Brooks Tavern

Two "Finally"s

2012-02-11T08:45:00.000-05:00

Finally we got a little snow. Not much - although probably enough to kill our lunch business today, even though there is nary a flake on the road or even on the sidewalks - but it is stuck to all the tree branches, making everything quite pretty. Unfortunately I left the camera in the office last night, so I couldn't take a picture of the daffodils at home, that are a foot out of the ground, in full bud, nodding under the weight of the snow...

More importantly, we finally got Marvesta Shrimp back!! Not sure exactly what's been going on with them, although it seems as if they are going through a wholesaler now. All I know is that they are shipping to us again and we are thrilled. Yesterday we offered them at lunch on a bed of that gorgeous burgundy spinach we get from Teddy Bear, and at dinner with the chickpea cake, kumquat chutney and a shrimp cream pan sauce.

Hendrick's Gin

2012-02-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

We have several customers, our landlord among them, who prefer the unusual taste of Hendrick's Gin over all others. Generally they require a cucumber garnish, as opposed to the traditional olive or twist. I like it myself and it has been on our back shelf ever since it came out in 1999. At Hell's Point Seafood in Annapolis, during a summer trip over the bay last year, I alerted to the huge dummy bottle of Hendricks they had perched on their bar. I coveted it immediately and began bugging my salesman for one.

He came through yesterday. The giant six liter bottle dwarfs the normal liter that we carry. Acquiring that cool bottle for our bar is the highlight of my winter - and doesn't that tell you something about the life I lead?

Shaken, not stirred.

Company in the Kitchen

2012-02-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

The Newtons, Mavis and Frank, travel from their home in Dover several times a month to have dinner - and sometimes lunch - with us at Brooks Tavern. They are delightful people who enjoy dining out and all that it entails. This was their first time sitting at the kitchen table, and while it wasn't, as per usual, the busiest Thursday night we have ever seen, they both had a terrific time. I think we will see them again.

Wednesday Report

2012-02-09T09:12:00.000-05:00

Last night's prix-fixe started with one of Kevin's soon-to-be-famous sausages - duck this time - on a chickpea cake with goat cheese cream and herb oil. The sausage was a bit of a surprise and certainly added a whole new dimension to the menu.

The main event featured Kevin's already-famous meatloaf, this time with a bit of curry in it to change it up. His meat loaf is always good, hot or cold, and this was no exception. The curry aspect was very subtle, just enough to add a little "je ne sais quoi" to the meal.

For dessert, diners received a slice of this tangy orange glazed orange angle food cake, a nice light ending to a meat centric meal on a rainy (not snowy) February night.

I've been saying these past few weeks that for January business hasn't been too bad. I won't be saying that for February. Good grief it's been slow! This past Tuesday was one of the slowest days on record, especially dinner. Not that we mind so much, a slow Tuesday. But Wednesday wasn't a whole lot better and neither was last week. First Friday, while not always that great, was a complete bust. I think we closed at 8:30, to no one's disappointment. Has February become the new January?

Of course there could still be confusion over our vacation dates...

Vacation is in two weeks. Someone suggested yesterday that I broadcast that fact as a way to activate our customers into coming in before we close for three weeks. "Only two more weeks to get your oyster fritter fix until March!" or something of that sort. Maybe. But frankly I don't think there is much more to do about it - it's February, people are away or waiting for VD or just cocooning at home, pretending to be snowed in. We've been so fortunate this winter, to not be completely dead, that a few weeks of down business toward the end is not really coming as a surprise. We order accordingly. We close a bit early. We are stress free. The one thing we don't do is cut staff, aside from sending a busser home early now and then. We all need all the hours we can get right now.

On to other news: one of the most popular red wines we've served of late has been the recently introduced Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red, from Paso Robles in California. I cannot recall where I first read about this wine, but I do remember that they mentioned, as an aside, that it was the best selling wine at Target! What a hoot! I didn't necessarily consider that a promising recommendation, but hey, it is good, and it has been very well received by our dining public. I've been ordering a case a week, this week two. It knocked the last favorite - a malbec no less - right off the pedestal, and has succeeded in shaking off any other competitor as well. Why the name? Because the wines are so rich they turn the Rhone Rangers teeth red... I gather it is also available at Pip's and Lewes Dairy in Chestertown.

Okay, so don't forget - only two more weeks to get in your oyster fritter fix until vacation arrives!!

A Few Miscellaneous Pics

2012-02-03T09:08:00.001-05:00

First off, this one's for you, Hugh. Our TG amaryllis is finally showing signs of a bloom! It's been in its annual place in the front window - where we are all constantly kicking at it - and there is now, two months into it, a noticable bud. Just goes to show, never give up the fight!

While Kevin is usually "working" with food, he is not beyond playing with his food as well. 'Nuf said.

Yesterday's soup prep of roasted mushrooms, parsnips, onion, garlic and carrots was not only a beautiful mosaic of colors, it smelled outrageously good as it cooled on the table top.

And finally, this is a picture of the lunch time version of the tortilla pie, served with some slices of St. Brigid's Farm flank steak and the jicama salsa. It also has made a great breakfast with the vegetarian chili and more of that roasted sundried tomato sauce. I know for a fact, seeing as that is what I am eating right now.

Fussing With The WebSite

2012-02-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Of the many jobs I attempt to accomplish from the office at Brooks Tavern, managing the WebSite is one of my favorites. I'm don't know why I thought this was a skill I could master, but the spring before the restaurant was scheduled to open I took two online classes through Chesapeake College for WebSite design. I managed to handle the courses at home on our laptop at the dining room table, with dial-up as my internet connection. Not sure now how I did that, but it was good enough apparently. And I loved it. I found the whole process to be amazing, how a change in the html could instantly change anything on the site, from the background color to the alignment of text to the placement of pictures. We learned how to make a favicon, how to create links, how to add sound and motion (without resorting to "flash"), how to put in surveys and comment pages. The instructor had us build a real WebSite, as you went from lesson to lesson, and I used this process to slowly put together the one for our business.

Five years later (Five Years!!) much has changed in the world of the web and I have not kept up with my lessons. I know I couldn't build a page from scratch today; I can't even remember how to do much of anything without referring to notes from the class or one of the reference books I bought to accompany the class. Luckily, much of the work is copy and paste, and the web hosting site that we use is a big help as well.

I understand how important a WebSite can be to a business in this digital electronic mobile age. Ours is on the hum-drum side, no flash or UTube or music, but it tries to serve the purpose. And I try to keep it updated. I figure the first page - or "index" - needs to convey the most information so the viewer really doesn't have to go further into the site if they don't want to or aren't able to. Phone number, basic hours, email address, that sort of thing is right there for the surfer to find immediately upon entering the site. After that it's all gravy - menus, FAQ, pages that offer the viewer a picture of the business before they get to the actual brick and mortar location. I keep all the menus current, at least within a day of changing them, and I try to maintain a seasonal view with pictures and lead page greetings. "Happy New Year!" "Spring is Coming!" "Kevin is 57!" (oops, maybe not that!) Not everything on the site changes all that often, but "they" say it is important to keep it fresh, and since I maintain it myself, it is not too hard to do that.

Last week I updated the wine list, and while I was at it I changed the message on the first page and checked the links page, to make sure all of them were in working order. One was no longer in business, so that had to go and was replaced by another. I still find it amazing to have the WebSite up on one tab, open the web hosting site on another, make the changes, return to the BT site, hit "refresh" and watch the updated page magically appear. Or not. Sometimes I've made an error in the html and that will be quite visible as well. I'll go back, fuss with it, try to figure out what I did wrong and make the correction. Eventually it will come right.

I am sure it's not a perfectly correct WebSite, but hopefully it appears equally attractive in all browsers and gets the information where it needs to go. It is certainly one of the most cost-effective marketing tools we use today and I can't imagine having a business without it.

Wednesday's Review

2012-02-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure why I got in this habit of posting a review of the Wednesday night prix-fixe each Thursday morning, but I suspect it has something to do with the lack of much else to report on! The menu last night read very well, but we were still pretty slow. It's more than likely a combination of time of year and confusion over our vacation. What ever, we cannot complain about business overall this January - it has seemed to be a little better than usual, although that could be a figment of my ever hopeful imagination.

Anyway, here's the menu report:

Kevin came up with this idea of a "tortilla pie". He's been into all sorts of "pies" lately, from the turnover last week, to the "crepe cake" he's been serving as a lunch special. This time it's flour tortillas, layered with beans and ricotta cheese, browned on top with jack cheese. Sort of like a "Mexican" lasagna I guess.

It was cut into triangles and garnished with a tortilla chip sail, sauced with a roasted sundried tomato sauce. I didn't try all of the components together last night, but it sure made a tasty breakfast this morning!

The entree was pork tenderloin under a bed of jicama salsa, made especially savory with some roasted poblano peppers and cilantro. Had to be good.

The wedge of chocolate cake had a little cinnamon in the batter, but perhaps not enough. That was supposed to be the Mexican connection to the rest of the menu, but to my taste there was no cinnamon flavor...still a nice chocolatey cake for dessert.

Big food events on the horizon include Super Bowl Sunday Supper and Valentine's Day. Sunday's repast is sure to include guacamole - I know this because we are making it - and more than likely chicken wings and chili, in most living rooms. I have no idea when this annual indoor sporting event became so food centric, but I understand that more avocados are sold for this feast day than at any other time of the year. And you better get them early, since they won't be ripe in time if you wait until Saturday!

Valentine's Day - on a Tuesday this year - is billed as the second biggest day for restaurants around the country. When it falls on a weekday like this, it is an especially attractive boost, since it heaps extra business on a typically slow day plus often adds to the guest counts for the weekend prior as well. We expect to be pretty busy - I am definitely scheduling a bartender - and the kitchen will be preparing a special "For Two" menu to greet the lovers in the dining room. Kevin usually tries to get a heart on the plate somewhere or another, and of course we have to have those aphrodisiac foods that will help the rest of the evening along.

Of course, my Valentine motto is not especially good for business:

"Every day is Valentine's Day

for Kevin and me."

Ha!

Hope your team wins!

Burger Mania on Sunday

2012-01-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

Burger Mania at Unity on Sunday was fun, even for the Chefs. Kevin and Robbie cooked and grilled and cooked some more, trying (in vain at times I think) to keep up with the lines at the buffet for Andy's Burger Night, the second annual.

Sliders from four different farms put out some tempting aromas, and were ferried into the dining room for rapid consumption by the participants.

All were good. I managed to snag three of the four samples, and tasted them side by side. I did have a preference and I will leave it up to you to guess which one that was!

Kevin and Robbie worked pretty hard, and I don't see a beer in either of their hands.

Thanks Kevin!

The Pork Chop

2012-01-30T10:51:00.002-05:00

One of the currently most popular dinner entrees is the pork chop. It's done in a way that most people wouldn't bother with for dinner at home, unless it was dinner party fare, with flavors that rise above the typical restaurant offering.

Of course Kevin starts with the whole pork loin, favoring the VanDerRose brand that he can get from Fell's Point Meat via United Shellfish. He breaks down the loin, cuts the chops and brines them in a savory sugar/salt/water blend overnight.

They come out of the brine and go on a rack to dry a bit before being wrapped individually.

This is the chop Kevin wanted for his own.

The finished plate - placed on a bed of stir-fried rice noodle cakes, sweet potatoes, a little broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, and spiced with Asian inspired flavors including ginger and fermented black beans. It is delicious.

Wednesday Prix-Fixe Report

2012-01-26T09:37:00.001-05:00

A very nice menu last night, and I got shots of all three courses this time!

First course was a small spinach salad garnished with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and goat cheese, dressed with the balsamic vinaigrette. The spinach is a new product we got from Teddy Bear Fresh; called Bordeaux Spinach, it has a little red in the stems and is very tender, perfect for salads. (Have I told you yet how happy we are with TBF - they are really great and our biggest regret is that we didn't call them sooner!)

Main course: SBF beef shank, braised and wrapped in the brick pastry, browned and then baked until crispy and hot. It looked really good.

As did Angie's lemon angel food cake, with it's smear of lemon glaze, which was the perfectly light dessert.

Of course the menu wasn't the only meal we served last night. Mussels have returned to the kitchen, and here is Rodrigo prepping a bag for service.

They are PEI mussels, which, while farm raised and available all year, are typically better in the winter months, when the water is colder and the mussels are fatter.

Last night we served them with a coconut curry sauce, which had a tiny bit of heat. This is personally my favorite way to eat them, with a creamy sauce that gilds the mussels. You need a spoon!

Rockfish was on the special list too last night, topped with a couple of the soon-to-be-famous fried oysters. The important thing to note here is that the oyster garnish is gluten free, being dredged in a mixture of corn and rice flours before frying. It surprised me how many people ordered the rockfish sans oysters - I kept trying to get Kev to give me their unwanted oysters, to no avail.

In other news, Chef Kevin will be working on Sunday. Well, sort of working. He'll probably be drinking a beer while he helps man the grills at the Second Annual Andy's Burger Night (Revisited) at Unity Nursery on Sunday. He will be grilling some sliders, along side Chef Robbie Jester, from Harbor House, at the Washington College Center for Environment and Society sponsored event. The burgers will feature ground beef from four local growers: Roy Crow's Angus beef, Sassafras River Beef from Cecilton, Chestertown's own Cedar Run, and, of course our favorite, St. Brigid's grass fed Jersey beef from Kennedyville. The rest of the menu will also spotlight local, as in Colchester and Against the Grain, not to mention 16 Mile and Cassinelli. What a line-up! It was a lot of fun last year, despite some organizational glitches, which means this year will be even better. Arranged by Andy and Tara, fueled by Eastern Shore food and drink, and entertained by local music, this is a day to get out and do.

Speaking of all things local, this man you see running from my camera is none other than Fairlee entrepreneur Melvin Thompson. Melvin and his wife own Chestertown Paper, and have to be two of the hardest working people I know. We have been buying just about all of our paper goods and a few of our cleaning supplies from Melvin for our entire restaurant career here in K.C., which is going on 26 years. You call him and he delivers - or rather, lately, Melvin Junior delivers - often the next day. If he doesn't have it, he can usually get it. When he's not driving around the county delivering paper products, he and his family can be found in the evening hours cleaning offices, banks and stores throughout the area. I don't think he ever stops.

Not even to have his picture taken. Unknown to me, Melvin is apparently camera-shy. He says he wouldn't even let his wife take a picture of him at the family reunion, so if I took one and she saw it, "I'm dead", he says. Hence the ducking around the corner with the collar rolled up...

To Make a Ham

2012-01-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

Kevin made the leg of his little pig into a ham this weekend, a process that began Friday morning and ended Monday afternoon - a nice weekend project.

First, of course, he did a lot of research. In the end, it all came back to Michael Ruhlman and his book, "Charcuterie", to which almost every internet blogger referred when it came to making a ham. Nothing new there. So, since Kevin already has the book, he has the recipe and the methods most found useful.

The weight of the leg of pork determines the brine and the length of time it goes in the smoker.

Kevin made his brine with a little spice and a little sweet, as well as a salt called "Cure #1". Sodium Nitrite is necessary to make any kind of sausage, bacon or ham. It is basically mixed with salt dyed pink - pink so you don't mistake it for regular table salt, a mistake which could actually be fatal. Kevin's brine is heating on the stove, right next to Mr. PC, who is cooking up some turkey legs. (14 minutes!)

It's going to stay in this brine for 60 hours - or two and one half days, the formula being 24 hours for every two pounds of meat.

Half way through he turned it over and checked the progress.

The cooking/smoking part began on Monday afternoon. The brined leg is tied up so it will cook more evenly, and put on the smoker with some cherry chips. The meat must get to 165 degrees.

One of the joys of having to do this at home is the quality time

it offers on the patio.

Kevin opens the smoker to let me get a picture of the

leg on the grill. Smokey!

This should take a few hours.

When the probe reads 165, Kevin deems it Done!

Looks gorgeous!

He slices into it this morning. The review? Moist and flavorful, maybe a little overly smokey, not too salty. I see a ham sandwich in my future!

The Wednesday Report

2012-01-19T08:50:00.000-05:00

Last night I succeeded only in getting pictures of the first and last courses from the prix-fixe menu. Above are two plates of the veal and mushroom turnover. These little empanadas-like pies were quite tasty. Kevin used a recipe he "adapted" from Julia Child for the pastry, and while it was perhaps a little short, it was very flavorful and worked great with the veal filling. The turnover was followed by catfish with oyster cream sauce, of which I only tasted the sauce - and we know how good that was!

At least this week I got a picture of the dessert - a ball of Kilby's vanilla on spears of rum and lime roasted pineapple, and a little of the spiked syrup drizzled over top. My kind of dessert.

It got a little busy - the direct opposite of Tuesday night when it never got anything - and I just had time to fool around a little in the beginning of the night, waiting for the hordes of guests to come beat down our doors, to snap a few. Kevin was the perfect subject in his window on the line:

Finally he's not playing anymore. He's cooking. Luckily I'm still standing in the right place:

This is that little pork chop Kevin cut from the Guinea Hog they butchered on Monday. Oh. My. God. Was this ever delicious. And see that layer of fat? Nothing so bad has ever been so good. It didn't have a "fatty" taste, it was more of a meaty flavor, and of course juicy and tender. He cooked the tenderloin too, and while it lacked the fat of the chop, it equaled it in flavor nonetheless, with the added bonus of pure tenderness. Wow. What a difference a hog makes!

The plan now is to get another of these heritage pigs from Owen, send it to a real abattoir for slaughter and butcher it back in our kitchen, so we can share some of this prime pork with our customers. We'll give you a heads up when it's about to happen, and of course it will be in limited supply, but what an eye opener. Or, rather, mouth opener! Can't wait for the ham! and, of course, the pork belly, which is curing already.

Pig Butchering

2012-01-17T10:16:00.000-05:00

Kevin spent his entire day yesterday doing what he loves to do - fooling with meat. Accompanied by Mark and Bill, through the auspices of WashColl, and along with one other fellow, he was a part of a serious nose to tail escapade involving pigs from Owen McCoy's small Edesville farm.

The breed of pig, known ironically as "Guinea Hog", is a small pig, well suited to the backyard farmer, as well as to the diner in search of some fatty pork.

Both pigs were slaughtered at Owen's place - not the part anyone chooses to photograph - and then brought to the restaurant to be first scraped clean of their black bristles. This, according to Kevin, was the most time-consuming aspect of the job. Thank goodness for deep pot sinks and big stock pots of boiling water.

After the initial kill, they hung the pigs to 'bleed out', and intended to save the blood, which is one of the many useful by-products of pig butchery. In spite of their best efforts it congealed faster than expected and was not salvaged.

Here we have Mark dealing with the snout. (Bill is in the background, working on the other hog.) They plan on making head-cheese with this portion of the animal, which I hope we get to sample.

Kevin said the other difficult part was removing the intestines in a manner that would prevent them from fouling the meat. This involved some careful cutting and pulling. You can see the intestines - which are used in sausage making - to the right of the hog in the picture below. Kevin did not save these, since the job of cleaning them enough for use is not one he wanted to tackle, especially since he has a fine source for already prepped casings.

I was not able to be there yesterday for the project, and once the main details were taken care of, Kevin pretty much did the breaking down of the carcass, hence no more photos.

Today I was able to see the parts that Kevin did keep - for our own personal use - including the feet and some skin.

That is a nice ham in the center of this tub - small but good looking, eh? - and to the left is one of the pork chops - exceptionally fatty, which we hope proves to be exceptionally tasty. We'll get it all wrapped up to take home today, and we'll let you know how it performs on the plate! The next time, Kevin says, he'll let Haas do the slaughtering and he'll just do the butchering...

Good Bye Annapolis Produce...

2012-01-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

...Hello Teddy Bear Fresh!

Coming up from Easton, Teddy Bear could be the answer to our produce woes. Prices are very good, eggs are from Galena? (Raised for ISE America - looks like the IBP of the egg world - with the address for the corporate offices being a PO box in Galena...)

Now we just hope they pick up a few more customers here in town - the driver was headed to Herb's and Jammin' Jesse's this morning.

Friday the Thirteenth

2012-01-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

This is not my usual vantage point in the kitchen on a Friday night. And Kaitlyn is not usually called in to run trays. But last night was not a simple night. Megan - salad person extraordinaire - had been sick on Thursday and called out still suffering on Friday. It was decided that if I could get someone to run trays, I could turn the hosting reins over to a member of the dining room crew and I would handle the salad station. Enter Kaitlyn as tray runner. Lisa was elected to host. The die was cast. Let the evening begin.

So it was that my inexperience as garde manger is what probably caused one of the most serious customer relations issues Brooks Tavern has ever seen. That, and a very busy dining room.

It began when an order for a 7-top was called in at around 7:30. Three courses, the second of which included two salads and a romaine. My job. When that course was fired, I was in the middle of setting out some desserts, plus getting some wine from the store room, plus I had run out of cucumbers. Now, when a course is fired, generally the table is still consuming the previous course, so there is a bit of a time frame within in which to prepare the next one. So, as I am peeling a cucumber - and, of course, it had taken a few minutes to find the frigging peeler - Jenn, who is waiting on the 7-top, came over to me and inquired, "Have you made the salads for table 11 yet?" I replied that no, I was just now working on them. Well, she said, they wanted to cancel them because they were taking so long. This was when it was first revealed to me that table 11 was not an easy table.

So, okay, it happens. Chances are, given all that was going on, the salads most likely were taking too long. I took them off the check and the entrees for the table were fired. (Now, bear in mind that since the salads had been canceled, the time between the first course and the main was now considerably longer, seeing as there was no longer a salad course in between. The entrees had only just been fired, long after the first one had been served. Are you with me on this? Trouble ahead, for sure.)

So, I go back to my cucumber and the salad station. Some time later - who knows how much time had passed, we are busy busy busy in the kitchen - Jenn walks over to me, with a look. I jokingly questioned, "What now, they want to cancel the dinners?" She responded seriously, "Yes." What??? they were in the process of being plated up, even as we spoke. I said no, it's too late, we're sending them out right now, get Lisa. I instructed Lisa to act as my liaison to the table, to tell them the meals were coming right out, because they were. Kaitlyn came back from delivering the first tray and told us that the group of men were standing up at the table as she came out, ready to walk out the door. It was only on the instruction of one of them that they sat down again, and received their dinners. It's probably about 8:30 now.

Since the table had complained so bitterly about the time the food took to appear, I advised Lisa to approach the group again and express her sincere apologies, saying that the issue had been with the kitchen, blah blah blah. I told her that I wanted to make sure they didn't blame Jenn, and take it out of her tip.

Of course they (or rather, he, the host, who had apparently been the most vocally displeased during the evening's events) asked for the check immediately after eating. When he handed Lisa the Amex card, she informed him that we take only Master Card, Visa and Discover. His response was to tell her that she could get the damned sheriff out after him then. And, as I had feared, once he eventually paid with an acceptable card, he left a -0- on the tip line. On a check for $270, with two bottles of wine and a few rounds of drinks. Z-E-R-O.

When I hear this, I must talk to the guy. This is just so wrong, on so many levels. I tear off my apron and go racing out the door, leaving Kevin with the romaines I was in the middle of constructing. "Mr. S", I'm calling, when I spot the group spread out across the parking lot, heading to cars. "Mr. S, what happened?" One of the two last fellows turned at the sound of his name, and I repeated my question. He quickly stepped up to me, and with his right index finger inches from my face, proceeded to let out his anger about his Brooks Tavern experience. Obviously in a rage, he informed me an hour and a half was too long to wait for any meal, that they never even got their salads, that he'd had better service at a WallyBurger. He is really shouting at me, at close range, with that finger jerking back and forth in front of my eyes. He called Jenn "a surly bitch" and then said "You should turn around and go back into your restaurant and learn how to run a business." Then he turned on his heels and walked hotly away.

The other fellow had been standing nearby through this venting, and I asked him, "Had it really been that bad?" He was quiet for a few moments - frankly I think to make sure Mr. S was out of earshot - and then said that Mr. S was "all fired up". He offered the explanation, or excuse I guess, that he was really tired, and that I should just take a deep breath and let it go.

That sure went well.

So, who's at fault here? What do we think happened? First of all, I think that it is a real shame that one of the other men in the group didn't stand up to this bully, and at least throw a twenty on the table or some such token tip. I also agree that I didn't get the salads made quickly enough, partly because of my distractions and partly because I am simply not that experienced on the salad station. Mostly, however, I think that because of the fact that it was a three course order - and Mr. S was the only one who ordered three courses - it should have been rung in differently. Jenn rang in the appetizers and soups, followed by the salads, and then the entrees, which is indeed the correct process. But, since only one person had more than two courses, it may been better to bring him the first of his three, his soup or salad, and then have all the other guests' appetizers come out with his second, which would have eliminated the confusing wait. At least some dialogue should have been offered, to suggest a way to keep the procession of food flowing in an agreeably timely path. Not all diners understand the procedures of multiple courses and the "firing" of them. And I can't help but say, not all diners understand that in some restaurants salads aren't pre-made and entrees aren't sitting on a steam table. That being said, Jenn was very busy and she had already had some hassles with this table, so she probably just wanted to get the order into the kitchen as efficiently as she knew how. Should she have been stiffed? Absolutely not. Will we learn from this? Yes.

And finally, I think that of all our staff members, Jenn is the least likely to act like a surly bitch to a customer.

Weekly Prix-fixe Report

2012-01-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

Last night's menu was extremely tempting. And we had plenty, so there was never any danger of running out!

First course was a ricotta and pine nut filled cannelloni, sauced with tomato.

And of course Kevin's meat loaf is always a winner. I've actually had people say, in a low whisper, that it is better than their ________ makes. And in that spot you can insert "wife", "mother" or even "I". The dessert, bread pudding with caramel sauce, never made it to the photo stage. We were pretty busy last night, both with the menu and with a la carte. Plus I had a no-show bus girl, which added a bit to everyone's load. Don't know why she failed to make it in, probably just misread her schedule, but Kaitlyn held up as best she could on her own. And of course the money was all her own too!

Other food we've seen over the past two weeks - this pate salad from lunch last week, featuring some of Kevin's NYE pate on a salad of winter greens.

Also at lunch, the open face burrito, first garnished with the goat cheese en brick, later topped with grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Either way, very satisfying.

We served the quail stuffed with foie gras and wild rice on Saturday night, which one diner exclaimed was even bettter than the NYE presentation.

And the U-10 scallop on tuna was another popular choice on Saturday. One comment - last night - was that the scallop tasted like "sugar, it is so sweet". Nice. P.S. - Kevin always buys what is termed "dry" scallops, which are not injected with whatever they inject them with to make them plump. When it doubt, it doesn't hurt to ask...

Things seem to be emerging from the post-holiday slowdown; at least weeknights are a little bit better. This weekend is a holiday for some, so that brings us an extra patron or two. There have been the usual kinks in staffing, especially Kentrall's absence since Christmas week, which we've so far, for the most part, covered. (I wasn't bussing at lunch yesterday because I wanted to though.)

Follow-up Coversation with Gas Company

2012-01-11T16:33:00.000-05:00

The woman I spoke with yesterday from the gas company couldn't have been nicer or more sympathetic. She expressed dismay that we had run out of gas just minutes into opening on a Friday night, and needed no prompting to realize the consequences of such a situation. The fact that we had run out of propane at home just a few night earlier was not lost on her.

She immediately offered a credit toward our gas bill.

And as the saying goes, that doesn't bring little Johnny back, but it is what it is. I have our schedule for delivery posted on the kitchen calender, and if we don't see the gasman that day I will be calling the company to confirm that he is on his way. I am not real happy that I have to take this step to insure that we get our automatic fill-ups as required by our business, but I don't feel as though I have much choice. I can't imagine that any other gas company is going to be that much better, frankly, and I feel as though at least this one will probably do their utmost to keep us from falling through the crack ever again.

End of an Era

2012-01-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Rob looks depressed because this is the last delivery he will be making for us from Annapolis Produce. AP has been taken over by Wagner, which may or may not be a good thing. We've been dealing with Annapolis Produce since our beginning, and while they've had their ups and downs, they have always been responsive to our needs. We get some stuff from Wagner already, mostly soft drink related and things like plastic wrap and drinking straws, but they are not really known for their produce. Maybe that will change...

Anyway, Kevin is very concerned about where he will get some of the quality ingredients he is used to - especially in this area, where there are not a whole lot of choices for wholesale produce suppliers. So many of the better ones make the trek right down 301 to Easton and the Ocean City area, but don't take the northern route. We're lucky to get a delivery from Chef's Warehouse, IMHO.

Kevin's salesman from CW recommended one such company, who in turn recommended another: TeddyBear Produce, out of Easton. In speaking with a representative, Kevin was offered enough encouragement to make a few calls to some of his cohorts in Chestertown, to see where they are headed, the thinking being if we could get several buyers from this area, we could attract a new wholesaler.

Herb's is a good AP customer and while he already deals with another produce purveyor, but he agreed that replacing the goods that AP sells will be difficult. Joe from the Imperial was not interested, responding that their Chef Bernie purchases all of the produce he needs from local farmers. (Of course we do kind of wonder how they do that this time of year, and what about lemons, huh? Oh well...) Jeff's Mom was answering the phones when Kevin called the FishWhistle this morning, but they are big AP customers and would most likely be looking for a replacement as well. Higgys Market's might be another interested possibility, according to the manager. It would be great to create a market of customers that would bring a good produce supplier into town, great for all of us and great for them too. We'll see how it plays out.

Leftover Kumquats

2012-01-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

So what do you do with five leftover pints of kumquats? If you are Kevin you make either marmalade or pickle. Kumquat pickle - that sounds really good!

The hardest part of the job was seeding all those fruits - they have some pretty big seeds, considering how tiny the fruit is. They you make a syrup and poach the halved orbs in that.

You pull the fruit out after a few minutes and put it in your prepared jars. Cinnamon sticks and such are added to the vinegar syrup, it's boiled to an agreeable thickness and poured back over the fruit.

We'll know in a month or so how it turned out. I fancy it will be quite the thing with duck later on this winter!

Three's the Charm

2012-01-07T11:20:00.001-05:00

Last night was the third time we've run out of propane here at Brooks Tavern. It happened at 5:10 PM. I noticed the odor in the dining room while we were setting up, but I failed to identify it for what it was. It was Jill from Randy's office who pinpointed it, drawing to our attention the fact that the last time there was an odor of gas in the building, our tank went dry moments later. Funny, that's exactly what happened last night. Kevin went out to check the gauge - it was on zero. Seconds later the flames on the burners in the kitchen went out.

A Friday night is never a good night to lose. A First Friday even worse. A First Friday in January is a deal-breaker. January is slow. The only thing that keeps us moving is weekend trade, when you hope to be at least half way busy, to bring the week up to partial speed anyway. To lose a weekend night in the winter is really a double whammy. The dining room staff goes home empty handed, during the time of year when their income is already taking a hit, and the kitchen crew loses hours they need as well. No food was served last night, except for a couple of baskets of chips at the bar, for the small crowd that had gathered there.

When the driver for the gas company finally called me back at 6PM, he told us he had an ETA of 90 minutes. That was the word we needed to decide whether to wait or not - if we couldn't open until close to 8PM, there was not much point in opening at all. We began to close up shop while we waited for the gas delivery.

So, the next couple hours I spent telling our expectant guests that we were not able to feed them. The first couple to arrive had gone to their usual table and were enjoying their usual cocktails while waiting for the word on the propane supply. When I gave them the news, I suggested calling some other restaurant for a reservation. We called the Blue Heron, but he was booked solid and could not offer them a table. I never did see them leave, being in the mode I was, but I hope they managed to find a meal other than the consolation loaf of bread we gave them. As more and more people came to the door, I told them that while the Blue Heron was booked, they might try Luisa's or the Hotel, O'Connors right down the street or the FishWhistle on the river. I felt so badly; these people had made an effort to come to our place and we could not serve them.

The gas man arrived a little earlier than expected but of course it was not soon enough to save our night. He filled our tank and checked for a leak. That was the only reason I could think of for running out, that our raised up buried tank had developed some sort of leak. Turns out there was no leak. Turns out the gas company missed our scheduled automatic fill-up. Turns out the computer on the driver's truck informed him that our tank was empty, because they had not been filled when the calendar said they should be. Turns out we are fairly upset about this.

By 6:30, Kevin is behind the bar, chatting with the few people who'd come in for dinner and stayed for a drink. He was the entertainment while we waited for the propane truck. I spent the time doing damage control at the door and out in the parking lot, trying to speak to all the guests who were pulling in, to let them know that propane was the culprit, not vacation. (I didn't want a dark building to fuel that January closing rumor, which I fight so hard each year!) It probably wasn't going to be the busiest night of the year, but it was certainly going to be Friday. Happily the last car to pull in carried Robert and Judy, of St. Brigid's Farm. "Don't lock us out!" Judy cried, fearing that my coming out to greet them was a warning that we had closed up early. They joined us for a glass of wine at the bar while we waited until 9:00 for the normal closing hour, and all possible customers to be informed of the situation.

So, of course there has to be a silver lining. Mrs. Thun, one of the guests Kevin chatted with at the bar, said that for her it was the opportunity to meet Kevin. She enjoyed that quite alot, she said, and it made their failed attempt to have dinner with us worth the effort! For us the silver lining was that gas didn't run out in the middle of service - at 7:15 perhaps, with an oven and six burners full of partially prepared meals for a hungry dining room. That would have been so much worse, and we know this because we've been there. Plus we had a nice visit with Robert and Judy, although I can't say it was what I would call relaxing.

By 9:30 we too were at home. The dog was pleasantly surprised.

I will be calling the gas company on Monday, and you can be assured it will not be a pleasant conversation. To lose an important night of revenue because of mismanagement on their part is not what I would call easily forgotten. They will need to step up to the plate on this one, or we will need to be making a switch to someone who will.

Wednesday Prix-fixe Report

2012-01-05T09:19:00.000-05:00

Funny how many times this week so far I've heard "Oh, I'm so glad everything is back to normal", or "thank goodness that's over". And here I am, back in my pattern of reporting the results of Wednesday prix-fixe menu. We didn't even have a prix-fixe for the past two weeks to report about anyway, so the routine has been seriously upset. Still, I did enjoy the break from the "usual", especially when it included champagne and eggs Benedict and such!

Anyway, last night's menu was pretty tasty:

Kevin made tomato pasta and served it with fennel and oyster mushrooms (plus a little tiny bit of cream!). The pasta - tagliatelle - looked beautiful, and Kevin deemed it the best pasta he has ever made, due to the perfection of its consistency. He thinks he knows why it turned out so unusually well, but until he perfects it, he is holding his method close to his chest.

The main course was beef brisket, slow braised and served with a rich reduction of tomatoes and mushrooms in the braising liquid. The first few diners got the added bonus of mashed potatoes! On a chilly winter night, this was a go-to meal. And go to it people did - we ran out at the ungodly hour of 6:40.

In other news, Kevin's new piece of kitchen equipment - arriving by sleigh this most recent Christmas - has proven to be a useful tool. We used pressure cookers all the time in my childhood kitchen, cooking everything from peas to potatoes in it, but it was nothing like this 21st century appliance. No clattering weights, no fears of explosions. The one pictured above is shown at full pressure, as indicated by the colored rubber ring which rises up out of the handle.

Here's a closer look. (That's a reflection of the ring in the lid that you see underneath.) So far he has made a couple of stocks in the cooker; so far he has been very happy with the result, especially the turkey stock. He's still fussing with the duck stock procedure - trying different methods of prepping the bones and how much vegetable to include. The texture - gelatinous quality - of the results have been more than satisfactory. The time saved is the main thing, that and of course the ensuing energy savings. For instance, this morning there are black beans in the pot. After leaving them to soak overnight, it takes 8 minutes to cook them in the pressure cooker. That's close to 2 hours less than the usual amount of gas burned for the same end results. In 8 minutes the beans are creamy and nice. One of the added benefits of this would be under the unusual circumstances that one forgets to cook the beans needed for lunch service...

New Year's Eve Wrap-up

2012-01-03T08:37:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I think most of us are glad to be back in our "normal" routine - whatever that is! We had a very successful New Year's Eve - at least from the standpoint of the kitchen. Kevin was ready at 5PM, in time to meet with the dining room staff about the menu and to relax a few minutes before the show began. The guests began to arrive promptly at 5:30 and the parade of plates appeared soon after.

The staff went over the menu with Kevin before service started - it was all new dishes to them, and they had 30 minutes to learn it and be able to explain it to their customers. They practiced with one another until the first guest came through the door, and then it was showtime, ready or not.

The first plates of appetizers await their quail and goat cheese.

The buttermilk fried quail appetizer was a little large, but it sure looked delicious, and was met with positive reviews from diners.

The brick pastry wrapped goat cheese was garnished with the kumquat chutney and fennel.

The garnish for the consomme was a slice of rare SBF sirloin, pierced with a skewer and placed into the hot broth.

Foie gras graced the bowl of chestnut soup.

One of the entree selections was the SBF veal medallion with fried oysters on top and oyster mushrooms as well. That is some of the preserved Meyer lemon you see on the oyster.

The fish selection was Scottish salmon with lobster lasagna - a beautiful plate that seemed to be appreciated by all who ordered it.

The dining room crew did a fabulous job, especially considering they do this once a year! In front you have Kaitlyn and Rhianna, the bussers. In back is Nicole, who ran trays, Ashley, Val the bartender, Lisa and Thomas. It was a busy night, with a lot of stress. Three courses had to be fired by the servers, in order that the meal be paced smoothly for the guest. That was probably the most difficult thing to get used to, plus the fact that everyone had four courses before dessert, not just one or two. The bussers had to do a lot of clearing before they were finished with a table, plus bread service was timed differently than usual. Nonetheless, they managed to get into the swing before long and while things were a little close, reservation wise, no one had to wait for a table. Whew!

For the most part, comments were positive. It wasn't good that we ran out of veal before the night was over, even though we had the back-up plan of Pineland N.Y. Strip to replace it. I think some were really happy to have steak with fried oysters, but the veal would have been a little more "special" and we disappointed a few diners when we had to tell them it was sold out.

Anyway, it's all over for another year. Kevin and his crew put on a spectacular show, and the dining room staff was a terrific support system to get the menu out to the dining room. It wasn't easy. The next few weeks will be slowish, and we sort of look forward to the quieter pace, for a little while anyway! Don't forget, we are open the entire month of January and most of February, with vacation not arriving until the last week of February.

One Final Post for 2011

2011-12-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

The prepping is almost done.
A few more pics:

3-nut tarts in the oven.

Tarts cooling on the cart.

Angie filling the pavlova rolls with whipped cream.


Could this be our first guests of the evening? They certainly seemed dressed for the occasion!

The 2011 Brooks Tavern cooks: Kevin Guertin, Angie Smith, Chef McKinney, Rodrigo Zacarias, Mandrell Moore, Megan Spry, Debbie Mattoon and Brittany Phillips. A hard working, reliable and terrific group of co-workers. The day crew has gone for the year (!) and the night shift will take over - their job is to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on the plates for the dining pleasure of our New Year's Eve guests. And then, clean it all up!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve Prep Continued

2011-12-31T09:54:00.000-05:00

The prep work for NYE is in high gear this morning, with all the day cooks arriving an hour early to get a jump. The whole kitchen crew will be here by 1:00, and the night crew will probably be here until close to midnight. It's a long day, but not without rewards...like Procolino's Pizza for lunch!

Here are a few photos, with captions:

What the heck is that? on Kevin's desk?

Mandrell preps lobster.

Angie preps oyster mushrooms.

Kevin prepares the torchon of foie gras.

The logs of duck liver poach in duck stock.

Why would anyone keep a bucket of egg shells? consomme!

Angie is making the pavlova roll.

The soft meringue will be sauced with sour cherries.

This is an industrial sized bowl of creme anglaise.

The goat cheese is being rolled up with brick pastry.

Angie is going to make 60 of these.

To smell this lobster butter was to go to heaven.

Mandrell and Brittany - the lunch line cooks - hard at work this morning.

Mandrell is on the lobster again.

Brittany is prepping the fennel.

Angie is rolling out tart shells.


Debbie has been working on the bushel of spinach for two days.

What time is lunch?

Speaking of "Happy New Year"

2011-12-29T16:33:00.000-05:00

Someone just came to the door and said that friends of his told him we were ~~closed~~ not open for the month of January...Please, please help me dispel this misinformation. It has been 15 years since we did that, take our vacation in January. At least 15 years. Maybe more. But you know how a long a story can stay alive in Chestertown. Despite everything I do to enlighten folks, inevitably, come February, customers will come in and ask "So, how was vacation?" When I tell them it hadn't happened yet they recoil in disbelief, and then disappointment, when they realize they could have been having dinner or lunch with us for the past four weeks... This is the major reason we do not use the "c" word in any of our advertising. We might not be open but we are never "cl__ed".

So, to set the record straight, beginning with this venue and moving onto FaceBook and the WebSite:

We take our vacation right after Presidents Weekend, in February, for three weeks.

Whether we need it or not.

Vacation = February. We are open for the entire month of January.

Will I ever win this battle? Probably not. But I will continue to fight the good fight.