However, this piece of meat has been on my mind lately...tri-tip. (BTW, Fresno Bites, nice pics from the weekend) This triangular piece of glorified sirloin has consumed much of my foodie thought time. Why does Fresno love it so much? When did I first eat this cut? Where was I? Who cooked it? How was it cooked? Who was I with? Is this cut nostalgic like Me N'Ed's regardless of quality? Why can't you get this cut at Fleming's or Ruth's Chris? Who invented liquid soap and why? (those old Cusack movies were far less serious than The Raven)

Anyway, enjoy the week.

Café Campagnia

A late afternoon lunch after I flew in of classic steak tartare on toast. Simple and lovely. A bonus of fennel quiche was so buttery and rich, I wish I had that over my plate of raw meat. I never seem to have a bad meal at the Cafe. I love this Seattle institution.

Harbour Public House

Stopped in for a couple pints and some oysters. Deep fried oyster sliders were good, nice fry job and the regular shucked oysters were tasty as well. As for pints, I know they were local, one was a porter and one was an IPA and they both went down without much trouble. They also had a dumb waiter that carried the food from the kitchen to the bar area based on some conveyer system that looked cool.

Lola

The grape leaf wrapped trout is a great idea, however, the grape leaf and skin was so heavily scorched it was unedible. The trout itself was good, but overcooked and nearly dry. The charmoula scented squid was good, but the fajita plate they served it on burnt the red onions they were served with. Service was rocky and inexperienced. One upside, we did try about 6 different wines before we settled on some Greek white.

After a solid opening month experience at The Coterie Room several months ago, I have less than exemplary thoughts about McCracken and Tough’s restaurant next door, Spur.

While the meal was ok, I’m a little more critical of service elements. Sorry, no pictures, it was too dark, so instead I've added some pics of Pike's Place Market.

I don’t like attitude and I don’t care for aloof servers and staff based upon the fact that the restaurant seems to be busy all the time. I’m glad for the success of Spur and that it is a busy establishment.

When I’m instructed by the hostess to “go across the street to the bar and come back in 45 minutes” and I obey the instructions of the hostess and return promptly in 45 minutes to the reception, “oh, I thought you weren’t coming back…something will free up soon” attitude; I should have gone somewhere else. Too bad it’s 9:30 already and my options are limited.

Which leads me to ordering at the table. The sign on the door and website say open “5pm to Close”. Which, when we finally were finally seated was roughly 9:45; we asked how long the kitchen would be open. “As late as people are here, generally”.

 My response, “So no rush?”

“No rush”, says the server.

 Great.

Sounded good in theory, but practice was, he wanted us to order everything before 10pm, which is why he and the hostess came by the table 5 times in 10 minute period to ask if we were ready and if we’d like to get an order in. Perhaps they were simply being attentive, but my gut says it was motivated by a desire to close out asap.

Merguez with chickpeas and hummus (chickpeas were way too salty which I had sent back) but the merguez was good. The burger and fries were average. The fries weren’t fresh, they were cold when they arrived. The burger itself was good, and cooked medium rare as requested with the red onion jam similar to the sweet/sour flavor from Father’s Office in Santa Monica. The fries being stone cold were another indication that the kitchen really isn’t open “till Close”. I’d rather the restaurant simply state the kitchen closes at 10pm or 9:30 or has a limited menu at a certain time.

I hate that my last impression of Spur is cold French fries, when my first impression of Coterie was perfect chicharon. I guess I'm batting .500 with McCracken and Tough.

Normally, I’d reserve chicken fried steak for camping trips on the East Side of California, namely Highway 395, with my brother. Chicken fried steak isn’t light. It’s appropriate to eat chicken fried steak after hiking 10 miles and, in this case, drinking Japanese Scotch till 2am.

Local 360’s version of chicken fried steak is fairly classic, except for the sherry cream sauce with mushrooms. My two over easy eggs are cooked as requested. My cheesy, buttery grits are also plate licking good. The fry job on my steak is great, good seasoning and fairly tender beef. I’m happy and I’m stuffed. 

In terms of great breakfast meals, chicken fried steak is right up there with chilaquiles, perfect French pastry, blueberry pancakes, and ful. And I’d be happy to eat this meal again. Nothing like planning a breakfast at 2am on the way back to the hotel.

I did the random walk onto Bainbridge Island with a stop earlier in the day at the only distillery on the island, Bainbridge Distillery). It was later in the day and it was snack time. There are choices on Bainbridge, but the one that stuck out to me was posted in large letters on the window, Charcuterie. As luck would have it, this deli is attached to Hitchcock, a restaurant on the foodie scene in the Seattle area. I was unaware that Hitchcock was a big deal, but evidently it has turned some heads, as many restaurants have, with its dedication to high quality proteins and seasonal produce.

As is my standard, the house smoked pastrami sandwich with melted cheese and seasoned red cabbage had to be my choice. There were two options for pastrami, regular and “Piled High”. I opted for the regular portion and it was more than satisfactory. The pastrami was delicious, the richness and hint of smoke went a step beyond other pastrami sandwiches. While the pastrami was not traditional, in that it was lightly smoked, it added a depth of flavor that I couldn’t get enough of. Lightly pickled red cabbage added more pop, more crunch than normal sour sauerkraut, but again, not traditional.

This is where I don’t mind an updated interpretation of a classic Reuben, when generally, I like a classic take. Care is taken with each ingredient, there’s a purpose to the combination, the final result achieves the balance in the original and is a complimentary to the original. 

Maybe next time, I’ll get a chance to eat at the main restaurant or at least, take home a half-pound of that pastrami.

Also, the picture of the perfectly pulled espresso is also from the deli. They have a hand-crafted Bosco espresso machine, both beautiful to look at and it makes wonderful espresso when pulled by someone who knows the subtlies and personality of the machine. Yes, Bosco machines have personality, just like a Ferrari does.

There are a range of choices from simple, bread, butter and jam to Ful Medames, a dish I haven’t had since I returned from Egypt. Everything is farm fresh or baked that day. As I spied plates coming from the kitchen, nothing looked boring, everything had color and vibrancy.

Of course I was going to order the ful, it looked too good to pass up, plus the nostalgia factor of a fond memory in North Africa. The Ful Medames was delicious, with deep flavor and a wonderful soft boiled egg. For some, cold, heavily spiced lentils with fresh herbs isn’t breakfast, but to me, absolutely fabulous. I actually got a half order of ful and a full order of bread and butter, because I knew I was going to have all sorts of things to sop up on the plate. 

Perhaps a more traditional second course of an open face corned beef sandwich over a delicious slice of crusty bread with an egg on top, would appeal to more people. I don’t think I could lose at this place. The corned beef had a nice balance of spice, tenderness, and texture that made me dream of true sandwich for lunch, topped with mustard and sauerkraut.

I liked my experience at Sitka and Spruce. Vibrant dishes, an open atmosphere, hearty food, I’d make the walk up Capitol Hill any day.

My bro and I were big fans of the television program Northern Exposure. The town it was filmed in was actually in Washington, not Alaska. Adam Arkin was one of my favorite characters on the show aka, The Crazy Cook. Here's a shot from that earlier trip from a town outside of Seattle.

Another favorite show centered around Seattle was Frasier, again, two brothers who sometimes don't know when to shut up, kinda like us.

So here are five days in a row of my recent 2012 trip to Seattle. Enjoy.

However, I did stop in to have a burger and a beer a couple weeks back at Pinot Wine Bar in the Tower. I must say, an outstanding burger Chef! I don't know what Martin's menu is going to be on the truck or if he can bang out burgers; but if he can knock them out of his truck as good as the one I had, Chef Martin will have no trouble being THE force to reckon with in the food truck scene. 

I know, I know, lots of competition for a burger in Fresno. Lots of other sandwiches to choose from. Lots to prove once Martin gets rolling. I know. He'll be judged again in the truck.

Let's just hope that Chef Martin and others thinking about joining the foodie scene is a preview of how good the competition is getting and why I keep writing Open Letters to the first wave of gourmet food trucks and blogger cafes; there's always a fresh face looking to take down last year's number one.

May 7, 2012

“The man that wages a battle on all fronts is weak on all fronts” Sun Tzu

Since my recent open letter to Dusty Buns and the feedback I received from the topic, I’ve thought more about another local foodie sensation, Keith’s Box Car Café’. I’m troubled, perplexed, but hopeful. 

While most Fresnans have become accustomed to the “Mix and Match Menu Approach” to franchise restaurants; defined as huge menus of every combination one can think of to cook chicken or serve a burger at Cheesecake Factory; this mix and match approach does not work well for Keith’s Box Car, Trelio or Cracked Pepper.

A recent runaway foodie favorite is Keith’s Box Car Café. Keith runs specials every day of the week in addition to his regular menu. Specials are good marketing and good restaurant management. It allows the chef to experiment with new dishes and see where demand from his customers drives sales. If a special sells out each time it’s featured, perhaps that becomes a replacement menu item to an otherwise boring or slow selling menu item.

You may not believe it, but Trelio, Cracked Pepper and Keith’s have something in common…long prep times on certain signature dishes and sides that are not easily manufactured into a variety of uses or don’t taste very good when used on Day 2. If Keith decides to make brisket or Mike at Trelio makes short ribs, those items take several hours of cooking. No one just whips up a beef short ribs or beef brisket on the fly during service.

True, a brisket can be used in a variety of ways. But the chef has to decide early on how many combinations will the brisket be used that day. Why? Firstly, because left-over BBQ doesn’t taste as good on day two. Secondly, food cost considerations.  I think we can all agree, left-over beef, chicken, and pork BBQ never taste good the second day. But the second point, that of food ordering and costs, requires a bit more explanation.

The brisket could be used in a sandwich with a daily prepared sauce, hence Keith’s daily special. The advantage? Think the Dusty Buns model, 2 sandwich choices and frequent sell-outs. But what happens if a VIP comes in to Keith's and requests something from the “Underground” menu; a brisket sandwich with roasted green chili? Or a special sauce? Or a bread he didn’t order that day?

I joke about Chuck Norris coming in and ordering a Big Mac from Keith. Why? Because I seriously think Keith would try and make it for him. Keith isn't going the extra mile to please customers. He's going 5 extra miles. But does it make the most economic sense long-term?

Keith’s doesn’t have the scale Cheesecake Factory has in order to make 20 different sides to add to 80 different combinations. Food costs are too high. Keith probably has the scale, as he advertises, for “Today’s Special”, not last week’s special. Keith should shoulder the burden of some low cost “additions” to regular items and specials, an extra sauce or special topping. But should Keith prep and order extra food on the off chance a VIP will come in that day and get their “Underground” special? My answer is an unequivocal NO.

To give credit where credit is due, Dusty Buns, smartly, can make the “Underground Egg-Man” all day long, it’s simply a fried egg added to a sandwich. As long as Dustin has eggs, he can make an Egg-Man. Keith needs to have low-cost, easily added "Underground Specials" that are bolted on to regular menu items.

The empirical choices in smaller, local, foodie type establishments are: 

1. A high number of staple menu items with slow turnover (increasing food costs and prep time) to please the pedestrian eater with generic burgers and hot dogs, combined with specialized items and one-offs (higher food costs) for VIPs and foodies, like the brisket and pulled pork
2. The Dusty Buns model of extremely limited menu choices that regularly sell out.
3. Adding the top-selling “specials” to a small, easy to prepare regular menu, removing weaker menu items frequently and continuing to advertise specials; thus refreshing the menu regularly and maintaining a basket of staples, keeping most VIPs (aka Foodies) happy and opening up more options for first-time customers. Basically, the same prescription I gave for Dusty Buns except Keith has the opposite problem, too many items and too many exceptions.

Keith’s and Dusty Buns have the difficult job of incorporating intuition with sales receipts and customer feedback. Only the best can do this without the aid of a POS system. Parma is an example of a restaurant in Fresno with no POS and only paper tickets for tracking customer orders. They seem to be doing fine after 10 years, so lack of a POS is no excuse for poor management.

My two cents for Keith: Focus on your BBQ staples, pulled pork and brisket. I’m hearing good things about those two items (when they’re cooked and served only on Day 1) and have tasted the pork a couple times. Keep trying stuff and figure out how to combine a couple staple menu items with a fresh brisket or fresh pork and sell out EVERY DAY. Be the guy in town that DOESN’T serve tri-tip because it’s a default Fresno choice. Forget about tri-tip Keith. You know it has to be done fresh and most places in Fresno have a below average tri-tip to begin with. “Refreshing” pre-sliced tri-tip in a broth bath isn’t the way to go and you know it.

I hear good things about the breakfast burrito. Be a one trick pony with burritos, sell the crap out of them. They’re low cost and breakfast is one area that restricted variety works, think Egg McMuffin vs. Sausage McMuffin. Keith’s Breakfast burrito with Salsa Verde or Salsa Rojo. You want cheese with that? How many customers have come in for pancakes and eggs? Knock out 50-75 burritos every morning and word will spread, then you can forget about pancakes. And you’re overhead will be paid by 9am with that many burritos.

I think your lasagna is a brilliant idea and can ONLY be served fresh on the first day. I’m an Italian food snob, so I probably won’t try it, but who cares about me, I’m a BBQ fan. If the pork or brisket is fresh and I know it’s fresh that day, I’ll drive across town for lunch. If it’s Day 2 BBQ, I’m cooking my own pasta at home.

I think Keith’s Box Car is on the right track, figuratively and literally, it just needs to operate more like Swiss Rail, rather than Amtrak.

Regards,

The Cured Ham

My experience with the food at Mateo’s was limited; I only had one dish, the halibut ceviche and two salsas. In a high-end place like Mateo’s, the easiest comparison for me as to what I expect of refined Mexican food is Frontera Grill in Chicago. I’ve eaten at Frontera more times than I can count and have eaten the ceviche nearly every visit. The food Chef Bayless prepares in Chicago is authentic, regional Mexican cuisine. It’s refined, but not fussy or pretentious. It has a Mid-Western sensibility about it.

Mateo’s is what I would expect from a restaurant rated highly by Michael Bauer but without Mid-West or in this case, Healdsburg sensibility. With the level of refinement in Mateo’s cooking, one would expect a Michelin Bib or perhaps one star scoring, “a must stop” along the foodie trail in Healdsburg. But refined Mexican cuisine requires balance and with the heat coming off the salsas I sampled, I have difficulty believing this place will get a nod. When spicy food sticks with me to the point I can’t taste anything else but heat and I’m beginning to mark time as to how long I’m in pain, it’s not fun anymore. The ceviche is lovely to look at and well executed, but has no hearty soul. Mateo can probably make beans, rice, and corn chips look pretty. But I want beans, rice, and corn chips to make me feel satisfied.

Barndiva, Dry Creek Kitchen, and Cyrus make sense in Healdsburg with glitz, glamour, and the cuisine to match the wine country they reside in. I expect a certain degree of premium pricing and a certain degree of calculated arrogance about the food.

Mateo’s Mexican food is inspired by his former position as chef at Dry Creek Kitchen.

Translation: It’s overwrought and pretentious.

One classic Mexican staple stands out at Mateo’s as simply out of touch; guacamole made with high-end extra virgin olive oil. Really? No one expects olive oil in guacamole even if it’s made in wine country and even if Dry Creek Valley has its own olive press. What people want with guacamole is a heaping bowl of it along with chips and a beer! Not extra virgin olive oil.

There are other troubling factors at work, namely price and expectations.

It’s $10 for a single taco at Mateo’s. Hefty price tag for a single taco. A popular spot for residents and visitors of Healdsburg is El Farolito, just down the block from Mateo’s. A Super Burrito costs $7.25. Most taco shops in town have a la carte  tacos on their menu for $1.25 to $3.50 per taco.  Execution, ambiance, and ingredients are totally different at Mateo’s versus Mexican restaurants in Healdsburg, but what about the perception of value?

A single hand-crafted margarita at Mateo’s is $12.Once again, a pitcher of Rita’s will set you back $24 at El Farolito. I know, the quality of the tequila is different, but that isn’t the point. The point is perception of why one usually enters a Mexican restaurant in Healdsburg. Value.

Another factor beyond price is the wine country experience and pairing wine with your food.

When in wine country, most people drink wine. When food is hot and spicy, what wine would possibly pair with it? None or a few select varietals. This makes it even harder for the weekend visitor to reconcile spending hard-earned money for a weekend away in wine country to drink tequila and beer. By the way, for tequila and mezcal drinks, there is no better place to go in town than Mateo’s. Knowledgeable bartenders and a great selection of tequila, if you want to try new tequilas, Mateo’s is the place.

As for the weekend Bay Area visitor, deciding with your spouse between Michelin rated Italian, American, or French inspired food and pairing it with your treasured $150 Cabernet or browsing the wine encyclopedia at Cyrus or Barndiva is what Bay Area visitors think about when they come to Healdsburg. Not a $10 taco or guacamole made with olive oil, no matter how good they are.

Look at the closed Shimo Restaurant across the street. Severely overpriced food in an atmosphere that didn’t exude or warrant it will never gain the favor of locals and only a few critics. And critics won’t keep your doors open for very long.

Mateo’s should take a lesson from Scopa, Diavola, Zin, and Willi’s…make your atmosphere more inviting and your food less fussy (but don't skimp on quality) and you’ll be in business for a long time AND get the critics to come in. The perception of being overwrought and overpriced will keep locals away.

So if Mateo’s is only a place for critics like Michael Bauer to visit and not a place to dwell for people who live in Healdsburg or the casual weekend traveler from the Bay Area, who’s coming here? I want Mateo's to succeed and it has a place in the Healdsburg dining scene. But Chef, don’t charge $10 for a single taco or put extra virgin olive oil in your guacamole…I don’t care how good they are.