May 29, 2009
Capriccio HeaderMezzanotte Header
WINE AND FOOD PAIRING AT MEZZANOTTE
Tuesday June 9 at 7:00 PM. Reservations Required
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ENTERTAINMENT
THIS WEEKEND
 
KARENNA LEE
 
At MEZZANOTTE on
Friday 5/29
7 - 10 p.m.
 
At CAPRICCIO on Saturday 5/30
7 - 10 p.m.

Kareena Lee

Karenna moves easily between jazz, blues, caberet and pop. Her versatile style and extensive repertoire includes romantic ballads to latin favorites and  broadway tunes. Her very entertaining and dynamic style are a welcome treat to a relaxing dinner on a Friday night. She is a must see !!.

GUILLERMO SERPAS
 
At CAPRICCIO on Friday 5/29
7 - 10 p.m.
 
At MEZZANOTTE on Saturday 5/30
7 - 10 p.m.

Serpas

Evoking the influence of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and popular folk
players, Guillermo produces the electrifying rhythms of salsa, Latin jazz, and bolero, representing his Latin American roots and pumping vigorous life into his virtuoso classical-guitar performances. 

CAPRICCIO TAPAS

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MEZZANOTTE RISTORANTE
 
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In This Issue
Upcoming Events
How do our restaurants work?
All about Syrah
Featured Wines
HOW DO OUR RESTAURANTS WORK? PART 2
Last week I started sharing a view of our internal operations and chose the dishwashing area. I received a lot of good feedback from people saying that they really enjoyed learning how restaurants work. So this week I am moving on to the food purchasing and inventory area.
 
FOOD PURCHASING AND CRITICAL INVENTORY CONTROL
OK, OK...We will eventually get to the actual cooking part. I guess every single part of the operation is critical!!
 
Maybe you have noticed trucks in the back of restaurants unloading cases of unidentifiable stuff. A truck very commonly seen looks like this:

sysco truck

This one happens to be from SYSCO. SYSCO is the North American market leader in wholesale food distribution, with a very large share of the $200 billion industry. The company supplies food and related products to over 400,000 customers from some 150 distribution centers in the United States and Canada. SYSCO is the gorilla in a very fragmented market where the next biggest competitor is a fraction of their size. In Texas, for example, Martin Foods is a big competitor but is a midget at annual sales of $98 million versus SYSCO's annual sales of over $37 billion!!
 
Regardless of who is bigger and smaller these companies provide a real good service to restaurants (at a cost, of course). SYSCO, for example, has experimental kitchens and experienced chefs that would cook a restaurant's menu with all SYSCO provided ingredients. Some restaurants that do not have capabilities to design a menu could actually have the SYSCO chefs design one for them in exchange for procuring ingredients from SYSCO. They have marketing programs, credit card merchant programs, etc. Anything that a restaurant needs (chairs, aprons, plates, supplies, etc., etc.) SYSCO most likely sells. It is amazing the breadth of capabilities that this company has. The smaller ones also have their own capabilities but in a much smaller scale and with a smaller portfolio of offerings.
 
A small and/or start-up restaurant needs to be very careful when using suppliers like this. They all have minimum quantities that need to be ordered to justify a shipment (it costs money to warehouse the supplies, to buy and maintain trucks, to pay drivers, to buy gas, etc).  So the small guy (Mezzanotte, for example) would sometimes have to order more than actually needed in order to get a shipment. And as some things are depleted faster than others the next order invariably would need to include more non-needed items. This contributes to waste and high inventory costs for the small guy.
 
We did start this way. We did buy a lot from SYSCO and Martin Foods and others in the beginning. But then I realized that my cost of food was way beyond industry practices. So, what to do?  The answer was: go and shop myself. I started doing this in 2006 and never looked back.
 
Of course there is a big physical demand as I had to carry heavy boxes, load them onto my car and then unload them at the restaurant. With 2 restaurants (with the addition of Capriccio) things didn't get any easier. Fortunately now I have my Capriccio manager (Jordan) helping out with the shopping.  Here is a picture of my car been loaded:
 
Loading truck
 
The way our process works is:
  • On Monday and Thursday nights the chefs at both restaurants count inventory and send me the information.
  • On Tuesday and Friday mornings I compile the information into a single shopping list.
  • The shopping list has sections for products that need to be sourced at different suppliers (for example, specialty items are not sourced at the same place where we buy toilet paper or cooking oil, etc.)
  • Depending on the size of the list (special events, like Mother's Day, require much larger quantities) then we probably need to go with 2 SUVs.
  • The items are purchased and marked appropriately to be unloaded at the restaurants.
  • We drive back with the merchandise (most warehouses are in the downtown area).
  • We unload at the restaurants and the kitchen staff stores them in the appropriate places.

And we do this twice a week! It really is a lot of work but is the only way to control costs, quality and inventories. 

ALL ABOUT SYRAH (TAKE 2)
Last week I gave a good introduction to Syrah's. I decided to continue with the same theme as real learning and appreciation only occurs with repetition. So here are some different facts about Syrahs:
 
Syrah is remarkably adaptable and thrives in a wide climate range. In cool climates like the northern Rh�ne (France) or the Carneros region of Napa Valley, it takes on the character of black fruits and pepper. In warmer climates, such as the southern Rh�ne, winemakers tend to use red fruits to describe it. It definitely expresses itself differently in different places.

No one knows yet where syrah will do best in California. It's planted all over the state and that's great, because there's no better way to learn. California is like a laboratory for syrah right now.

The success of the Rh�ne Rangers - the group of maverick California winemakers devoted to Rh�ne varieties - reflects the maturation of American taste. Rh�ne-style wines can be pretty gutsy, with flavors that require a more sophisticated palate.

Where it shines: The role models for most syrah producers are the wines of France's Rh�ne Valley. In the northern Rh�ne - the region of Hermitage and C�te-Rotie - it makes manly, gamy, peppery wines. In the southern Rh�ne - home to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas - the syrah is usually blended with other grapes, such as grenache, but the finished wine remains dense and robust. In Australia, where syrah is known as shiraz and is the leading variety, it tends to be juicier, jammier and less severe in its style, with more obvious oak. McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley are two of that country's leading syrah regions.

What sets it apart: Bold black fruit and lots of spice. One descriptor it shares with cabernet is cassis, or black currant, a fruit with an almost vegetal note.

Great syrah has: vivid black fruit and spice; depth of tannin without coarseness; and a medium to long finish. The whole package suggests longevity, and indeed, well-made cool-climate syrahs are capable of long age.

Flavor profile: French syrahs smell of leather and earth, roast meat and white pepper. California syrahs tend to be more fruit-driven, with black fruit flavors - black cherry, blackberry, black currant - and plenty of warm spice. Australian shiraz is typically saturated with jammy, almost syrupy fruit and has a thick, soft texture. 

This week we are featuring 2 California Syrahs (one made by an Australian) and one Cotes de Rhone. We will be serving them as a sampler flight of all three, as individual glasses and as bottles. Hope you enjoy them.
FEATURED WINES 
Wine Bar
 
AT MEZZANOTTE AND CAPRICCIO
 
Adelaida Schoolhouse Syrah 2004 - Paso Robles, California - Bottle $36, Glass $9
Based on perfectly ripe fruit from two Westside Paso Robles vineyards (Debro and Glenrose) this Schoolhouse label is the epitome of pure mountain grown grapes. Showing the character of its steep and elevated hillside terroirs (1,500-1,800 feet), the vines benefited from the "Paso" cycle of warm days and cool nights which ensured an optimum balance of lifted aromatics and clean natural fruit acidity.
Beautiful crimson clarity and pretty Damson plum fruitiness lead the palate into further revelations of chocolate tinged dark fruits and cracked pepper spiciness. Smooth, yet vibrant this Syrah is asking for a juicy grilled steak or ideally, lamb chops. Ready to drink now.
 
Petit Chapeau Cotes du Rhone - Rhone, France - Bottle $36, Glass $9
Classic blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes. On the nose there are freshly crushed red berry fruits with a minty component, hints of gaminess, lavender, wood and underlying notes of white pepper and smoke. On the palate there is good extract of red fruits dominated by red cherries and very vague traces of wood. It is a very pure fruit-driven wine. The midpalate has a richness from the seemingly unfiltered character of the wine with yet more red fruits and earthy minerals going into a solid finish that lingers with great balance between the fruit and the acidity. This wine comes from one of the top vintages in the area. Let it breath a little before drinking. Try it with slow-braised meats such as our short ribs or the pork stew.
 
Syrah Kinton - Santa Barbara County - Bottle $39
This work of art was crafted by the hands of Australian winemaker Peter Fraiser (Yangarra Winery). His sleek and elegant style is boldly evident in this dense, dark, full-bodied beauty. A deep concentration of black, lush fruits accented by forest-floor leaf litter and black pepper bewilder and confound the senses, while a perfect underlying acidity and elegantly rounded tannin complete this masterpiece. This Syrah is undeniably one of the best values and could sit pretty at a much higher price without batting an eyelash from its competitors. Experience it for yourself. 90 points Wine Advocate.