tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86609099825010167312024-03-05T12:25:49.350-05:00eatdrinkworkRestaurant Life in Athens GAEtienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8660909982501016731.post-80074004925499225852009-12-21T20:30:00.000-05:002009-12-21T20:30:13.232-05:00Getting freaky with the French 75<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vQHScn8_ERF2H8ywXDHtPSMIfK_tkEfkZQ7RkqzVmvljh0ekkEB_AcMcJ1cTaQA7EIlpYOhmXMMRm0Ab98-Ml8zT0yPlp3664mhIPeYIoGF5lw_TbvHGjA4JwkXbVw5k99oUjsxKkBw/s1600-h/Picture+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vQHScn8_ERF2H8ywXDHtPSMIfK_tkEfkZQ7RkqzVmvljh0ekkEB_AcMcJ1cTaQA7EIlpYOhmXMMRm0Ab98-Ml8zT0yPlp3664mhIPeYIoGF5lw_TbvHGjA4JwkXbVw5k99oUjsxKkBw/s400/Picture+010.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>If a nice glass of wine is the person you want to marry, then a cocktail must be a capricious fling or better yet, a kinky escapade. Please let me introduce you to my <i>very special friend</i> the <b>French 75. </b>It's essentially cognac and champagne tarted up with a little sugar and lemon. Refreshing, delightfully inebriating, yet classy and grown up in all the right ways and ready to slap you around a bit. Originally concocted by World War I flying ace Raoul Lufbery, it was named after the 75mm French artillery canon, which gave quite a jolt to anyone nearby. <i>Currently showing at the bar at 5 & 10.</i>Etienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8660909982501016731.post-67313333989492684782009-12-09T08:52:00.004-05:002009-12-17T10:15:28.400-05:00Flamin' Anus hot sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio2YlMHYBex00s5_15cdGnWMRMEQvY3YjAbsxyQdqJPWGsQz2_rr6RGkYh20Vv82QutYkNEL4XRlGUrzaMBnxZ2Hc8wb8YRhjx1s1tLJR9L12jvAEeba9ot1VQ3Dokm7VTE6TkEVUe38/s1600-h/IMG_0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio2YlMHYBex00s5_15cdGnWMRMEQvY3YjAbsxyQdqJPWGsQz2_rr6RGkYh20Vv82QutYkNEL4XRlGUrzaMBnxZ2Hc8wb8YRhjx1s1tLJR9L12jvAEeba9ot1VQ3Dokm7VTE6TkEVUe38/s400/IMG_0241.JPG" /></a><br /></div>Calling all hot sauce collectors! Here is your holy grail. Ok, some people can't cope with the label but I think it's nothing short of brilliant. Lovingly crafted by multi-talented artisan (and waiter) Bob Fernandez using Stigler's Farm tabasco peppers, smoked paprika (hence the "smokey butt"), vinegar and salt. Aged one month as mash and "open top" finished for one week. I tried some on grits and got a super warm, palate encompassing heat that pleasantly lingered on the middle of my tongue. Seriously hot but not stupidly hot. I have yet to see if it lives up to it's name. Only <i>six</i> bottles produced. If I play my cards right maybe I can get one next year...Etienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8660909982501016731.post-88317012345206075852009-12-06T17:05:00.006-05:002009-12-21T20:23:10.404-05:00When citrus reigns SUPREMEOne of the things I look forward to every winter is all the great citrus fruit piling up at markets at great prices. Red rubies, navel oranges, blood oranges, satsumas (one of the best tangerines) and all their wonderful kin. A great way to expand your citrus horizons is to learn how to cut supremes. A supreme is a citrus section that has been cut out to exclude the outer peel (and pith) and the separating membrane. It's not hard to do, and kind of fun, but you do need a little practice. Once you have a nice little pile of these babies you can store them in the fridge and throw them into salads on a whim or use them to accompany raw, smoked, or seared seafood. Don't be afraid to go savory with salt, pepper, olive oil, hard cheeses, balsamic, avocado, etc. They are also great to just eat alone as a snack or dessert. Kids that won't even look at a grapefruit will gobble these down like gummy bears. Here's a video of how to turn your paring knife into a citrus saber with Syd Barret's <SPAN style="font-style:italic;">Baby Lemonade</SPAN> in the background. enjoy!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxlo4he6CvssHtQodJ3K8Yc5NeNUIGk7Pmhm8IRbXdo6c5IRejG9q5BssruskxDeDKWMouOW37QYf0xBMwWug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Etienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8660909982501016731.post-16030421418909110302009-12-02T09:34:00.000-05:002009-12-02T09:34:12.523-05:00Shift LogThere are few antics to report from last night because we were so jamming. From 7 to 9:30 there was an ass in every seat. The patio was packed with a six course wine tasting dinner with rivers of 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape flowing (including two bad-ass whites, ignore white CdP at your own peril!). Then a fifteen top of twenty somethings descended like a flock of starlings. The house was <em>buzzing</em> and everybody brought their A-game. No drama, no raised voices, great looking plates flying out of the kitchen at an alarming rate, drinks flowing off the bar (nice work Sarah!). You couldn't even get into the dish washing station cause there were two or three people in there unloading at any given moment. Then, suddenly at 10:30, the place emptied out all at once, like after a concert or something. It was kind of weird doing our closing work without the soft din of a few late tables riding out a nice dinner. Oh well...the machine had done it's job...time to turn it off and go home...Etienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8660909982501016731.post-12351913474132455142009-12-02T09:00:00.003-05:002009-12-02T09:07:48.439-05:00Spatchcock--the breakdancing turkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Need to cook a twelve pound turkey in an hour and ten minutes? Spatchcock that sucker. My mom (who keeps me abreast of what's going on in Martha Stewart world) hipped me to this. A Spatchcock is a game bird or small chicken that's been butterflyed for easy grilling but the same technique will work for a twelve pound gobbler on a half-sheet pan. You need some poulty shears but you will save time, oven space, and end up with a moister bird. Check it:<br />
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Brine your turbo bird in 1 cup salt per gallon of water for 4-6 hours<br />
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Remove turbo from his bath, towel off, and put him breast down on a half sheet pan or large rimmed baking sheet. Use some poultry shears to cut along each side of the backbone. This takes some hand strength and will emit some gnarly bone cracking sounds. Don't worry---It's all good!<br />
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</div>Flip the bird and snip the wishbone in half. To find it, push on the area between the breasts and you'll feel it.<br />
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Flip the bird back over and push down hard on the breast until the wishbone cracks and the breasts flatten.<br />
Grease it up (top and bottom) with some olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings (no salt though!)<br />
Cook at 450 for 70 minutes or until the inside of the thigh reads 165 on a meat thermometer<br />
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Put your bird on a platter and let the sheet pan cool off. Then pour your precious pan juices into a fat separator, or if you like things lo-tech like me, pour into some plastic cups and let the fat rise to the top. Slit the bottom of the cup over a saucepan and let the dark juice drizzle out. When the lighter colored fat floating on top gets close to the hole, plug it with your finger and toss it.<br />
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Scrape the gooey goodness off the sheet pan (I'm weird, I use old credit cards--it's good to wash your debt)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like to put a little red wine and some shallots or garlic in the saucepan and let it reduce a bit. Turkey and "gravy" in two hours!<br />
</div>Etienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8660909982501016731.post-33295103177885865922009-11-28T22:38:00.003-05:002009-11-29T21:35:50.448-05:00Secret Sip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNIh9jSu3qe1QS0HpnbpbFJguLsqMQV0NReLbkZvEQMXL3zoqmX08_7Ig49opUIWApAbY_wts_ScXeYP4h5nqZ3YTf6fQm6JR8lMp0Vjydp-riIo4gu8SGZDpqWCOnqoKMVVCQ6uQ1vE/s1600/IMG_0119.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408226577607501746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNIh9jSu3qe1QS0HpnbpbFJguLsqMQV0NReLbkZvEQMXL3zoqmX08_7Ig49opUIWApAbY_wts_ScXeYP4h5nqZ3YTf6fQm6JR8lMp0Vjydp-riIo4gu8SGZDpqWCOnqoKMVVCQ6uQ1vE/s400/IMG_0119.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Secret Sip is a wine guessing game we play after our shift at 5 & 10. Under a shroud of secrecy, resident wine dork (sorry...</span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wine Director) </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Steve Grubbs pulls something out of the cellar, decants it, and then makes us wait like an hour (which seems like an eternity at 10pm) for whatever he's opened to put on it's makeup and get presentable. Just when we've all given up hope, five glasses appear and we all scurry off to our little sipping dens. Eyebrows furrow, non verbal savouring sounds are emitted, and we slowly sneak up on, stumble over, or completely sidestep the wine's true identity. What's great is we get to try some high-end stuff without laying out too much money (we find that splitting the cost of the bottle and buying it from the restaurant does wonders for job security). So that's the Secret Sip protocol. Tonight's victim is detailed below</span><br />
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<div><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grubbs:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> did you try it yet?</span><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRD_xG7n4XPDu_36y_sC5idZrZ0r8_fiwmYET64cKuduWhll99YQe46xQzqEcWxnHJ4Xk-RJVl1kV3tXPqkoPB3Bt8dE0umI9Up8mOBvdhyyQ5Smyw4sL4uXZYobfRLZ_GmQHr6S1wFQ/s1600/IMG_0122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRD_xG7n4XPDu_36y_sC5idZrZ0r8_fiwmYET64cKuduWhll99YQe46xQzqEcWxnHJ4Xk-RJVl1kV3tXPqkoPB3Bt8dE0umI9Up8mOBvdhyyQ5Smyw4sL4uXZYobfRLZ_GmQHr6S1wFQ/s400/IMG_0122.JPG" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">me:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> no I've just been smelling it....hold on.......</span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">dang</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...that is some grown-up wine</span><br />
</div><div><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grubbs:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> yeah, very adult...like a well-dressed older man.</span><br />
</div><div><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">me:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> yeah but one that was serious and disciplined even when he was younger...</span><br />
</div><div><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grubbs:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Totally.</span><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will spare you the blow by blow of us trying to figure out what it was. I got pretty close, but with lots of hints, and when Grubbs did "the reveal" I understood why I was so intruiged and confused. </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quintarelli</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> makes wines that are in such a league of their own that they are baffling. This </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Secco Ca' del Merlo</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is primarily Garganega, with some Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in there too. so it's like a doctored, supercharged Soave. To me, this wine screamed "oxygen rich winemaking" with primary fruit flavors giving way to complex layers that repeatedly beg the question "</span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">what am I tasting?</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" </span> <br />
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</div>Etienne de Rocherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900407827817064892noreply@blogger.com0