Graduation day is right around the corner and we are trying so hard to fill our chairs to capacity. If everything goes according to schedule we should served about one thousand customers this weekend. The kitchen and front have been staffed, kitchen orders have been placed and now we are just tying up a few loose ends with the menu.

Here are just a few of our specials for the weekend:

Fresh Canadian diver scallops from North Coast, huge U-5 shrimp, Chilean Sea Bass and Belon Oysters from JP. I am also trying to get the "whale" soft shell crab instead of the "prime." The "prime" looks like crickets they are so small. Of course we will also have Russian King Crab and Kobe, Dry Aged and Prime Beef.

Steve our sales rep from our "partner" Palmer Foods gave us more time on our account. He has been good to us but I always make him work for his order. We are not the type of restaurant that will just order 300lbs of haddock every week. He must watch the quality, price and have good timing to earn a good order. He does a good job that is why he has been with us for years.

Our relationship with Palmer Foods is getting a lot better. They seem to understand the need of a fine dinning establishment. Their seafood program has greatly improved and we are very happy with their company right now. Thanks to everyone from Steve all the way to Mr. Palmer himself!

I will spend the rest of the week preparing for Graduation Weekend. I will talk to you all next week.

Your Chef,

Max

After 13 hard weeks at the Grass it seems like everything is slowing down a little. This is good for everybody. At the very least we get to relax for a day or two but we all know that this is the calm before the big storm!

Today I even had enough time to fix some issues with my eggplant appetizer. We are using Japanese purple eggplant. It is available year round but we are having a hard time keeping it in stock because it bruises so easily and has a short self life. I just got a new baby eggplant in from California. They are so very nice, young, tender and most of all they are so yummy.

We sliced them real thin and made a quick grill with sea salt and olive oil. Then we rolled them up and served them over our double roasted pepper sauce and more olive oil.

Our lunch menu is getting old and out dated so it is time to polish it up a bit. I had enough time to work with Scott on a new shrimp entree. Now a days, since we have a lot of Japanese influence around the Square, why don't we just follow the trend and make them look more attractive and taste better.

First of all I am thinking about tempura shrimp. How can I make them light, fresh and fast on every order with out pulling them out of a box from the freezer and popping them into the grease fryer? It took me half the day but I think I got it. Now I just have to work on the presentation I have already a couple preliminary drafts down.

I will pile the shrimp high over a bed of sushi rice serve it with Japanese pickles or greens. The price will be in the $11.50 range.  Remember this is just one of my ideas. You will not see it on the menu until I am completely satisfied.

This lunch menu is going to be the best! Just give me a week or so.

Your Chef,

Max

BTW Kevin my web kid is working on fixing the photo problem so we can have a better time together.

Last week was really hard for me. We had parties everyday from Monday all the way to "My Best Friend's Daughter's Wedding" on Saturday. 50 - 55 hours is normal for a full time chef.

From the second week of January, most of our new staff (2 - 15 months) stared to leave, some of them left us to different places that needed the Grass's staff to bring their restaurant to the "next level".. yes, this was their actual words that they told me.

Good for them! Every cook wants to be a chef, every young chef wants to have their own restaurant. They want to show the world this is what they have, some of them very good, but 98% of them are not ready.

Of course I'm training a new batch of staff again. They are more willing to listen and learn than the ones I had before. They make mistakes like everybody does but they are making a lot less of them!

We are using them for fabrication on the line service. Now all we need from them is speed and precision. They will be good in less than two weeks.

Since we are talking about the kitchen today, may I clarify what I mean about my Number 1 guy in the kitchen...

Number 1 in the Grass's kitchen is the guy that takes the position as the saute man. He can read and manage the tickets wisely, most likely running the Grass's entree line which is the most expensive line but not the hardest line to run. You must be a good line cook to be successful. You will work along with one other cook, two on a busy night.

Some restaurants may call him the line chef which is okay by me, but I'd like to make it clear this position is not the Grass's Chef.

Chef is not just a title. A chef has to know how to manage his kitchen - labor, food cost, marketing (which comes with hundreds of things to learn), and it requires their whole heart and soul.

Your Chef,

Max