Open letter to restaurant owners

Greg Cox, restaurant critic for the News & Observer in Raleigh, recently wrote the open letter to restaurant owners that follows.  I wanted to share it with you because if he’s referring to you, that’s exactly why I’m here!

I specialize in working with professionals in the culinary, wine, sustainable farming and hospitality industries on implementing their PR, marketing, social media and communications strategies.

Here goes:

On behalf of countless frustrated potential customers (OK, I haven’t actually tried to count them; you should see my e-mail inbox), I’d like to share a few suggestions about your website.

• First and foremost, if you don’t have a website, by all means get one!  I’d say most restaurants have websites nowadays, which makes those who don’t the modern equivalent of a 20th-century business without a phone.  If you can’t afford a website, then set up a Facebook page.  It’s free, and you might even get some helpful feedback.  Note:  I would welcome the opportunity to help you set up a WordPress website for your restaurant as well as set up and maintain your Facebook fan page.
• Having a website “under construction” doesn’t count, especially if the little man with the hard hat is still the only thing on the site after you’ve been open six months.
• Research website hosts and pick a good one.  Then stick with it.  Nothing is more frustrating for us — or bad for your business — than going to your restaurant’s website to get hours or directions and finding that the site no longer exists.  Note:  Part of my service for setting up your website includes recommending some reliable Web hosts.
• Speaking of hours and location, that information, as well as your phone number, should be on your front page, not buried under the “make a reservation” or “contact us” tab.  A link to your menu (bonus points for a printable version) should also be easy to find.
• Pictures of your dining room and food are helpful, too, though not essential.  Whatever you do, however, don’t load up your site with a lot of animated stuff that takes forever to load.
• Keep the site up to date.  That includes menu changes, food and drink specials, entertainment schedule and special events.  Note:  After I’ve worked with you to set up your site, I can maintain it for you, too.
• Oh, and please 86 the music!  Or at least give us an easy-to-find off button.  Believe me, just because we’re interested in your food doesn’t mean we share your taste in music.

Of course, if you’re in the restaurant business as a hobby or a tax shelter and aren’t really interested in making money, feel free to ignore these suggestions.  You’re doing just fine.

Veg Mates

My awesome personal trainer has me on a healthy eating regime that includes lots of protein and veggies and not many carbs (what a surprise, huh?).  I’m on my second week of this routine and I’m feeling great!  The one thing that I’m absolutely not willing to give up is my oh so precious wine — after all, it’s my only vice.  I must admit, however, that I have cut back my consumption to a glass or two on the weekends only.  Everything in moderation, n’est-ce pas?

So when the March issue of my Whole Living Magazine arrived, I was so pleased to find a feature on the perfect wine matches made in veggie-lover heaven.  These come courtesy of Steven Satterfield and Neal McCarthy of the Atlanta restaurant, Miller Union:

Riesling >> Pair with English Peas. The residual sugar in the wine makes “the sweetness of the peas pop in your mouth,” Satterfield says.  Prep Suggestion: Make a pea soup by pureeing and mixing with ham stock, pearl onions and fresh mint.  Pick: J. J. Christoffel Erben, 2007.

Cote Rotie >> Pair with Parsnips. White grapes add flavors of old-world pepper, herbs and spice that are a good combo with parsnip, McCarthy says.  Prep Suggestion: Saute in butter, apple cider, salt and cream; puree and serve with duck.  Pick: Patrick Jasmin, 2000.

Pinot Gris >> Pair with Radishes. Satterfield likes the acidity and the fruity, almondy tone with the spicy radish.  Prep Suggestion: Slice and garnish with salt and pepper, olive oil, and goat’s milk feta thinned with buttermilk.  Pick: Eyrie Vineyards, 2007.

Chardonnay >> Pair with Carrots. High acidity will balance the carrots’ sweetness.  “Look for one with virtually no oak, which competes with the vegetable,” Satterfield says.  Prep Suggestion: Roast with olive oil, parsley and thyme.  Pick: Lioco Winery, 2008.

Cabernet Franc >> Pair with Beets. “The barnyard funkiness of the wine perfectly complements the earthy beets,” McCarthy says.  Prep Suggestion: Roast in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to bring out the savory side.  Pick: Domaine de Nerleux, 2004.

Chateauneuf Du Pape >> Pair with Spinach. “This is a hard one,” McCarthy says.  “You need something almost oily and full-bodied, so that it won’t compete with the spinach.”  Prep Suggestion: Saute with olive oil and garlic.  Pick: Domaine de Marcoux, 2008.

I’d love to hear your suggestions for some other perfect veggie-wine pairings.

 

Chefs put their names to work

Chef Jason Smith, center, owner of 18 Seaboard and Cantina 18, helps expedite lunch orders at 18 Seaboard. Smith will be launching a line of his popular pear-vanilla bean and strawberry-vanilla bean sangrias in 2011.

The Triangle’s best-known chefs may not have the international celebrity of a Bobby Flay or a Rachael Ray, but that’s not preventing them from borrowing their business strategies.

Like their national counterparts, area chefs are dabbling in the business of branded products – jams, jellies, sauces and other food products that they are selling in stores.

There are many reasons to try it.

Adding a product line can be an important source of new revenue while the restaurant business continues to struggle.

Sales of such products provide another way to connect with a restaurant’s fans – as well as those who may not yet be patrons

And – let’s face it – there’s just something cool about putting your name on a product.

Jason Smith, the chef-owner of 18 Seaboard and Cantina 18 in Raleigh, plans to start bottling and selling his restaurants’ popular sangria this year.

“The great thing about it is that there’s unlimited upside potential,” he said. “That’s hard to find. There are only so many meals I can serve in a 24-hour period. This is different.”

Of course, launching an upscale food line with a still-shaky economy is risky. Even in good times, not every chef who tries it succeeds.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/01/09/906338/chefs-put-their-names-to-work.html#ixzz1AekVje17

Chefs predict the biggest trends for 2011

As reported by Greg Cox, restaurant critic for Raleigh’s News & Observer, it’s that time of the year again when “experts” (quotation marks optional, depending on whether you agree with them) of all stripes make their predictions about coming trends.

Let’s take a peek into the crystal ball of the National Restaurant Association, which recently surveyed more than 1,500 chefs nationwide, and published the results as the association’s Top 20 Trends for 2011.  Read the full article online.

Here are some highlights:

• The word of the year, evidently, is “local.” Four of the Top 20 include the word, including “locally sourced meats and seafood” and “locally grown produce,” which tied at No. 1 with 86 percent of chefs giving them a nod. “Hyper local” (restaurants with their own gardens, for example) and “locally produced wine and beer” also made the list.
• “Sustainable” and “organic” fared well, too, tallying a combined three entries on the list. No big surprise here, really. Unless your name is Rip Van Winkle, you’re aware that the philosophies of local, organic and sustainably produced food have been hot for several years now, and the trend shows no sign of letting up. Now, if you’re looking for a really hot new trend . . .
• “Nutrition” — especially for children — is coming on like gangbusters. Three of the Top 20 are aimed at providing healthier fare for children, while a fourth broadens the focus to include the general population. “Gluten-free food and being food allergy conscious” at No. 8 on the list, will come as good news to many.
• The chefs clearly have a fun side, too. Among their other predicted trends for 2011 are artisan cheeses, ethnic-inspired breakfasts and newly fabricated cuts of meat (such as pork flat iron, or the rabbit bacon I saw on a menu recently). The “culinary” cocktail made with savory or fresh ingredients is another trend with fun potential. I think I’ll pass on the bacon-essence vodka, though.

LIVE Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Chat this Sunday

Master Sommelier and trained chef, Andrea Robinson (my wine heroine), is hosting a LIVE-from-Napa Thanksgiving wine-pairing chat that you can join via the internet.  It’s this Sunday, November 21st at 5:00 PM Pacific.  Here is the invite.

Andrea is making turkey roasted two ways for a taste-off, and she and her celebrity vintner guests will be talking wines, sides, even leftovers!  The theme of this event is “Bring Your Own Turkey/Wine” so if you’re on Twitter, use #byotw to follow the conversation.  Andrea invites you to come with your questions, tips and advice — she wants to hear from you!  Tune in for wine, food and good conversation among friends.  Be sure to bookmark the invite page so you can access the chat link on Sunday.  You can sign on/off any time.   Hope to “see” you there!

Vegetable risotto pairs well with red wine

A seasonal dinner can be a challenge to pair with the tannins in red wine.

No matter how confident you are about designing and executing a meal, walking into a wine shop can be more than a little intimidating. I have seen very capable cooks glaze over when scanning the myriad bottles filled with the noble grape.

So I called in a local expert to help me pair red wines with vegetarian dishes.

Sheri Sauter Morano is passionate about wine. Her distinction as master of wine – issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom – is impressive, given that she is one of the few women and few Americans to have earned this title.

I designed a menu that was seasonal and that would provide challenges to those pesky tannins present in red wines. Our five-course menu included sage and Asiago grilled cheese; spicy red lentil soup; apple, Brussels sprout and turnip hash; risotto with wild rice; squash and wild mushrooms; and shaved fennel, parsley and parmesan salad.

Morano selected an accessible, mostly French lineup from Whole Foods and 3 Cups, a Chapel Hill wine store. The wines included a 2009 Jean Paul Brun Beaujolais, a 2007 Paul Jaboulet Aine Côtes Du Rhône, a 2004 Lopez-Heredia Rioja, a 2007 Domaine Lucien Jacob Burgundy and a Pehu Simonet brut rosé. We had to have champagne.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/24/755821/vegetable-risotto-pairs-well-with.html#ixzz13OEoM8Eg

On the road to good eats

Ulf and Silce Menzel of the Olde German Schnitzel Haus in Hickory, recently voted Best German Restaurant in America.

When your job includes driving around in search of good food, you hear this all the time: “Can I be your driver?”

Bob Garner of Burlington certainly gets that one. Now he has figured out a way that a lot of people can ride along, and they don’t even have to drive.

In North Carolina, Garner really is the guy who wrote the book on barbecue. “North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored By Time,” published in 1996, is a classic. He’s also the restaurant reviewer for UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” a writer for Our State magazine and communications director for AARP-NC.

Garner and Our State have a new project to put Garner’s food knowledge to work. The Bob Garner Restaurant Road Trip is a rolling food tour, complete with tour bus.

The idea is to set up two-day trips that would include notable food places and a barbecue.

“North Carolina is like the bus-trip capital of the world,” Garner says. Between his TV and AARP jobs, he meets a lot of people who love taking short food trips.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/10/729070/on-the-road-to-good-eats.html#ixzz12pCXgTrg

Embracing the Abundance of a Day at Market

You may find yourself wondering what to do with the abundance of local foods from one CSA (community supported agriculture) box or one morning at your local farmers’ market.  Well, here’s an idea:  embrace it!

The Fall issue of Edible Piedmont includes a great article, Fearing a CSA Box in a 30-Minute Meal World, on how you can handle what comes in the box or what you may have bought at market and then wondered what you’re going to do with it.  The article also includes a recipe for Honey-Mustard Pork Ham Roast that sounds delicious.

When is red a summer wine? At burger time

By the end of summer, I’m a little weary of the crisp, refreshing whites and light salads that have sustained me through the heat. I crave something red to drink, and a juicy grilled burger to mark the transition to fall.

The beautiful thing about grilling, at least in terms of wine choices, is that the smoky, caramelized flavors of grilled foods beg for intensely flavorful wines. Wines that might be too oaky, too fruity or just too “big” are at their best with something hot off the grill.

The fat of grilled meat offsets some of the chewy tannins in red wines, and a great burger cries out for the big, flavorful fruit and intensity of the best American and New World wines.

For a classic American-style burger, try an American Syrah from producers such as Qupe, Phelps or R.H. Phillips, or one of those amazing California cabernet sauvignons. It’s impossible even to try to mention producers as there are so many terrific choices.

Australia has a lot to offer burger aficionados as well, with rich and fruity Shiraz and lovely Shiraz blends. I am particularly fond of the way these fruity blends pair with strong cheeses like smoked Gouda or Roquefort on a burger. Try Penfolds, Marquis Philips, Mollydooker or Henschke.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/19/687155/when-is-red-a-summer-wine-at-burger.html#ixzz10gdZPHv6

Al Fresco Dining in Raleigh

There’s a new website devoted to finding outdoor dining options in Raleigh. It’s called Raleigh Al Fresco. You can see which restaurants have umbrellas, allow pets or even serve brunch. It looks as though other sites for RTP, Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham are coming soon.

So when the weather is warm and a patio is calling, go to www.raleighalfresco.com to find your al fresco experience.