The casseroles of memory

Truth be told, I really enjoy the more basic and simple foods. I just want them made fresh that day, in a timely manner, and consistent for however long it is that I find a place that can execute all of that. The majority of your respective city's top joints, on the other hand, don't cater to that. They cater to the eater who wants to be wowed, who wants a once in a lifetime experience. This is what I'm finding is so backward in logic from what it would take to run a thriving business. Keep in mind that one's "love of food" won't keep the lights on if you can't bring in repeat business. The place I'm currently working doesn't seem to grasp that fact. They've essentially built a reputation on the fact that you never know what you're going to get but it is probably going to be spectacular. This being the case, you get a lot of what we got last night....six covers. I know it can be argued that in the long run this can set the restaurant apart from the sea of others that do boring stuff. Maybe so, but the place has been open now for 12 years and it is in trouble. The place is no longer a destination but a curiousity...it exists in an area of town that is widely viewed as being on life support. As any aspiring chef will note, they're are dishes, ingredients, and flavors that started their journey. The first time you ate garlic, oysters, ketchup or whatever it was in your local area that made you crave it. This is why I can't believe that this core concept isn't grasped more widely. Make a menu that is designed around the memories of the public in that area...native dishes done with the same love and affection that weird-ass Aunt Ida used to make at the family reunion...and to make her flip in her grave, pair them with wine.

Otherwise, your creativity becomes a trend...like dare I say it, fusion...and we all know what happens to trends. They are vanished to memory like Coca Cola polo shirts, rolling up your jeans, and gangsta rap.

I'll toss some ideas out next post.