• You will see the most important kitchen printer in several scenes. It is a most important element because without it the kitchen wouldn't know what to cook. There are still some restaurants out there that operate without order terminals and kitchen printers - they rely on hand written tickets that are hand delivered to the kitchen.
• Murphy's Law is always around the corner: at the moment least expected the printer can go off-line (a cord goes unplugged, the PC configuration gets messed up, the printer itself dies, etc.) When this happens the whole kitchen stops and everything gets backed up.
• Sometimes there is human error. in the heat of the cooking action a ticked may be tossed away and then the food is not prepared for a particular table: BIG PROBLEM.
• In this video you can also observe that is not an easy task to assemble different plates (all at the same time) for a particular table. Cooks must be very alert of special requirements (the dreaded "sauce on the side", or the medium well steak, etc.) because if one is missed then the whole cycle is impacted and the food delivery for the table gets behind.
• The video does a good job at describing (and graphically explaining) the "lay of the land" - where the stations are and their functions. At Mezzanotte and Capriccio we have a very similar distribution. They both have a sautee, grill, fry, and salad and desserts stations. Capriccio, in addition, has a pizza station.
• Here you can also see the function of the "runner". This is a valuable function of taking the food out to the tables. This allows the servers to concentrate in taking care of their tables' needs. Of course, in very busy nights the servers run food also.
• The video also shows a couple of areas I covered in previous articles: the washing cycle and the deliveries cycle.

 

Cooking School 

 

My session is already sold out. I may do this again and will keep you posted.

We had a tremendous response on our featured wines last week at Mezzanotte so we will continue with them this week:

 

Pellegrini Family Blend 2005, Sonoma, California

Bottle $36, Glass $9

The Pellegrini Family traces its heritage in winemaking to the early 1900s when brothers Nello and Gino Pellegrini arrived in New York City from their native Tuscany. They soon made their way to the West Coast and in 1925 became Sonoma County grape merchants, shipping grapes throughout the U.S. for home winemaking. In 1933 after repeal of Prohibition, the brothers established the original Pellegrini Wine Company, shipping grapes from Sonoma County and producing quality wines for many of San Francisco's finest shops and restaurants.
Pellegrini's "Family Blend" is a delightful combination of Zinfandel, Merlot and Carignan that's imminently gulpable and a great value! According to Wine Enthusiast: " Simple and rustic but perfect for grilled meats, this Zinfandel, Merlot and Carignane blend is robust, tannic and superripe in berry-cherry and spice flavors. Cries out for rich foods." 
 
Claret Donati 2005 - Central Coast - Paicines, California
Bottle $36, Glass $9

In traditional terms, a Claret wine is a dry red blend made from France's Bordeaux varietals. Today's wine, grown in the Paicines hills above Hollister, along the San Andreas fault, is a wonderful Bordeaux varietal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot. It is also a very pleasant surprise, given the low price of the wine. If you love red blends, today's wine is a real pleaser.
Look - Rich burgundy color with a deep and dark heart, concentrated color right out to the edges of the wine with long spindly legs high up on the glass
Smell - Bright cherry and chocolate dust at first, followed closely by darker fruits of dark plum and blackberry.
Feel - Interestingly, the wine exhibits a roundness and a smoothness up at the front of the mouth, but the its medium tannins kick in at the rear.
Taste - A big and bright cherry with smoked blackberry and dusky plum are followed by dark chocolate-covered cherries.
Finish - A Long finish, with lingering flavors cherries, chocolate and ripe dark fruits linger.

 

We have a couple of new arrivals this week:

 

Excellent example of a great young from Ribera del Duero where the fruity character of Tempranillo is smoothed and caramelized with the light touch of Cabernet Sauvignon (80% tempranillo, 20% cab).

Red cherry color and purple tones, crystalline. Very powerful at nose, cherries, roses, light cinnamon touch, liquorice, caramel touches with fresh and mature red fruits. Smooth in mouth with a sweet entrance, very fruity (cherries, raspberries), with toffee touches, light tannins.

 

Fall was very foggy and there was no winter rain. Spring followed on with low temperatures and a continued shortage of rainfall while the summer was dry and hot. The scarcity of water yielded small grapes but of tremendous quality.

Made of 100% Tempranillo, it is bright and clean with a very concentrated youthful color. On the nose there are notes of licorice, raspberries and plums. This is a big wine with excellent tannic structure. Excellent and lengthy finish.