and since my former Sous-Chef and her partner were at the table I joined them and had my drink. Then, around 11:20 pm I called Jen and asked her to come out and the six of us continued drinking until 2 am when the server was legally required to close and we all left. I really hope she won't get in trouble for keeping the restaurant open for that one table. Although we weren't eating, much liquor was consumed. Not really sure how much but my head this morning and well into the afternoon says it was a lot. I seem to forget to tell the bartender to just get me water instead of booze. As I sit there, with an empty glass, and feel the need for a drink, it's much easier to nod absentmindedly when asked if I want another drink instead of focusing on the question, remembering I've had way too much and saying "actually, would you mind getting me a bottle of Perrier?". I'll have to remember that tonight after my shift downtown because my head is still pounding after last night and it's 1:34 pm.
The compliment at the end of the night felt good. So good, in fact, that having closed the kitchen I stuck around for a few drinks. There was one last table having drinks after I closed the kitchen and since my former Sous-Chef and her partner were at the table I joined them and had my drink. Then, around 11:20 pm I called Jen and asked her to come out and the six of us continued drinking until 2 am when the server was legally required to close and we all left. I really hope she won't get in trouble for keeping the restaurant open for that one table. Although we weren't eating, much liquor was consumed. Not really sure how much but my head this morning and well into the afternoon says it was a lot. I seem to forget to tell the bartender to just get me water instead of booze. As I sit there, with an empty glass, and feel the need for a drink, it's much easier to nod absentmindedly when asked if I want another drink instead of focusing on the question, remembering I've had way too much and saying "actually, would you mind getting me a bottle of Perrier?". I'll have to remember that tonight after my shift downtown because my head is still pounding after last night and it's 1:34 pm.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Until Next Friday
Friday's dreaded dinner service came and went and I have to say that although the kitchen did go in the weeds at one point it was not as terrible as I thought. This because Chef ended up doing most of the cooking and I plated for him. The pizza boy could not keep up, there were many pizzas in the oven and he just couldn't keep up with the orders. The hot side was putting up food that was supposed to go with pizzas but the pizzas weren't ready thus causing everything to backlog.
At one point the servers had run out of menus which means that every single table in the restaurant was looking at their menu at the same time. That, of course, also means that ALL the orders came in at once. One need not be a cook to understand that is not good news. Some of the patrons had a bit of a wait for their food but -- and this is my opinion, however biased -- you cannot get upset for waiting if you come in and you see a packed restaurant, you have clear view of the kitchen and the cooks slinging pots and food and hopefully an understanding of how quickly food can get cooked. No matter how many cooks or burners you have back there, there are still 40 other people ahead of you or being fed at the same time as you. But hey, that's just me.
We made it through and, as I said, although it wasn't pretty, it was not bad. Nobody came undone, nobody had a meltdown, we didn't run out of any food and by 8 pm all was right with the world and it will continue to be, until next Friday.
At one point the servers had run out of menus which means that every single table in the restaurant was looking at their menu at the same time. That, of course, also means that ALL the orders came in at once. One need not be a cook to understand that is not good news. Some of the patrons had a bit of a wait for their food but -- and this is my opinion, however biased -- you cannot get upset for waiting if you come in and you see a packed restaurant, you have clear view of the kitchen and the cooks slinging pots and food and hopefully an understanding of how quickly food can get cooked. No matter how many cooks or burners you have back there, there are still 40 other people ahead of you or being fed at the same time as you. But hey, that's just me.
We made it through and, as I said, although it wasn't pretty, it was not bad. Nobody came undone, nobody had a meltdown, we didn't run out of any food and by 8 pm all was right with the world and it will continue to be, until next Friday.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Hand Cream Needed
Since I spend more time with my hands in the water than a rubber ducky in a bathtub, hand cream is a must have, especially with the hard water that can be found in parts of York Region. The backs of my hands get so dry from all the repeated hand washing, dish washing, toweling dry and all the other cookery duties that I no longer leave the house without hand cream in my pocket. There's even a tube of Nivea that I keep at work so that I always have access to hand lotion.
Problem with all the hand creaming is that you can easily transfer it to the food. I'm in a pickle. Without hand cream I am in discomfort. My hands get so itchy and visibly dry to the point that I can't work with them. Hand cream can get onto the food. What to do? I can start wearing gloves when I run the dishes but the dishes are only part of the problem. I am washing my hands constantly after touching doors (including oven door and fridge door), garbage cans, the floor (to pick up something I dropped), the broom and so on. I am not a germophobe but the thought of my grubby hands touching food that someone else will eat is unacceptable to me. I've seen others with different standards of hygiene but I cringe at the thought. Some days I think to myself "I am never eating out again, regardless of the restaurant." But then the love of food and the spiffy-ness of a clean dining room and clean kitchen staff gets me to reconsider.
Let's talk dinner service though. Tonight's dinner service was nice, steady, with a good spread between pizza, salads and pastas. No one station got clobbered and the kitchen was given to me around 8 pm when Chef left. Sous Chef is gone for the week so I was it. I had one table after Chef left. It ordered meat loaf and mash, something I had only plated once before but I remembered everything. I grilled the meatloaf and put it in the oven. I got my relish ready as well as the side, remembered to get my garnishes in the oven so they heat up and it all went a-ok. It was one of the boys and myself for closing and we got out of there only three minutes after the schedule said we needed to. We completed nearly everything, swept, mopped, took out the garbage, closed the dish pit (with the exception of two almost clean pots we forgot in the big sink!)
Tomorrow will be what I call "the shit storm of all time." If today was nice and steady instead of boring and slow, which Thursdays have been so far, tomorrow we're getting hit. I'm ready in the sense that I know the menu, but I am not ready for an eight-top to come in and order everything off my station. Fingers crossed.
Problem with all the hand creaming is that you can easily transfer it to the food. I'm in a pickle. Without hand cream I am in discomfort. My hands get so itchy and visibly dry to the point that I can't work with them. Hand cream can get onto the food. What to do? I can start wearing gloves when I run the dishes but the dishes are only part of the problem. I am washing my hands constantly after touching doors (including oven door and fridge door), garbage cans, the floor (to pick up something I dropped), the broom and so on. I am not a germophobe but the thought of my grubby hands touching food that someone else will eat is unacceptable to me. I've seen others with different standards of hygiene but I cringe at the thought. Some days I think to myself "I am never eating out again, regardless of the restaurant." But then the love of food and the spiffy-ness of a clean dining room and clean kitchen staff gets me to reconsider.
Let's talk dinner service though. Tonight's dinner service was nice, steady, with a good spread between pizza, salads and pastas. No one station got clobbered and the kitchen was given to me around 8 pm when Chef left. Sous Chef is gone for the week so I was it. I had one table after Chef left. It ordered meat loaf and mash, something I had only plated once before but I remembered everything. I grilled the meatloaf and put it in the oven. I got my relish ready as well as the side, remembered to get my garnishes in the oven so they heat up and it all went a-ok. It was one of the boys and myself for closing and we got out of there only three minutes after the schedule said we needed to. We completed nearly everything, swept, mopped, took out the garbage, closed the dish pit (with the exception of two almost clean pots we forgot in the big sink!)
Tomorrow will be what I call "the shit storm of all time." If today was nice and steady instead of boring and slow, which Thursdays have been so far, tomorrow we're getting hit. I'm ready in the sense that I know the menu, but I am not ready for an eight-top to come in and order everything off my station. Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sole fillet in butter sauce
Even though I know it won't keep all that well until the time that Jen will be reheating her dinner I am making sole meuniere today. I have sole in the fridge, butter aplenty and no time to make anything more elaborate. Sole meuniere is quite simple to make, it's seasoned sole sauteed in a butter sauce. Should be served immediately after it's cooked but Jen will never cook this for herself and I have to leave at 2 pm so we shall see how the sole behaves when reheated in the most awful of ways -- the microwave. I'll serve her sole with some lemon rice on the side that way she can share it with Charlie.
In other news, I received my offer of training letter from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. I am offered a seat in the Jan 11 2010 class of Humber College of Applied Arts. My seat is reserved as soon as I pay the classroom fee, and so it dawns on me that January is right around the corner. Gulp!
In other news, I received my offer of training letter from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. I am offered a seat in the Jan 11 2010 class of Humber College of Applied Arts. My seat is reserved as soon as I pay the classroom fee, and so it dawns on me that January is right around the corner. Gulp!
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