February 10, 2010

Sorry there were are lot of calls for the name of that Greek restaurant on my lasted post. It was called Taxim.

I did not get back to my blog last week. I was training staff in the kitchen almost the whole time.

This week we are gearing up for a very busy next couple of weeks. We have Valentine's Day weekend which we will be running a special menu combining Lemon Grass and Bistro Elephant Friday though Sunday. Then with no mercy we jump into two weeks of Downtown Dining. These are weeks that will separate my weak staff and my strong staff, the men from the boys and we will see who has real "True Blood!"

Downtown Dining Week(s) is a promotion we run with the Syracuse Downtown Committee running February 15th - 27th. Us and eighteen other area restaurants offer a three-course menu for $25. This is the time when we can't look at our profit margin, it is the time to recruit and build a new customer base for the upcoming year. We only wish that they will have a good time, enjoy the price, food, service and atmosphere.

The menu will include your choice of appetizer, salad and entree including and eight ounce filet mignon. We will also feature about eight different wines that will be so so so deeply on sale. We will run a different menu each week. Week 1 February 15 - 21, Week 2 February 22 - 27.

For the foodies out there we started to carry Foi Gras from France, not Hudson Valley (also very good too!) They are so light, fluffy and rich you will like them.

I got pork belly in and will start to cook it today. I will use five spices, molasses, some chili peppers and a lot more herbs. I'm going to see how my weird dipping sauce will work with this. If I like it maybe I will share with my customers.

Your Chef,

Max