One of the top questions people in the restaurant industry get is, "What are your favorite restaurants?" Because we get this question so often and because it is so hard to answer we thought it would be fun to list some of our top five restaurants...
From Ron:
My list of restaurants is certainly not very ambitious; but very soulful and mostly kid friendly:
1. Martins (they are mostly in the burbs…They have the best biscuits ever, all homemade and their chicken biscuit was somewhat of an inspiration for the “Big Nasty” – plus this is the place that I started taking my son to when Mommy needed a break and Daddy had the day off from work.
2. The Varsity – Nothing beats a chili cheese dog and an orange drink…Plus the dogs are thin enough for my son to handle.
3. Rusans – I like going to the one on Piedmont after work – The sushi is pretty good, but the place is always rockin’ with drunken amateurs doing sake bombs and the sushi chefs are always smiling, yapping and will usually greet you with a small snack.
4. Georges (North Highland Avenue) – Great, Great burgers…I love sneaking over there between lunch and dinner…Plus they sell a small selection of candy at the cash register – I can always pick up a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup!
5. Caramba – My next door neighbor…They truly exemplify the personality of Morningside, they have embraced me since day one…They have great cheese dip and be sure to ask Momma & Mia for a “didley” when you go in!
6. Kevin Rathbun Steak – I love getting there late, eating with Erv at the bar…Snacking on oysters, a ribeye and their Vermont butter mashed potatoes.
Stay tuned for Meryl, Jeff, Jason and Lizzie's top five restaurants and be sure to share yours with us as well!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A Day In The Life
Do you ever fantasize about being a chef? I always imagined it like this - you come in, put on your apron, take stock of the amazing ingredients you have in the cooler and get to work coming up with brilliant dishes reflecting the honest flavors of each ingredient. You spend all day hovering over the stove stirring, tasting and seasoning. By the time dinner service rolls around you've whipped an amazing array of specials and guests and food critics alike swoon...
Well, not to crush anyone's dreams of chefdom but it is most definitely NOT like that. I mean, they do cook but they also have to deal with the daily strife that we all deal with in our jobs. Too many emails; employee drama and people who don't do what they say they are going to do. Case in point; our chef spent his morning firing off one frustrated email after another as certain vendors have been arriving late or without our full orders. So, what is it like to be a chef?
Hey XXX,
I really hate getting on you; but these ridiculous late deliveries are either going to stop or I will be taking my business elsewhere…And as you are well aware, I currently do enough business with a multitude of other vendors who carry all of the same products as XXX. I certainly appreciate the relationship that the two of us have developed; but the level of service that XXX is currently providing is unacceptable. Moreover, the balance of our business relationship is completely one sided. In an effort to get my Thursday delivery earlier, I compromised and sacrificed the luxury of another delivery day to make the situation more appealing and beneficial for XXX…I now put more money on one truck and yet I still get my deliveries whenever the truck feels like getting here, usually mid to late afternoon. Another fantastic part of my relationship with XXX is that instead of focusing on remedying my prolonged delivery problems, XXX opts to continually “bust my balls” on receiving payment…I am so tired of hearing that my account is being “red flagged” because I am few days past my current terms…I would urge you to send word to your XXX executives in their ivory towers that we are currently in a recession and that the past year’s turbulent financial times have not been kind to small business owners. XXX is honestly the only vendor who receives a check from me every week!! Many of my other vendors, some of them small business owners themselves, have afforded me latitude when I’ve needed it. Not XXX, instead, I am often made to feel like a criminal because my account is two or three days overdue. And I can certainly see XXX’s concern…The entire company would probably shut down if they weren’t able to collect my $800. How about this; instead of trying to arrange meetings for me to chat with people and food brokers whose product I would never even consider using or getting me down to a food show to see the latest jalapeno poppers and freeze-dried pre-cooked chemically laced sausages; try having some of the idiots who actually run XXX learn about the economies of scale pertaining to their customers and address the menacing problems that plague these customers each week. Moreover, perhaps XXX should consider shifting its balance of power from their “Nazi Like” credit department and focus more attention on their transportation department, which is seemingly run like a third world country.
Obviously you are going to forward this on to your bosses, who are probably eagerly awaiting the weekend and their Saturday T-times. Please do not have your bosses physically drop on me with their business cards (over the years I collected enough to wall paper a house) and complementary XXX portfolio with matching calculator and fountain pen. Instead see to it that my order next Thursday arrives no later than 10:30AM…I don’t care if a convoy of XXX managers have to bring the delivery themselves in their cars. If my delivery arrives @ 10:31, it will be shipped back along with a check reflecting the balance of my account.
I really hate getting on you; but these ridiculous late deliveries are either going to stop or I will be taking my business elsewhere…And as you are well aware, I currently do enough business with a multitude of other vendors who carry all of the same products as XXX. I certainly appreciate the relationship that the two of us have developed; but the level of service that XXX is currently providing is unacceptable. Moreover, the balance of our business relationship is completely one sided. In an effort to get my Thursday delivery earlier, I compromised and sacrificed the luxury of another delivery day to make the situation more appealing and beneficial for XXX…I now put more money on one truck and yet I still get my deliveries whenever the truck feels like getting here, usually mid to late afternoon. Another fantastic part of my relationship with XXX is that instead of focusing on remedying my prolonged delivery problems, XXX opts to continually “bust my balls” on receiving payment…I am so tired of hearing that my account is being “red flagged” because I am few days past my current terms…I would urge you to send word to your XXX executives in their ivory towers that we are currently in a recession and that the past year’s turbulent financial times have not been kind to small business owners. XXX is honestly the only vendor who receives a check from me every week!! Many of my other vendors, some of them small business owners themselves, have afforded me latitude when I’ve needed it. Not XXX, instead, I am often made to feel like a criminal because my account is two or three days overdue. And I can certainly see XXX’s concern…The entire company would probably shut down if they weren’t able to collect my $800. How about this; instead of trying to arrange meetings for me to chat with people and food brokers whose product I would never even consider using or getting me down to a food show to see the latest jalapeno poppers and freeze-dried pre-cooked chemically laced sausages; try having some of the idiots who actually run XXX learn about the economies of scale pertaining to their customers and address the menacing problems that plague these customers each week. Moreover, perhaps XXX should consider shifting its balance of power from their “Nazi Like” credit department and focus more attention on their transportation department, which is seemingly run like a third world country.
Obviously you are going to forward this on to your bosses, who are probably eagerly awaiting the weekend and their Saturday T-times. Please do not have your bosses physically drop on me with their business cards (over the years I collected enough to wall paper a house) and complementary XXX portfolio with matching calculator and fountain pen. Instead see to it that my order next Thursday arrives no later than 10:30AM…I don’t care if a convoy of XXX managers have to bring the delivery themselves in their cars. If my delivery arrives @ 10:31, it will be shipped back along with a check reflecting the balance of my account.
How can you be expected to make amazing specials night after night if your ingredients don't even arrive at the restaurant until 3 or 4 p.m.???
***This is an actual email sent to one of our vendors. Obviously, we took out any names as we aren't looking to start a war with anyone; we just want our order when it is promised to us!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Jerry Has Left The Building
Well, we survived two nights of our Jerry Garcia Tribute Dinner. And, what a tribute it was - two nights of five courses paired with Grateful Dead songs, two nights of fantastic live music and two nights of Ron singing with the band... For those who had to miss, here is a snapshot of what went down. Definitely plan to be here next year as Ron has vowed to not only sing but also PLAY GUITAR with the band!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I Say Tomato; You Say Tomato
Last night, we hosted an incredible tomato cooking demo at The Cook's Warehouse in Midtown. Chef Ron showed the class six incredible recipes for using up all those gorgeous tomatoes you are getting in your CSA boxes right now. The dishes he made included:
Tomato and Sweet Corn Risotto
Macaroni & Gravy
Pasta & Heirloom Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella
Georgia Shrimp & Tomatoes
Charred Summer Peppers, Fresh Basil & Tomato Vinegar
One of the highlights of the class was the surprise dessert Ron whipped up completely spontaneously - tomato cobbler.
He showed the class how to use leftover chopped tomatoes as the base for a surprisingly sweet cobbler. The tomatoes were seasoned with Maple syrup and a bit of salt and then covered with a topping of flour, butter, sugar and rolled oats. As it baked the tomatoes cooked down until almost caramelized and the result was a sweet and tart dessert that surprised everyone!
Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes
Fried Capers, Spiced Pineapple, Vanilla-Balsamic Reduction & Midnight Moon Cheese
Fried Capers, Spiced Pineapple, Vanilla-Balsamic Reduction & Midnight Moon Cheese
Fennel Crusted Tuna
Ginger Marinated Cherry Tomatoes & Sungold Tomato Emulsion
Tomato and Sweet Corn RisottoTomato Stock, Local Georgia Sweet Corn & Vidalia Onion
Ron’s “Damn Good” Bruschetta (because Ron has to fit a cuss word in every menu he does...)
Truffle Scented Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Oregano & Goat’s Milk Feta
Macaroni & GravyPasta & Heirloom Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella
Georgia Shrimp & Tomatoes Charred Summer Peppers, Fresh Basil & Tomato Vinegar
One of the highlights of the class was the surprise dessert Ron whipped up completely spontaneously - tomato cobbler.
He showed the class how to use leftover chopped tomatoes as the base for a surprisingly sweet cobbler. The tomatoes were seasoned with Maple syrup and a bit of salt and then covered with a topping of flour, butter, sugar and rolled oats. As it baked the tomatoes cooked down until almost caramelized and the result was a sweet and tart dessert that surprised everyone!Don't despair if you missed last night's class; Ron will be back at The Cook's Warehouse on Tuesday, September 15 for a class on cooking with Lobster. Be sure to reserve your spot today.
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