Weekend Update II

Restaurants function through many individual tasks conducted in unison with one another, creating a symphonic experience for the diner. Restaurants are living, breathing entities with clearly defined bones, muscles, organs, etc that are each critical to the proper functioning of the body as a whole. However, the strength of the body is often measured when an essential component is absent, forcing the body to compensate for the loss. My kitchen is without a sous chef at the moment as ours is enjoying a well deserved break from the tedium of the daily routine, staging in European restaurants and absorbing a restaurant culture very unlike our own. My sous chef is the kind of cook who is tireless, working harder hours on the line than anyone in the kitchen and his presence is a reassuring force when he is positioned behind the piano. But the body adjusts, the organs coordinate and compensate for the missing production, and this is an opportunity for us to break from the security of routine and find a new gear in our cooking. 

Friday began with a trip to the Union Square Greenmarket to pick up a few missing pieces that would not be coming in with the larger produce deliveries. Early morning the market is filled exclusively with industry types and rounded out by the more extreme amateur foodies that abound in New York. It is all a beautiful moment that almost betrays the cold, hurried facade that Manhattan erects, until the L train decides that it wants to take a break from ferrying Brooklynites to and from their obligations on the island. One regrettable cab ride later and I am beginning the daily ritual of embracing my love of fire, waiting a few extra seconds before lighting the pilots on the already primed stove top. A fireball erupts, recalling memories of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore's own morning routine. Prep is easy as I had worked lunch on the previous day and set myself up well for the busiest lunch day of the week, a much appreciated gesture as I was just putting the finishing touches on my mise when tickets started rolling in. Somewhere in the fray I had decided that pasta would be made for family meal, a stupid decision informed only by my love of rolling pasta dough with little consideration paid to the realities of my time constraints. Quoting my absent sous, my Chef politely informed me that, “I could have just made some fucking mac-n-cheese,” but making family meal is my favorite part of the lunch shift and I was not going to be deterred from my ill-advised dream. Following a quick yet thorough cleaning of the line and breaking down of lunch mise en place, I found myself inking the final components for brunch prep on Saturday and walking out into a beautifully humid Friday afternoon. 

Saturday began with a much needed sharpening session on the greatest hits collection in the knife roll prior to heading into work, and stood as the one moment of productivity in an otherwise unconscionably lazy Saturday morning. After arriving at work only to witness the brunch crew conducting an ice cream taste test I figured that the day would be a bit on the slower side. Regardless, after a hurried prep session that included a great deal of working ahead towards a graduation dinner we were hosting on Sunday, my fellow cook and chef set up the line in preparation for what might come. After banishing the entremetier cook to the walk in to organize and consolidate the rain forest we are currently supporting, my Chef and I held down the line for the remainder of service, moving through what should have been a more leisurely experience if it had not been for the absence of two cooks on the line. A new amuse course that was served hot and contained two separate garnishes slowed my stations down considerably. But, as previously stated, in the absence of a key component to the restaurant we all must find a new gear and compensate. With the line broken down and the prep kitchen organized, the three of us embark to find beer and tacos, both easy late night acquisitions on the streets of North Brooklyn. 

Sunday was the continuation of a great and recent theme in my schedule, a day off to actually spend with my girlfriend and roommates. It was beautiful and sunny, with an energy that can only be found in the Summer months. We took the A train out to Rockaway Beach along with what seemed like half the population of New York, spending a few hours forgetting our obligations and goals while simply allowing the sun to slow roast us into submission. Concluded by a cleaning out the fridge session on the grill, I succumbed to my drowsiness on the couch while listening to the ceiling fan provide a steady beat for the real music of an active neighborhood slowly winding down after a long day tirelessly spent celebrating the moment and nothing else.

Ian