The first weekend

I am really not sure where to begin.  I should, I think, apologize in advance for spelling and grammatical errors.  I am quite sleepy and should be in bed.  We have all worked a tremendous amount of hours in the last week.  I know as an old fat man my body was in no condition to work 17 hours in one day.  But we did and we have survived and even in parts we have thrived.  We as a management team really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  When KJ said he thought we would do 700 a day in the opening weeks I scoffed at the idea.  I have no doubt that this weekend we will be hampered only by the pace at which tables turn. There was a line out the door and up to the street most of the day on Saturday and Sunday.  I expect the same to be true this weekend.  Make Reservations.  That is my tip to anyone who has read this far and put up with the late night ramblings of a sleepy chef.

I would like to give you an idea of what we are going through and how many things we are selling.  On and average day (which is on it's face sort of silly because how does one come up with an average day after being open for five days, however on an average day)  we are making 5 gallons of lemonade, three gallons of simple syrup(for drinks at the bar), we are squeezing about 175 limes (many of the specialty cocktails have lime juice and much to the chagrin of our wonderful bartenders they must squeeze the juice for each drink. I  think they will have hefty, powerful forearms before the summer is done. Happiness to their partners, lovers and friends, sadness to the folks they shake hands with.), we sold 60 fish sandwiches today, and we sold 55 Three Little Pigs, we have gone through 150 pounds of sweet potato fries and 160 pounds of regular fries since Monday.  This is nutty.  I told KJ today I have never bought so much product or sold so many things in my life.

I am not trying to toot my horn here, I am quite amazed.  I have for the most part been pleased with the quality of the food we are providing (on Sunday I was running out of things and it got to the point where we were not producing at the level of quality we demand.  So frankly we decided to pull to plug early.  As hard as that was to do I think it was the right decision.  I would rather we have everything right than Shoe it Out like a bunch of Chuckle Heads).  We have gotten good response back from the guests.  Mayor Coleman was in for at least the third time tonight and I also got to feed and meet Senator John Glenn, who is as much an American Hero as we have floating around Columbus today.  Meeting the Senator was a delight and his lovely wife Anna liked really liked the Chocolate cake which made me even happier.

I want to take a moment to talk about the fountain.  I looked out on Sunday, the sun was shining and hundreds of the children of Columbus were running through the fountain.  There were people on bikes, people pushing strollers, walking hand in hand, and frankly a few folks who may need to reevaluate their fashion choices( I am not judging, but this is a public park and you don't want to scare folks).  My point is that this city has come together in this park.  There was so much joy and happiness on display that it makes you forget the 100s of pounds of fries and the miles of tickets and pressure.  There was a city running through the sprinklers of their collective backyard.  Families camped on the lawn.  A true expression of what Civics really means.  Public and Private money coming together to provide a good for the population that created both.  This is a huge step forward for Columbus and all involved should be proud.
Good Night Columbus.  Christian 

First Practice Dinner

The Chefs were in by 8:00, I joined them at 9:00.  It was a tough one getting up and I stopped to check email and do some organizing before I rolled.  Was not able to bike in since I knew there were a few holes I was going to need to fill from Kroger and riding a bike with four gallons of milk is a silly proposition. We brought in some of the AM cooks to get us a jump on the prep.  We were closed two days for Red, White and Boom, which is the annual fireworks display in Columbus and is in our front yard.  Catching up from being closed  can be a bitch so we were at a run most of the day.

One of my favorite things in Thomas Keller's The French Laundry Cookbook is the prep list at the end.  It is all scribbles and on a beat piece of paper.  It is also one of the more authentic artifacts from what I have seen of restaurant life.  Late night post 14 hour shift, beer, the back side of a menu and a note to the guy coming in in the morning.

So with the prep cruising along we, the management team sat down for "pit stop".  Many of us are Cameron Mitchell alums and this is a hold over from that time.  We went over the last few days and talked about what to do if the printers don't work (they did), what glasses were getting cleaned in the bar and which in the tank.  Pretty mundane stuff.  The Chef's cut out early and jumped back on prep.  I was shooting for about 20 of everything.  we were expecting 150pp and it seemed like nothing was going to push past 20.  Walleye needed to be cut, Pollack needed to be marinated, cakes to be frosted, lemon parfaits assembled.  I still needed to set up expo, make soup of the day (Watermelon Gazpacho with Avocado and Shrimp) and really get my mind set.

Vicente was on Saute, Nick (our Sous Chef you can see him in the background) was working grill because I had a few cooks out for a wedding.  Lilly, who wont pose for a picture, does not have a computer or the internet and seems pretty happy about that was working with Nick.  Out front Matt had Eric and Cesar. 

Myself (Christian) and Stacy were going to Expo.  I get little tickets out of a printer and coordinate the cooks activities by calling out orders, while Stacy receives the plates from them wipes the rims and gets servers to run them to guests.

About ten minuets before service I changed the presentation on the calamari. My friends in Georgia might recognize some aspects of this one.  Deep Fried Calamari and Jalapenos with Oranges, Cilantro and Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.  I had the boxes and wanted to find a spot for them on the menu.  One of our themes is the park so this makes me think of getting carryout and eating it in the park.  

A stretch? Maybe but it is fun and makes me Happy.

 After the Pollack was marinated (Ginger, Garlic, Scallions, Sambal, Lime, Nuac Mam and Sesame Oil) it was battered in Tempura and served with Diakon Radish Slaw, Siracha Mayo and there is a wedge of Lime skewered on top for squeezing.

  229 Burger- Ohio Proud Beef, Roasted Peppers, Mornay, Bread and Butter Pickles and Fried Onions

Three Little Pigs- Seared Belly, Pulled Pork and Really Good Bacon with Slaw, Pickles and BBQ

The Mac and Cheese comes in a skillet and is served with Bacon, Scallions and Tomatoes as garnish.  There is a bit of panko on top as well.  The boys had the salamander (that is what we call the broiler like thinnk you can see behind Vicente above) kicking and this one got darker and less uniformly toasted then one might have wished for but there you have it.

This is a real simple banana pudding that went over with all but one person who did not like the jar.  As you will see below I am a big fan of the jar so it is unliklely that I am getting rid of it now.  I actually had a group of ladies who ordered five to go and we sent them home with the mason jars with lids on them.  Really cool perp.

As you can see another jar.  It is a bit different then the other one so I am going to run with it.  Lemon Parfait- Lemon Curd, Whipped Cream, Lemon Soaked Pound Cake and Blueberries.  Gotta Like Lemon for this one.

Service went well.  Ticket times were good, only one recook.  There were some issues with salt.  I have some issues with salt which I will try to tone down.  There were a few Plates that still need some work but overall really a great first practice.  So at 11:00 the cooks went home, at 11:30 the chefs said good night and by 11:45 just shy of 15 hours I checked with Danielle and Stacy who were working on Liquor Inventory and left for the day.  No note for the AM guy, no menu to scribble on, but I am rolling back in this morning to check on things and get the whole thing started back up.  Christian

Red, White, and Boom at Milestone

Jeannie, Doug and I climbed the fence at Bicentennial Park for Red, White and Boom last night.  Well really I just convinced the police that I belonged in the restaurant.  After a bit they, the Police, knocked on the door and said there was some man trying to get in.  They were wondering if that would be OK with me.  It turned out to be my Boss Doug Griggs.  For a brief second I thought, "maybe I don't know him".  But no, I told the Policeman that yes it was ok to let Doug into his restaurant.

Things at the restaurant are really picking up speed.  At first it seemed to me that we had plenty of time and that we would be able to get everything done.  Now I have 130 people in for dinner tomorrow, and what I would like is just a few more days.

The Printer in the kitchen has a ghost in it.  Or maybe more truthfully the wires have some gremlins running around in there and they are not the nice fuzzy ones.  On thursday we were getting partial orders, double orders, sometimes it was printing in red and a couple times it sure seemed like it was printing in 1-point type.

I also am wishing I had spent last month writing recipes and not tasting wines.  We are going to get it together.  Don't get me wrong, it will be a push right up to the end but we are going to look at either rerouting computers or printer cables, I spent the day organizing and when I left Nick had just arrived to put in some work on his day off. 


There is Old Nick and Matt right there.  Not the greatest shot, but they are working so I don't want to

distract them.  Nick is on the right.  He worked at Ocean Club and was most recently KM at DVT.  He is working his ass off right now getting this thing opened.  He will be on grill tomorrow if you are coming in for dinner you should order off his station so he can get the practice.

Matt is on the left.  He is our sensitive Sous.  Dedicated, hardworking, always in good humor Matt has been, and continues to work some silly long hours for our company.  Matt came from CBC where he was Sous Chef for Brian Cook.  He gives us continuity to CBC.  Matt is our roots player.  He is going to be out front looking pretty for the people.  All salads, pizza and deserts will pass under his eye.  He also gets to have a radio in his ear that is attached to me.  One could only be so lucky.

All the sudden my camera and computer decided to start talking again.  So I have a few things backed up to share. So without further ado:

Chairs with a Backdrop of Miranova. Creative. Artistic. 

Cool looking lights from Brent and the boys to prove they don't just love black.  

These ones did not need any Scotch Tape.

One Martini, Two Martini, Three Martini, Floor

That's for Dave Snyder gotta know where you come from.

I thought we had more than enough.  These are all full.  I am wondering if I might be able to borrow some?  Any one who brings a five gallon bucket tomorrow gets a free tour of the kitchen.

All but one of our Tap beers are from Ohio.  We love Craft Beer and we love Ohio.  

Think Local. Drink Local

 

  

 Well it is not super clear but you get the Idea.  Next year this is going to be

the best spot to watch Columbus blow stuff up.

Even Columbus' finest took a moment to enjoy the show.  Very nice folks, thanks for your service.

Doug and Jeannie were enjoying the front row seats.  Jeannie is from New York and is Matt's Mom and Doug's wife.  She has a lot invested in our success.  She also has a very nice New York accent and a really cool daughter who is getting married soon.  Jennifer is the GM at CBC so if you see her congratulate her on her upcoming nuptials.

Opening day is right around the corner.  I hope to see you all in the restaurant soon.  That's all for now.  Christian

Because Chickens Don't Have Fingers

I apologize for my tardiness in adding new content.  I have been swamped with opening the restaurant and all that entails.  For example opening about 1000 boxes with everything from plates and glasses to an olive stuffer that KJ ordered.  Apparently it helps get blue cheese into an olive with out getting your hands dirty.  That is SO FOH.  Enough with the excuses.  I will say though, my camera decided that it is not talking to my computer any longer.  I am not sure who did what to whom, neither are brand new, and at least one has been dropped rather recently.  Thus no photos of the six pallets that arrived from Wasserstrom last week. Sorry.


What I intended to tell you about is the kids menu and to ask the deep and moving question that has been haunting me, knowing that this day was looming.

Must we have chicken fingers on the menu?

I don't have to get them from Tyson or McDonalds I suppose that I could take our wonderful chickens  and cut them into strips or chunks or nuggets.  I then could bread and fry these delicious little morsels.

Wouldn't drumsticks suffice.  I am an old man, but I don't think chickens had fingers when I was a kid.  I remember being enamored of the leg, the drumstick.  It had a convenient little handle on the end, and if you finished two there was always the inevitable moment when the drumsticks lived up to their name and provided a young Max Roach wannabe the opportunity to liven up the diner table with all manner of beats and fills.

I looked and it is true chickens don't really have fingers.  It is more like little hard gelatinous toes.  So we could stretch out and offer up chicken toes.  But would your children really eat them?  My understanding is that they are both difficult make well and also to eat.   So tell me dear reader would you eat chicken feet? No? 

Well we have also been toying with the 21st Century Elvis- a whole wheat, organic peanut butter, Ohio honey and banana quesadilla.  I bet you perked up with that one.  Or maybe just a little pizza or a simple burger made good by using Ohio Proud beef.  Could it be that you are looking for a bit of our soon to be famous Mac and Cheese.  More Stouffer's than Kraft.  All made in house with more love then a facotry can give.

All that is well and good.  But I ask again can we survive without the dreaded or sorta loved  
Chicken Finger?

Enter the Pizza Oven

 Howdy-  I figured out a few things about building a restaurant.  Maybe about building anything really.  There is a time that it seems like nothing is going on and nothing changes.  No offence to the electricians and the plumbers and the framers, I know that they are maybe among the most important folks in the process.  But it is not until the finishing work starts that you can really start to see how things come together.  How the outline the framers put out there turns into a copper covered bar with a blond wood top that is really sharp.

So as you can see see things on the Mile are chugging along.  Chuck, our foreman, says he thinks we are more or less on schedule.  This has been a tough process for him and he seems unflappable.  The pizza oven arrived at 5:00AM on SUNDAY.  I told myself that I was going to be there to document the process for you the reader.  Well...it did not work out that way.

See we thought things were going to be slow Saturday at CBC.  It was set to be a fantastic night in Columbus.  Cool, clear, the sun was out late.  As it turns out instead of people staying home, or going to friends for a cook out, they came to the Brewery and ordered off of  Noe's saute station.

"Noe, Call. 3 Burgers, 2 Fish San, Burrito, 5 Chick sando Special Set."  Noe said he hears me calling tickets out in his dreams.  Sometimes it is like that, it seems like everyone is ordering off your station.  Chef Brian sent Jose home because he had a pretty bad burn on his arm. So he was on salads and the left me on expo.  Jennifer cut a host and that put her on the door.  Thus instead of heading out early after  125people.  It was more like limping out after 245. Restaurants are like that.  Right when you think you have it figured out he jumps around and bites you in the ass.

The oven is about 3000 pounds.  If you could see the area around the restaurant you would have to wonder how they ever got it inside.  To say that things are muddy out there is the definition understatement.  So while I was sleeping they managed to get the oven place.

 It is a touch naked right now but it will be covered in copper shingles.  See the above photo from the bar.  I just had a vision of cleaning the out side of this thing.  Brings the term Delegate to mind.

There are some cool touches to the new oven.  it is also pretty big.  I am guessing 10 - 12 pizzas at a time.  My big question is going to be about HEAT.  I want that deck at 600 degrees.

 So this little peice of pipe with a bit of really cool flare on the top side was sorta hanging out in the middle of the oven while some folks scratched their heads trying to figure out how the hell to get it to fit into the oven.  The three of us were all on the large side and a touch old as well.  So enter the fit youth.

"Hey can you climb in there and see if you can get that pipe to fit?"

 This is, I am guessing will be the last time anyone will be climbing into the oven.

Ahh Success.

To all you cooks out there.  Make sure to clean the hoods tonight.

Floors and Beams and the Kitchen is Black

Well I have not posted in awhile.  Things were going on but the visuals of pulling wire and putting in plumbing are not so sexy.  But right now there are some significant changes going on so I thought I would drop in and get some photos and share with you. 

Additionally we have been plugging away at the menu, reworking the smallwares order and banging out shifts at the Brewery.  So how do we write a menu?  What makes it what doesn't?  Well the Chefs (myself Brian Cook and Matt White) all make a few dishes.  Should be ready at 2:30.  Then we sit down with Doug Griggs (owner of CBC and Milestone) and Jennifer White (GM at CBC) and who ever else is around, and we eat.  We talk about the dishes, think about how hard or easy they are to pick up (that is kitchen for "you ordered it now I gotta make it"), we think about cost, and how it fits into the overall model of the concept.  We have tried lots of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and entrees. 

The floors are starting to go into the dinning room and the kitchen.

And as you can see the kitchen is black.  Why is the kitchen black?  Well I do not know.  But all of the walls are black.  It is a small space and I feel like the black walls are not helping make it feel bigger.  I am thinking maybe Brent Lacount was Goth in an earlier life and so he is just into black.

We have also recently gotten these cool beams that stretch out from the pizza oven.  They seem well secured so don't worry about walking under them.  Nice to add a few straight lines into all those curves.  Less than two months until opening, still got work to do.

Construction continues

 So I stopped by Milestone 229 today to check in on the progress of construction.  The fountain was bubbling away and the folks from MSI were cleaning up the site.  There were some big wigs scheduled to come down to watch them put the fountain through it's paces.  I was hungry and want to check out Foddie Carts new offerings in the Short North. so I did not stick around to see the fountain go off.  Foodie Carts' new offerings were great.  Like little balls of pancakes with cabbage, octopus or sausage.  I have to say I liked the cabbage the best.  I would also advise letting them cool down a bit before eating they are hot like crazy on the inside.  

Construction seems to be right on pace.  The plumbers and electricians were in.  The lines are run for hand sinks and the steam kettle.  You can see where the Dishtank will drain to.  Out front the bar is taking shape.

 
The front of the bar will be covered in copper shingles and it will be topped with wood.  You can see how the line follows the curves in the building.  Most of the design elements echo back to the shape of the building.

 We worked on Smallwares this week as well setting up final decisions on plates (square), wine glasses (big) and flatware (heavy but conservative).  We are looking at some cool fondue pots, cast iron skillets and a cast Iron pot to make Mac'N'Cheese in.  I have been eating lots of Mac'N'Cheese over the past few weeks at some notable new openings in Columbus.  Suffice to say that when we open I think you find ours is the creamiest , the cheesiest and the tastiest.  We will be getting flutes for sparkling wine and carafes for Sangria. 

 The shot above is of the prep station.  You can never have to many plugs in your prep area.  We have thought a lot about the folks who will be working in the space.  While we have had to fight the natural layout of the building we have been conscious to try to create good work spaces.  The folks working prep have their own table a steam kettle and ovens.  They are the heart of the operation.  Roasting and pulling pork.  Roasting fresh Gerber Chickens , rolling out gnocchi and keeping the line stocked with everthing it needs.  These folks are the engine that keeps the restaurant moving.  You don't often see them.  They are getting no James Beard awards but without them the whole thing grinds to a stop.  At CBC the woman who keeps it all together in the back kitchen is named Rebekah and she is a force to be reckoned with.   

Well the pizza oven has gotten as far as it is going to get for a bit.  We are in a holding pattern until the oven is delivered.  I am not at all sure how they are going to get that big old oven into that tiny little door way.  We will see and I will let you know.