As you may already know The Wine Bar features 60 varieties of wines by the glass.  It has two Xbox 360’s with museum sound systems and a 54” Plasma Nintendo Wii for gaming, and the adjacent private dining room makes a great kick-your-shoes-off dance room.  Last week a local internet company recognized how all these attributes could be used to throw a fabulous staff appreciation night.  What a party!

We started them off with some popular items from our $9 Nosh menu like our signature chicken lollypops and warm Vietnamese spring rolls.  We added some fresh sushi selections from Umi Sushi.  Then we added some happy hour priced cocktails and “Voila” you have a pretty fun time!

They really set an example for how a company can use The Wine Bar to energize their staff and increase their loyalty.  It’s good to see a company recognizing the importance of taking care of their employees during tough financial times like these.  My hat goes off to them.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen a group have so much fun!

By the way, at my cooking demo on Tuesday night I showed our patrons how to prepare our new chili-rubbed filet mignon - we recently added this item to The OZ menu.  We had about 15 people there, many of them enjoying our great happy hour.  Come see us next Tuesday.  The demonstration starts at 7 pm.

I enjoy working with scallops because there are unlimited possibilities for how they can be featured.  They are wonderful in very pretentious preparations where they are simply sauteed and accompanied by a straight forward sauce.  They also take well to a variety of flavorings, from the very strong perfume of white truffle oil, to the aromatic flavors of foie gras.

My new addition to the OZ dinner menu is called Taylor Bay Scallops, which is sashimi wrapped Taylor Bay Scallops with oregon wasabi and pickled shitake mushrooms.

For this recipe I used pickled shitake mushrooms, the flavor of which I feel is great when paired with the scallop.  When combined with the wasabi, the recipe takes on a very creamy consistency.  The natural sweetness of sea scallops benefits tremendously from the mushroom brine when served raw.  The complex flavors of the shitake mushrooms and micro cilantro in this dish provide perfect balance and an element of luxury.

Definition of Mise En Place - everything in its rightful place at the right time.

If you are into cooking and you could learn only one French word, this has to be it.  No professional kitchen can be successfully run without Mise En Place.  It’s Preparation for Everything in it’s Proper Place.

 THE GOAL

To be ready for a specific task at a specific time.

PLAN YOUR WORK - THEN WORK YOUR PLAN

Otherwise you will freak out, running around like a chicken with its head cut off come service time.  Have you ever had this happen during a family get together or at a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?

The ultimate objective of the Chef’s work is that when the final product is presented to the diner it exceeds all expectations.  It must be on time, served at proper temperature, and visually appealing.  The finished plate is a personal reflection of the Chef.

And, as a chef you are judged by the diner on everything that reaches their table.  This includes:

• Fingerprints on plates

• Sauce splatters

• Cold plates

• Overcooked foods

And this is one of the reasons I love being a Chef!