Read Drink & Be Merry

Seems all the bloggers have been flocking to Tarrantino’s for the hottest new ticket to pizza in town. RVA Foodie and Brie weighed in and gave excellent reviews. What more could I add? Actually, a couple of things. With all due respect to RVA and Brie, they’re veg-heads, as an omnivore I require a bit more to my pizza pie. There’s also something to be said for pizza being eaten on the spot. I love 8 1/2 but doesn’t the pizza sometimes end end up more steamed than baked by the time you get it home? So, it was with these questions in mind that Finn & I entered the hallowed halls of Tarrantino’s after a canceled swim lesson.

The art on the walls is nice. The rest, kind of thrown together. Above it all, a huge flat screen. I despise TV’s in restaurants. I did, however, remember this was a pizza parlor in the making. TV’s may not be such anathema here. Besides, the channel was on the Food Network. Ugh, it was Rachel Ray. I looked around waiting for glass to crack and birds to fall from the sky.

The sole employee was a bit surprised at having sit down guests but adjusted quickly. Being cruel I ordered a gin and tonic. By my calculations an employee would end up walking nearly a full city block to go and get your drink at the main bar and bring it back to you. If this ever becomes a full blown sit down operation this could be an issue. If your ordering a cocktail (they’ll have a keg or two in the space in the near future) and it’s busy be patient and tip accordingly. That’s a lot of walking over the course of a six to eight hour shift.

The menu looks a like most other gourmet pizza places although it did make a point of saying that all the sauces and dough were made fresh daily. We (I) decided on one of their speciality pizzas, the Hawaiian. Basically your typical ham and pineapple with an addition of onion. The waiter/pizza man took our order and went to work. Out came the dough and after a few punches up into the air. Finn was enthralled. Cheese was liberally applied, ham freshly chopped as well as the pineapple (canned, but you really can’t expect fresh). The onions were sauteed in advance. I found out that onions, mushrooms, and peppers were sauteed and caramelized in advance to add flavour and to enhance their texture. This was looking good! Into the oven it went.

The wait was short and soon we had a rack with a piping hot pizza in front of us. I must reiterate here, eat it here at least once instead of taking it home. The crust was exquisite. The best way to describe it would be very nearly a pastry. Crisp and moist, the freshness of the red sauce and it’s spices, the caramelized onions and other toppings could not have worked together better.

Have you ever seen a child eat their favourite bits off a piece of pizza before eating the rest? Finn proceeded to pick off all the pieces of caramelized onion and the joy on his face as he savored each bite was a wonder to watch.

After half an hour the crust softened up a bit. It was still good but you really should eat there. Really. I mean it.

When you look at their prices (very reasonable), the quality of their product, and the fact that they will soon be delivering (You still need to eat there to get the proper experience) you would be right to wonder how and why Pizza Hut and it’s ilk are still in business. And to be quite honest, except for their carbonara, 8 1/2 is off our dining card (subject to change once I determine how Tarrantino’s crust travels…).

Finn and I had just completed his first swimming lesson and while he was feeling peckish I was in desperate need of a martini. Heading into the Fan we got a call from M who was heading back from the middle of BFE, I mean West Creek, and she informed me that she was hungry as well. A couple of minutes of different restaurant names and genres were thrown about and we decided it was time to re-visit deLux. We had gone last February and had enjoyed it but for some reason or another had not made it back yet.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived was that they had opened all their windows. It was very nice on such a gorgeous day but I thought they were very brave as there were no screens and flies tend to annoy. The second was the bartender. I didn’t remember her but she remembered us, what we drank, and what we ate on our only visit nearly 4 months ago. I was impressed. Drinks quickly in hand (I had to settle for Bombay Sapphire as they still don’t carry Tanq 10) we looked over the menu. The verdict was for heavy grazing on an array of appetizers.

WEB SITE WARNING – The web site is a single page that informs you of a full site coming up in March, 2008. They’ve missed that deadline. The hours on the site and those posted in their window do not match. They no longer seem to be open for breakfast during the week. The pdf menu that you can download off the site is way out of date. They have refined the menu quite a bit over the last couple of months and the old menu does not completely reflect their current style of offerings.

The first appetizer we tried was on a lark and could have been good or really scary. Captain Crunch Fried Shrimp. The menu described the sauce as a lime, rum, and garlic sauce. I would have described it as a Thai chili sauce of sorts. Regardless, the heat of the chili pepper flakes in the sauce and the sweet crunch of the coating on the shrimp were excellent.

At the same time came another app, French Fries Tossed In Truffle Oil with Asiago Cheese. The delicate flavours of the truffle oil, the bite of the Asiago topped off with chopped chives were a nice combination. Two problems with this dish. What’s the point of truffle oil if your going to offer people ketchup and cover up the taste? We asked for mayonnaise (an garlic or truffle aioli would have been better!). For $7 I get a bit disappointed if the fries are frozen. For that kind of money and to appreciate the ingredients you really need fresh cut potato. Finn had no complaints with this dish and after finishing the fries proceeded to eat the bits of Asiago left on the plate.

For the next course M opted for the Avocado BLT, which we had last time and had enjoyed. Still good.

I had the Seared Tuna appetizer next. Dabbed with wasabi and served on home made chips it was ok. Not a real stand out and just seemed to be missing something to make it more enjoyable.

With the tuna came a plate of Seared Scallops with Pancetta and Mushrooms. When the plate was set down M commented that she thought it smelled fishy. The scallops did have an odor but I didn’t think it was a bad one, just a strong one. The scallops weren’t the real large ones that are all the rage but as there were 7 or 8 and they were perfectly cooked I wasn’t complaining. The mushrooms got a bit lost in the mix but the pancetta added a smokiness and richness to the scallops. My only problem with the pancetta was that I kept flashing back to this weeks episode of Hell’s Kitchen and Matt slicing off part of his thumb while cutting pancetta and the subsequent search for the missing digit (was it just me or did they never find the missing piece of flesh in the pancetta?).

Even if we hadn’t enjoyed the food and drink so much we would probably still go back based on the staff. With all the competition for our dinning dollar and when you can find the same or similar dishes in a dozen different places, being remembered and treated well can tip the balance when making a destination decision.

Finn says – “No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!”…..

A week has passed since the body of a man turned up in the unlicensed rooming house across the street. Beyond the initial reports of the body having been there for several days prior to ‘discovery’ this is what we have learned so far:

a) The dead 44-year-old didn’t live there.

b) The person who occupied that room and didn’t ‘notice’ the dead body for several days has not been around lately. Speculation among the neighbours is that the body expired elsewhere and was brought to the house.

c) The owners have actually paid the water bill for two months in a row and they currently have running water (it’s been cut off twice this year alone – I guess the owners payment on their brand new Mercedes is more important…).

d) The police, having spoken to people claiming to be residents instead of the actual residents, actually have the death listed as a ‘pending matter’. Considering the house cleaning prior to their arrival I doubt there was any evidence left and they don’t seem to be treating this very seriously. Let’s keep the murder rate down through creative record keeping.

New developments for the house include a return of most, but not all, of the normal residents. Drug activity, which was down over the weekend is starting to pick up again. Oh, and a new city agency has them in their sites.

Yep, we’ve city building and zoning inspectors sniffing around. Normally that makes all of us residents nervous as most of our houses are in various stages of renovation (yes, rain gutters are on my list but I’ve got other things to do first…) but they are all interested in the ‘house across the street’. I don’t know what got them started. It may have been my multiple phone calls over the years. It wasn’t the body (they didn’t know) and it certainly wasn’t Councilwoman Ellen Robertson (who only gets really involved with the community just prior to an election – she comes by our house each election cycle, I complain to her about the rooming house, she says she’ll look into it, nothing happens.).

Whatever it was the city inspector is pissed. There never seems to be anyone home (he should sit in the middle of the street and honk his horn like all their other visitors/customers) and he can’t get in. He says he knows it’s a rooming house but they don’t have the permits for it and it lost it’s ‘grandfather’ status due to a re-zoning (single-family homes only) of the neighbourhood which went into effect when the house last sold in 2004. The inspector has vowed to shut them down. Of all the people in life I do not want to have annoyed at me it’s a city building inspector.

It’s kind of sad. The police have allowed a known drug house to continue operating for years and look to be more interested in managing the ‘numbers’ of the murder rate rather than investigating a very suspicious death. No, instead the most dangerous house on the block will not be shut down by the men in blue but instead by a bureaucrat enforcing regulations. Who needs detectives and forensics when you can just be caught by the red tape.

Update September 2008 – Cirrus has closed it’s doors. No word on what, if anything, will be opening in it’s space.

If I ran a Fan restaurant that was open for brunch…..

a) 11:30 is a bit late to be starting brunch service. Most other places are either well into their first seating by 11:30, some their second, and I bet Millie’s is starting their third or fourth.

b) Competition for Brunch in Richmond is fierce. You need a hook, something to pull people in. If your brunch menu is not unique you better be top-notch to get people in the door.

We’ve not made it to brunch on a couple of occasions due to these two items. With a little kid in tow we usually hit brunch early or late and try to avoid the 12 o’clock rush. We go out of way for interesting menus and may mix the times up a bit, if we can get the same thing someplace else and your not open yet….

The plan for yesterday had originally included going to Broad Appetit. We didn’t make it. M wasn’t feeling well, it started raining, and we have a slight aversion to big crowds. We sill almost went while running a couple of errands but realized that we had no cash on hand. So Cirrus it was.

We arrived at a completely deserted restaurant. Normally a very bad sign, I guessed all their diners must be over on Broad St. I looked around and immediately missed Dogwood Grille. You could see the old place under the whimsical new furnishings. I’m not sure why owners feel the need to update the old spaces the way they do. The old buildings in the Fan have so much character and style that I would preserve the original as much as possible. I want to ask the current owners in a year or two if all the white (booths, walls, bar) was a good idea or a maintenance nightmare.

The brunch menu looked ok but nothing screamed ‘eat me’, they didn’t even have the vegetarian sausage and biscuits that drew RVA Foodie any more. What was interesting was the appetizer and salad portion of the menu (not shown on-line). Since it was late in the day we decided to share a number of appetizers except for Finn – he gets Blueberry Pancakes.

After a bit of a wait the first items came out. A Spinach Salad for M and Cream of Mushroom Soup for me. Finn and I enjoyed the soup. At first I wasn’t sure about it. The mushroom flavour was strong and the sliced one in the soup were still firm but it seemed to be lacking something. I realized it was just mushroom soup, not bacon and mushroom, or onion, or anything else. Just mushroom. It was actually a nice realization and I enjoyed the simplicity. M commented on how nice the salad was. All to often salad are unbalanced by one item or another. Too much of one item and that’s all you can taste. Her salad was lightly seasoned and each item spoke for itself. A nice start.

Soon after we finished the next courses started coming out. First was the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. The best thing I can say about this item was that the mushroom wasn’t overcooked and still retained it’s firmness. The crab was an over-spiced puree, the slightly fishy flavour overpowered by the heat.

Next came the Shrimp Spring Roll with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. The plate was beautiful. A pile of sliced red cabbage in the center, large shrimp in the roll showing from the bias cut surrounded by more red cabbage in the roll. The dish showed promise but lacked focus. The wrapping was too dry and the cabbage added crunch but no real flavour. The shrimp in it were good but I felt the dish needed a little more fine tuning to be really good.

Finally cam a plate of Sirloin Sliders with Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mayo and Sweet Potato Fries. The fat content in the sirloin used to make these was high enough to make them very juicy but not greasy. The whole combination with the gouda and the bacon mayo on the little toasted rolls was outstanding. While I am not a normal fan of sweet potato fries, these were pretty good.

I had a hard time judging the service. The waitress was a little shaky and not very confident at the table. Of course we kept talking about the Dogwood Grille and the effortless silver service (in a tropical flowered shirt no less) that they provided. That conversation raised the bar so high that they couldn’t compete.

Some restaurants have clear focus and hit the ground running. Can-Can and Hard Shell knew who they were from day one. Others, through good stewardship, can evolve and change to meet the latest trends or to adapt to a new chef. How often has Avalon changed over the years? Cirrus is a restaurant that hasn’t yet come into focus. They do some things very well while other items seem not quite finished. The changes on the menu from when the Foodies were there last Fall to today suggest they are evolving and figuring out what works. We’ll make another visit to see if their vision has become clearer.

You may well ask why we celebrate Norwegian Independence Day every year, especially considering we are Danish. We prefer to look at it as when the Norwegians were granted home rule and we are helping them celebrate their continued success.

Actually, the Charlottesville area is home to a rather large Scandinavian population and many of the immigrants have formed the Scandinavian Ladies Society. They trade books from the homeland, have luncheons with traditional foods, and just basically create a support network for each other. You do have to wonder, though, if their hair and skin were a little darker if their little group might end up on a Homeland Security watch list….

The biggest bash of the year takes place out on a farm near Zion Crossroads. 17 Mai (May 17th) or the nearest Sunday to it is when Hanna Bjorn rolls out the red carpet for the whole community to come. People bring out their best and favourite recipes, beer and drinks from the homeland and even dress them and their kids up in traditional dress. For over 15 years I’ve been lucky enough to be on the invite list as the child of a Danish immigrant, although I catch a bit of hell for not speaking any of the languages all that well.

The hostess, Hanna Bjorn, is what you would expect of a old Norwegian farm lady. Tough as nails, no-nonsense, chain smoking. She could also drink you under the table. One Christmas her and I sat in someones kitchen and managed to polish off an entire bottle of akavit one shot at a time. Sadly she lost her husband last year. Lennart was a Swedish neuro-scientist and professor at UVA. Prior to succumbing to cancer he managed to have all his lectures and classes videotaped so he could continue to have an impact of students in the years to come. It was due to his departure that, for the first time in decades, the 17 Mai celebration was canceled. There was some concern as to whether or not we would have any more.

A couple of months ago I got the call from my mother. 17 Mai was back on, although it would start in the evening rather than midday. My next dilemma was what to cook. I decided to braise a pork shoulder in apple and fennel. Not a traditional dish but the flavours definitely Scandinavian inspired. The day arrived and, braising done, we headed to Hanna Bjorn’s farm.

Norwegian flags were flying everywhere, people were decked out, lots of food and drink, but it was a somber affair. Only about half the normal amount of people, a fraction of the number of kids. The food was good (I can’t match some of the frikedeller – Danish Meatballs) but not as good as some years past. Drinks flowed but in a much more restrained manner. Normally we all stand around the flag pole, the Norwegian flag flapping in the wind, and sing all the anthems of the Scandinavians but this year it was only the Swedish anthem in honour of Lennart.

As Finn started wearing out from running with the small herd of kids we decided to leave early. I’m guessing my pork was good as when I went to find the dish it was empty and had been washed, any leftovers snagged by someone else. One the way down the dirt road back to I-64 we wondered about the future. Would the tradition continue or were we witnessing the winding down of an annual event. Next year will be telling. Will it be a return to form or smaller and quieter? We’ll wait and see.

The ride home provided some excitement. We left at the same time as the Nordins. Old friends from Capital One on the verge of reverse immigrating. Lars has already packed up and moved back to Norway and Anna-Maria and their four kids will be joining him as soon as school lets out. Driving behind them on 64 we noticed them suddenly steer off onto the side of the highway. I just happened to have her number and called to make sure everything was ok. Seems they had a blowout. After a couple of ileagle u-turns across the medians of 64 we rejoined them. The mini-van had a shredded and smoking tire. Fortunately, M know how to change tires so Anna-Maira and I entertained the kids while she did all the heavy lifting. We were soon safely back on the road and home again.

Once home we checked the cat traps we had left out. We had two takers for our four traps but one had been trapped last month. So one very angry tom-cat went into the basement for a trip to the vet. The score if your keeping track:

2 female/2 males – Trapped Fixed and Released
1 male – Not Healthy or Injured – Euthanized
1 female – Didn’t Learn Lesson & Trapped Again

If I felt the need to deal drugs I would be very low-key about it. When engaging in activities that law enforcement agencies frown upon it is wise to keep a low profile. The neighbours in the unlicensed rooming house across the street seem to have missed this little nugget of advice. I doubt anyone on the block would care one way or another what they were up to if they kept it quiet. Instead we have heavy traffic stopping in front of their house, blasting horns at all hours, questionable individuals standing in their front yard yelling or throwing rocks at windows for attention (obviously none of these people have heard of doorbells or cell phones…).

The number of phones calls made by me and others to 911, the 4th precinct, and various other government agencies has reached the point to make the house a big red blob on any of the local crime maps. So it was no surprise that I was met with boredom or more correctly – ‘What have they done now?’ – when I called several numbers last night.

Sitting in my kitchen last night I watched as the same green Explorer kept driving down the block. Sometimes it would stop, sometimes it wouldn’t. Sometimes someone would yell something from the front porch, sometimes someone would run out to the car for a quick chat. Usually when someone runs out to a car you can see a quick pass of cash and small bags. Tonight it was only words that were being passed. Watching closer I noticed small bags and cases being brought out, regular tenants getting into their cars and driving off and many new people arriving. A lot of new people. People we had not seen before.

My calls to the police seemed to produce nothing except a couple of new numbers for me to call during business hours so I was a little surprised a half hour later when I noticed flashing lights in front of our house. Fire Trucks, EMS, police cars. Finn was very excited, I was curious. Something was going down. The evening progressed, we tried to watch Top Chef but kept getting pulled away as something new arrived or left outside (Thankfully we have a DVR and were recording the show). Then there was a knock at our back door…

M had been IM’ing our neighbour, S, and he had snuck around back to come over to our house with news and in hopes of a better view of the house across the street. Seems they had a body in the house. Seems the body had been there for a few days. Seems the police had been scammed….

The police had been told that no one had noticed the body (or the smell). Problem with that is the body was in a room belonging to someone else and he had been around all week. Personally, I would notice a dead body in the room with me, but I could be wrong. So the body was moved in the house or from somewhere else. Prior to the arrival of the police the house was ‘cleaned’, both literally and figuratively. What do you think was in all the bags and cases removed in the hours leading up to the ‘discovery’ of the body? The people the police questioned about the body were not residents (We’ve secretly replaced your paroled and wanted tenants with people having fewer legal issues…) but purported to be – all the real residents left earlier.

One can also not underestimate the stupidity of your average drug addict. You would think he would notice all the police cars parked on the street when he drove up, he didn’t. As he stopped and blasted his horn, waiting for someone to run out with his fix, I can only imagine the look on his face as the officers turned to look at him.

Slowly things began to quiet down. The police and EMS left. Scott’s Funeral Home’s hearse arrived. The body was manhandled down the stairs (rather roughly I might add) and whisked away. Don’t know the guys name. Probably never will. I find it a bit sad that the closest he may come to being remembered is right here on my blog. Hopefully he has some family or friends somewhere that will remember him better than this.

The new people at the house will hang out there for a couple of days. The regulars will trickle back and business will resume. And I will still hate my neighbours.

RVA Foodie’s mother is here visiting her new grandchild and Mr Foodie and I started discussing the possibility of getting together during her visit. Initially we discussed going to brunch, possibly Rowlands, but M reminded us that this Sunday was to be Mother’s Day – quite possibly the worst day of the year to do brunch. Instead it was decided that we would fire up my new grill and cook at home on Saturday. This actually worked well for me as I had already been planning an experiment for that night.

I had been eyeing our new oven and had been considering the possibilities beyond simple cooking. Never had I actually baked bread and, to be honest, hadn’t baked anything for a couple of decades. The target choice was easy, my favourite crusty concoction – Baguettes. How hard could it be? Well, after a bit of research it turned out to involve a few more steps than everyday cooking and while the ingredients seemed to require exact precision the baking was not so precise.

Here’s the standard recipe I culled from a number of sources to create my own base. As we were having guests I doubled the recipe.

French Baguette
4 Cups Unbleached AP White Flour (+1/2 cup for working)
1 Package Dry Active Yeast
2 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 Cups Cool Water
4 Teaspoons Vital Gluten
1-2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

a) Pour water (tap cool not refrigerated) in large glass mixing bowl. Add yeast and gluten, mix and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

b) Add 2 cups of the flour and mix thoroughly. Add remaining flour and combine.

c) On a clean dry surface sprinkle some of the working flour and knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Add working flour as needed to achieve consistent moisture level throughout. Final result should be a large ball.

d) Coat large glass bowl with Canola Oil. Add the ball of dough and roll to coat. Cover with plastic and place in refrigerator for 14-18 hours. Dough may need to be punched down every now and then.

e) Remove bowl from refrigerator about an hour before you are going to start working with it to allow to come to room temperature.

f) Preheat oven to 475-500. You kind of need to now how your oven works to figure out the best cooking temp for you. Place large dutch oven filled with water on the lowest level of the oven.

g) Split dough into loaf size portions. I wasn’t sure how much the everything would grow in the oven so I split my doubled recipe into 4 portions. I ended up with something closer to a demi then a baguette.

h) Knead your dough out on a floured surface into the desired shape and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.

i) Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and place loaves on top. With a sharp knife or razor slice 3 or four slices into the dough. Brush top of loaf with water.

j) Bake for 25-30 minutes. Bread crust should sound hollow when knocked.

k) Place on cooling rack.

I baked the loaves in two groups. The first time I the oven was set at 475 and on the convection setting. It baked a little to quickly with the convection and threatened to burn in a couple of spots. The next go I set the oven to normal bake and the temp at 475. This time it seemed to be cooking too slowly so, about 10 minutes in, I upped the temperature to 490 and added 2 minutes to the cooking time. We sampled both loaves at the same time and, while there was no major difference between the two, the second set of loaves was more visually appealing.

The verdict? Not bad for a first attempt. The bread was very dense and heavy but in a really good way. For a variety of reasons I had cut the refrigerated rising time down to 9 hours which hadn’t given enough time for the little yeasties to burp enough into the dough. The Foodies really seemed to enjoy it. I had laid out both a dipping oil and Lurpak butter from Denmark for the bread and surprisingly the butter was the clear favourite. Actually, the Lurpak was such a hit they wanted to know where to get it (Fresh Market).

The rest of the dinner went well, not least of which was due to both Finn and Jasper sleeping through the entire evening. Mr Foodie was relegated to eating more of the bread for the appetizer as I did a very simple flat-iron steak on the grill, sliced it thin and served with horseradish cream. For entrees we had Haibut seared on the grill and sauteed zucchini from my nifty new mesh pan on the grill.

Desert brought an overload of joy. M had made a strawberry and Frangelico trifle, the Foodies brought fresh strawberries from their garden, and there was something else. I had read on Veron’s blog that the Foodies had been by her stall at the Farmer’s Market this morning. Would we be trying her macarons for the first time? Yes, we were. I am at a loss as to describe how good these were. I would say my favourite was the vanilla creme due to it’s amazing taste and simplicity but the salted caramel was a joy in it’s complexity. Either way both went well with my Grand Marnier.

Wrapping up the evening there was and abundance of food left over (hopefully from there being too much and not a reflection on the cook). We put together a take away bag for the Foodies. I was a little hesitant to add some of the sliced bread that had been sitting out for 4 hours for fear of it having gone stale. I touch a piece and found it to be perfectly fresh. Guess home baked fares a bit better than store bought. The two remaining loaves were cut the next day and tasted just as fresh as the day before even though they hadn’t been wrapped. With the cost of bread these days I may have to try baking at home a bit more.

M and I celebrated our second anniversary last week. For our first we had gone to Lemaire for dinner and had decided that we would make that our tradition. The dilemma, faced with a shaky economy and soaring gas prices, was did we want make that kind of dining investment. The solution soon presented itself. A six-course wine tasting dinner for $100 per person, including tax and gratuity. What better way to enjoy fine dining – subsidized by Orchid Hill Vineyard.

We arrived a few minutes before the start and, after a quick chat with Genevelyn, staked out a couple of seats. The staff soon started pouring wine and brought out a cheese platter. With the exception of a very tasty boursin style cheese the rest were standard and boring (brie, swiss, smoked gouda). The wine paired with this course was Orchid Hill’s 2006 Muscat Canelli. The wine rep made a big point of telling people that this was not a normal sweet Muscat. He was right, it was more reminiscent of a Pinot Gris, a much more crisp wine. It was nice but not a real standout. Not something you order for dinner but it might work well on a porch on a warm afternoon.

After a brief speech about the vineyard we took our seats and the first course quickly arrived – Early Season Soft-Shell Crab with Herbed Orzo, Ramps, & English Peas. The crab was excellent, crispy exterior with sweet crab meat inside. The creaminess of the orzo complimented the bitterness of the ramps and the sweet peas. With the crab came a 2006 Viognier, a perfect match for the Chesapeake Bay inspired appetizer. If your burned out on cookie-cutter chardonnays grab a bottle of viognier from Orchid Hill or any other good vineyard for a nice change of pace.

The next course brought giggles to many throughout the crowd of fifty. Sometimes the chef is looking so close at the details he/she misses the big picture. The Garlic Roasted Georgia Quail on a Maytag Blue Cheese Tart with Apples, Spinach and Bacon looked a bit like someone reclined on a pillow and, quite frankly, a tad pornographic. The quail was excellent. Succulent and moist, people were putting down their silverware to get the last bits off the tiny legs. The tart was wonderful, rich and creamy with big chunks of crisp bacon on top. This course featured Orchid Hill’s 2004 Pinot Noir, a wine that many of us requested more of.

After a palate cleanser of Rhubarb Apple Sorbet came the Grilled New York Strip Loin. A thick slice of medium rare beef over a bed of morels, asparagus, fiddle head ferns and oven cured tomatoes with a painting of lobster cream across the plate. The beef was fantastic and while there was very little of the lobster cream the flavour was intense. The morels were good but had the textured of being re-hydrated but any issue with that was forgotten over the joy that was the fiddle head ferns. These little treats are only available a few weeks in the spring, taste a little nutty with a hint of bitter and are something you must try if you ever see them on a menu. The cooking process is a bit difficult so I don’t recommend trying it at home. The wine, the 2003 Estate Syrah, was chunky. I nearly requested knife for this wine. It was a good wine but was a bit too heavy for my taste, I asked for another glass of the Pinot.

To wrap up we received a House Strawberry Cocktail and a Strawberry Shortcake. This was my least favourite course of the evening. The cocktail was a bit odd, blended strawberries and vodka over ice. While I knew it was fresh it tasted more like a prefab mix. The shortcake was dry and tough and, since we had Lemaire’s expert service, there were no knives from earlier courses left to cut it with. The fresh strawberries with aged balsamic and marscapone were tasty so that was eaten and the cake left behind.

During the course of the evening the restaurant director came by each table and spoke about the future of the restaurant. They are soon closing for a redesign and general overhaul. I heard a lot of buzz words about ‘value’ and making the restaurant more ‘accessible’ to a wider audience. Sounds a little like a down grade to me but I could be wrong. We’ll have to wait and see what the relaunch brings.

The staff, chefs and waiters, did a great job. It is tough for a kitchen to put out a multi-course meal to a group that large without it tasting and feeling like a banquet. They managed to keep it fine dining and if they cut corners for speed you couldn’t tell. If you go to an event like this you should be very aware of your limitations. Bottomless glasses of wine can be fun for some but not everyone can handle it. Just ask the women who threw up all over The Jefferson’s expensive carpet at the end of the evening. People! Know Your Limits!

Our evening ended a bit badly too. Upon getting to M’s car in a light rain it made noises but declined to start. The result was calls to friends getting ready for bed and a long wait for a tow truck. Poor Cy-n-Ide were stuck with Finn till I manged to get to their house at nearly midnight. Looks like we’re going to owe them a few extra babysitting shift once Cy IV arrives…

One day I managed to double book myself. I gave M a choice, a trip to the IRS or take Finn for a haircut. She chose the IRS. The haircut was easier. Over time Finn and I have made haircuts into a ritual that he enjoys and we have never had a really bad experience. We would go to Legends in Carytown, haircut for him followed by a snack from their cookie jar while I have my cut. This would be followed by a trip to Can-Can for gougeres for him and martini for me. Everyone was happy…. or so I thought.

For about a year I had noticed senior stylists disappearing. An increasing number of open booths, and, quite frankly, less and less customers. I heard a few rumblings from the staff but no real complaints. In January, while having our routine cuts, a mention was made that our stylist might be moving on. When pressed he was vague but, reading between the lines, I figured it had something to do with the working environment. This was reinforced by my observation that he seemed to be the only person working. I really wondered how they were paying the skyhigh Carytown rents.

March arrived and it was time for Finn and I to get our ears lowered once again. I called for an appointment and was informed that our stylist was no longer there. They offered a new person and we accepted. We arrived and accepted our pre-cut glass of wine. Even though we were 20 minutes early we were sent back and Finn’s cut began. She seemed to know what she was doing but I don’t think she had much experience with children’s cut and Finn soon had a new experience – a mouthful of hair. The cut also took way too long and Finn started getting fidgety.

I’ve always gone to high-end salons, have had friends and room-mates who worked in them, so I have a decent idea of whether a stylist is good or not. The new girl had good fundamentals but was too inexperienced and too young to be working in a salon that charges as much as Legends does. I started getting a little nervous about my impending cut but it was a bit too late to back out now. She wrapped up working on Finn and, after removing the hair from his tongue, looked fine.

For some reason the young man tasked to wash hair was too busy (doing what in an empty salon I am not sure) and the new girl took me to wash my hair. In the midst of my scalp rub the owner, Buckey, walked up and started berating the poor girl washing my hair. Seems she decided to start working on me before cleaning up the residue of Finn’s cut. The conversation that went on over my head in a sink was petty, rude, and completely inappropriate in earshot (or actually over) a client. When we returned to the cutting chair I could feel her hands shaking in anger.

She apologized repeatedly and, somehow, managed not to criticize the owner beyond what I had actually witnessed. She was a little unhappy with the assistant, saying he always helped the others out more (his lack of presence for my cut led me to agree) but was a much bigger person than I and did not slam the owner. I, on the other hand, told the receptionist on the way out how rude I thought he was. The cut was acceptable, if overpriced, and off Finn and I went for repast at Can-Can.

The next week my old stylist, Tim, came by my store and told me that he, and a number of the senior staff from Legends, had opened a new place, Serenity. I wondered if the name was a play on the staff’s feelings after having escaped Buckey.

So here it is in May and time for Finn and Daddy to get our ears lowered again. This time the call went to Serenity, not Legends. Next door to Cafe Diem on Sheppard St they’ve created a nice comfy salon. A glass of wine in hand I noted my surroundings. Full chairs, happy conversation, smiling faces. I mentioned my last visit to Legends and found myself the center of attention. Ex-staffers smiled and said that was minor compared to some of the experiences (one involving an air-born piece furniture) but did not go into to much detail. This could have been a perfect opportunity for the ex-employees to get really vicious but they were professional. The customers…. they shared stories.

A business owner has the right to make decisions and set standards but, unless you are the sole face of your business, you may have customers who are loyal not just to you, but to your employees. If you treat the employees badly and do so in front of their clients you will be losing more than a staff member if they leave.

Our cuts were great. The experience relaxing. Finn was a little disappointed that we weren’t going to Can-Can for gougeres but there’s a big dinner out planned tonight and I have things to do. Come back tomorrow and hear about that!