Friday, 8/27/10 – Level 5 Day 16 (Garde Manger)

It's amazing that a small room, situated just off the main restaurant kitchen, can be a completely different world from the Poissonnier, Saucier and Entremetier stations just feet away. I'm finally in Garde Manger, traditionally the "cold" appetizers even though we serve some warm, and am finishing up the last few classes of Level 5. It's unbelievable that the level has passed so quickly, yet I'm starting to feel antsy and anxious to graduate. (P.S. we were told the program is nine months. I'm still trying to figure out how January 6^th – October 26^th equals nine months…)

We have a new chef in Garde Manger: a tall, shy Frenchman (shock!) who barely says a word the entire time. We arrived for class, and he already had a dry-erase board on the wall with the night's tasks listed out in order of importance – hey, this is my kind of guy!! He explained to each of us our tasks for the night in the shortest and least-worded way possible, then went right back to work completing the To Do list along with us. Wait, hold the phone – this guy actually works?? Yes. Not only did he have a bunch of stuff done before we even arrived, he continued to help us complete our tasks throughout the night. He seemed content at his cutting board, silently rolling out puff pastry and slicing plums, but I kept wanting to interrupt him and say in truncated English, "We take care! Thank you for help!" On second thought, I'm sure he understands English perfectly, so I'll make a mental note to not be a total ass.

Surprise surprise – we were completely done and cleaned up around 7:15pm – a full forty-five minutes before service started. It was a great feeling, and we were able to relax and fully prepare for dinner even though we knew it would be a slow-ish Friday night. Our dishes are absolutely beautiful (and incredibly delicious) – Fluke Carpaccio with a Yuzu Vinaigrette, Fluke Roe, Julienned Radishes, Crispy Croutons, Kalamata Olives and Mint, and the second dish is a Warm Puff Pastry Tart with Herby Goat Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes, topped with Arugula Balsamic Salad. I normally do not like goat cheese, but it's so subtle with the warm tart and tomatoes…yum! The fluke is also amazingly well-rounded with the salty roe, the citrus yuzu, crispy croutons and sweet mint. It was a huge seller, with every table ordering at least one plate of fluke. I hope they didn't recoil when it reached their table and they realized that carpaccio is a pile of raw fish sprinkled with fish eggs. Personally, that's my thing…but I recognize the fact that not everyone enjoys raw protein.

In Garde Manger, we also handle the digestif, a small palate-cleansing course between the meat and dessert meant to help you better digest your meal. It consists of a small plate with miniature piles of different-tasting items and is usually served with some sort of alcohol, but we just provide the food. Right now, we're serving two slices of marinated plums, a bite of goat cheese sorbet, a rosemary cracker and a small pile of bitter arugula. Each diner gets the same thing, so it's not hard to execute, but considering it's served right before dessert means that we cannot leave until the last diner has finished his/her dinner. On Friday, that was 11:15pm, because there was a table in private dining that was enjoying their bottle of wine and no-doubt stimulating conversation. In New York City, Friday night dinner past 11pm is not unordinary, so we simply sat back in our clean and empty kitchen and waited…and waited…and waited for the waiters to tell us that the table was ready for their digestif. I felt bad for the pastry students, who still hadn't gotten the pastry orders when we were packing up and leaving for the night. It's the nature of the business, though, and I was just happy that they were enjoying their meal enough to take their time with each course. Although one of my friends in Saucier told me that a guy at that table had sent back his steak because it wasn't "medium enough." Fair - if you pay for a meal you should get it exactly how you want it. I'm curious, though, if his second steak was "too medium;" that wouldn't surprise me.

Today, I celebrate the fact that a quarter of a century ago a wonderful woman named Ginger gave birth to a little boy that God had already determined would someday be my world. Happy Birthday Steve!