Business pretty much squashed at the restaurant due to weather. Gearing up for a slammed Friday, was nice to be able to just chill and get to know the staff a bit better, bond a bit and feel cozy. Of course, a dead day like this will kill a restaurant eventually, so I guess I shouldn't be too happy about it....but still, it's a grind. Got to see a friend after work who has been having a hard time of things, nice to be able to find time to lend her an ear. I would'vegone home, but the Sweet B was fast asleep! I look forward to catching her conscious on Sunday.
BREAKFAST: 9am, cashew cake donut, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: noon, small slice of Sicilian, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2pm, small amount of rootbeer float
Experimenting with what's on hand to make a new menu item.
LUNCH: 3:30pm, oven roasted trout, garlic bread, chicory salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
L has really been getting into making staff lunch, a step away from the pizza grind. This time he ordered a case of whole trout, and he made them in a very rustic style, with the scales and fins on, just pre-gutted and cleaned. Pretty good.
PM SNACK: 5pm, 6 prosciutto balls, a sprite, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Served up a mess of almost-too-old prosciutto balls to the staff, I ate a bunch because they were quite delicious.
PM SNACK: 7pm, small scoop of chocolate gelato, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 10:45pm, Cesar salad with shrimp, 1 beer, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, May 2
Friday, May 1
Lobster!
Set the alarm for 6, and turned it off in a sleepy haze. Around 7:15am, B peeped up apologetically, "It's after 7, don't you need to get moving?" That's perhaps the coolest, most lovely way to wake up late! She's so great, I can't wait to wake her up and say something like, "Sweet B, the Sweet P needs yer boobie now."
Restaurant was eerily slow yesterday, slow enough to be our least-earning day since we opened. I'm of two minds -- on one hand, it hurts because even though I only have sweat equity in this place, I want to see it thrive and go on. I feel responsible for it's well being, like I was the owner. On the other hand, so many choices were made before I came on, choices that in hindsight could of been made differently to make things a lot smoother now. Regardless, I'm learning a lot more there than I am in culinary management school.
Had a flair up among the rank and file in the restaurant today, a real test of my managerial competence. I think I handled it ok, was able to smooth the water with a few people who speak very poor English, but the test will really be going forward.
BREAKFAST: 8:15am, apple fritter and marble cake, Manhattan Special, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
A breakfast that wakes you. I knew I'd be sleepy, so I took the Special home from the restaurant last night.
AM SNACK: 9am, snippet of sourdough bread, tomato, moz, basil, olive oil
A taste from the basil presentation in class
LUNCH: 4pm, lobster tail with freshly made coleslaw and roasted corn, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
A very odd staff lunch. L ordered a bunch of live lobsters for staff lunch, fortunately there was someone else in the kitchen who wasn't too squeamish about dispatching them. All my anxiety and ill feelings about killing lobsters came back up, just like in c-school. Holding the box, feeling them twittering and reacting to my movements, ick!
PM SNACKAGE: 5-10pm, a meatball, a cream soda, a slice of soda, a snippet of gelato, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 11:30pm, 2 slices cold pizza, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Restaurant was eerily slow yesterday, slow enough to be our least-earning day since we opened. I'm of two minds -- on one hand, it hurts because even though I only have sweat equity in this place, I want to see it thrive and go on. I feel responsible for it's well being, like I was the owner. On the other hand, so many choices were made before I came on, choices that in hindsight could of been made differently to make things a lot smoother now. Regardless, I'm learning a lot more there than I am in culinary management school.
Had a flair up among the rank and file in the restaurant today, a real test of my managerial competence. I think I handled it ok, was able to smooth the water with a few people who speak very poor English, but the test will really be going forward.
BREAKFAST: 8:15am, apple fritter and marble cake, Manhattan Special, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
A breakfast that wakes you. I knew I'd be sleepy, so I took the Special home from the restaurant last night.
AM SNACK: 9am, snippet of sourdough bread, tomato, moz, basil, olive oil
A taste from the basil presentation in class
LUNCH: 4pm, lobster tail with freshly made coleslaw and roasted corn, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
A very odd staff lunch. L ordered a bunch of live lobsters for staff lunch, fortunately there was someone else in the kitchen who wasn't too squeamish about dispatching them. All my anxiety and ill feelings about killing lobsters came back up, just like in c-school. Holding the box, feeling them twittering and reacting to my movements, ick!
PM SNACKAGE: 5-10pm, a meatball, a cream soda, a slice of soda, a snippet of gelato, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 11:30pm, 2 slices cold pizza, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Wednesday, April 29
Quiet Long Day
BREAKFAST: 8am, 2 street donuts, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 10:30am, 1 coffee bean, small piece of spinach bread, a fig with goat cheese dressing, a snippet of bacon
Presentations in class today, some presented with tastings of the product they were talking about. Whole roasted coffee beans remind me of whole cacao pods -- reminiscent of the final product, but tastes amazingly bitter and blunt.
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, a small piece of calzone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
L made an amazing calzone today, perfectly balanced, crisp in the right places, gooey in the right places. Maybe a menu item?
LUNCH: 4pm, steak and onion sandwich, pickles, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Good and greasy, but enough with the red meat already.
PM SNACKS: 5-10pm, a meatball, a few snippets of bacon, a glass of lemon aide, a few snippets of mixed vegetables, a glass of lemonade, a taste of draft beer, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK 11:15pm, slice of local streetza, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Felt hungry coming home, realized I had nothing for dinner after a slow night at the restaurant -- I could HAVE had another steak sandwich, but enough was enough. The only thing open nearby was...pizza. It wasn't very good, but good enough.
AM SNACK: 10:30am, 1 coffee bean, small piece of spinach bread, a fig with goat cheese dressing, a snippet of bacon
Presentations in class today, some presented with tastings of the product they were talking about. Whole roasted coffee beans remind me of whole cacao pods -- reminiscent of the final product, but tastes amazingly bitter and blunt.
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, a small piece of calzone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
L made an amazing calzone today, perfectly balanced, crisp in the right places, gooey in the right places. Maybe a menu item?
LUNCH: 4pm, steak and onion sandwich, pickles, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Good and greasy, but enough with the red meat already.
PM SNACKS: 5-10pm, a meatball, a few snippets of bacon, a glass of lemon aide, a few snippets of mixed vegetables, a glass of lemonade, a taste of draft beer, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK 11:15pm, slice of local streetza, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Felt hungry coming home, realized I had nothing for dinner after a slow night at the restaurant -- I could HAVE had another steak sandwich, but enough was enough. The only thing open nearby was...pizza. It wasn't very good, but good enough.
Tuesday, April 28
Tuesday Funday
Went to the restaurant, left at 5 so I could join B for a look-see at a pediatrician, who in the end was on vacation when we arrived....never confirmed the appointment, guess that won't happen. Still, nice to be able to have dinner with my pregnant wife and chill a little.
Got a call from Nickelodeon to work on a short-term good-money gig, first in a solid 6 months that I accepted, the other calls were for little one day day-raters which weren't worth interrupting my pizza life.
BREAKFAST: 11:45, 3 slices of pizza, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3:45pm, 2 hotdogs with kraut and mustard, water, sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 3/5
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, 2 bites of streetza
On the walk down from her office, we got a slice out of the Vinnie Vincenz pizza truck on Union Square. It was a little burnt, with a bitter char. The crust was stretched unevenly, too thin in the middle, too thick toward the cornicone (yep, thats the technical term from the raised crust at the outer edges! I'm a geek!) and the cheese was on the edge of scorched.
DINNER: 7pm, hijiki tofu sandwich, large spinach salad with carrot dressing, water, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
At Dojo with the B, though because of it's vegan angle, needed an HVS.
EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, half a street vanilla ice cream cone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got a call from Nickelodeon to work on a short-term good-money gig, first in a solid 6 months that I accepted, the other calls were for little one day day-raters which weren't worth interrupting my pizza life.
BREAKFAST: 11:45, 3 slices of pizza, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3:45pm, 2 hotdogs with kraut and mustard, water, sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 3/5
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, 2 bites of streetza
On the walk down from her office, we got a slice out of the Vinnie Vincenz pizza truck on Union Square. It was a little burnt, with a bitter char. The crust was stretched unevenly, too thin in the middle, too thick toward the cornicone (yep, thats the technical term from the raised crust at the outer edges! I'm a geek!) and the cheese was on the edge of scorched.
DINNER: 7pm, hijiki tofu sandwich, large spinach salad with carrot dressing, water, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
At Dojo with the B, though because of it's vegan angle, needed an HVS.
EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, half a street vanilla ice cream cone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, April 27
Monday Funday
Ah, Monday, my personal Sunday. I fell asleep last night around 7pm, after that 35 mile bike ride, too much meat for lunch and 4 hours of sleep the night before after a 70+ hour week at the restaurant. Only got a little drowsy at school.
Went down the street to R.U.B. for lunch, it's a restaurant we saw a show about in class, the trials and tribulations they went through to get open. It was surprisingly good, probably the best BBQ I've had in NYC, much better than the sloppy joints D has taken me to in midtown.
Visited Y briefly at her shop, but they are going through a renovation and I couldn't spend too much time. Rode up to Central Park and chilled for a few hours in the sheeps meadow before heading down to 42nd to catch a movie with D, then dinner with D and B. L cancelled our dinner meeting, but will reconvene Wednesday.
BREAKFAST: 5am, organic cheerios with the good milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 8am, 2 street donuts, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:15pm, pulled pork on rye, 3 little pickles, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, bread with white bean dip, Cesar salad, a little octopus, spaghetti & a few lame meatballs, a slice of lame pizza, water, half a small portion of cheesecake, 2 bowl, hunger
4/5
Dinner at a non-descript Italian joint in Chelsea that offered pizzas, too thin and undercooked, lacking herbs and tasting flat. Nice to be out and not working, though.
Went down the street to R.U.B. for lunch, it's a restaurant we saw a show about in class, the trials and tribulations they went through to get open. It was surprisingly good, probably the best BBQ I've had in NYC, much better than the sloppy joints D has taken me to in midtown.
Visited Y briefly at her shop, but they are going through a renovation and I couldn't spend too much time. Rode up to Central Park and chilled for a few hours in the sheeps meadow before heading down to 42nd to catch a movie with D, then dinner with D and B. L cancelled our dinner meeting, but will reconvene Wednesday.
BREAKFAST: 5am, organic cheerios with the good milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 8am, 2 street donuts, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:15pm, pulled pork on rye, 3 little pickles, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, bread with white bean dip, Cesar salad, a little octopus, spaghetti & a few lame meatballs, a slice of lame pizza, water, half a small portion of cheesecake, 2 bowl, hunger
4/5
Dinner at a non-descript Italian joint in Chelsea that offered pizzas, too thin and undercooked, lacking herbs and tasting flat. Nice to be out and not working, though.
Sunday, April 26
Sunday Funday
Got to bed at 4am, after doing a minor binge brought on by booze and not really eating dinner. Still, it was a minor thing compared how I'd stuff myself after drink in my earlier years. Woke up after 4 hours of sleep, intended to go back to bed but it was just too exciting to be lying next to my pregnant wife AND not have to get up and go, so we just spent an hour just talking and hugging and listening to old Brian Eno records. I sang tracks off of "Here Come the Warm Jets" to her belly, hopefully my kid won't like Miley Cyrus or whoever the teeny boppers are digging then.
Weighed in at 215.0 this morning. Huh, twenty pounds, I thought I'd be skinnier. By medical standards, I have to go to 185 to have a BMI of a non-overweight person! Don't think THAT will ever happen.
B went to a bridal shower and I finally got on the road bike. Met an ex-employee of the restaurant (a group rapidly growing in number) and E and we road out to Flushing Meadow in the 90 degree weather, really nice. Meat and beer was not my first choice of post-ride meal, especially since I had to ride a few miles after to get home. Got home around 6, fell asleep after showering around 7pm
DRUNKY SNACK: 3:30am, half a bagel with gender-specific chocolate spread, a banana walnut muffin, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM DRUGGING: 8am, 1 extra strength tylenol
A preventative measure, woke up slightly buzzed, so took this to keep a hangover in check.
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, toasted bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomato, onion, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Deliciousness from the B. She can't cook, but she can prepare. -sigh-
AM BIKE SNACK: 11:30am, churro, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM BIKE SNACK: 12:30pm, most of a chocolate donut, bite of a cinnamon bun, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM BIKE SNACK: 1:30pm, 20oz of gatorade
PM BIKE WATERING: 2-4pm, a few quarts
LUNCH: 4pm, weiner shnitzel with German potato salad, kraut, 2 cups of beer, a bite of kielbasa, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After-ride meal at the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria.
Weighed in at 215.0 this morning. Huh, twenty pounds, I thought I'd be skinnier. By medical standards, I have to go to 185 to have a BMI of a non-overweight person! Don't think THAT will ever happen.
B went to a bridal shower and I finally got on the road bike. Met an ex-employee of the restaurant (a group rapidly growing in number) and E and we road out to Flushing Meadow in the 90 degree weather, really nice. Meat and beer was not my first choice of post-ride meal, especially since I had to ride a few miles after to get home. Got home around 6, fell asleep after showering around 7pm
DRUNKY SNACK: 3:30am, half a bagel with gender-specific chocolate spread, a banana walnut muffin, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM DRUGGING: 8am, 1 extra strength tylenol
A preventative measure, woke up slightly buzzed, so took this to keep a hangover in check.
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, toasted bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomato, onion, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Deliciousness from the B. She can't cook, but she can prepare. -sigh-
AM BIKE SNACK: 11:30am, churro, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM BIKE SNACK: 12:30pm, most of a chocolate donut, bite of a cinnamon bun, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM BIKE SNACK: 1:30pm, 20oz of gatorade
PM BIKE WATERING: 2-4pm, a few quarts
LUNCH: 4pm, weiner shnitzel with German potato salad, kraut, 2 cups of beer, a bite of kielbasa, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After-ride meal at the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria.
Blown Thoroughly
Yesterday went well, so it was easier getting into the restaurant today. Not enough time to prep properly, and after a lunch service that went relatively smoothly, I found during dinner service it was one long game to catch up. I was in the back kitchen a lot leading a brigade of 3 others to put out the fires where ever they arose, whether than was making sauce, cutting cheese, making dough, cleaning and prepping garnishes, slicing toppings, keeping on top of the dishes, keeping delivery boxes stocked, and moderating between all the personalities involved. Hella fun, but after 14 hours two days in a row, I could see how people could burn out of this. The after-work drink really helped.
BREAKFAST: 8am, bialy with a little cream cheese and smoked salmon, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
B got some fish from Russ & Daughters for some brunch thing with friends, so I was able to indulge myself before the pressure cooker of a new restaurant on a Saturday.
LUNCH: 4pm, 2 slices of pizza, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Too busy for L to cook up something more off-menu, which is fine by me -- I think the pizza we produce is fantastic.
RESTAURANT HAZE: 4pm - midnight, sprite, a few prosciutto balls, a snippet of cucumber, a dry ginger ale, water, a glass of lemonade, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DEHAZING FLUIDS: midnight, pint of beer, one gin & tonic, 2 shots of whisky, water, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
The initial plan was to go home and recuperate, but people were going out, so after the kitchen crew finished up I followed after, aiming to be there a few minutes and ended up spending 2 hours and drinking way too much. It's nice when people cheer when you show up, hug you and kind of thank you for making their lives a little easier. I didn't let anyone buy me a drink, in fact I bought everyone one round, just seemed like the classy thing to do as a manager.
BREAKFAST: 8am, bialy with a little cream cheese and smoked salmon, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
B got some fish from Russ & Daughters for some brunch thing with friends, so I was able to indulge myself before the pressure cooker of a new restaurant on a Saturday.
LUNCH: 4pm, 2 slices of pizza, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Too busy for L to cook up something more off-menu, which is fine by me -- I think the pizza we produce is fantastic.
RESTAURANT HAZE: 4pm - midnight, sprite, a few prosciutto balls, a snippet of cucumber, a dry ginger ale, water, a glass of lemonade, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DEHAZING FLUIDS: midnight, pint of beer, one gin & tonic, 2 shots of whisky, water, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
The initial plan was to go home and recuperate, but people were going out, so after the kitchen crew finished up I followed after, aiming to be there a few minutes and ended up spending 2 hours and drinking way too much. It's nice when people cheer when you show up, hug you and kind of thank you for making their lives a little easier. I didn't let anyone buy me a drink, in fact I bought everyone one round, just seemed like the classy thing to do as a manager.
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