Christmas Comes But Once A Year

You know it is approaching the Christmas Season at Brooks Tavern when you see the delivery of the bottle of Calvados...for the Eggnog, of course! We may not (yet) have a single decoration up in the dining room, but the Calvados is here and the Eggnog, of course!

Actually we are going to start putting up our minimalist holiday decor today. The geese will get some ribbon around their necks, the cork wreath will appear on the door, and colorful Christmas balls will ornament the counter tops. Next week we'll bring in some fragrant greens and seasonal holly, and the tree will appear on the deck, sparkling with lights. It's a nice way to chase away the darkness of winter, if only for a few weeks.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying some of our usual seasonal delights - you can check the archives for more on those - and starting to think about D'Artagnan and Fran's. I suppose in one "weigh", it's good that Christmas only comes once a year!! Still, for lives that revolve around food 24/7, the weeks beginning with Thanksgiving and continuing through the New Year are basically time and a half. We enjoy the seasonal quality of Winter choices just about as much as those that arrive with the Spring and Summer. I mean, what's not to like about Meyer Lemon Marmalade or Cranberry Walnut Upside-down Cake? Rockfish with Oysters, Rockfish with Crab - both winners. Mussels are fatter and brinier this time of year; cauliflower and spinach, root vegetables and winter squashes are local and sweet; pomegranates and artichokes, clementines and chestnuts appear in the grocery store. And for sure the Oyster Fritter is as eagerly awaited in the fall as the CrabSteak is in the late spring. The best part of eating with the season is that just about the time you get bored with the current offerings, a new season begins with new "crops" to enjoy.

Let the Holly Daze Food Traditions begin - pass me some of that Hot Chocolate and Fruitcake!

Hand Cut Pasta

When we say we are serving "hand-cut" pasta, we mean it!

Water View

From what I gather, nearly everyone owns waterfront property right now...but just so you know, we are a water front restaurant this morning...or water back I should say, as the Radcliffe Creek hustles at full throttle behind us.

Well, you know what everyone is saying...it could be 4 feet of snow!

Business Killer

This first snow of the season we are experiencing is coming at the wrong time. It's not supposed to ever snow until after service on Saturday nights, not during the afternoon like this. Only the most intrepid will venture out when there is the slightest chance of a dusting, although being in town gives us more hope than we ever had "way" out in Kennedyville during a winter weather advisory...

We will just have to make the best of it - a little hot chocolate, some early Christmas music - and hope that people will still want to come out on this first snowy Saturday in December.

Small Plates

Spice rubbed scallops in a tortilla cup with guacamole and spinach.

We've been offering "small" plates and "large" plates on our menus, ever since the opening days of the Kennedyville Inn. At that time, "appetizer" and "entree" seemed somehow restrictive - both for how the customer could shape their meal and how the kitchen could create dishes. We wanted people to feel comfortable to come in and have just a light repast, without feeling obligated to order an "entree". Some people might have two small plates, one to start and one as their main course; often a green salad or a cup of soup precedes a small plate entree. What ever. Mostly we just want people to come in and have the size meal they want - small, medium, large.

This plan was very successful, and we continue with it at Brooks Tavern. If a new guest is questioning the notion, we explain to them that the small plates can be considered a first course or a main course. Some are truly small, some would possibly be considered large, depending on the appetite.

Marvesta shrimp in hand cut pasta with shrimp cream sauce.

It is not a novel idea; some of the finest restaurants in the world revolve around small plates, and for good reason. People - translate that to diners - like it. I suspect that restaurants offering the traditional menu format of "appetizer" and "entree" are finding that more and more of their customers are ordering one of those "first" course options as their "main". It not only suits their appetite, it may suit their pocketbook as well, and these days that appeals to everyone.

Trends for 2010

The National Restaurant Association just released their "Hot Trends" for 2010. Compiled from a survey of 1800 professional chefs - who are naturally members of the ACF - the top three visions they see for next year are the use of locally grown produce (check), locally sourced meats and seafood (check), and sustainability (check). Number four - mini desserts - was also found here at BT just last night, with our coconut macaroons and chocolate dipping sauce course on the Wednesday Night Menu! Who knew we could actually be ahead of our time, here on Maryland's Eastern Shore? Of course, when you continue down the Top 20 list you will realize there are a few bandwagons we haven't jumped on...like #19: newly fabricated cuts of meat...although with an in-house butcher like Kevin (#16), there could be some surprises.

Is it just me, or is the NRA and the ACF a little behind with their "predictions"?

Post TG - Pre-Xmas

Thanksgiving buffet photo by Dan Rippe.

We are entering into our slow season, which is not really much fun, but since we know it is approaching, we can at least prepare for it. December is a difficult month for restaurants that don't have room for Holiday Parties - like us. The competition for dining out is fierce - between baking and shopping, wrapping and writing, visiting and partying - there is just too much going on. We trim staff hours only a little bit - maybe have 3 instead of 4 waiters on Friday and Saturday nights, cut a dishwasher on Tuesday, have cooks leave early and come in late - but since we are usually very busy the week between Christmas and New Year's, it is not the time to lose anyone. And there is always something to do, slow or not. We've been very, very lucky to have a tremendous fall this year, so a little break from the routine isn't all bad...after all, it's Christmas Time and we have all of those annual projects to do!

Marmalade making is one of them. This year Kevin hopes to get some Meyer Lemons for this production. We've also been making a dessert for later in the month - a sort of fruitcake called "Cranberry Keeping Cake", a rich dark cake full of cranberries and nuts that you keep in a cool place (like the walk-in) while it mellows and melds into a special holiday creation. We've already got a half-gallon of Lewes Dairy Eggnog, which I promote tirelessly each December. It's good stuff! Next week we'll start playing some seasonal music and put up some seasonal decorations. Meanwhile, the time is right for enjoying the season, in what ever way pleases, as the main event rapidly approaches. We'll take advantage of this seasonal slow down to enjoy those seasonal events we look forward to each year.

Ho Ho Ho, eh?

Dueling Cranberry Sauces

Kevin is making the cranberry relish/sauce for the TG dinner we are catering tomorrow. (And no, don't get any ideas about asking us to do yours next year, this is a one shot deal.) His has pineapple and lemon zest in it...

I am making the cranberry sauce for our own Thanksgiving Table. It has hot peppers in it from Colchester called "Fish Pepper", a pepper native to Delmarva. I put in three, seeds and all...
(Thanks, Aaron, for correcting my information!)

Mine is cooking up nicely here.

And Kevin's looks very nice too...not much to duel about, eh? Mine is a little spicy, a little tart. Kevin's is a little fruity, a little tart. Both are pretty good and ought to add a nice touch to both turkeys tomorrow.

We are not going to be open for service on TG Day, but we will be here cooking a couple of things. I made pies today - one to go out this afternoon and one for service tonight. Bread pudding to go out tomorrow is also on my agenda. Tomorrow we'll saunter in at 8 or 9 - ahhh, so nice to come in so late! - and go about the final production with little stress and lots of space, bowls, pans and spatulas, unlike if we were doing it in our home kitchen! We'll haul everything home after the party has gone out, and enjoy being at the table with family and friends for the rest of the day.

We have much to be Thankful for, including the fact that we are able to support ourselves doing something we love. Thank you for allowing us to do that, here at Brooks Tavern, and may your Thanksgiving Table be filled with plenty of love, involve lots of fine food and be surrounded by peace and tranquility.

Well, maybe the first two will happen... Cheers!

PostScript: the turkey photo on the right is from The Atlantic Monthly. There's a link to the article when you click on the picture.

Pity the Poor Goose

The first day of Canada Goose Season was very, very loud this morning. Our employee/hunter Tom brought us one of his two. Much as I enjoy eating the bird, I did not like seeing one get shot out of the sky this morning, twirling in a free fall dead to the ground. And the noise! - bang bang bang bang bang. Still, could mean a busy lunch...we'd appreciate the business.

This and That

A few lucky customers had a very special sauce on their fish this week: the rainbow trout featured the above oyster mushrooms. Truly wild oyster mushrooms, foraged by a local fellow who brought them around to make money to pay his electric bill...Kevin took one look at these beauties and took all he had. And were they ever delicious. The picture holds a link for more information about this fungi delicacy.

The oyster fritter's comeback has been very welcome, although it doesn't look as though it will be appearing on the lunch menu right away. And the new ice cream sandwich, with a gingersnap cookie and pumpkin ice cream in between, has also been made very welcome, as only such a seasonal flavor combination can be.

One of our kitchen employees is moving on - his last day will be next Saturday. Matt has taken a position with another restaurant in the area, being offered a bit more money and a schedule he prefers to the one he has with us. This is not such an unusual event - people move on all the time, for a variety of reasons, and better pay is certainly a good one. The only reason I find this newsworthy is because he was "poached". Generally, in our local restaurant community, poaching is just not ever done. Even if someone else's employee comes to you looking for work, if you have any respect for the other employer you will make a point to find out what is going on. If you want to maintain a working relationship with your peers in this restaurant world, you don't offer jobs to the people who work for them. In this case, the poacher is young and obviously inexperienced in the nuances of business etiquette within a small town, so no hard feelings. Matt is a good guy and we wish him well in his new post.

Speaking of not poaching, one of our more recent employees is our second alumna of Andy's. Angie Griffin started here with us a month or so ago, after a long and very successful career at our much missed hangout, and we think everyone is very happy with the arrangement. Especially Kevin, since Angie has taken over much of the dessert making!

We may have solved - for the short term anyway - the garlic problem. As many of you know, there is very little other than Chinese garlic in the supermarket today. Kevin's various purveyors can never seem to find any domestic garlic - although Jeff got us a gallon this fall from one of his - until now. Colchester Farm has planted acres of the pungent stuff, and we are getting fifty pounds from them. This is wonderful news; the garlic is spicy and fresh and flavorful. We will enjoy it while it lasts, and then maybe the rows we planted in our garden at home will be ready!

Our plans for the weekend include a visit to Annapolis to check out Hell Point Seafood, a new place opened by veteran restaurateur Bob Kinkaid. Elizabeth Large, the Baltimore Sun food critic, gave them a mixed review last week, but we have to see for ourselves. One of his signature dishes, the fried Ipswich clams, happens to be one of my favorite. Funny story: I read somewhere that there is a reason the restaurant does not yet have a Web Page - when you Google the name you get the page for the previous occupants of the address, Philips Seafood. It seems that an Annapolis competitor bought the domain name of hellpointseafood.com to prevent Kincaid from having it! Not that they couldn't use another name, but the obvious one has been made unavailable...Talk about welcoming a newcomer to the neighborhood, eh? HPS does have a FaceBook page though, and in this social networking day and age, perhaps that all the internet advertising a business needs!

The Approach of the Holly Daze

I don't know about the rest of you, but Thanksgiving is next week. There are a lot of things to do between now and then, and one of them is to listen to Bob Edwards' Fantasy Thanksgiving on NPR. It's a tradition with us, except the year when they tried to modernize it with more "current" chefs. That was not good.

We'll be spending a part of our Thanksgiving Day here at the restaurant, putting together someone else's Turkey Dinner. But soon enough we will travel home to begin the season of eating, starting with a Colchester Farm Turkey and all the trimmings.

Each year about this time I share some of our food traditions, and there's no reason why this year should be any different, eh? So far we've been enjoying the Millican Pecans from Texas, mostly within the Pecan Pie we've been selling out of lately. A thirty pound box yields quite a few nuts! I am going to send them a picture of our Texas Pecan Pie, with the recipe, to demonstrate our appreciation of their product.

Yesterday Kevin drove 2 hours to Wagner's Meats in Mt.Airy for some of their pork products. He likes their country ham, which we used to be able to get through Springfield Farm, when they made an Eastern Shore run. The ham hocks and bacon ends might be worth the trip alone, but the ham is what possessed him to make the hike. Eggs Benedict are coming!

We look forward to the arrival of other seasonal goods - the Modjeskas, the Florida citrus, the annual trip to Whole Foods and the D'Artagnan order. One thing is for sure, we've got plenty of Champagne!

The Plight of Romaine

One of our most popular menu items - and no, I am not talking about the oyster fritter - will not be on the menu this week, due to the incredibly high price of it's main ingredient. Romaine lettuce, the base for our always popular Romaine Salad on the dinner menu, and the classic Caesar we serve at lunch, has doubled in price recently, due to weather and production issues on the West Coast. In the interim we will be offering a special salad, using Bibb Lettuce from a local source - Chesapeake Greenhouse out of Sudlersville.

The oyster fritter, BTW, is currently on the dinner menu. YaY!

A Good Read

Funny that when we are not working with food, serving food, eating food or thinking about food, it seems we are reading about food. This book by Mark Kurlansky is the latest by our bed - a very, very interesting collection of food writing from the 1940's WPA writers project, regarding regional dining habits. There are discussions of clam bakes, eggnog parties, lamb fries and goeduck chowders. The melting pot of cooks, from the American Indians to the Pioneers to the settlers from Europe, Asia, South American, all contributing to the many forgotten menu offerings of our past. It's an excellent read for anyone who likes to eat.

Champagne Time!

One thing I always try to do in November is order the champagne for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve. And one thing I really like to buy for our own use at TG is a big 1.5 liter of the bubbly stuff, to enjoy as an aperitif while we nibble on clams and salted nuts. This year I had my mind set on the Gosset Brut Excellence, and ordered a 3 bottle case. I suppose you can guess what happened - certainly there would be a picture of it here if I'd had any success. It is out of stock, with none to be had for the remainder of the year.

So I did what any Champagne glutton would do - I ordered some from one, and some more from another, just in case one or the other was not in stock. It was supposedly the next to last case of Pol Roger, and being on a deep discount as well, I couldn't resist it. The Nicolas Feuillette was because it is one I have never had, and is apparently an excellent value for NV Champagne. I got both. The price was pretty much the same and I said, what the heck, it's Christmas...

Well, guess what? They both were in stock and both were delivered this week. Happy Holidays, eh? We now have a boat load of excellent champagne in magnum bottles - the Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve and the Nicolas Feuillatte Brut. But here's the rub. No way can we drink all of this stuff; I have to let some of it go. If you are interested in a bottle (or even two) give me a call. The price is excellent. If you just want to drink it here, let me know the day before and I will have it cold and ready. There is not much that says "Celebration!" better than a big bottle of Champagne!

St. Germain

My salesman from Reliable brought us a little baby St. Germain...it is so cute. It appears that we are one of the major purchasers of St. Germain in Maryland (due entirely to the popularity of the Pear Cosmopolitan), so we were on the list of those who got one of the coveted miniatures. Wow, the perks of owning a restaurant are simply stupendous!

"Rules" of the Trade

The blogosphere has been seemingly awash with the "pet peeves" and "rules" for diners and restaurant owners alike, making the whole dining scene seem as though it were a minefield to be waded through with severe caution, on both sides of the table. Tom Sietsema's interactive column in the WashPost, "Sietsema's Table", offers the diner's side with "Restaurant Pet Peeves". As of yesterday he had 122 complaints lodged in at his suggestion. The owner's perspective, or rather the pre-owner's perspective, since the writer is only in the planning stages of restaurant ownership, has been swirling everywhere, originating in the Business Section of the venerable New York Times, within the Blog called "You're The Boss". (That in itself is sort of funny, IMHO.) Part One of "100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do" aired on October 29, followed by Part Two this past Thursday. This set reminds me quite a lot of Eric Ripert's list of the 129 Cardinal Sins, which we have discussed in this space at an earlier time, a list which seems a little more realistic and a lot more professionally applicable to the real world we restaurant people live within than does the one by Mr. Buschel.

Still, the whole conversation leads me to the conclusion that you are never going to do anything right! Wait til everyone is finished before you clear; take my dirty plate away ASAP. Address the woman as "lady"; it's demeaning and archaic to address her as such. Bring the check as soon as the diner is finished; wait until the diner asks for the check to bring it. Even the standard of "serve from the left, clear from the right" got complaints from a handicapped server who couldn't use their left hand to follow that specific guideline! It appears that no matter what we do, we won't please everyone; there will always be someone who wanted something else and didn't get it, be it service, attitude, salt, or the waiter's name.

The comment on page 4 of Tom's discussion group, made by rwrjr, was one of the more sane and productive ones, particularly the "Look at the customer" part. Walk around the dining room with your eyes wide open. Read body language. Just doing this can solve a whole lot of the other problems before they even happen. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen one of our staff walk right by a table that has a credit card sitting there, waiting to be picked up, or watched as a guest tried to flag a passing server or busser, to no avail. This limited focus comes perhaps from trying to get to the next job that needs doing, or rushing to answer the call from the kitchen to "Pick Up!", but it is my pet peeve. I can think of nothing worse than desperately trying to make eye contact with a server and getting no where. I understand that sometimes my constant circle through the DR can be a little unnerving, but when I catch your eye and you tell me you would love another glass of Rock Rabbit, that is the explanation. The more eyes the better.

Meanwhile, if you have any pet peeves, be sure to let us know. We don't always serve left, clear right, but we try to be as unobtrusive as possible. We do drop the check at the end of the meal, but there is nothing that says you must immediately pay. We say "I'll be right back with your change." We are very guilty of serving our red wine too warm. We are adamant about the non-use of the word "guys"; we wait until the whole table is finished eating before we clear; we try to serve women first. We do wait for the whole party to arrive before seating, but only on the weekends; we do "check back", but hopefully not too often - and hopefully not when your mouth is full! Many of these "rules" are already in our employee hand book, but we are constantly striving to improve service in the dining room. Just because there are "rules" doesn't mean we stop learning and improving.

That is rule #1 - make the best better.