Friday, May 29, 2015

New Entrées

Pork Tasting  (MISE WITH A STEAK KNIFE)
White Asparagus, Fresh Truffles, Shaved Egg Yolk

The dish will consist of a regular rotation of three meats, generally including pork belly and pork loin. The base of the plate will be an egg yolk puree (eggs are cooked at a low temperature for one hour, we then separate the yolks from the whites and blend them with olio verde and banyuls vinegar). Jumbo white asparagus will be blanched, grilled, and then tossed with a truffle butter sauce (truffles, butter, water). Jumbo green asparagus will be shaved thin and tossed with a vinaigrette (sherry vinegar, olio verde, and shallots.) Garnishing the plate are slow cooked quail eggs, salted and dried egg yolks, and shaved fresh truffles. (Allergies: Dairy--butter only*, Egg)

Lamb Stinco  (MISE WITH A STEAK KNIFE)
Whey Braised, Fresh Chick Peas, Harissa, Spiced Carrots

Lamb shank is braised in whey, mirepoix, rosemary and white wine stock. The lamb shank is dressed in a harissa and garlic yogurt sauce (harissa, greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and cucumber.) The lamb is then coated in a southern italian/ middle eastern influenced dry rub (15 spices including thyme, fennel pollen, caraway, cumin, coriander) It is served with grilled carrots (confited in olive oil, coated with the same dry rub) and garlic yogurt sauce (greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, honey and cucumber,) grilled pea greens and fresh chick peas dressed in a gremolata (lemon, olive oil and mint). (Dairy)

Fluke alla Vignarola (MISE WITH SPOON)
Olive Oil Poached, Local Vegetables, Garlic Scape Brodo

Fluke (local flat fish) is poached at low low temperature in olive oil. Local vegetables will change throughout the season (currently: peas, fava beans, carrots, garlic scapes, fiddleheads, artichokes, and yellow beans) are heated in a vegetable broth and glazed in butter. The base of the dish is a fennel and onion puree as well as a garlic scape brodo (broth: mirepoix, garlic scapes, pea pods, fava pods…also subject to seasonal change) seasoned with a garlic scape purée. Vignarola is italian for “vitner’s style”: a type of vegetable stew. The dish is garnished with basil, fennel pollen and spring herbs and flowers. (Dairy*--butter only)

Pickup time on an order fire on any entrée is 15 minutes.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Spring Cocktails 2015

Hi Everyone,

As asked here are the spring cocktails that have been added. Study up!



Aperol Spritz

2 oz Aperol
Splash of soda
Top with sparkling wine

Build and serve in wine glass (or pitcher) full of ice. Garnish with orange slice.

Cherry Blossom

1oz Pisco
.5oz luxardo
.5oz lemon
.25 simple
Splash Campari for color

Shake, served in highball topped with soda. Garnish with Luxardo Maraschino cherries when available.

French Chameleon

1.5 lillet
.75 yellow chartreuse
.75 lime
.25 lavender simple

Shake, double strain, coupe, no garnish.

Pimm’s Cup
2 oz Pimm’s No 1
¾ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup

Shake, rocks, top with House Made Ginger
Bamboo

1.5 oz Amontillado Sherry
1.5 oz Dry Vermouth
2 dashes Orange bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir, coupe, no garnish

Western Twilight

1 ounce Gran Classico Bitter
3/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
1/2 ounce Averna
3/4 ounce Lime juice
1/2 ounce Black Pepper/Star Anise syrup
dash house coffee bitters

Shake, strain, coupe, no garnish.


Americano
1 oz Carpano Antica
1 oz Campari

Highball, rocks, top with Soda


The Back Slider
Miller High Life topped with Aperol (aka The Rose of Beers) and a shot of Fernet

Friday, May 15, 2015

New Desserts 5/15/2015



Goat Milk Panna Cotta
Strawberries, Angel Food Cake, Sweet Pea
Panna Cotta (cooked cream in italian) goat milk, goat cheese, buttermilk, heavy cream, honey, sugar, gelatin, xanthan gum, flavored with bay leaf.
Served with organic Harry’s Farm strawberries from Los Angeles, CA (lightly macerated with sugar, salt and pepper), angel food cake (egg whites, sugar, flour, vanilla bean) that is coated in sweet pea icing (powdered sugar, goat milk, goat cheese, peas and pea tendril that are blanched and pureed). The ends of the cake are dehydrated and used as a garnish
Allergies: Dairy, Gluten*, Egg*, Gelatin

Chocolate Mousse
Caramelized Milk Ice Cream, Urfa Chili, Peanut Ossi di Morti
Chocolate mousse is non-traditional (no cream or eggs), the chocolate is melted in a double boiler along with water and the urfa chili (a sun dried chili from turkey with a subtle smokey heat). The melted chocolate and water mixture is whipped while still warm to incorporate air bubbles into the chocolate as it cools resulting in a light and fluffy mousse. Caramelized milk ice cream (milk, sugar, baking soda, and salt is brought to a simmer and reduced to 2/3 it’s initial weight, during this process the sugars caramelize. The caramelized milk is then combined with egg yolks and this mixture is cooked on low heat to make an ice cream base. The base is then chilled overnight and spun in the ice cream maker.)  Ossi di Morti (italian for bones of the dead) are a traditional italian cookie commonly made with almonds or hazelnuts. We will be using crumbled peanuts mixed powdered sugar and egg whites to form a dough with a paste like consistency. The cookies are dusted with bitter cocoa power and baked.) Candied cocoa nibs garnish the plate. Cocoa nibs are the dried bean of the cacao tree that can be processed to make chocolate. The nibs are blanched in simple syrup and tossed in sugar to coat. Allergy: Nuts*, Dairy*



Sunday, May 10, 2015

Patio Server Stations


Hi team,

Our patio service stations are even more visible than the indoor ones, so we need to be extra careful with the set up. As follows:

The green station should be for clean things only:


 In that station: 


- a box for roll ups (needs to stay there even if we are out of roll ups, as we bring roll ups back from tables after seating them and don't want the roll ups just seating on the rack.
- a box with "loosie" silverware. under the loosies: folded napkins for guests who need an extra!



- mise trays (not pictured)
- stacks of plates
- water pitchers (with the napkin folded over--not pictured)
- tray with glasses full of water. This is something we should be doing only during super rush hour. It doesn't look good, plus the water gets warm. I understand it needs to happen sometimes, but not always.


On the other hand, look what we've got!:




 Yep, that's an ice chest, full of ice (two buckets) and several water bottles with caps. The caps are re-used wine caps and should definitely not go to the tables. put them in the handy container to be re-used. Don't throw any out!

Also, there is a bucket under the ice chest to collect the melted ice. Needs to be emptied at the end of the night, and checked again in the morning.


Now for the "other station":



This is where all the less clean things go. Please make it as neat as possible, and make sure we always have:

- Trash can on the left
- Recycling on the right
- a bus bucket and space for boards
- sanitizer and a container for rillettes jars. 
- a stash of clean folded kitchen towels (on the left)
- one (or two) "in use" kitchen towels (on the right)
- one (or two) spray bottles
- a box for soiled linens
- a stack of check presenters, pens, trays

Also, one of these:


There is now one of these in every station. It should be self explanatory: it keeps signed receipts so that we don't loose so many, it also frees up more books to go to the tables. Do I even have to say this?: don't take these to tables!!


One more thing: please don't keep personal beverages in the patio server stations. A water bottle in the ice chest is fine, everything else should be in the inside station. It's hard enough to keep the space clean without a million starbucks cups. 

Happy Patio Season!

Sunday, April 26, 2015

New Red Sauce Bucatini

Red Sauce Bucatini 4/26/2015


Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Pancetta, Tomato, Pecorino
Pancetta, an Italian dry cured pork belly not made in house, that is rendered. Then sliced red onions sweat until soft in the pork belly juices. Food milled tomatoes and crushed pomodorini canned tomatoes  are cooked down and tossed with Bucatini pasta (pasta flour, durum flour, semolina flour and water) and garnished with Pecorino Romano cheese.

Monday, April 20, 2015

New Spring Sandwiches 4/21/2015

New Lunch Sandwiches 4/21/2015

Chicken Salad Sandwich
Pea Tendrils, Olio Verde, Radish, Green Garlic

Whole chicken is diced and tossed with aioli (egg yolk, grape seed oil, lemon juice and honey), grilled green garlic that is first poached in milk and pea puree that is made with pea greens and peas. *Allergies Egg, Gluten & Dairy

Pork Belly Sandwich
Asparagus, Smokey Aioli, Fontina

Pan roasted pork belly with asparagus that is grilled with olive oil and salt and fontina cheese. Accompanied with a smoked egg aioli made from smoked eggs, grape seed oil, lemon juice and garlic and topped with capers. *Allergies Egg, Gluten, Dairy

Salty Pig Sandwich
Today’s Salty Pig Parts, Aged Provolone, Spring Onion-Chili Relish

Served with Today’s Salty Pig Parts, provolone cheese, bibb lettuce and charred spring onion and chili relish made from grilled spring onion that is chopped and mixed with cherry peppers, garlic, dried oregano, olive oil, vinegar, and diced pickles. *Allergies Dairy & Gluten

We will be saying goodbye to the Turkey and Roast Pork Sandwich.

New Menu Items 4/15/2015

New Menu Items 4/15/2015

Pizza Bianca
Morel Mushrooms, Asparagus, Potato, Stracchino, Sunnyside Egg
White pizza (no sauce) is topped with Taleggio and small amount of Mozzarella, thinly sliced white and green asparagus, morel mushrooms (roasted in Olive Oil & Thyme) smashed fingerling potatoes (Olive Oil and Grilled Lemons) and a sunnyside up egg.

Pizza Primavera (replacing Tart Flambee)
Prosciutto Crema, Spring Vegetables, Fontina
Prosciutto creme base (Equal parts ground prosciutto and milk pureed together with equal parts sour cream added until creamy) Topped with Fontina cheese, Spring Vegetables (artichokes, tops of ramp, smashed peas mixed with olive oil, and lemon juice and fiddlehead ferns). Garnished with mint and pea tendrils.

Squid Ink Bucatini (Replacing Gnocchi)
Cuttlefish, Parsley, Lemon, Piri Piri Chili
Bucatini pasta (eggs, egg yolks, durum flour and 00 pasta flour) with the addition of squid ink to make the pasta a black color. The sauce is olive oil, garlic and piri piri chili pepper. The piri piri is bloomed then added to the garlic and olive oil. Then cuttlefish is cooked in white wine until they become tender. Then they are mixed with a small amount of squid ink and water and tossed with the bucatini pasta. It is garnished with fresh lemon juice, torn parsley, olive oil and topped with garlic bread crumb.

Ricotta Ravioli (Replacing Angelotti)
Morels, Fava Leaf, Walnut “tocco di noci”
Ravioli pasta (egg based dough) filled with a Narragansett creamery ricotta (mixed with egg yolks, lemon zest, salt and pepper). Ravioli is then tossed in a butter sauce containing walnuts parsley, chives, and tarragon. Then it is plated with pan roasted morel mushrooms and grilled fava leaves. It is topped with a walnut and oat crumble.

Pea Green Salad (Replacing Baby Kale salad)
Speck, Mint, Preserved Lemon, SP Goat Cheese Dressing
Large pea green leaves mixed with house made goat cheese and preserved lemon dressing. Topped with house made goat cheese, thinly sliced speck, torn mint, raw snow peas and lemon zest.


Pecorino Toscano Fresco $7 (Replacing Bianco Sardo)

Pasteurized sheeps milk cheese from tuscany with DOP protection. This is a younger sheeps milk cheese (aged 30-45 days) which yields a semi soft texture however there is a touch of crystallization. Sweet, grassy, and slightly tangy.



Casatica Di Bufala $7 For Storm

Pasteurized buffalo milk cheese from Lombardy. Animal Rennet, aged 2-3 months. Made by Quattro Portoni, owned by a pair of brothers near bergamo produce traditional italian cheeses but substitute buffalo milk for a twist on tradition. This is a stracchino style cheese, rich creamy and a little nutty, with a bloomy white rind.

Point Reyes BlueP $7 For Caveman Blue

Unpasteurized Cows milk blue cheese from Point Reyes creamery in California. Made from milk from holstein cows, and cave aged. Sweet and creamy with a definitely peppery punch. Great for anyone who likes a strong blue cheese. This is a stilton style cheese and is not ok for a penicillin allergy.