Just Real Quick

This weekend was super busy. We're in the process of changing our menu to keep it fresh and interesting. Goodbye are the chocolate espresso tarts, the pan roasted chicken, and the pork tenderloin; say hello to the marionberry and roasted apple tartlettes, a new breaded chicken dish (I haven't seen this one yet), and a lamb shank. I got to try the tartlette tonight, and it was so good! We've got a few disagreements on the presentation, but it was so tasty! Oh, and we've changed our house salad dressing from a coconut-anise vinegrette to a new Japanese-style miso dressing. Very tasty. I'm a fan.

Quick recap of the last couple week or so:

On Monday Chef J was in a great mood, which makes working with him a LOT easier. He was in such a good mood that we played a bit of frisbee with a prep plate (smallish metal pans similar to pie plates)! So funny. He's not too good at throwing, but he's passable at catching. It was a good time.

Tuesday, election day, my parents and some close family friends came in for dinner. Chef J of course sent them an extra appetizer, just because he knew it was my mom's favorite. And later, to help celebrate my dad's upcoming birthday, Chef J sent out a little treat he's been thinking about adding to the menu. It was a kind of deep-fried ice cream, wrapped in leftover bread pudding crust and served with a fresh strawberry puree. Absolutely fantastic. I'm not sure if it'll be part of the menu, but I sure hope it is!

Thursday was supposed to be an off day for me, but I got called in to prep for the new menu. I didn't learn much about the new menu, but that's okay. It was also really busy for dinner, so it was good that I was there to help support the other three cooks.

Friday was insanely busy! Lunch, happy hour(s), and dinner were all really crazy. We seemed to be running out of things right and left, and I felt as slow as a sloth, barely able to keep up with the others. In some cases, one of the cooks had to come back, muscle me out of the way, and finish my project because I wasn't getting it done fast enough. Yikes! But later Chef J said that I cleaned up really well after the dinner rush(es). So bring on the grains of salt!

Today (Saturday) was not quite as busy as the previous night, but still constant. And this time, though I felt more tired than Friday, I was able to keep up much better with the demands and requests of the others, from the dishwasher to the head chef. The sous chef, D, even told me that I did great tonight. That certainly felt good. As did one of Chef J's former coworkers, also owner of his own restaurant, who stopped by for dinner. He said that he didn't want to eat anywhere but at TR with Chef J cooking. And knowing that I helped prep Chef J for his success was encouraging.

Today also marked the three month mark of TR being open and my employment at my first job after college. Good times.

Peace and healthy appetites,

K.