Sweet blog. It almost feels like an entire era has passed since my last post. I guess that may become a re-occurring theme with the tales of Andouille. So much to tell, where to begin? Ahh, yes, the title, an appropriate introduction to this post. Because I do feel the Earth move under my feet. Any of you who know me should appreciate my palpable affection towards love songs (especially the cheesy ones).
I seem to have established a more grounded connection with the Earth, hence the notion of recognizing the movement underneath my feet. My trip to Telluride, first time in seven years I was able to escape the Restaurant during the summer, to see Phish, helped my feet find their rightful position of gripping the Earth. I had previously been to Telluride on one other occasion, my first trip to the Rockies, for Bluegrass Fest in 1998. I remember how wonderful I thought Telluride was then, and I was quickly reminded how spectacular it still is. The experience itself was absolutely magical. By far the best vibe I've been a part of at any concert I've ever attended. A profound statement indeed, one that is certainly worthy of some serious recognition. Where else can one soak their feet in a glacier cold river sipping a cold microbrew a mere minutes from walking into a venue to see Phish? I'm still glowing from this delightful experience in Telluride.
As for yoga, I've decided that any pose having to do with water is my work from now on. Sometimes I feel as if I'm about as limber as a whale. In fact, I think it would be great to name a posture the whale. I can't quite picture the pose yet, but I'm sure it would be a fun one. Anyway dolphin and fish are two poses that come to mind that I struggle with greatly. Aside from that I'm an arm balance maestro, easily my favorite poses. As soon as my body (or my mind) decides to become a touch more flexible, I'll be busting some crazy pretzel like arm balance action. My yoga practice has been consistent; however, and I am so happy about it! I am beginning to open more and more and the practice shows! Yet still it's as if I am prying my body open and ever so slowly are things happening. The key here, howver, is I have made yoga a priority.
And now for the Restaurant talk. The fact that I was able to sneak away for a four day excursion to see Phish suggests that I have a competent and capable staff. I'm actually in disbelief typing those very words. It might be the first time in a loooong time this has been the case. Not to mention we wrapped a record breaking month in July! So business is good and the staff is even better. We still have enormous challenges to endure, on a nightly basis, because even though we are experiencing record breaking revenue we are not experiencing any kind of increase in staff. This has done two things that I can see: Made us all stronger, and made us really appreciate our days off! Either way I honestly feel like things are better than they have ever been in Kandyland (Cafe Kandahar land). Last Friday night we had one of those seamless nights that we always strive for. Where everything just happens with such ease and grace while all the diners want to talk with me and thank me for such a fantastic experience. Those are the nights we dream of, when all cylinders are firing equally, all systems are in tact and efficient, and the well greased machine is just pumping away. Despite all of our efforts on a continual basis, these nights are few and far between. Tonight was not one of those nights. I burned myself fairly intensely, streaks of blisters now accompany my index finger, thumb, and middle finger of my right hand. I don't need any sympathy though, I'll be fine again tomorrow. My hands have been burnt so much that any pain that exists usually only sticks around for a few hours since the majority of my nerve endings have been crisped like a chia pet in a house fire. August is also on par to work into the record breaking revenue category. It feels like it should be cause for celebration, but then again I'm just too tired to celebrate. I'll post some recent menus instead. First up, a wine dinner from our annual Taste of the Flathead dinner: All ingredients featured were local! (except Truffles and Chocolate)
*Squash Blossoms, Sweet Peas, Goat Cheese, Roast Garlic, Sorrel
*Summer Squash & Walla Walla Onion Soup, Basil Pistou, Black Pepper Brioche
*Pork Belly, Candied Heirlooms, Braised Cabbage, Radishes
*"Highmont" Beef Carpaccio, Cherry Tomatoes, Artichokes, Fennel, Cauliflower
*Elk Tenderloin, Flathead Cherries, Kohlrabi, Kale, Baby Beets
*Buffalo Tenderloin, Fava Beans, Black Truffles, Celeraic, Baby Carrots, Swiss Chard
*Huckleberry Mousse, White & Dark Chocolate
Being in this business has some perks without a doubt. One of my favorites is being able to hang with certain celebs and what not. Actors, sports figures, politicians, CEO's, and just rich folks in general are the kind of people that if not for my position and my Restaurant it would be doubtful any relationship would exist. But since I am who I am, and I do what I do, I have befriended various folks of social esteem. One of those fine individuals is my good buddy Drew Bledsoe, former NFL quarterback and all around stand out guy. He and his wife Maura dine at least once a season and the usual protocol is they sit down and I begin throwing out dishes. Last night was one of those nights, and the menu is as follows:
*Dungeness Crab Saute, Black Trumpets, Asparagus, Black Truffles, Arugula
*Poached Yellowfin Tuna, Mache, Lemongrass, Capers, Champagne-Truffle Vinaigrette, Saffron
*Squash Blossoms, Lobster, Sweet Peas, Golden Tomatoes, Basil, Microgreens, Summer Squash
*Scallops, Fennel, Salt Pork, Preserved Lemon, Fennel Pollen, Parsnips, Mache, Truffle Oil
*Braised Cabbage, Duck Confit, Frisee, Parma Prosciutto, Duck Cracklins, Tomato Oil
*Pork Belly, Watermelon, Radish, Watercress
*Elk Tenderloin, Cherry Glace, Sweet Potatoes, Kale
*Huckleberry Mousse
I always love the challenge of when somebody comes into the Restaurant and says "Just send us out something good." Not that Drew necessarily says that, its just part of our relationship. The nice thing is he always brings in some wine for me to taste from his cellar, last night it was the 99 Archery Summit Pinot and 04 Sangiovese from Leonetti. Some tasty juice!
I suppose that can be all for now. Oh, one more thing, the running part of this blog. Well, I still haven't ran since the Restaurant opened. But I did do a 13 mile hike last week, in less than 6 hours, I was definitely moving! Talk about pure bliss, I was dazzled by the colorful display of wildflowers the Jewel Basin was offering. The flowers were not the only thing blooming either, consciousness was blooming like crazy on the trail. I am reminded of why I moved to Montana in the first place. I think I'll go for another hike soon. Jumping in a alpine lake, with no one around, while hiking in the most beautiful setting imaginable is kinda fun.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Better than Sleep
Welcome August! Hard to believe that July has come and gone. And to quote none other than Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." So here I am taking a look around, assimilating the tales of what has already happened, remembering my experience of my life as it is.
How easy it is to look back at times. Hindsight is whatever we make it and how ironic that looking back seems easier than deciding what we make of each and every moment. Either way both of these events help shape our life and continue to define our existence. The last night I posted we had just finished one of our seven course wine dinners, entitled "All Things Pork". We featured the worlds greatest pork, Mangalitsa Pig. Mangalitsa, or "Wooly Pig" as it is known here in the U.S., is by far the best pork on the planet. This same Pig is the type of breed used to make the famous Iberico Ham, as well as all of the world's best dry cured sausages. It is a lard type breed that translates to an unbelievable amount of marbling. The pig was so amazing, I fell in love with it. Yes, that's right, I have fallen in love with a pig. I mean the fat alone is so pure, so luscious, so clean, you can actually whip it like cream or butter and it will stabilize. How brilliant is that? Here is the menu, utilizing all Mangalitsa Pork, from Tuesday, July 20th:
*Cured Pork Tenderloin, Ice Wine, Stone Ground Mustard, Whipped Lardo, Frisee
*Pork Belly, Candied Ginger, Root Beer, Fennel, Microgreens
*Smoked Ham Hocks, Sweet Peas, Sage, Tuscan Kale, Black Truffles
*Seared Rib Loin, Apple, Cardamom, Calvados, Turnips
*Roast Sirloin, Grape Tomatoes, Polenta, Black Truffles, Swiss Chard
*Pork Shoulder, Brandy, Pork Jus, Parnsips, String Beans
*Pickled Watermelon Granita, Spiced Tuiles, Sabayon
Needless to say this pork dinner was a mouthwatering affair, literally, with the juiciness of this tremendously flavorful meat drenched everyone's palate to the point of ooooo's and ahhhhh's. The Pork Belly dish was especially phenomenal, so good it would be illegal if the authorities got a hold of it. Luckily it was a one time deal, at least for now, so we can continue to be renegades exploring the sinful combination.
The rest of the week included a very busy period, pretty much non-stop action for the rest of July, including a seven course Chef's table on Sunday for 4 people (28 plates). I was feeling a little more festive than usual and with some friends in town I opted to join several folks on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By the time a day off rolled around on Monday, I needed a day off from both work and play! So naturally when I jumped in Whitefish Lake it felt absolutely amazing. How wonderful it is to be able to swim in such clean and refreshing water. I felt as if I were a frog returning to the water after a long hard journey on dry land, leaping into the cool depths of tranquility.
The next week of work was also very busy. In fact, we set a new record for sales this July! We are elated with this newfound sense of growth. Even better is that we are doing it all without a record increase of staff. So the challenge has increased, yet at the same time, so has our productivity. I had another chefs table on Wednesday night, this time for 8 people, 5 courses. That would mean 40 plates coming from me, in front of the guests, not too shabby!
Thursday, July 29th, was the introduction of yet another wine dinner, this time a five course affair. Before I get into the details of this particular dinner, allow me to address the title of this blog. I opted to travel to Polson to experience Debra's wonderful Anusara Yoga practice, a three hour vigorous practice from 8-11am. This meant I woke up at 6am, after going to bed at 1:30am, and drove 1 and 1/2 hours to Polson for the yoga class. The yoga worked out to be monumental for my mental health, I realized that if I just prioritize my yoga practice, it is actually better than sleep! Shortly after the class I drove back to Kalispell and picked up our locally grown tomatoes from the farm, then to Produce Depot in Whitefish for more locally grown produce, and finally out to Terrapin Farm for the rest of the locally cultivated products. Catching onto a theme here yet? We featured an all local dinner, five courses, every ingredient coming from the Flathead Valley. Most of the items were picked that day and served later that night, basically as fresh as it gets. I was in a vibrant mood for most of the afternoon until I hit a wall of exhaustion and was forced to indulge in a 30 minute power nap before continuing the marathon schedule of prepping for the dinner. The menu was:
*Squash Blossoms, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Summer Squash, Lemon Basil
*Smoked Ham Hocks, Salt Pork, Sweet Peas, Sage, Kale
*Elk Loin Carpaccio, Baby Beets, Mustard Greens, Beet Greens, Arugula, Huckleberries
*Leg of Lamb, Garlic Scapes, Lavender, Lamb Jus, Carrots, Fava Beans, Snap Peas
*Flathead Cherries, Puff Pastry, Burnt Sugar
The menu was executed well despite being slightly behind regarding the setup. We managed to pull it together, as we always do, pulling it off without a hitch. The next night was then our busiest night of the summer so far. And it was one of those nights where we were painfully busy, specifically in the kitchen, absolutely struggling to maintain pace. We fell behind early and were never quite able to fully recover. Towards the end of the night we were doing far too many things to order, like butchering meats, chopping garlic, making caramel, shrimp stock, and various other projects that I could bore you to death with listing them all. In short we were totally screwed! It was near the end when I ordered two shots of Patron from our Maitre D, something I never do, for myself and the other line cook, as we danced between four stations trying to put out the many fires that were blazing all over our kitchen. Firefighting is a good way to describe the craziness that ensued from about 7:00pm on. The bigger the blaze the higher the priority. From 30 minute dessert tickets, to 1 hour bar tickets, to 25 minute appetizer tickets, to "oh my god we are so screwed", to "jesus f**king christ, not again", to "well this is clearly not the position we ever hope for", to much worse things that I don't feel comfortable typing. Thankfully after the Patron took effect, we yielded to what was and proceeded to finish the job of pumping out dishes with tactful humility. We accepted that it was going to be a wait to produce food and we just accomplished what we could, without trying to cut off anyone's head in the process.
The next night I had a chef's table, the third one this week, relieving me from the chaos of the line for a night. And with only two people doing a five course menu, 10 plates sounded a whole lot better than 28 or 40. It went off without a hitch. Remarkably, I was able to take the last two nights off of work, including a full day off today! I have a friend in town visiting from New Orleans. How wonderful it is to be frolicking in the mountains, eating Sushi at Wasabi, breakfast at Rising Sun, dinner at Three Forks Grille, and soaking in the time that was all of a sudden available. Thank god for Sous Chefs!! And a good, solid, crew! I'm back at work tomorrow, surprise, but not without a grand smile on my face!
How easy it is to look back at times. Hindsight is whatever we make it and how ironic that looking back seems easier than deciding what we make of each and every moment. Either way both of these events help shape our life and continue to define our existence. The last night I posted we had just finished one of our seven course wine dinners, entitled "All Things Pork". We featured the worlds greatest pork, Mangalitsa Pig. Mangalitsa, or "Wooly Pig" as it is known here in the U.S., is by far the best pork on the planet. This same Pig is the type of breed used to make the famous Iberico Ham, as well as all of the world's best dry cured sausages. It is a lard type breed that translates to an unbelievable amount of marbling. The pig was so amazing, I fell in love with it. Yes, that's right, I have fallen in love with a pig. I mean the fat alone is so pure, so luscious, so clean, you can actually whip it like cream or butter and it will stabilize. How brilliant is that? Here is the menu, utilizing all Mangalitsa Pork, from Tuesday, July 20th:
*Cured Pork Tenderloin, Ice Wine, Stone Ground Mustard, Whipped Lardo, Frisee
*Pork Belly, Candied Ginger, Root Beer, Fennel, Microgreens
*Smoked Ham Hocks, Sweet Peas, Sage, Tuscan Kale, Black Truffles
*Seared Rib Loin, Apple, Cardamom, Calvados, Turnips
*Roast Sirloin, Grape Tomatoes, Polenta, Black Truffles, Swiss Chard
*Pork Shoulder, Brandy, Pork Jus, Parnsips, String Beans
*Pickled Watermelon Granita, Spiced Tuiles, Sabayon
Needless to say this pork dinner was a mouthwatering affair, literally, with the juiciness of this tremendously flavorful meat drenched everyone's palate to the point of ooooo's and ahhhhh's. The Pork Belly dish was especially phenomenal, so good it would be illegal if the authorities got a hold of it. Luckily it was a one time deal, at least for now, so we can continue to be renegades exploring the sinful combination.
The rest of the week included a very busy period, pretty much non-stop action for the rest of July, including a seven course Chef's table on Sunday for 4 people (28 plates). I was feeling a little more festive than usual and with some friends in town I opted to join several folks on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By the time a day off rolled around on Monday, I needed a day off from both work and play! So naturally when I jumped in Whitefish Lake it felt absolutely amazing. How wonderful it is to be able to swim in such clean and refreshing water. I felt as if I were a frog returning to the water after a long hard journey on dry land, leaping into the cool depths of tranquility.
The next week of work was also very busy. In fact, we set a new record for sales this July! We are elated with this newfound sense of growth. Even better is that we are doing it all without a record increase of staff. So the challenge has increased, yet at the same time, so has our productivity. I had another chefs table on Wednesday night, this time for 8 people, 5 courses. That would mean 40 plates coming from me, in front of the guests, not too shabby!
Thursday, July 29th, was the introduction of yet another wine dinner, this time a five course affair. Before I get into the details of this particular dinner, allow me to address the title of this blog. I opted to travel to Polson to experience Debra's wonderful Anusara Yoga practice, a three hour vigorous practice from 8-11am. This meant I woke up at 6am, after going to bed at 1:30am, and drove 1 and 1/2 hours to Polson for the yoga class. The yoga worked out to be monumental for my mental health, I realized that if I just prioritize my yoga practice, it is actually better than sleep! Shortly after the class I drove back to Kalispell and picked up our locally grown tomatoes from the farm, then to Produce Depot in Whitefish for more locally grown produce, and finally out to Terrapin Farm for the rest of the locally cultivated products. Catching onto a theme here yet? We featured an all local dinner, five courses, every ingredient coming from the Flathead Valley. Most of the items were picked that day and served later that night, basically as fresh as it gets. I was in a vibrant mood for most of the afternoon until I hit a wall of exhaustion and was forced to indulge in a 30 minute power nap before continuing the marathon schedule of prepping for the dinner. The menu was:
*Squash Blossoms, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Summer Squash, Lemon Basil
*Smoked Ham Hocks, Salt Pork, Sweet Peas, Sage, Kale
*Elk Loin Carpaccio, Baby Beets, Mustard Greens, Beet Greens, Arugula, Huckleberries
*Leg of Lamb, Garlic Scapes, Lavender, Lamb Jus, Carrots, Fava Beans, Snap Peas
*Flathead Cherries, Puff Pastry, Burnt Sugar
The menu was executed well despite being slightly behind regarding the setup. We managed to pull it together, as we always do, pulling it off without a hitch. The next night was then our busiest night of the summer so far. And it was one of those nights where we were painfully busy, specifically in the kitchen, absolutely struggling to maintain pace. We fell behind early and were never quite able to fully recover. Towards the end of the night we were doing far too many things to order, like butchering meats, chopping garlic, making caramel, shrimp stock, and various other projects that I could bore you to death with listing them all. In short we were totally screwed! It was near the end when I ordered two shots of Patron from our Maitre D, something I never do, for myself and the other line cook, as we danced between four stations trying to put out the many fires that were blazing all over our kitchen. Firefighting is a good way to describe the craziness that ensued from about 7:00pm on. The bigger the blaze the higher the priority. From 30 minute dessert tickets, to 1 hour bar tickets, to 25 minute appetizer tickets, to "oh my god we are so screwed", to "jesus f**king christ, not again", to "well this is clearly not the position we ever hope for", to much worse things that I don't feel comfortable typing. Thankfully after the Patron took effect, we yielded to what was and proceeded to finish the job of pumping out dishes with tactful humility. We accepted that it was going to be a wait to produce food and we just accomplished what we could, without trying to cut off anyone's head in the process.
The next night I had a chef's table, the third one this week, relieving me from the chaos of the line for a night. And with only two people doing a five course menu, 10 plates sounded a whole lot better than 28 or 40. It went off without a hitch. Remarkably, I was able to take the last two nights off of work, including a full day off today! I have a friend in town visiting from New Orleans. How wonderful it is to be frolicking in the mountains, eating Sushi at Wasabi, breakfast at Rising Sun, dinner at Three Forks Grille, and soaking in the time that was all of a sudden available. Thank god for Sous Chefs!! And a good, solid, crew! I'm back at work tomorrow, surprise, but not without a grand smile on my face!
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