Small Plates, Big Flavors: Chicago Tapas

Tapas have been part of Spain’s history since arguably the 13th century. King Alfonzo X, while apparently under the weather, was only able to drink wine with small portions of food in between. After recovering, the king mandated that wine could not be consumed with being accompanied by food. Therefore, throughout the country, wine was served covered with a piece of smoked ham or cheese. The Spanish word tapa translates to top, lid, or cover. Food covered the wine glass for two reasons: one, the keep insects and bugs out of the wine glass and two, assure that people were not drinking on an empty stomach.

Not drinking on an empty stomach is always a good idea, and thankfully concern for bugs flying into our wines glasses is not a concern at restaurants these days (let’s hope). But the Spanish tradition of tapas has thrived and has become a huge success in America, and of course, Chicago.

Back in August, while my husband and I were in town to search for an apartment, we met some friends out at Emilio’s Tapas. Vibrant in décor and atmosphere, the scent of sangria welcomed us in. Two dishes still remain in my mind as my favorites: Datiles Con Tocin (Dates wrapped in bacon, served with roasted red pepper butter sauce) and Caracoles Emilio (Sautéed escargot served on croutons with tomato sauce and alioli). Of course, anything can taste wonderful with continuous glasses of Sangria, but the high spirited restaurant marked a wonderful introduction to the tapas offered in Chicago.

Another traditional Spanish tapas restaurant is Café Ba Ba Reeba. My favorites are goat cheese baked in tomato sauce, braised lamb with cous cous, and mushrooms stuffed with manchego cheese and spinach. Good stuffed mushrooms are hard to find. They’re usually too soggy, completely tasteless, or not cooked properly with the mushrooms being undercooked and the stuffing being overcooked. But these were absolutely delightful; full of flavor and perfectly cooked. The menu is large, but not overwhelming and everything I’ve tried, I would order again.

Of course, while the trend of Spanish tapas has spread throughout the country, other restaurateurs have followed suit and “small plates” are now more popular than ever in a variety of cuisines. Avec, whose menu reflects cuisine from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and France, carries over the assertive flavors and elegant presentation from her sister, Blackbird. While offering traditional tapas (chorizo-stuffed medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce), Avec also succeeds in offering small plates reflective of the rest of the Mediterranean, such as whipped brandade (traditional French dish of pureed salt cod, olive oil, and milk) and housemade merguez-style sausage with littleneck clams, shrimp and fennel. (Merguez is a small spicy sausage traditionally from Algeria and Tunisia).

If you’re looking for some small plates with an Asian influence, Opera offers a variety of tempting dishes. Chef Paul Wildermuth (formerly at Ben Pao) combines traditional Chinese flavors with modern twists in the presentations. Sugar snap pea with forest mushroom stir-fry finished with truffle oil and chili spiked tofu with ground pork and black bean sauce are two options on the restaurant’s small plates menu.

If you’re a little hesitant to try ethnic small plates, you can always try your luck at the Lennox Lounge. They offer a variety of American-friendly dishes (mini burgers and the old stand-by, pigs in a blanket). With a thorough selection of draft and bottled beers, this Lincoln Park eatery also offers around fifteen different martinis that sound very tempting.

One notable aspect of tapas that I mentioned in the beginning but have failed to mention since is its connection to wine. Traditionally, they go hand-in-hand and today, that combination is still a large reason for its success. Coupling simple and flavorful small dishes along with reasonably priced wines by the glass, both diners and restaurateurs are benefiting. Success continues, also, because diners are more open to try new and different flavors. The popularity of ethnic cuisine has opened to door to exotic ingredients and more adventurous culinary spirit. Multiple small dishes are attractive because diners do not have to commit to one entrée. It also encourages sharing, conversations, and a more casual atmosphere.

Emilio’s Tapas
444 West Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773)-327-5100
http://www.emiliostapas.com

Café Ba Ba Reeba
2024 North Halsted
Chicago, IL 60614
(773)-935-5000
http://www.cafebabareeba.com

Avec
615 West Randolph
Chicago, IL 60606
(312)-337-2002
http://www.avecrestaurant.com

Lennox Lounge
3032 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
(773)-281-9900
http://www.lennoxlounge.com

Opera
1301 S. Wabash
Chicago, IL 60605
(312)-461-0161
http://www.opera-chicago.com

"Where Fun Goes to Die"

Still working at the business school helping out with the recruiting. It has slowed down in every sense since the bankers were here the first week.

The dress of the students and recruiters has become a little less intense. Microsoft recruiters were very casual in jeans and cordoroys, while others dressed down to khakis and a dress shirt. A definite shift from the black suits, white shirts, and power ties that roamed the hallways during bank week.

While preparing some of the packets that each recruiter receives about the students they will be interviewing, I came across some entertaining things that I want toshare. So in order to participate in the on-campus recruiting process, students are required to follow a certain format. Each resume cannot be more than one page and must contain three major sections of “Education,” “Experience,” and “Additional.” Space is valuable; these are University of Chicago Business School students so they are not struggling to fill the space. They are struggling to figure out which bullet points to delete.

One underground slogan for the University of Chicago apparently is “Where fun goes to die” and the business school is understandably trying to shatter that image. Therefore, the purpose of the “Additional” section is to expose the human side of these students and reveal their interests and perhaps some random facts about them, not relating to business school. Others are simply entertaining facts to perhaps act as conversation starters with the recruiters.

Here are some that caught my eye:

“Consumed 5 Big Macs in one sitting.”
“Avid tennis player, runner, and swimmer; mediocre golfer.”
“Survivor of incurable centipede bite.”
“Qualified for Jeopardy!”
“Nature-loving surfer.”
“Certified Iowa high school baseball umpire.”
“Managed to live in London for six months without picking up slightest accent.”
” Lead Guitarist for Boston-based band, Boatyard Resin (2002-2005), Ann Arbor-based band, Chowder (1999-2000).”

(That last one is one of my husbands...YEAH!)

Corporate Kohen

So I've completed my first week as "Concierge" to the recruiters coming to the Business School to woo students into summer internship and potential full time positions after graduation. It's so interesting to see the whole process take place. Each day that I observe, I am more grateful and relieved that I am not one of those students.

Firms such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, and J.P. Morgan all came this past week and conducted intense 2 on 1 interviews with students interested in banking. With the students pacing and quaking, I sat behind my desk and observed with utter fascination.

The school offers about 50 small interview rooms that are all utterly bland, yet acutely intimidating. Part of my responsibility is to set up the rooms at the end of each day for the next mornings interviews. The paraphernalia consists of brochures about the school, mints, pens, paper, etc.

It's a welcome relief getting a break from not only being on my feet, but from working in the cafeteria. I'm fully immersing myself into the corporate world, which is something I haven't done for quite some time. I'm wearing heels, blow drying my hair, and actually baking cookies for the ladies in the office. It's strange. I feel completely displaced, yet strangely comfortable.

Yesterday, I took the train down to Hyde Park. We live about 10 minutes north of downtown and Hyde Park is maybe 20 minutes south of downtown. The train was filled during the entire trip south. When I stepped on in my neighborhood, everyone was white. As we headed downtown, a few black people jumped on board and by the time we were maybe 4 or 5 stops south of the city, the train was completely black. Just another random observation.

I'm back in the cafeteria today and tomorrow and then Monday through Friday of next week, I'm back in my business suit.

My husband and I were very successful with our super foods this past week. We will try again for week 2. Besides tonight, of course, when we went out for Mexican and I gorged on chicken enchiladas.

By the way, did anyone else freak out when they saw David Palmer still doing State Farm commercials? Didn't he just get assassinated?

Super Foods To The Rescue!

This afternoon I took some time to glance over the San Francisco Chronicle's Food Section. It's consistently recognized as one of the best in the country. I noticed an article titled, "The Power of Super Foods." These articles seems to pop up right after New Year's; attempting to play on the guilt of Americans after their season of holiday indulgence.

I gave in and printed out the list of the super foods and tacked them onto our refrigerator:

• Apples
• Avocados
• Bean
• Blueberries
• Dark Chocolate
• Kiwis
• Oats
• Spinach
• Walnuts
• Yogurt

The article claims that these foods can "possibly transform my life." I don't really have a problem with any of them, especially the chocolate. Blueberries will be tough to find right now and I assume blueberry pancakes and scones aren't what the article suggest I eat. Hmmm...I could probably get some of that Greek yogurt and drizzle it with some honey and thaw some frozen blueberries from Trader Joes.

Honey Crisp Apples are absolutely divine. Unfortunately, the Whole Foods by our apartment doesn't carry them. Come to think of it, I've only seen them at work. They are crisp and sweet and the perfect addition to any salad. But any variety of apple is great with salad and even a nice addition to some sandwiches.

Everything else on the list seems simple enough to add to our diet; except kiwis. I guess I can add it to some cold side salads or combine it with mango for a salsa or relish.

So my husband and I are only together for three dinners this week. Here is our menu:

Salad of Spinach, Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Apples
Walnut Crusted Chicken
Quinoa Salad of Dried Cranberries, Scallions and Citrus Vinaigrette
Spinach with Lemon and Toasted Pine Nuts

Turkey Burgers
Sweet Potato Fries
Salad of Avocado, Shaved Red Onion, and Cucumber

Salad of Spinach, Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Apples
Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta
Saute of Zucchini, Summer Squash and Orange Pepper with Thyme
Brown Rice

We have a ton of chicken breast in our freezer so I'm trying to use that up. And I also hate wasting food and having it sit around. So, for example, if I'm going to use red onion on the turkey burgers, I'll have plenty left over to mix it with avocado and cucumber. Likewise, I'll use one whole bunch of scallions between the quinoa salad and the turkey burgers.

Brown rice is just painful to eat sometimes because it gets so dry. I make it with chicken stock which definitely helps.

Tomorrow I'm working in Garde Manger again from 2pm-10:30pm. Ugh. I hate working that late. And it's NFL Playoff time. There is a wedding for 230 guests and I have to plate a salad for them. I'm hoping I can get everything done before I have to plate, and then just leave a little early. We shall see.

Not So Bittersweet

My husband and I live above a bakery: "Bittersweet Bakery." It's a cruel and delightful circumstance. When we first moved in, I would bake in the kitchen and try to compete with the scents and smells that were drifting from upstairs. I finally gave up and succumbed to letting the aroma of baking scones act as my alarm clock.

Apparently they have blueberry, apricot, and ginger scones, but I'm hooked on raspberry. They must be loaded with butter because they don't really crumble and they literally melt in my mouth.

On my days off, I treat myself to my perfect breakfast of a raspberry scones and large mug of hot hot tea. It's relaxing and soothing and the ideal kickoff to a day of laziness. When I went downstairs this morning, I asked for the recipe and a subtle look of panic appeared on girl's face behind the counter.

"We don't really have any recipes," she said, as if the sweetness from the bakery had forced its way into her voice.

By the time we leave Chicago, I'd like to have a copy of that recipe so I'll keep trying. Tomorrow I'm back to work. I've had three glorious days off. Perfect timing, as I've been fighting a cold too. Wednesday and Thursday, I'm dreadfully working in the cafeteria from noon-8:30pm. Saturday I'm working upstairs with Garde Manger from 2-10:30pm. Boo...

The following week, I worked a deal out with the Executive Sous Chef that I would be taking Monday through Fridays off and only be available on the weekends. I'm going to be working down at the University of Chicago's GSB (Graduate School of Business). This is recruiting season and they were looking for some extra help. Since the hotel could only give me 16 hours a week, Monday through Friday, I used that as leverage to take some time off. I'll be working down at the school catering to corporate suits until the middle of February. Hopefully by then, work will have picked up a bit. I am available to work at the hotel on the weekends. So I could be working seven days a week until the middle of the next month, but I'm taking it week by week.

Something very sad: The University of Chicago pays more than The Ritz-Carlton.

My tea is getting cold.

Finances and Fish

My husband and I spent three hours this morning talking to a financial advisor. Even though I really tried to understand the conversation between my husband and the gentleman on the other side of the desk, I couldn't help but feel like I was listening to the teacher from Charlie Brown.

I drifted off in my thinking a bit and jumped on the band wagon of: New Year, New Diet. At least for dinner tonight. I ran off to Whole Foods and bought some soba noodles, fresh ahi tuna, an avocado, scallions, and some green beans. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and wheat flour so they're healthier than semolina flour pasta. That advantage, coupled with our desire to take a break from brown rice made them a perfect choice for dinner tonight.

After cooking them, I toss them will some balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce. After a taste test, it definitely had some good flavors, but seemed a bit flat. I chopped up the scallions and added the juice of a lime. The noodles woke up and they were the ideal accompaniment to the seared tuna. The amounts of the sauces are up to you...it's a good idea to find a balance between the salty, sweet, and sour.

Would also be nice to add some black sesame seeds to the soba noodles for a bit of color contrast and a hint of bitterness but I opted not to this evening. I think the noodles are best served room temperature with a dish like this.

Make sure to purchase fresh ahi (or yellowfin) tuna. It's so simple and quick to prepare. Just heat a skillet or grill until its super hot. Season the tuna with salt and pepper and sear away. In a non-stick pan, there is no need for any fat. Just lay the tuna down and leave it alone! You'll be able to see it cook up the sides. I like it still pink and raw in the middle, so about 4 minutes per side is perfect.

Make sure to cut against the grain or else the fish will just fall apart. If you don't mind having it room temperature, once you take it off the heat, throw it in the freezer for a bit. It will made it a lot eaiser to cut later. And use a sharp knife!

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian Soba Noodles
Serves 2

1 lb. Ahi tuna loin or steak
1/2 lb. soba noodles
1 1/2 Balsamic vinegar
2 TB Sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 TB Soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch Scallions
Black Sesame seeds (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Avocado (Garnish)

Guest Blogger: My Husband and His Thoughts

Below is a letter that my husband wrote to "Fortune Magazine." The Four Seasons Company has been ranked by them as a top company to work for since its inception in 1998. My husband disagrees and share his thoughts on why:

"Hello, My name is Doug Kohen, I wanted to write a comment on the “100 Best Companies to Work For” article from January 24, 2005. I noticed that The Four Seasons Hotel is on the list, and am not sure I agree with that assessment. My wife and I moved to Chicago in September (I am attending business school at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business). My wife, Amy, used to work as a sous chef for a caterer in Boston, she is trained from a top culinary school, and was looking for a similar position in Chicago.

In September there were not many such opportunities available in Chicago, and my wife took a position as a cook for the The Ritz-Carlton (A Four Seasons Hotel) in Chicago in the Garde Manger department. In the past two months of her employment there, I have been astounded by how poorly the employees are treated. My wife was forced to join a union, UNITE-HERE, and pay a $100 initiation fee as well as $50 in monthly fees. After asking for her union benefits and other information once a week every week without any success, she eventually gave up. The union is set up such that she is not eligible to receive any benefits until after nine months of employment, but has to start paying for benefits after six months. In addition, the first 100 days she is working there is a probationary period during which she can be terminated without any justification.

The job is completely based on seniority as far as desirable shifts, hours per week, available overtime, etc. This is not unexpected, and my wife understood that she had to work the worst shifts on the holidays and only get overtime when there was a dire need. The rub of this is that employees usually get double pay for working holiday hours, except during the 100 day probationary period, so my wife had to work the worst shifts on holidays without any extra compensation. Now in January, as the business has significantly slowed down, they are only giving her 3 days a week of work, all working in the hotel cafeteria. She is nervous that she could be let go at any time because there is not enough work for everyone.

Aside from these union issues, Amy has had to deal with incompetent, egotistical management. Many may say that these characteristics are expected in the culinary industry, however I am surprised every day when I hear about some of the blunders of the upper management, including calling staff meetings at the busiest, most inopportune times just to show their power over their workers; approving vacation time for someone to get married and take their honeymoon only to renege on that promise a month before the date; staffing Amy’s department with a sous chef who did not have background in that area and had to defer to subordinates on many executional issues. I could go on, however I think my point is made.

At any rate, I guess I’m just confused why the Four Seasons is rated in your top 100 companies list, given my wife and her coworkers’ experience with the Chicago hotel. Perhaps this hotel is an anomaly, perhaps Amy’s experience is relatively standard in the hotelling industry. Regardless, I think that the researcher who put this list together should investigate whether this hotel belongs on the list.

Regards,

Doug Kohen

6 Months of Blissful Marriage

Today marks our six month anniversary of our wedding. Yippee! I'm making a celebratory dinner of brisket and some roasted vegetables. The brisket will be tender and juicy, but neither of us can wait for the leftovers.

As we both had yesterday off, we took a trip to our local grocery store. I'm not a huge fan of it, mainly because it doesn't carry little hot dogs. That created a bias very early on. Not only did they not carry the frozen variety, but they didn't even have the Oscar Meyer packaged little guys to make our own at home. I'm still baffled.

So at the store, we picked up the basics for the briskets and the leftover sandwiches:

4 lb. flat cut brisket (as opposed to point cut brisket, which has more fat)
1 lb. bag of carrots
1 bunch of celery
Bag of small Spanish onions
1 can of crushed tomatoes
tomato paste
chicken livers
eggs
rye bread

Once we returned home and vowed to not leave our apartment again, as the weather was dark and rainy, we took to celebrating our anniversary a day early with an afternoon filled with watching bowl games, lighting a fire, and continuing our Scrabble competition. It was a perfect day....

For dinner, I had made some homemade ravioli with a beurre blanc sauce. The filling for the pasta was a puree of cannellini beans, shrimp, garlic, and rosemary. The beurre blanc was pretty basic. I minced a shallot and added 1/4 of white wine vinegar, along with 1 cup of white wine to a small pot. While that reduced, I diced up two sticks of unsalted butter. Once the acid reduced by 3/4th or so, I ribboned in the butter while constantly whisking. Season with salt and pepper and viola! Next time, I'll probably infuse the sauce with a spring of rosemary to bring the two components of the dish together, but it was a deliciously simple dinner.

This afternoon I'll make the chopped liver for the sandwiches tomorrow. Unfortunately, the grocery store didn't carry schmaltz, another knock against them. Frustrating because the schmaltz is what gives the chopped liver so much of its delicious flavor. I love when my mother makes chopped liver when I come home for the holidays. I never wanted to see what it looked like before it was cooked and I only first tasted her final result a few years ago. Now I'm hooked. My husband is the same way. He doesn't want to know what it really is or where it comes from, but slather that on some rye bread with white onions and leftover brisket and he's in heaven.

So I'll start by sauteeing some onions in a combination of butter and oil. Then I'll add the chicken livers, after I've picked them over and removed the veins if there are any. After I let the livers cook until they're about 80% complete, I'll deglaze the pan with some brandy. I think its add a nice subtle sweetness to the savory dish. Once the mixture cools a bit and some salt and pepper is added, I'll pulse it in my food processor just a bit. I still want it a little chunky to give it some texture, but I like the combination of the smooth and the chunky. Then, I'll sneak in some heavy cream (as if this isn't rich enough). Once that's complete, I'll grate some hard boiled eggs on a box grater and add them to the liver. This will add some richness that it lost from the schmaltz.

The resulting sandwich will be of chopped liver spread on rye with leftover brisket and thinly sliced crisp white onions. My husband first had it at Amir's in Ann Arbor, Michigan (GO BLUE!). He raves about this sandwich and I'd like to do my best to recreate it for him.

Next comes the brisket. First, I get my bright red Le Creuset dutch oven piping hot and add some oil. Once it's almost smoking I'll add the seasoned brisket and sear it for about 5-6 minutes per side. Once a decent crust is formed, I'll remove the brisket and start to add my vegetables and develop some depth to the dish. First goes the mirepoix of onions, celery, and carrots (typically, its twice as many onions as celery and carrots). I'll also throw in some crushed garlic cloves and two bay leaves and some fresh thyme. Because I want to soften the veggies, I'll add some salt and pepper which will help draw out the moisture. After there is some decent color on the mirepoix, I'll add some tomato paste and stir to combine that. Then I'll return the brisket to the pot and add the crushed tomatoes, some red wine and finally some chicken stock. The liquid should reach about 3/4 up to the meat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and let the magic happen. The brisket is done when it's truly fork tender. !YUM! Fork tender is different than falling apart; you still want to be able to slice the meat.

The beauty of the winter is that these dishes fill the apartment with the most exotic and enticing aromas. Instead of dreading the heat as we do in the summer, the winter oven heat adds warm in both the temperature and scents.

Happy Anniversary.

What Benefits?

We have officially hit the slow season at the hotel. I’m only scheduled to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday of this week; all in the cafeteria. On the one hand, I do appreciate that they’re trying to give me hours, but on the other hand, this just isn’t what I signed up for.

My husband does not like the job I have. He practically hates it. He strongly feels that I’m being taken advantage of and that the hotel was not upfront at all during the hiring process about the reality of the job. His reasoning does seem justified but I’m trying not to get caught in the negativity of it all or else it will drive me crazy and somewhat infect my time at work and at home.

My expectations when accepting my position with The Four Seasons were not unreasonable. I expected to be in an environment where there would be opportunity to learn and see something new everyday. I expected to take some classic techniques that I learned in school and finally apply them (terrines, pates, etc.) I expected to be around chefs who were exceptionally professional, intelligent, and creative in their field and excited and eager to share their knowledge. I expected to be working 40 hours a week, no matter what time of year. And without a doubt, I expected that I would earn the name that will now bear itself on my resume.

One thing that is causing some frustration with my job is my requirement to join a union. Not necessarily the fact that I had to join it, but more with regards to what I have to endure now that I’m a member. For starters, I am eligible for health and dental benefits, but only after nine months of full time employment. However, union dues are deducted from my pay check once a month. So I’m paying union dues for nine months with no benefits.

The Four Seasons has a one hundred day probationary period for all new employees. Within that one hundred days, the management has the right to fire that employee with no reasoning at all, while the employee has no protection from the union. For example, just yesterday, on the day that our holiday season ended, an employee who did prep work in the cafe restaurant was let go. Apparently, it was because he didn’t work fast enough, but obviously other rumors spread like wildfire once he was behind the sous chefs closed doors. This employee was hired in the beginning of November. He worked his ass off for the hotel for two hard months; the hardest of the year and then was let go right at the beginning of the New Year. What are the chances that other restaurants and hotels are looking to hire right now? It seems to me like the café just needed some extra hands for the holiday season.

The instant I heard that he was let go, there was a split second were I was a nervous about my own status with the company. Was I just another body for the holiday season? I’m not too concerned about it now because really, what can I do if they think I’m expendable. Another factor relating to the one hundred day probationary period is that those employees do not receive holiday pay. Scheduling is a result of seniority. So within each kitchen department (garde manger, café, dining room, banquets, prep), who ever has been an employee the longest can request certain holidays off. If they have to work the holiday, they can request a desired shift based on their personal plans. For Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day I worked at my regular pay (which is determined by the union and doesn’t cover our rent—its’s quite sad) and I worked from 12-9pm, the least desired shifts. For New Year’s Day, I work at 7am which is obviously the least desired shift.

I knew going onto this job that I would have to work holiday and I assumed they wouldn’t be the best shifts. I complained and whined a bit about New Years to my husband and my mother because we hosted about 40 guests the night before, but I got through it and now it’s over with.

But what really gets me thinking is that when future employees see “The Four Seasons” on my resume, they will have certain expectations in my abilities. I have learned a great deal about presentation skills, and I’ve learned a great deal about cheeses and some other menu ideas, but our sous chef doesn’t bring as much to the table as I expected someone in her position to. She doesn’t know how to make terrines and pates and the one time she made chicken liver mousse, it reeked of blood because the livers weren’t properly deveined. As a sous chef at a Four Seasons hotel, she should know certain things. Those who work underneath her should expect her to know and understand the techniques that partly define her department. Her management and communication style with her team is atrocious. She does try to relate to each of us, but at the end of the day, I would not look for her for support. It just isn’t there. I think she accepted this position so she can mark it off on her list and continue to move up. I don’t judge her for that, but it’s a shame that I have to be on the other end of it.

Despite the negatives of my experience so far with this organization, I still take a step back and realize that it is a unique experience and will do wonders for my future job searching. I’m not planning on leaving, but I do browse craigslist.org once and a while. Union issues combined with bad management make this position difficult at times, but the truth is that I’ve been at this job for just two months and that isn’t much at all. No job is perfect and many jobs are frustrating at points.

Stouffers at the Ritz?

Today was my laziest day yet at the Ritz. I was the most unproductive waste of life. It was a wonderful feelings coming off of a month of insanity, but when I left today at 4 pm, I was already sick of the slowness.

Because I'm "at the bottom of the ladder," I've been bumped down to the cafeteria while there is no work up in Garde Manger. At least I'm getting hours, I suppose, but wow...I did a lot of pacing and staring outside at the holiday traffic today.

When I got to work this morning at 7:30, I made myself a cup of tea and Annie (a sweet black woman in her 50's who is 'training' me) suggested that I sit and relax for 45 minutes or so and finish my Lipton drink. I did not question as I grabbed my book and slid into a chair.

From 8:15ish until a little after 10 am, I prepped the salad bar for lunch and dinner. This was silly and involved filling 26 canisters with various items, such as cucumbers, spinach, hard boiled eggs, and assorted dressings. I also chopped up some scary looking green leaf, which turned out to be the only time I touched a knife the whole day. Then Annie suggested that I take another break until 11. I did as instructed.

You could imagine how the rest of the day progressed. Work for a bit and then long break. I was able to read about 100 of my book and stay off my feet for most of the day. It was a nice break from upstairs, although the pacing got tiresome and boredom slipped in quickly.

For lunch we served over salted and over cooked chicken. When the thermometer was placed into the chicken breasts, they read "200." Yikes. We also served frozen spinach was started out green but turned more and more morbid looking as the day went on until specs of brown appeared from foil that covered it. Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese and cardboard veggie burgers rounded out the menu.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, I am sure. I am on the schedule to work there through Saturday even though Annie said today I was only really needed today. (Not sure how or where I was needed). So this should be a painfully slow week. Not sure what is happening beyond New Years.

One more funny thing: In the kitchen of the cafeteria, there was a big cambro of flour labeled "Flower."

It's Finally Over! Hallelujah!

It's the day after Christmas and all through the city,
Shoppers begin returning gifts and it's such a pity.
We joined the crowds down on North Avenue,
To restock our closets with shopping that was overdue.
Our car was towed from the lot of Old Navy,
And we schlepped the streets of Chicago to a lot that was quite shady.
But now we're home and safe and sound,
To enjoy some days off and slothing abound.
Tonight we'll tune in to the Jets and Pats,
Looking forward to another day of this and that.


Yesterday, on Christmas Day, I worked down at the Ritz-Carlton from 12:30 until 9pm....the same shift I worked for Thanksgiving. From the beginning of the shift until around 6:30, the time flew by. I was loving it and could feel myself home on the couch and off my feet in no time. Then, the clock stopped. The last few hours dragged on. It was painful. James, Oscar and I were working for our department. Oscar wasn't working at all, actually. He was walking in circles throughout the whole kitchen and talking with people. He was pretty much just taking up space and it was really irritating. When we would ask him to help us, he mouthed off one way or another and walked out of the room again. He is extremely talented but has some serious attitude issues that will one day catch up with him.

Therefore, by the time of the third and final seating at 5:30, James and I took the reins of the Garde Manger kitchen. We plated at least two back ups of each dish and started cleaning out our two walk-ins. We didn't want that to hold us up at the end of the night.

Our departments menu for Christmas was really embarrassing. $90 buffet for the guests and my lord, it was not worth it! Three of our dishes had the exact same colors to them and were placed right next to each other on the buffet. In addition, it seemed like there was an absurd amount of overlap between the ingredients. I have no idea who made up the menu, but the food was horrendous. Nothing even really tasted that great. Here is what we presented:

Smoked duck breats with charred melons with a salad of jicama,

cucumbers, and bok choy with Thai dressing

Toasted Israeli cous cous salad with chestnuts, assorted heirloom squash and

Creamy Red Wine vinaigrette

Warm sweet and savory potato salad, with Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Chanterelle Mushroom Tart

Red and Green Endive Salad with candied pistachios, pleasant ridge reserve

cheese and apple cider vinaigrette

Homemade Venison sausage with candied quince and red cabbage confit

Caramelized root vegetable salad with bressola of beef with

horseradish vinaigrette.

In addition, we also prepared:

Seasonal oysters with mignonette sauce

Shrimp and crab claws with cocktail and cognac sauce

Smoked Seafood Display of Maple glazed salmon, gravlax, smoked sturgeon,

scallops, smoked mussels and salt cod brindade

Cheese

Display of Imported and Domestic artisan cheeses

Roquefort and fig tart

Dried fruit, quince paste, and mustarde fruits

Basket of crusty breads, flatbreads, and brioche muffins

Charcuterie

Country and Duck pate en croute, chicken liver mousse with orange muscat jelly

Selection of cured meats served with Mustards and Cornichons

To start with, we ran out of the Chanterelle Mushroom tarts half way through the second seatings and ended up sauteeing white mushrooms for the third seating. The venison sausage tasted 100% like lamb and had no seasonings or flavor. It was embarrassing. The roquefort and fig tart was repulsive. Apparently, Joelle decided to try making it a different way and she felt that Christmas was the perfect time to try it out. She never made it once before. The cheese mixture was such a wet consistency that by the time the filling cooked, the tops of the tarts were dark and tasted burnt (cooked at 125). We only made six tarts for the 600 guests and about 3 were remaining at the end of the night.

By the end of the night, I was delirious. Definitely ready for two days off. Work in the Garde Manger kitchen slows down significantly after the New Year. Turns out because I'm the newbie, that I'm being transferred downstairs to the cafeteria. (UGH!). On the one hand, at least I'm maintaining the hours, but the cafeteria? A few weeks ago, Joelle mentioned that I could basically take the month of January off. So I was thinking of working down at my husbands school (where they actually pay more than the Ritz) for the month. I would rather do that than cafeteria work. And then I would also have weekends off.

There is a lot up in the air right now with my scheduling for the next three months. I'm not going to think about all that right now. I'm just going to enjoy this time right now off my feet.

I'll be working the New Year's Day brunch next Sunday. I am completely dredging that one. We are having 40 people for a New Years party and I'm due at work at 7 am the next morning. Oh lord! That will be interesting.

The Week Before Christmas

So it's started. The prep work for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Brunch, that is. I was so excited to go in today and have a slow day and watch the minutes tick away on the clock. James was in charge, as Joelle had another day off. And seriously, no matter what time of day or what time of year we're in, James is convinced that we're always in the weeds.

I walked in and first off, there was no prep list. He was still writing one up and when he looked up and saw me, he said,

"You won't believe it. We're already in the shitter."

"James. You say that all the time. How can we be in the shitter when there was one party for 12 at 7:30 this morning and one party for 12 tomorrow morning?"

"We just are," he responded.

I laughed and walked away to grab a cutting board and some nappy rags. It was a quiet day in the whole kitchen today; most people were off. I'm sure they were home either resting their feet and backs for the upcoming days or cramming in their holiday shopping because they couldn't get off time before.

When I returned to our kitchen, the prep list was done and I glanced over it quickly:
Gifts
Pico
Gauc
Chix Liver
Plated Salmon
Help James


"Gifts" refers to fruit plates or fruit bowls that VIPs receive in their room once they check in. They don't take much time so I got that out of the way pretty quickly. Today I only had four to do.

Next was Pico. I chopped up a case of Beefsteaks, tossed in some red onions, cilantro, jalenapenos, and lime juice. The Guac was even easier as I snagged some of the Pico and mixed it in with about half a case of mashed Haas Avocados.

Chicken Livers and Plated Salmon were already taken care of. I just had to check our walk in and make sure the Cafe line was fully stocked for the night. That meant at least 10 plates of smoked salmon had to be plated and ready for service as well as eight servings of chicken liver. The exact amount of each were in the walk-in so I moved on to the entertaining task of "Help James."

James is maybe in his late 40's or early 50's and is the type of guy who knows the most random information in the entire world. He is extremely knowledgeable about food and has a twisted sense of humor. He's been with the hotel for 19 years now. I cannot imagine.

Our first task was to prep the lettuce for the day. We took two large "trucks" and headed downstairs four flights to the receiving area. ("Trucks" are simply large four wheeled plastic dollies type things that we use to transport food and dirty dishes).

Downstairs, we washed three cases of romaine, one case of Boston Lettuce, and gathered six boxes of field greens, as well as one case of spinach. The main idea was to have enough lettuce upstairs for the day and maybe the day after, as well as enough back up downstairs incase extra is needed. Today it was a quick process.

Next, salmon. 70 sides of salmon. That's right. 70 sides! We teamed up and actually finished in around two hours. With fourteen of the sides, we prepare a molasses gravalax. This involved creating a tequila and lime mixture as well as a seasoned salt solution. Each side is trimmed of its fat and then its skin is scored. After soaking in the tequila-lime mixture, it is placed on a bed of the seasoned salt mixture as well as completely being covered in the same mixture. We placed two side in a hotel pan, stacked two hotel pans on each other, place a clean hotel pan on top, and then added weight onto that.


With another fourteen we did a standard gravalax. It was a similar process to the molasses cured salmon except we used a vodka-lemon solution, sweated the salmon with some salt after the fat was removed, and then rubbed some dried dill into each side. We placed each side on a bed of sugar and salt (equal parts by weight) and covered them completely with the same mixture. Same stacking and weight applied.

With the remaining sides, we prepared the salmon for smoking in a solution of salt, sugar, and oil. That is what we do every week. We usually do about 20-25 sides per week. But today it was 42.

By 1:30, we finished. We helped Ron garnish his tea sandwiches and headed down to break.

The rest of the afternoon was a breeze, but when I sat down on the train on my way home, I was beat.

I have work tomorrow and then Thursday off. My husband and I are headed to the Museum of Science and Industry and we're also hoping to drag our friends Golden Retriever to a park and run him wild. I'm really looking forward to that....

Still haven't snagged the menu for the weekend. Will keep my eye out.

It's the Holiday Season, So Whoop De Do!

A wonderful Monday off and I actually get to spend it with my husband! He was away last week in Palm Springs with his parents. Now that he's back in town, he has two more weeks to sloth around and catch up on life outside of business school.

I'm in full swing with the holiday season, both at home and work. My husband and I are hosting a New Year's Party in our loft and thinking about 40-50 people will show up. We spent this morning at Costco stocking up on too many handles of liquor. We searched for a good 15 minutes for the best hors d'oeuvres ever created(little hot dogs), but we unsuccessful in finding them. That has now become a top priority.

Holiday cards have all been written and mailed while our mailbox fills with friends and family's well-wishes for the New Year. The baking of Christmas cookies from the bakery below seeps up to our apartment, while the faint holiday music is heard in the distance. Our fire place is now more often lit than not, and fellow bearers of the frigid season are bundled up with hats, gloves, and mittens outside our windows. We joined Netflix and are eagerly awaiting the start of "24."

Downtown at the hotel, I'm still due to snag a copy of both the Christmas and New Years menus and will share those next week sometime. I am off again on Thursday and then working through Sunday with Sunday hours being noon until 9. I assume it will be similar to Thanksgiving, but a little less busy.

I spoke to Joelle about scheduling after December and she pretty much said I am welcome to take the month of January off. Unpaid, obviously, but they try to cut back significantly on hours. Those who have been with the hotel the longest are the first to be offered work during the slow time.

It actually may work out well for me as I may have another job for the months of January and February though the University of Chicago's GSB. They are just about to start their recruiting season and the department looks to spouses of students first to see if they would like to help. The pay is actually a little more than what I'm earning at the Ritz. So sad.

But if I could worked at school until the hotel picks up again, at least we wouldn't have a loss in income. We will see how it all pans out.

This upcoming week of work will be exciting and probably fly by. I'm really not looking forward to New Year's Day Brunch, though. Ugh...I was originally thinking of cutting out of our party early and staying at a friends place or something so I could sleep that night. But I've decided I'm just going to suck it up and be tired. My social life is pathetic and there is no reason I can't go into work one day a bit hung over.

My husband said he wants to start training me on how to stay out late on a work night and just deal with being tired at work. So that's what I'm trying to do now. I know it sucks just as much for him for me not to be going out.

Well, we're off to enjoy a double feature on our couch with a big cup of Ghiradelli's hot cocoa. Yum.

Thursday Already?

I can't believe I have to go back already. I feel like another day is due to me. We were told that two weeks ago would be the busiest and after last week, I'm pretty beat. So I hope things ease up.

I also REALLY REALLY hope that our walk-in is fixed and everything is back in it so I don't have to move everything again. I'm going to predict that it's not fixed yet, but it will be fixed during the day tomorrow and it will be my job to move endless amounts of vinaigrette and multiple sheet pans of cured salmon back into it. Oh well. I am the newbie. I will be so excited when I stop hearing that line.

apparition we were suppose to get a big snow storm that was due to start at 6 am and end tonight at 10 pm. Looking outside, right now, at 7:30 pm, it has not started snowing yet. That probably means that it will tomorrow, which is fine with me. I think falling snow is such a beautiful thing to walk in.

So another week is upon me. December is almost over and hopefully after New Year's, my social life will pick up a bit. I don't get why people don't want to go to the bars on a random Tuesday night?? But seriously, I met some great people while job searching before this whole thing started and I haven't really seen any of them.

We have a holiday party on Saturday at 8 pm, so I'm definitely hoping to be out of work by then. I could use a few holiday drinks. I'm comfortable enough with Sunday mornings that I think I can go in a little groggy. And besides, we're hosting a New Year's Eve party, which is on a Saturday night. So I need some practice on waking up early after a few drinks considering New Year's Day I'm due at work at 7 AM!!!!!! ARGH!

Adios!

Walk-In Break Down and Body Fatigue

I'm caught between watching the Giants in OT against the Eagles and writing a brief blog post. I know its been a while, but I haven't had time to even check my email. My body feels like it ran a marathon without the massage at the end of the line.

This week was tough; the toughest yet. Not hard in what we were preparing, but hard on the body and long long hours. I have one more day tomorrow, which should be a little more relaxed and then a gloriously welcomed two days off.

This was my week:
Thursday: 8 am- 5:15 pm
Friday: 7 am- 6:30 pm
Saturday 8 am- 9 pm
Sunday 7 am - 3:30 pm

After anticipating last weekend to be the busiest yet at the hotel, I think our prep list for this past week shocked us and kicked us in the ass, really.

Besides getting ready for brunch (that had a first seating of 285), there was a party for 400 guests on Saturday night. We didn't finish prepping for that until maybe one hour before the start of the party.

I was determined to crank out my list and help others. As Joelle stated, "Because your new here, your list gets moved around the most."

That means if others need help, I stop what I'm doing to help them. I don't mind at all. It gives me a chance to see what else is going on. The only issue is that my list has to get done in the same amount of time that everyone else's does, so it puts me in a bit of a pickle.

Our small part of the kitchen is a separate room, as well as some counter space in a larger kitchen space. I usually set up in our small room, but decided on Saturday that I needed a change of scenery and I wanted my own little corner so I could really focus and crank out what I could. Despite knowing that I would be called of my list frequently, I still wanted to finish my own prep.

And my 9 pm that night, I did. Actually, I was so completely in my own little world that when I finally decided to take a break, it was already 5 pm.

We all had a rough day and most of us were due to be back this morning at 7 am. When I got home last night, I took a wonderfully hot steaming shower and almost feel asleep with the hot water pounding my back. I was in a wonderful state and didn't want to deal with pajamas, teeth brushing, and setting the alarm.

When I awoke at 5:20 am this morning, I was ready for this Sunday to be the end of this rough week. My mind was enjoying the time, but my body was done. I exited my building into the bitter Chicago cold and headed to work. On my walk from the train station to the hotel, I passed small clusters of pigeons who pinned themselves to a wall with their heads shivering and nestled into their necks. They were ready for the summer and Christmas is still two weeks away.

The morning ran relatively smoothly. Turns out most of the food we prepper for thirteen hours yesterday was not eaten and was returned to our walk in. We were not pleased, however our brunch menu changed accordingly.

If I was paying 80 bucks a head for a brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on this Sunday, I would have asked for my money back; just based on what our department put out. It was embarrassing and I was very surprised that Joelle encouraged it. Apparently the food costs are a bit much in this holiday season, but still the end product should not suffer. Presenting day old Greek Salad where the feta is covered in God knows what and Caprese salads where the tomatoes are soggy is just wrong.

But you know what, it made our morning a little more simple. The day was almost done and James and I were keeping and eye on one of our walk ins. The temperature had risen to 53 degrees. He called engineering and after removing a piece of plastic from one of the fans, the temperature continued to rise. It had completely shut down.

We had to move everything out of it. The size of this walk in is maybe the size of a small college dorm room. There was a lot of food to move:
Three full rolling racks of smoked salmon, deli meats, thawed seafood, cured meats
20 or so 5 gallon vinaigrette cambros
12-15 20 gallon vinaigrette cambros
All of our dairy stock (cheeses, yogurts, sour creams, creme fraiche)
All prepped food for the rest of the day....The walk in is lined with 6 or so shelves on each wall. Each shelf is chalk full of prep.

So our simple Sunday turned into a bit of a mess. I took my break from 2:45 to 3:15 and left at 3:30.

I am a bit delirious. Had a fried egg and some toast for dinner. I soaked my body in a bubble bath when I got home and now I'm waiting for the hot water to return so I can take a shower and zonk out for the night.

Joelle is definitely still rubbing me the wrong way. We get along, but there is just something there that I don't like or don't get...I can't quite put my finger on it. I think she tries to be passively competitive or something...not even sure if that's it. But she has a tendency to make me feel incompetent and not knowledgeable.

She has her day off tomorrow so James is leading. I should be a relaxing Monday but today should have bed a relaxing Sunday.

Will try to write more on my days off....

Carnivale: My Restaurant Review

Despite having been in the Windy City since the beginning of September, my husband and I have yet to crack into the epicurean world. It is a shame, but we just cannot afford to do that right now and we also just don't have the time or the energy.

However, it just so happened that while my husband was out of town last Friday night, I made plans with some friends and we decided to have dinner at Carnivale. It's a new restaurant with Latin flavors and its gotten wonderful reviews in its short existence.

When my girlfriend called for reservations on Tuesday, the hostess offered 6 or 9:30. I had to work early the next morning so she opted for six.

After the valet took the car, we headed inside to meet the rest of our party. The first room was a rather large bar, with low ceilings, and filled with some tables along the windows. The one thing that immediately struck me was that the bar was dark...very dark. I could hardly recognize our friend we were meeting. She was sitting at the bar talking with the bartender until she noticed us and said,

"Hi! You guys have to try these raspberry mojitos. They are wonderful! This is my second!"

She slid off the bar stool with a bit of a stumble and we were led to our table. There was a tall maroon curtain that divided the dining room from the bar. The room was a complete visual assault on the senses. Inside, there were over twenty foot ceilings from which eight light fixtures hung. They were the shape of enormous lamp shades paneled in red and yellow. My first reaction was that it looked like something an elephant would step on at the circus.

The walls were thick panels of bright colors including, purple, orange, lime, and pink. The room was bright; a complete contrast in every sense to the bar we recently left. The tables were scattered and dressed simply with white table clothes. Centered on the ceiling above was a jewel colored skylight.

Unfortunately, we landed at the table right next to the kitchen door. I ignored that and jumped to open the menu; eager to read the dishes that would reflect Peru, Brazil, Argentina and the rest of Latin America.

We settled on five appetizer:
Guacamole and Chips: The best of the five. Freshly made to order with amazingly ripe Avocados with a hint of lime and cilantro.
Beef Empanada: Another table favorite. The beef was layered with garlic and cumin and wrapped perfectly in corn flour. The perfect amount of beef to corn flour. We ended up ordering second helping.
Mini fish tacos: Nothing to write home to mom about. Simple whitefish tacos with a citrus tartar sauce. A bit bland and dull compared to the decor and my reaction to the first two items.
Crab cakes: At least they tasted like crab, but they lacked the consistency of a cake. When we attempted to split the two cakes for the table to share, they crumbled. The flavor wasn't bad, but they needed a binder.
Shrimp Ceviche: With roasted tomatoes and chilies. Not a table favorite and I think far from ceviche. I couldn't tell if the shrimp was raw or not because it was completely covered with the roasted tomatoes. I expected a little heat after the first bite and it never came; it was simply rubbery. Out of the three shrimp that were provided, two headed back to the kitchen.

Most of us took our friends suggestion and tried the raspberry mojito, which was delicious. Garnished with fresh mint, it welt down a little too smoothly as it lacked the overwhelming sourness of lime.

For dinner, I ordered the beef short ribs served with corn and peanut salsa and mashed potatoes. Seemed like an odd combination and I wasn't quite sure why mashed potatoes were on the menu at all. Now that I think of it, there were a few dishes that I questioned when looking over the menu. What is Latin American about a New York strip steak with roasted potatoes, blue cheese-bacon salsa, and port sauce? Or a mixed green salad with cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and almonds?

Despite my confusion, I ordered a second raspberry mojito and soon enough my entree arrived. The short ribs were absolutely wonderful. Not completely falling apart but just tough enough so I had to use my fork to peel of the delicate strands of perfectly moist beef. They were truly delicious. However, the rest of the dish cannot receive similar praise. The mashed potatoes tasted ordinary and the corn and peanut salsa was non-existent. They were some stray peanuts and kernels scattered on my plate, but by no means did they resemble a salsa.

Three desserts were ordered. Let's just say pastry is not their strong suit. For some reason, strawberry shortcake was on their dessert menu and for another reason, one was ordered at our table. My friend said it tasted like it had been sitting in a refrigerator for days. Another item ordered was a chocolate tres leche, described as "chocolate cake soaked in three milks with white chocolate sabayon and coffee ice cream." The only thing I could taste was rum with a slight hint of chocolate. The third and final dessert was a trio or sorbet, of which only one past our taste test.

Although the passion and energy of the Latin American culture shine through the decor of Carnivale, the food was a less impressive. Even though it seemed that there was an attempt to stream the creativity into the kitchen, the presentation and overall flavor of the dishes were simply flat.

Overall, I'll give Carnivale a B-. I forgot to mention that we ordered five sides that never arrived. Turns out that was a blessing in disguise. But my friend had the waiter read back those items to make sure he understood what we ordered. Apparently, he misunderstood.


http://www.carnivalechicago.com/index.cfm

Toshiba, Radiology and Peking Duck

I had yesterday off but decided to go in last night from 6-8:30 for a banquet party for 1000 guests. Yes, that's one thousand. Although it didn't seem like there were that many guests there but I'm a bad judge of that kind of stuff.

This was not a holiday party. Toshiba apparently gives this cocktail party to radiologists as a fancy schmancy sell job to encourage the doctors to use their radiology products. Quite a spread for these guys (and few gals). I think the revenue generated from the party was around $120,000 for the hotel (based on what the Executive Sous Chef told us). Absurd for one nights work.

Considering that one months paycheck from the Ritz-Carlton does not even cover my rent, I figure the extra money couldn't hurt. I need to pay for the pitchers of beer we would be enjoying later than evening, right?

The second I arrived, the manager of the event showed me where my station was. I was in a corner next to another Garde Manger member who would be preparing the same dish. A chafing dish with a steamer of tortillas was to our right, with a small bowl of green onions, another small bowl of hoisin sauce below. Right in from of us was a cutting board with heat lamps and to the left of us was a larger chafing dish with peking duck. I really wanted to try one, but the instant I was prepped and ready to go, the guests started flowing in.

I had a server assigned to me to maintain my ingredients and he warned me that last year, peking duck was the most popular item. He suggested that I start making some finished product as soon as possible. I listened and started spreading, plopping, and rolling to get myself a small pile for the initial rush. The initial rush finished at 8:30 when I ran clear out of absolutely everything. The tortillas were the first to go but people were not deterred. They would settle for a pile of duck with scallions and hoisin on their plate or napkin. Once the scallions and hoisin disappeared, people kept eyeing the crispy duck skin sitting in the chafing dish. Not at all embarrassed by their request, the crispy skin quickly vanished as well.

I didn't even know what else was being served to these vultures of doctors. The other team member were working a risotto station and beyond that, whenever I tried to look up and see what else was around, the long peking duck line blocked my view and resumed to spreading, plopping, and rolling.

The time flew by and soon enough, a few of us were in a bar enjoying some pitchers by the train stations.

Another day off today and then at least four days work.

Black Friday

Thanksgiving morning, I woke up at 6 AM to take my husband to the train station. He was headed to O’Hare International Airport to go back to Boston until Sunday. It was bitter cold outside; the kind of cold where you are instantly chilled right down to the bone only after minutes of being outside. Although it was a magnificent day; bright baby blue sky with a few delicate puffy clouds dispersed. People were disguised in ski masks and wrapped up like tightly like Christmas presents.

After I got home, I ran back into bed and shivered myself back to sleep for another four hours. Once it was time for me to emerge from my cocoon of comfort, I bundled up and headed for the train. On my brief walk, my Thanksgiving spirits were nudged awake. A couple dressed like they were out of a J.Crew catalog stepped out of the liquor store with some pumpkin ale, cars that were passing by me were filled with fathers, mothers and children, and once I hit the entrance to the train station, a dozen people scampered out with rolling luggage and carry-on bags.

I couldn’t help but think about the past Thanksgivings I shared with my family. Each year, my mother provided small chocolate turkeys as a favor by everyone’s place setting. She sent my husband and me our pair just yesterday. Our menu was always traditional and simple, staying away from the modernizing of the holidays that’s popular today. We had sweet potatoes with crushed pineapple and brown sugar topped with marshmallows, of course. My mother and I would snip the ends of the green beans the day before while planning out our schedule for the next day. She would make her incredible chopped liver with schmaltz, hard boiled egg, and onions. We polished silver, cleaned the china, and dressed the dining room table with a freshly dry-cleaned linen lace tablecloth. Spending time in the kitchen with my mother the day before and the day of Thanksgiving was the best part of the holiday. The actual meal always went by too quickly and I ended by watching football in the den with my father. A few hours after we finished the meal, round two came and we piled our plates high again.

But today was obviously different and I shook the memories away and headed up the stairs to the “El” platform. I waited a brief five minutes or so trying to warm in the sunlight, but it was not giving off any heat today.

I showed up to work and needless to say, it was a bit insane. Everyone was hustling left and right, servers were coming in from the dining room with empty platters demanding full ones, and suits were swiftly slithering in and out of each department making sure the controlled chaos was maintained. I fought my way past dishes of candied yams, stuffing, rib roasts, and hams and finally made it to the Garde Manger kitchen. It wasn’t anymore restrained there. The tables were covered completely so not an inch of stainless steel could be seen anywhere. Stray herbs, chopped onions, hotels of quinoa and sautéed mushrooms, bowls of dressed spinach, and marbled cheese platters were everywhere. I noticed a speed rack sitting outside our kitchen with three pairs of pig eyes staring at me.

I was a little out of sorts and my team seemed a little busy to help me get settled. I decided to just watch a few of the dishes and see how they were being presented, looked over the menu, and found some space to work. It was 12:30 PM and the next seating was at 2:30 PM followed by the third and final seating at 5:30 PM. The first one was at 10:30 AM and around 200 guests came. The hotel was expecting 200 for the next two seatings, also.

Servers continued to flow into the kitchen and we continued to refill their arms with freshly plated dishes. Each person was completely in their own world so I sneaked outside to see the spread we were offering:

Charcuterie Platter wiht Dijon Mustard, Whole Grain, and Cornichons
Chicken liver pate with black truffles, Pistachio and turkey terrine and turkey roulade
Smoked fish platter: Molasses smoked salmon, Gravalax, and Smoked Salmon, Smoked Scallops and Mussels
Freshly Shucked Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail, and Empire Crab Claws
Seared Tuna with Jicama, Mango and Papaya with Lime Vinaigrette
Wild Rice Salad with Apple-wood Smoked Venison with Dried Cranberries
Seared Hanger Steak with Huasteco Pepper Sauce with Roasted Red Pepper, Red Onion, and Spinach Salad
Wild Mushrooms and Celery Root Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Citrus Pickled Beet Salad with Walnuts and Chives
Butter Lettuce with Maytag Blue Cheese and Quince Dressing
Pheasant Sausage with Quinoa and Candied Lemons

I think that’s everything. James and I were the only two to man our kitchen and maintain our dish offerings after 4:30. Setting up for the 5:30 seating was calm and we already had 2-3 back ups of each dish already prepared. Once the mass amounts of cooks started to head home for the day, things were running a lot more calmly. In between maintaining the brunch, we started some prep for the next day and cleaned out the walk-ins. All in all, the day went by very quickly and soon enough it was time to head home. I felt invigorated and not at all tired.

I decided, since it was close to 20 degrees outside and my body had not yet fully thawed from my walk home, I was going to treat myself to a hot bubble bath and a White Russian. I slithered in and reviewd my day. It was actually a really enjoyable day. I pretty much forgot that it was Thanksgiving and I didn't mind one bit.

The Calm Before the Storm

It's about 11 AM on Thanksgiving morning and I just put some hot water on the stove for some ramen noodles. A disgusting breakfast/lunch to start off this day. This morning I woke up and drove my husband to the train station at 6 AM. He landed safely in Boston and is there until Sunday visiting with family and friends. I wish I was there. My family headed down to Houston, Texas. My aunt recently had brain surgery so my mother and brother made plans to go there. Last minute, my father jumped on the band wagon, so the three of them are in the Lonestar State. I wish I was there.

But despite my wishing of places I'd rather be, I'm still excited about seeing the spread today down at the hotel. My Thanksgiving glum will probably kick in tomorrow or when I get home this evening.

The hotel is expecting 600 guests; three seatings at 10:30, 2:30 and 5:30 of 200 each. I have my camera packed and will post some pictures tomorrow.

So overall, avoiding the Thanksgiving chuplah has been pretty easy. Everyone at work is in the same boat and its too busy there to feel sorry for ourselves. The key, I think, was not watching the Network. But now that the day has approached and my husband is gone and my mother sent our chocolate turkeys (our Thanksgiving tradition that each guest receives a small chocolate turkey), perhaps some other feelings will come over me. We shall see.

These ramen noodles are not what I remember. Although, still, the best way to have them is to drain out the liquid and just slurp the noodles....Happy Thanksgiving!

Disappointing Brunch and Thanksgiving Begins

A fun Sunday in the kitchen. It's all about who I'm surrounded by and yesterday I was with the team members who seems to get along the best and have a good time while being pretty productive and efficient. Although, another disappointing menu:

Juices: Coconut-Banana, Cocktail, ?

Ancho marinated Pork tenderloin with Braised Greens
Bibb Lettuce with Bacon, Goat Cheese, Croutons, and Mustard Vinaigrette
prosciutto and Parmesan Crostini with Fig and Port Compote
Seared Tuna with Soba Noodles
Roasted Sirloin with Citrus Fruit and Truffle Vinaigrette
Salmon Tartar

No one ate anything. We prepped for 200 guests and I think less than 150 showed. So needless to say, there was plenty of leftovers that were disposed to the 1950's cafeteria for the staff of the hotel.

My sous chef seems to be panicking a bit over Thanksgiving. She is running around with menus and prep lists clinging to her chest as if they are the winning lotto ticket. Everyone else seems to be pretty calm so its a little entertaining. We started prepping after brunch. James and I were asked to pipe about 50 pounds of sausage.

One thing that I don't love is that if I'm piping sausage, I want to know how its going to be used in the dish when its finished. My prep list has various tasks but I have no reference about what the end product will be...its a bit annoying. I have to start asking more questions.

Piping the sausage took the rest of the after noon and we were all out of there with 45 minutes of OT. The casing was too small to fit around the nozzle so it was a bit of a struggle. But it was fun and the jokes, you could imagine, were endless.

I'm working Tuesday, Wed, Thursday, Sat and Sunday this week. Excited to find out about the Thanksgiving menu. There are three of on Thursday working from noonish until 9pm....I'm actually looking forward to it.