Experimentation and a great steak

So we went to a food show in Cincinnati yesterday and got some really good ideas for the restaurant. We were the last ones to leave the food show, here's a pick of Cincinnati at night on our way back:



Of course we know more or less what we want to have on the menu, but it is not finalized and we have testing still to do to make sure the facility will accomodate everything we would like to do, also familiarize ourselves with the new kitchen and equipment.

One thing we'd really like to put on the menu is a good steak. A REALLY good steak. Personally, I've had several steaks in Athens and I'm just being honest here and so I hope I don't offend anyone - it's hit and miss. Forget the chain restaurants. They just don't have anything. Period. No one ever tells me, "Go THERE for the best steak. They have an awesome steak." Why is that? Well, it is more than a cut, it has to do with consistency. If you want to tell someone that such and such a place has the best steak, you have to have had it more than once there, you have to have had it there EVERY time. Consistency comes from two places: the quality of the cut, and who and how it is cooked. This sounds simple, but it is not. Product responsibility belongs to the supplier, so you must choose carefully, and the cooking, well, that's up to us. We found not one, but two products we really like. REALLY like, some of the best steak we've had in a long time, and we are very excited to work with it and bring it to our menu in several dishes. Again, we have to make sure we can accomodate it and provide what is nothing less than an exceptional dish. We'd like to be a place you can go for steak. So we're working on that.

We're working on plating our dishes too. Presentation is important. We know the food is delicious. We want you to SEE that the food is delicious. And smell that it is delicious. And really enjoy the environment you are eating it in. It's an entire experience. Taste, sight, smell, and yes, to a lesser extent, sound, and touch. There is a lot to be finalized yet. Here are some pics of our experimentation with presentation. This is one dish that WILL be on the menu. It is Carne Asada (Cuban roast beef.) Cooked in wine, garlic, onion and a variety of spices, it is stuffed with spanish chorizo, carrots, and olives. We'll actually serve it with black beans, but those weren't available at the time we took these pictures.




Check back soon. I am going to be doing an entry about our flatware and I need your opinion!