Virtual Banquet Thread
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arf777
No longer dogless
Was in Colorado again looking at restaurant properties. Also cooked some awesome food again, but again too wasted to remember to take pics. Did scallops & oysters in chorizo cream and lobster demi, then dry-aged NY Strips, seared in bacon fat, served in a lake of butter and lobster demi and in a steak sauce of my own devising- Murphy's Stout, bacon drippings, garlic, tarragon, honey, soy. Made it up on the spot, but worked so well it's going in the repertoire. The steak was topped with a little Isle of Mull aged cheddar. Side was comfit creamer potatoes in honey butter.
Good news is, we have some locations that might work, and discovered the kind of food I'm going to do will work. Bad news is, though French food does fly in Colorado, calling it French does not. The only places in Denver calling themselves French when I was there before all closed; yet one of the hottest restaurants in Denver, The Plimoth, has a nearly pure French menu, but does not call itself French food. Calls itself an 'American neighborhood eatery', yet serving: pork rillette, pork liver tureen, salade lyonnaise, beef bordelaise, etc. So you can do the food I want, but I cannot use the name I wanted to, Fumee. Too French.
Will probably market as a fusion smokehouse bistro, and will have the French stuff as well as standard bbq items. Did notice that most of the bbq in Denver is Kansas City style, and nobody had NC style. And nobody had smoked veggies, fruit or tofu. So I can put all the French and Italian I want to do under 'other stuff from the smoker' as long as I use at least bacon or some other smoked ingredient in everything (which I pretty much do anyway). Smoked duck, lamb, tomatoes, cheeses.
Need a new name now though. Any ideas? Want to stress the smokehouse part, though the food will still be what I was planning - barbecue, ribs, smoked duck and lamb, etc, plus French, Italian, and other continental. But need to market it as American fusion.
Meanwhile, here is a pasta dish made with Chanukah gifts. Got a capellini cutter and some really nice Greek olive oil. So here is a plate of angel hair in a simple sauce of Greek extra virgin, fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Topped with pecorino and local ricotta. Also got a gnocchi board but have not used it yet.
Good news is, we have some locations that might work, and discovered the kind of food I'm going to do will work. Bad news is, though French food does fly in Colorado, calling it French does not. The only places in Denver calling themselves French when I was there before all closed; yet one of the hottest restaurants in Denver, The Plimoth, has a nearly pure French menu, but does not call itself French food. Calls itself an 'American neighborhood eatery', yet serving: pork rillette, pork liver tureen, salade lyonnaise, beef bordelaise, etc. So you can do the food I want, but I cannot use the name I wanted to, Fumee. Too French.
Will probably market as a fusion smokehouse bistro, and will have the French stuff as well as standard bbq items. Did notice that most of the bbq in Denver is Kansas City style, and nobody had NC style. And nobody had smoked veggies, fruit or tofu. So I can put all the French and Italian I want to do under 'other stuff from the smoker' as long as I use at least bacon or some other smoked ingredient in everything (which I pretty much do anyway). Smoked duck, lamb, tomatoes, cheeses.
Need a new name now though. Any ideas? Want to stress the smokehouse part, though the food will still be what I was planning - barbecue, ribs, smoked duck and lamb, etc, plus French, Italian, and other continental. But need to market it as American fusion.
Meanwhile, here is a pasta dish made with Chanukah gifts. Got a capellini cutter and some really nice Greek olive oil. So here is a plate of angel hair in a simple sauce of Greek extra virgin, fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Topped with pecorino and local ricotta. Also got a gnocchi board but have not used it yet.
momofthegoons
vapor accessory addict
Really exciting news about the restaurant arf777. 
Since you can't use something French and you want smokehouse in there... How about simply calling it The Smokehouse? You could then add ( in the description of the restaurant) a little more detail.
Since you can't use something French and you want smokehouse in there... How about simply calling it The Smokehouse? You could then add ( in the description of the restaurant) a little more detail.
SD_haze
Well-Known Member
Reflections
Well-Known Member
HellsWindStaff
Dharma Initiate
Hotboxed
Since your foods is getting "hotboxed" in the smoker? Idk lol, just trying to come up with something.
Also had Smoke Inn: Stay Awhile, but I like Up Inn Smoke a bit more.
Also, not exactly similar but kinda...."Benvenuto Bienvenue BBQ" I kinda like, Benvenuto and Bienvenue is the word "Welcome" in Italian/French respectively, and since you're doing BBQ with Italian/French influence, seemed kind of legit.
Best of luck with your restaurant
its a lot of work but seems you got the passion.
In other news, I had a Steak, Green Pepper, Onion Pizza from Domino's with White Sauce yesterday....not huge on crazy pizza's like that, but this was REALLY good. Tasted basically like a Philly Cheesesteak, and take out from Domino's is only $8 for a large Mon-Thurs, so its a pretty stellar deal too.
Since your foods is getting "hotboxed" in the smoker? Idk lol, just trying to come up with something.
Also had Smoke Inn: Stay Awhile, but I like Up Inn Smoke a bit more.
Also, not exactly similar but kinda...."Benvenuto Bienvenue BBQ" I kinda like, Benvenuto and Bienvenue is the word "Welcome" in Italian/French respectively, and since you're doing BBQ with Italian/French influence, seemed kind of legit.
Best of luck with your restaurant
its a lot of work but seems you got the passion.In other news, I had a Steak, Green Pepper, Onion Pizza from Domino's with White Sauce yesterday....not huge on crazy pizza's like that, but this was REALLY good. Tasted basically like a Philly Cheesesteak, and take out from Domino's is only $8 for a large Mon-Thurs, so its a pretty stellar deal too.
HellsWindStaff
Dharma Initiate
Damn....that looks amazing
Reflections
Well-Known Member
arf777
No longer dogless
The sauce was the whole point of this one. The bulk of it is a bacon demi I spent two days cooking, and I finally got the recipe for that perfect. The difference is this time I sliced all 5 pounds of bacon and browned each slice in the stock pot. Took an extra 90 minutes or so, but the result is an order of magnitude better. Plus used only about 1/3 as much mirepoix.
Below is country fried steak with a sauce of the bacon demi, Drambuie, honey, garlic and dijon. Mostly bacon demi, maybe 1/4 teaspoon of the other ingredients. Also includes some of the rendered duck fat the steak was fried in.
Huge smoker day tomorrow. Sunday I'm catering a reading/performance art thing my brother is doing. 25 people so far. For that, I'm doing
boston butt for pulled pork, been marinating in an NC style cider vinegar mop for a day and a half already; two sauces for that - one is my balsamic-smoked plum bbq (improved with some bacon demi-glace), the other is a new one- cranberry and port with cumin and fresh mint;
a variant on a smoked lamb shank pasta I posted here some time back, this time with the lamb shanks cooking sous vide overnight in herbs, vinegar and extra virgin and then in the smoker all day tomorrow; that'll get shredded, tossed with garlic, leeks, duck fat, bacon demi, then finished with mint infused cream and goat's milk gouda and served with fresh capellini;
for the vegans, marsala marinated smoked tofu with a salad of arugala, pine nuts, garlic-infused olive oil, and balsamic aged with figs;
and a platter of sherry-drambuie bacon and fresh bread.
If I have time, I'll also make duck fat buttermilk biscuits.
Below is country fried steak with a sauce of the bacon demi, Drambuie, honey, garlic and dijon. Mostly bacon demi, maybe 1/4 teaspoon of the other ingredients. Also includes some of the rendered duck fat the steak was fried in.
Huge smoker day tomorrow. Sunday I'm catering a reading/performance art thing my brother is doing. 25 people so far. For that, I'm doing
boston butt for pulled pork, been marinating in an NC style cider vinegar mop for a day and a half already; two sauces for that - one is my balsamic-smoked plum bbq (improved with some bacon demi-glace), the other is a new one- cranberry and port with cumin and fresh mint;
a variant on a smoked lamb shank pasta I posted here some time back, this time with the lamb shanks cooking sous vide overnight in herbs, vinegar and extra virgin and then in the smoker all day tomorrow; that'll get shredded, tossed with garlic, leeks, duck fat, bacon demi, then finished with mint infused cream and goat's milk gouda and served with fresh capellini;
for the vegans, marsala marinated smoked tofu with a salad of arugala, pine nuts, garlic-infused olive oil, and balsamic aged with figs;
and a platter of sherry-drambuie bacon and fresh bread.
If I have time, I'll also make duck fat buttermilk biscuits.
momofthegoons
vapor accessory addict
arf777
No longer dogless
Yeah, I gotta switch to lower cal cooking. Been talking to the doctor about weight loss. Still can't do any exercise outside of a pool and don't have access to a pool. But when this catering thing is done, it's time for smoked turkey and smoked veggies in fat-free wine reductions.
Here's one of the lamb shanks just out of the smoker, after a total of 24 hours of low and slow, 12 in the sous vide water oven, 12 in the smoker. Looks blacker than it is- it's more a deep purple from the balsamic.
Also have a freshly completed half belly of sherry-drambuie bacon. Figure I've posted plenty of pics of that. The two boston butts and the tofu are still in the smoker.
Here's one of the lamb shanks just out of the smoker, after a total of 24 hours of low and slow, 12 in the sous vide water oven, 12 in the smoker. Looks blacker than it is- it's more a deep purple from the balsamic.
Also have a freshly completed half belly of sherry-drambuie bacon. Figure I've posted plenty of pics of that. The two boston butts and the tofu are still in the smoker.
arf777
No longer dogless
The boston butts turned out especially pretty.
A productive day overall-smoked tofu, duckfat buttermilk biscuits, the sous vide and smoked lamb shanks, boston butts, a half a side of bacon, and a cranberry bbq sauce.
Tomorrow- fresh pasta for 25-30 people, so 12-14 lbs or so, more biscuits, and the prep for the rest of the lamb dish. Carting it all to where it's being eaten around 3ish, serving around 6.
A productive day overall-smoked tofu, duckfat buttermilk biscuits, the sous vide and smoked lamb shanks, boston butts, a half a side of bacon, and a cranberry bbq sauce.
Tomorrow- fresh pasta for 25-30 people, so 12-14 lbs or so, more biscuits, and the prep for the rest of the lamb dish. Carting it all to where it's being eaten around 3ish, serving around 6.
arf777
No longer dogless
So the thing Sunday night went well. This is what the table looked like - though the pasta was decimated so quickly I never got a shot of a full bowl of it.
It's way on the right and a bit hard to see, the tofu with arugula and spinach plated especially prettily. I ate almost none of any of this, but folks wolfed it all down.
EDIT: There was also a platter of a half belly of sherry-drambuie bacon but it got eaten even faster than the pasta.
Tonight made a tasty-ass omelette out of some of the leftover prepped ingredients. Leeks, shallots, smoked lamb, smoked pork, and goat's milk gouda, topped with mint-infused cream (all but the pork were ingredients from the pasta, but I actually may prefer the omelette).
It's way on the right and a bit hard to see, the tofu with arugula and spinach plated especially prettily. I ate almost none of any of this, but folks wolfed it all down.
EDIT: There was also a platter of a half belly of sherry-drambuie bacon but it got eaten even faster than the pasta.
Tonight made a tasty-ass omelette out of some of the leftover prepped ingredients. Leeks, shallots, smoked lamb, smoked pork, and goat's milk gouda, topped with mint-infused cream (all but the pork were ingredients from the pasta, but I actually may prefer the omelette).
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momofthegoons
vapor accessory addict
arf777
No longer dogless
Used the last of the leftovers from last week on Saturday and realized i never posted it. This is a plateful of almost the same pasta I did last Sunday. Difference is this is with linguine, as it turned out I'd left my fettuccine cutter at my brother's house. Note the fractally honking chunk of romanesco in the middle. Tripp-ass vegetable. If they were all that cool I'd eat a lot more veggies.
arf777
No longer dogless
Hey folks. I noticed nobody has posted here in a bit. I'm trying to lose weight (no luck so far) and spent over a week just eating lo fat sandwiches on wheat bread. On all whole grains, so no more fresh pasta (whole wheat pasta with no semolina is not right, IMO- I am very classical in my tastes).
But I went to cook last night and had disaster after disaster. Both my rice cooker and my kitchen timer broke last night, resulting in multiple batches of burnt brown rice. The protein was fine - a nearly fat-free chicken dijon- but I was so pissed from the burnt rice I didn't plate anything nicely.
Just ordered a new rice cooker.
Finally got some brown jasmine rice cooked properly. Here it is with tonight's low fat dinner - ginger lime stir fried chicken. Ingredients are a tiny bit of canola oil, chicken, ginger, garlic, shallots, baby spinach, tamari, rice wine vinegar, the juice of one lime, white wine and chicken stock.
More low fat no added sugar cooking to come. Gotta drop at least 40 lbs if I want to function in a professional kitchen again. I am only 5'7" but weigh 260 pounds. Not good given I have had 4 back surgeries and am in chronic pain. Need to work out a bbq sauce with no fat or added sugar. When the intense winter weather passes I'm going to start playing with making British bacon, which is made from back, like Canadian bacon. Has a lot less fat than proper belly bacon.
But I went to cook last night and had disaster after disaster. Both my rice cooker and my kitchen timer broke last night, resulting in multiple batches of burnt brown rice. The protein was fine - a nearly fat-free chicken dijon- but I was so pissed from the burnt rice I didn't plate anything nicely.
Just ordered a new rice cooker.
Finally got some brown jasmine rice cooked properly. Here it is with tonight's low fat dinner - ginger lime stir fried chicken. Ingredients are a tiny bit of canola oil, chicken, ginger, garlic, shallots, baby spinach, tamari, rice wine vinegar, the juice of one lime, white wine and chicken stock.
More low fat no added sugar cooking to come. Gotta drop at least 40 lbs if I want to function in a professional kitchen again. I am only 5'7" but weigh 260 pounds. Not good given I have had 4 back surgeries and am in chronic pain. Need to work out a bbq sauce with no fat or added sugar. When the intense winter weather passes I'm going to start playing with making British bacon, which is made from back, like Canadian bacon. Has a lot less fat than proper belly bacon.
arf777
No longer dogless
I've dropped 76 lbs so far by eating Paleo. No wheat, no dairy, no sugar.
Google it.
Unfortunately I cannot do that due to GI health issues, according to my doctors. My GP actually wants me to reduce my meat intake dramatically. Which sucks, as I have lost huge amounts of weight on no-dairy Atkins in the past, which isn't that different from Paleo.