3:45pm Finally a little slower in the dining room for this last hour and a half of prep. Greens are washed, rhubarb is cooked down, the gimlet tastes perfect, the meatloaf is going in the smoker, radishes shaved. Still need to make Caesar dressing, rosewater vinaigrette, and rhubarb crisp still needs to go in the oven. Hoping the pork shoulder breaks down adequately in the next two hours. It's my favorite dish, one that put us on the map with the Omaha paper.
1:27pm Finalize menu to print. Four and a half hours to get 10 dishes complete to serve by 6PM. Not my preferred method of operating, but I keep my eyes on the finish line around 10pm tonight, as well as the folks who are looking forward to a memorable meal this evening. I will steward that trust.
The surprise find of the day was a bag of hickory shucks, the hard outer covering of the hickory nut. We will smoke the meatloaf with those this afternoon. As I've always heard it said, "It's the wood that makes it good."
12:14pm The first of two graduation caterings has left the building. Second one in an hour. Take a moment to sit down, go over the lists, check them twice. The lunch crowd has arrived earlier than our normal after-noon bunch. For days like this to run smoothly, it requires a lot of coordination, a ton of hard work, and not a little good luck.
9:29am Printing off the menu to return to Market vendors, showing them how we are using their products in our restaurant tonight. This is a win/win for both of us. The vendor shows their customer our menu, increasing our exposure. Word of mouth advertising is as old as the hills, and if I can get you to talk about my business, I don't have to.
9:02am 20lbs of asparagus, 3lb spinach, 10lbs goat feta, 15lbs ground beef, 10lb rhubarb, 3lbs green beans, 2lbs braising greens, several bunches breakfast radish, green onion, baby turnips, and a bag of hickory shucks. This should make a fine menu.
