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earth2table: Menu Management
April 5, 2007

“The menu can not be a haphazard listing of food the kitchen produces.” (Donald Wade in Successful Restaurant Management: From Vision to Execution, Thompson Delmar Learning, 2006)

It’s time to begin showing the fruits of our efforts. I’ve decided to lay out the menus—the small-plate menu and wine, beverage and beer lists—on 4¼- by-11 in. pieces of paper printed side by side on 8½ in.- by-11 in. pages, with our “wood cut” background used as a watermark. The food menus will be light brown, while the wine and beverage menus will be light green;

The menus are several pages long with small metal rings in the upper left-hand corners holding them together. These small, lightweight compilations will allow customers to hold onto the menus throughout their meals without taking up too much valuable table real estate and will give them the ability to graze easily by choosing additional items. It also allows us to easily change items by slipping new pages in and out on a daily (even hourly) basis.

The food menu is broken down into multiple categories, including the following:

• Raw, Cured, Marinated & Barely Cooked
• Salads & Soups
• From the Wood Burning Oven
• Vegetables
• From the Plancha
• Braised, Steamed & Fried
• Innard, Offals & Organs
• Cheese
• Sweets
• Coffee
• Tea

There are currently more than 30 items on the small-plates menu. I know, it’s a bit much, but that’s what recipe testing is for. Speaking of recipe testing, I spoke and did several demos at the Northwest Foodservice Show in Portland, Ore., this past weekend on “The Taste of Terroir.” The program described the session as a chance for attendees to “Learn about the flavors and techniques of award-winning chef and author of The Sustainable Kitchen , Stu Stein. He will lead us on an exploration of the new menu at Terroir, his flagship restaurant in Portland which is a model of sustainability and culinary innovation.”

One dish I showcased from the menu was Marinated Leeks with Poached Egg, Sheep’s Milk Cheese & Mustard Vinaigrette. It’s reminiscent of Salade Lyonnais, originally made using bitter greens with rendered bacon and soft-cooked eggs and often served with herring, anchovies and/or sheep's feet and chicken livers. My Marinated Leek Salad is a triple threat: braised leeks with a puréed-leek vinaigrette and quickly blanched leeks as garnish. It’s got a good beat—and you can dance to it.

And the journey continues.

Cheers!

Stu

Comments or questions? E-mail Chef Stu at StuStein@rimag.com

Posted by Stu Stein on April 5, 2007 | Comments (0)