tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84124656338007460632024-02-06T19:21:51.691-08:00My Life after Le Cordon BleuNote: This blog is not to be read on an empty stomach.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-7819678368655428212011-11-29T15:04:00.001-08:002011-11-29T15:14:47.552-08:00Jamaican Food!Devin and I went to Jamaica for Thanksgiving week. We had several local drivers tell us all about the food (Devin kept telling everyone I'm a chef!), so I wanted to try everything.<br /><br />Of course we had jerk chicken. Jerk pork is also very common. What surprised us is something that they call Festival. It's basically a fried dough that is served and meant to be eaten with the jerk chicken or pork. The spice of the jerk and the sweet fried dough make for an excellent combination.<br /><br />We visited Bob Marley's tomb, and on the way back, we stopped at the side of the road for some "apple bananas" that were delicious. They were bananas that were maybe three inches long and so flavorful. Our driver bought the stand out of them, telling us that he likes to make fruit bowls for his kids in the mornings. <br /><br />Jerkie's was a local spot just outside our resort. We stayed six nights and went there four times! We tried the curried goat and the escoviche fish there. Escoviche is a fried whole fish served over rice and peas (beans), and even Devin liked it. He doesn't even eat fish! <br /><br />The buffet at the resort was pretty great. They had all sorts of breads that were obviously made fresh daily, as well as a lot of Jamaican specialties, like the jerk, ackee and saltfish (not a fan), and curry chicken. We had lots of Red Stripe. All-inclusive is the way to go, but definitely don't be afraid to venture off the resort!<br /><br />On the way to the airport on our last day, we stopped at Ultimate Jerky Hut. It was the best jerk and Festival that we'd had the entire trip! One place we didn't get to check out was Scotchie's, but we'll be back in Jamaica in a year! We loved it that much, so we're going to do it again for our honeymoon!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-67346297229785222082011-10-31T01:15:00.000-07:002011-10-31T01:19:08.234-07:00Ugh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy2iMwkThSHbm9Iqj2XE8paorDUkIIi2klWIjgNZhTn3z7iFzvsAIqf4GSvp6MXeNYrozYgqWEp45RlASL8OOYk9hJ_cJy2tKH651X9HBsuyx7MDrp8Lm2kCR6BTI9uHms_Z9cmWSSR4B/s1600/Halloween+2011+kitty1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy2iMwkThSHbm9Iqj2XE8paorDUkIIi2klWIjgNZhTn3z7iFzvsAIqf4GSvp6MXeNYrozYgqWEp45RlASL8OOYk9hJ_cJy2tKH651X9HBsuyx7MDrp8Lm2kCR6BTI9uHms_Z9cmWSSR4B/s320/Halloween+2011+kitty1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669567868217457138" /></a><br />Sorry I've been so lame about my blog. I really haven't had much news. Work is work after a while, you know?<br /><br />We have some Dia de los Muertos specials that are so delicious. There's this pork dish that's cooked sous vide (under pressure; basically it's vacuum sealed and then held in water at a constant temperature), and we have this awesome butternut squash soup. <br /><br />I'm pretty sure these specials just ended today, however. <br /><br />I carved a cool Hello Kitty pumpkin for Halloween, but she didn't last. Stupid mold. We'll be giving out candy tomorrow anyway, and then going out after that for a bit. I love Halloween. I am Hello Kitty this year!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-49375965105557937422011-06-06T13:39:00.000-07:002011-06-06T13:50:34.011-07:00It's been since February?!I apologize for being lazy with my blog. <br /><br />Work has been decent but hectic for the past week or so. We lost several people, so the schedule has been messed up. I had to work yesterday, a Sunday. It was actually a really fun shift, but I just cannot work on Sundays. I've also put in for Saturdays off; I figure someone has to have Saturday and Sunday off, why not me? <br /><br />My Chef told me that I'm running the station now, and as long as I keep up my high standards, she will give me the hours I want. I feel good knowing that they're happy with my performance. I've definitely become really good at what I do. <br /><br />In other news, I am trying to decide whether I am tired of the name of this blog. I know I'm tired of the web address, so as soon as I figure out a better one, I'll be changing that. How does Pantry Princess sound? Queen of the Pantry? Sultana? <br /><br />The other half and I have a few trips coming up. We've got San Francisco, which is always good eats, and probably a fishing trip in San Diego sometime this summer. Mmm, fish tacos! We are also going to Jamaica in a few months, and we are both very excited about eating the food!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-31950687276223166482011-02-17T02:05:00.000-08:002011-02-17T02:08:52.610-08:00AM ShiftToday I worked the morning shift, which was really different. I did a ton of prep work, and got out at 4PM. I really can't say that I minded it, even though I was at work until 10:30 last night.<br /><br />Having the night off was nice. We went to B-dubs. It's been way too long!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-13153691264189792062011-02-11T01:10:00.000-08:002011-02-11T01:14:20.288-08:00A Little SlowMy restaurant has been a bit slow the past few weeks. On weekends we're busy, but weekdays and nights are slow. I'm guessing it's about to pick up after the cold season is over, which is hopefully soon! It's not only because I want to be busier but also because I hate cold weather. <br /><br />I wish I could talk about more but I can't talk specifics about work on here anymore. <br /><br />My next quest is to make a bunch of freezer meals that either the other half can heat up for dinner when I'm at work, or I can heat up at 11PM when I get home totally hungry. I know my mom's pork tenderloin would work, since that reheated well, and I might do some casserole type things, except nicer. Maybe some soup, too. I love making chicken noodle. Maybe I'll dedicate this Sunday to that; the Sunday between the Superbowl and<span style="font-weight:bold;"> my </span>personal Superbowl, the Daytona 500.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-13767260367683624272011-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:002011-01-26T21:08:56.776-08:00Sick!I have been sicker than I've been in a very long time since Saturday. I still don't feel great, but I'm going to go into work tomorrow, even if they have to send me home. It seems to be just a bad cold but for someone who never gets sick it's pretty rough. The other half has it too (as do several of our friends), so they can vouch for me that it hasn't been fun.<br /><br />I've never known the actual guilt of calling in sick to work. It sucks. I'm still wondering what they did for staff on my station from 3-4 today. <br /><br />So there it is. I'm looking forward to a nice long sleep tonight, fueled by NyQuil, and hopefully some speedy non-coughing/sneezing/nose-running work tomorrow, fueled by Advil Cold & Sinus.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-55693488190532322762011-01-09T02:30:00.000-08:002011-01-09T02:34:55.636-08:00Lunch RushToday I had a lunch rush while working alone on my station. One of the pastry cooks came to help but really didn't know what to do (not like I know what to do on her station, so I don't blame her at all!), so I had to deal with it myself. It was pretty wild for about an hour, until my backups showed up. <br /><br />We were supposed to have another kid (that kid who was gone for three weeks) show up at 3PM today. He didn't. My chefs had no idea that I was working the station alone and was left with little to no prep and an AM staff who couldn't communicate to me what needed to be done. <br /><br />There's a big event we're hosting on Monday. Luckily that's my day off, but tomorrow will involve a lot of prep for the event. I'm betting on being slammed between 3-4, my "alone" hours on my station, again. <br /><br />Also, who orders a Caesar salad at a restaurant that serves Mexican and Chinese food? Apparently a lot of people, but isn't that strange?Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-48085935435641978132011-01-01T03:08:00.000-08:002011-01-01T03:14:41.666-08:00Grand OpeningTonight, New Year's Eve, was our grand opening for the Cosmopolitan casino. I guess the 15th was the "soft" opening. It was packed both in the casino and in my restaurant, but my station wasn't too busy. I actually got out before midnight, so in my book it turned out to be a great New Year's Eve.<br /><br />Jay-Z and Coldplay headlined tonight at the casino. I'm not a fan of either, but apparently a few of my coworkers saw Jay-Z and Beyonce around, and Coldplay had lunch at my restaurant. That's somewhat cool. What's really cool is that all the cooks got to take a picture with Jose Andres and Ferran Adria today. <span style="font-style:italic;">Those</span> are the celebrities that we as cooks care about! Look them up if you don't know. Jose Andres even patted me on the back and thanked me. I would have shaken his hand but I was peeling shrimp at the time! Anyway, I'll post the picture once I get it emailed to me.<br /><br />So happy new year! 2011 should be interesting.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-73114096341749951892010-12-24T03:02:00.000-08:002010-12-24T03:05:07.099-08:00Working Through the YearI don't think I'll have any days off until after the first week of January. <br /><br />My station is running pretty smoothly. We have three dishes that are flying out of the kitchen; the jicama crab siu mai, the tuna ceviche, and the scallop ceviche. I'll be back to describe them in detail. Again, I'm exhausted. <br /><br />You'd think I'd be refreshed after my day off yesterday. Not so much since I didn't actually have my day off as scheduled. No days off for the Eve.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-134607533975942962010-12-19T16:01:00.000-08:002011-01-06T00:22:57.912-08:00Catching UpI am aware that I haven't posted in a while. It's been pretty crazy opening up a brand new restaurant inside a brand new casino.<br /><br />My restaurant is going well, as far as I can see. The food is delicious and I feel like the pantry station is running as smoothly as possible after being there for just two weeks. <br /><br />When my hours even out, I'll write more. Right now, I'm exhausted.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-50605581700700019682010-11-28T13:20:00.000-08:002011-01-06T00:23:15.995-08:00San Francisco TripEvery time Devin and I visit my parents in San Francisco, we pretty much eat the whole time. <br /><br />Wednesday night, we arrived and went straight to Cha Cha Cha. It's a Cuban style tapas place. They have great sangria, and we always order lots of dishes. This time, we got the sauteed mushrooms, the fried new potatoes (that come with the most amazing aioli), the jerk chicken, the paella, and a salad. <br /><br />For Thanksgiving, we went out to Italian food at Fior d'Italia. We aren't much on Thanksgiving so we ordered from their regular menu instead of the holiday menu with the turkey and all that. I got fetuccini de tutti mare, or something that resembles what I just typed. It was fetuccini and mixed seafood. I've been really liking seafood recently. The meal came with minestrone, and a Caesar salad, which I have been craving, and finished off with their tiramisu. The dessert was really decadent, like eating straight whipped cream.<br /><br />Friday we went to the sushi boat place that's downtown. I have no idea what it's called. Sushi boat is always a good time. Later that night, my best friend (since 3rd grade!) met up with Devin and me at Murios, and we ordered a potato pizza from Escape from New York. That's one thing I will not miss when I visit my hometown. Potato, whole roasted garlic cloves, cream sauce... oh, yum. It's delicious.<br /><br />Saturday before we took off we ate at Park Chalet, a brewpub out by the beach. I always get the beer sampler there. They have altered their menu to make it more tapas-style, which is nice. We ordered a three-mushroom pizza with white truffle oil that was just a bit over the top. The mac n cheese also had the oil, but it was used with more restraint in that dish. Devin and I shared a French onion soup, which we enjoyed very much since it's something that neither of us has a chance to have often.<br /><br />That was my trip. We went to lots of bars as well, but this post is long enough. Tomorrow I start my new job at my restaurant. I guess I'm excited.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-22118771716374374752010-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:002010-11-22T20:18:47.350-08:00Wellington: Delicious to the MaxToday I went to the hiring center for the Cosmopolitan to fill out my final paperwork for my job. I start a week from today.<br /><br />A couple of days ago, Devin went to The Butcher Block to get some filet mignon. They don't have it at Smith's, and I wanted to make beef wellington. He ended up spending $35 on two 1.5 inch Prime filets, but damn, were they ever worth it. I made one wellington today, with gravy, and green beans with bacon, and I think I'm going to butter poach the other filet. <br /><br />My wellington turned out perfect! I made a mushroom duxelle, which is just a mixture of mushrooms, onions, garlic, and seasoning, and then cooled it off. Then I took out the puff pastry and rolled it out. I seasoned and seared the steak for two minutes on each side and let it cool for a few minutes. Then I put the gorgeously seared steak on the puff pastry sheet, topped it with the duxelle, and sealed the pastry around it. About 20 minutes in the oven got it to a perfect medium-rare, and in that 20 minutes I made my gravy and sauteed my green beans, which I had previously blanched.<br /><br />Just thinking about tonight's dinner is making my mouth water all over again. I could have eaten a whole wellington myself, but I'm glad I only made one steak for us to split, since that means I get more Prime steak deliciousness tomorrow. Yum!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-70675118521780036512010-11-21T21:16:00.000-08:002010-11-21T21:18:55.577-08:00Forgione!Well, Chef Forgione won<span style="font-style:italic;"> The Next Iron Chef</span>. I guess we'll see a lot of battles with him now. If I was going on<span style="font-style:italic;"> Iron Chef</span> I'd want to battle the newbie too. <br /><br />Actually, I'd want to battle Bobby Flay, but you know what I mean. Hear that, Bobby? I'm ready for a throwdown. Hummus throwdown! I challenge you NOW.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-81318520814889546872010-11-12T15:25:00.001-08:002010-11-12T15:44:06.608-08:00He Loves my Shredded Chicken TacosMy boyfriend is adorable. Yesterday I asked him about dinner and he asked me, "Can we have tacos?" How do I say no to that? I told him to pick me up an avocado on his way home from work so I could make guacamole as well.<br /><br />Tacos are easy, especially now that it finally dawned on me that I could just make one big batch of my taco seasoning and save it, so I only have to taste it once instead of a million times!<br /><br />This is roughly what's in my seasoning mix:<br />Cumin- it's at least half cumin, probably more like 75%<br />Oregano<br />Thyme<br />Garlic powder<br />Cayenne- I like a lot<br />Salt<br />Black pepper<br />I think that's it. You could add chili powder or onion powder as well. I didn't have them when I made this batch, but I'll pick them up when I make the next batch and try it out.<br /><br />Guacamole:<br />Avocado<br />Lime<br />Pepper<br />Salt<br />Tabasco, red and green<br />Tapatio<br />Garlic Powder<br />Optional: Diced tomato<br />Procedure: Mash with fork.<br /><br />Here's how it goes down.<br />I boil the chicken, and while that's happening, I make the guacamole (unless I've made it earlier in the day; earlier is better!), julienne an onion, and mince a clove or two of garlic. Once the chicken is cooked, I take it out of the water and shred it with two forks. Then I get a large pan with oil (I just use vegetable oil) nice and hot, and I add my onions. I cook them until they're soft, add my garlic, and deglaze with either light beer or white wine. Either works fine. Then I throw in my chicken, season liberally with my spice mix, and add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste. Make sure some of the spice mix goes into the oil instead of straight on the chicken in the pan. It brings the flavor out more when you cook the spices a little bit. <br /><br />Once the chicken is coated in spices and tomato paste, and it's a bit crispy from the oil, you're done! I serve the chicken and guacamole with tortillas (we like flour; one day I'll make my own) and some shredded cheese, usually cheddar/jack mix, but sometimes we buy the "Mexican" cheese, which is basically the same thing. We rarely bother with rice and never bother with beans.<br /><br />I hardly ever get sour cream because he doesn't like it, but when I have it on hand, I pile that on my tacos as well. So deliciously bad for me. And don't forget the Tapatio! It's our most-used condiment.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-16676829383945541652010-11-04T20:27:00.000-07:002011-01-06T00:28:48.125-08:00Oh, Right, I Got a Job.I'll be working at RESTAURANT (name removed by request of my work) at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino starting later this month. The owner is Chef Jose Andres, who's really a badass. <br /><br />This news isn't <span style="font-style:italic;">too</span> late; I only found out on Monday. Now for a busy three weeks of relaxation before I have to start working. <br /><br />Relaxation, yeah right. Last night I made fresh pasta and a huge double cut pork chop, both of which turned out great. It was only my second attempt at fresh pasta and it worked out so much better than the first time! It was delicious.<br /><br />I also made homemade pizza tonight. The only thing I didn't make was the cheese and pepperoni, because who has time and resources to make those things? My crust and sauce were great, so I'm proud of that. <br /><br />My new butcher shop also kicks ass. They make the best jalapeno-chipotle brats. We made them on the grill last week and they were so good that today I went back to buy two of every brat they make. It's like Noah and the ark, except delicious. They are only marginally more expensive than grocery store brats but miles and miles more flavorful. The shop is called The Butcher Block and it's on South Rainbow between the 215 and Robindale. <br /><br />I really have been relaxing. It's nice being able to do that after a busy year and a half of school. Come the 29th I won't be able to relax much more, and I'll have to rejoin the real world.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-12970312318295166732010-10-18T20:25:00.000-07:002010-10-18T20:27:08.871-07:00Final GPAIt just now occurred to me to check my final GPA, which is a 3.88.<br /><br />I'm still pretty sure I got shafted in the restaurant class, since I had 100% going from front of house to kitchen if my extra credit counted, but I don't care enough to argue. I certainly don't care enough to haul my butt back to LCB now that I'm DONE! Yay!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-63176277908252620642010-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:002010-10-17T20:44:32.221-07:00Restaurant Reviews: PicassoI graduated yesterday. Yay! My parents wanted to go to Picasso to celebrate, and oh wow, they made the right choice.<br /><br />The decor is, well, Picasso paintings. <br /><br />It didn't have the super-fancy feel of Robuchon, but the food was just as good. I think I actually had a better time at Picasso (except they didn't have the awesome bread cart!).<br /><br />We started with a piece of green olive bread, a piece of baguette, and butter. It took us forever to decide what to order. Picasso is all prix fixe, so there were three menus to choose from. One was a $250 white truffle tasting menu which looked amazing. I'd regret not just going for it, but what I had was so perfect that I can't regret a thing. For the record, the white truffle menu includes a risotto, a butternut squash ravioli, and filet mignon, all of which incorporate white truffle in some way. I almost want to go back by myself and just have that.<br /><br />My dad and I eat a lot of the same things, and Devin and my mom eat the same thing almost every time we go out. Dad and I are also the only wine drinkers. It took us a while, but we got the sommelier involved, and he suggested a Gevurtztraminer from Alsace that was absolutely wonderful and worked with every dish we ordered.<br /><br />I started with the lobster salad, which came with tiny melon-balls of honeydew and artichoke, and some teardrop tomatoes. I usually find lobster rubbery, but it was just right. My second course was a crab filet; it was a huge piece of king crab leg over a bed of mashed potatoes. Delicious as well. For my third course, I chose to substitute the foie gras (don't like it, and am somewhat against it as well), for the carrot-ginger shrimp soup from the other menu. It came with just the shrimp garnish and the soup was poured into the bowl in front of me. So classy. Then I had the halibut and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Yep, I had lots and lots of fish. My last dish was perfect. <br /><br />Then dessert came. I ordered the chocolate... something. They had one chocolate dish option so I got it. It was basically the best chocolate lava cake I've ever had, and it came with hazelnut ice cream and a cute tuile cookie. I have never, ever had a dessert put in front of me that smelled so good. I swear, it was the first thing I said. <br /><br />The size of the dishes and the timing of the service were both perfect. I didn't feel like a total glutton after, even though I had eaten five courses. The meal took almost exactly three hours. The waitstaff was very attentive, and the sommelier even kept our Gevurtztraminer chilled while we ate. It was even better chilled. Seriously, this wine was amazing, just perfect with seafood. I really want to find out exactly what it was so I can go buy some! <br /><br />Our "ladies' gift" (what do they call those?) when my mom and I were walking out was a nice box with three palmiers in them. I haven't tried them yet, but posting about this now makes me want to, so I'm going to go eat one and watch The Next Iron Chef.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-34246268702464935632010-09-28T01:09:00.000-07:002010-09-28T01:11:15.175-07:00AlbondigasI made albondigas tonight, in chipotle with adobo sauce. I completely ripped it off from Firefly, and I have no qualms about it. One day soon I'll buy some puff pastry and make their mushroom tart, and then I'll never have to actually eat there again!<br /><br />But I will.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-24338245573603661272010-09-19T12:27:00.000-07:002010-09-19T16:08:37.592-07:00We Got a Grill!Devin and I finally got ourselves a shiny new grill. It's portable but we also ordered the tall stand for it. It's a propane grill, so we got a 1lb propane bottle for when we take it somewhere, and we'll get a 20lb one for when it's on its tall stand at home. This is seriously the coolest portable grill I have ever seen. Devin found us some massive t-bones, so we're making steak, asparagus, and zucchini tonight. <br /><br />Here is a link to the grill. http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CGG-200-All-Foods-000-BTU-Tabletop/dp/B001TOWLTO/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1284924618&sr=1-7<br /><br />We paid less than $200 for the whole setup, with free shipping, plus it came assembled. You don't get a better deal than that. <br /><br />We're taking it out to the truck race next weekend!<br /><br />Here we go with our feast. We made brats, too! Image uploading and linking are both being stupid right now so here's a link to the image. http://yfrog.com/6f3amqj<br /><br />Also, check out my followers now. How cool is that?! Hi Chef Rick!Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-65922439389918806272010-09-15T21:19:00.000-07:002010-09-15T21:23:21.645-07:00I met Rick Moonen! Oh, and I'm Done with School.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZ4bJ1OYAqS01gdHaYYi1PmqQQugKmFk1pzYEMH8UO3iYquECF6_iwpYeAGmA7Jcanw3A2HzScvBlKsslvLXN24iEx49MyiGI_Lz5yaQWnRnT_uiAN2Gt7__kaN1JAp66-G1I62AEoCJc/s1600/CIMG2222.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZ4bJ1OYAqS01gdHaYYi1PmqQQugKmFk1pzYEMH8UO3iYquECF6_iwpYeAGmA7Jcanw3A2HzScvBlKsslvLXN24iEx49MyiGI_Lz5yaQWnRnT_uiAN2Gt7__kaN1JAp66-G1I62AEoCJc/s320/CIMG2222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517361788796155506" /></a><br /><br />I've tried not to use smiley faces, but really. :) :) :) :) :)<br /><br />I am done with school.<br /><br />And he signed my chef coat.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-12194982807087151042010-09-13T16:18:00.000-07:002010-09-13T16:42:07.702-07:00First Day at Three SquareToday was actually fun. It's nice not to worry about running a cafeteria and dealing with people's annoying orders and requests. <br /><br />We have a banquet on Wednesday night, so today we made stuffed chicken. We sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and stuffed them in chicken breasts with gouda cheese. Then we breaded them and fried them, and we'll finish them in the oven on Wednesday. We baked a couple off today and they were delicious. <br /><br />That's pretty much my whole day, actually. Tomorrow we're working on the rest of the stuff, and Wednesday we're just serving it. We heard that Rick Moonen is going to be there, so I'm excited about that! This shouldn't be too bad.<br /><br />Oh, I forgot the best part about working there! We listen to country music all day, and on my favorite radio station, The Coyote! Awesome.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-5923694983383074062010-09-10T15:33:00.000-07:002010-09-10T15:35:02.019-07:00Well Then...Due to "management problems"* at Opportunity Village, I am going to work at Three Square for three days next week and be done with my externship. <br /><br />*I'm not saying more to protect the innocent and to cover my own ass.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-88238542109893421022010-09-04T18:09:00.000-07:002010-09-04T19:13:32.217-07:00Restaurant Reviews: Craft SteakLast night, Devin and I went to Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak at MGM Grand. It’s nearly the end of Restaurant Week, and this was our only stop! <br /><br />We were excited by the menu, and had wanted to try the place for a while, so it seemed like the perfect time. We booked an early dinner, which meant that we got a great booth where we could sit next to each other and share food.<br /><br />After we sat down, they brought us the most amazing fresh-baked bread. Think King’s Hawaiian rolls, but homemade in a cast iron pan and way more buttery. I’m not ashamed to say that we finished the first six rolls and asked for more.<br /> <br />Our drink orders were easy: Two Chimay Reds at $10 apiece. Chimay is pricey anyway, so this wasn’t a bad deal, plus this beer goes with absolutely everything! Dev isn’t a wine drinker, and I prefer beer as well, plus the wine list was really pricey, so we figured Chimay would serve us well. <br /><br />The best part was when the waiter came to take our order. There was a choice of four appetizers, three entrees, and three sides, or so I thought. The waiter asked how we would like our steak cooked. Confused, I looked at him and said, “Oh, I’ll have the scallops.” He said, “You get everything.” That’s right, for Restaurant Week at Craftsteak, you get four appetizers, three entrees, three sides, plus two desserts, for $50 a person. Deal. So we said we’d like our steak medium rare.<br /><br />Our four appetizers came out very quickly. I like quick service. The fennel salad was great; it was raw shaved fennel with a citrusy dressing. It’s not for everyone but I love fennel, so I finished the plate. The other salad, a cucumber-arugula affair, was good for me and not good for Dev. I think he had a problem with the flavor of the arugula, and he also dislikes cucumber. I love both, so I liked it. The roasted quail was amazing; even the grapes that were served with it tasted as if they had been fire-roasted. The buffalo mozzarella was also delicious. It was topped with a sort of bell pepper “tapenade.” I don’t like bell peppers, but these were roasted, and it tasted really great.<br /><br />I’ll move on to the side dishes before the entrees. The side dishes were a sweet corn warm salad, a dish of shiitake mushrooms, and a potato puree. The corn dish was the best corn I’ve ever had. I’m not even normally a fan of corn, but I had seconds. The mushrooms, well, they were fantastic. I love mushrooms in almost any form, but the flavor of these mushrooms was perfect, just earthy and great. The potato puree was just about as good as the one I had at Robuchon, meaning that it’s about half heavy cream and half potato. The chives were a nice touch.<br /><br />The entrees. Here is where we said medium-rare on the steak. We had both skirt steak and a prime beef flat iron steak. The skirt steak was perfect at a med-rare, but I think looking back I would have ordered the flat iron at a medium, since it was cut thicker. Both steaks were seasoned and cooked perfectly. The scallop dish was two sea scallops in a lemon cream sauce with some shaved fennel on top. I lucked out because Devin only wanted a taste, so I got to eat almost the whole dish. They were cooked perfectly, which you don’t always see with restaurant scallops. <br /><br />The dessert course was more than I expected. The “Pastry Chef’s Selection of Confections, Ice Cream, and Sorbet,” turned out to be two composed dishes. One was a chocolate panna cotta with a caramel sauce, and the other was a peach concoction, with meringue, whipped cream, fresh peaches, and peach sorbet. I was surprised by how great the peach sorbet was. Not being much of a dessert person (unless it’s bread pudding!), I don’t usually judge places on their desserts. If desserts were very important to me, these two would have more than passed the test. <br /><br />The service was impeccable, professional, and efficient. The layout of the restaurant is interesting. I’m glad we were among the first reservations, because we got a great booth in the back. I suspect they give the walk-ins the tables in the front that are open to the rest of the casino, including tacky people walking in from the pool in just their swimsuits. <br /><br />Last year for Restaurant Week we went to three restaurants: L’Atelier by Joel Robuchon, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, and Bradley Ogden. I have to say that Bradley Ogden was by far my favorite last year, although we later went to Robuchon itself, the fancy one, and that was one of the best meals of my life. L’Atelier is like a teaser for the real Robuchon.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-42511533481389269522010-09-02T14:41:00.000-07:002010-09-02T14:43:54.140-07:00Back at OakeyI'm back working at the other location for OV. It's nice because we get out earlier.<br /><br />There is major drama going on at OV, complete with lying and threats, and this is all going on with management, not us! It's getting quite irritating and I can't wait for the next three weeks to be over.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412465633800746063.post-2793988885778778372010-08-27T16:05:00.000-07:002010-08-27T16:12:55.076-07:00On the FlyLunch was slow today except for right at noon. We had probably 12 orders due at noon, and they were all different things; grilled chicken, pizza, quesadilla, burger, some fried stuff. We basically needed two people to get everything out and fresh by noon.<br /><br />Chef tells us we need to make lunch for 15 on the fly. This means, "Do it now." The kicker? She told us this at 11:45 as we were getting ready to take on the lunch rush. We had to make 15 club sandwiches. I started the bacon for them so I could get my fryer free for chicken fingers, fish, and fries. That's right, we do bacon in the deep fryer. I sliced tomatoes for the sandwiches while it fried up.<br /><br />Chris finished off the sandwiches and I took care of the lunch rush. The microwave was a godsend today (don't tell the clients!).<br /><br />By the way, a quesadilla is not on our menu. We've done it as a special before, but not today. There's a client named Charles who Chef just adores for some reason. She will make him almost anything he asks for. I understand that he's mentally challenged, but he's in his 30s. Tell him to order from the menu like everyone else does! It's all good if it's something we have that we can just throw in the fryer, or a quesadilla that we can just microwave for 30 seconds, but sometimes it's something way too involved. Yesterday was a perfect example: He wanted egg rolls. Sure, we can deep fry those, but we didn't have any pre-made in the freezer, so he got egg rolls <span style="font-style: italic;">from scratch</span>. Must be nice.Eve of Destructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05630844675677750737noreply@blogger.com0