Challenges

I have been getting a little grief lately for posting to the blog so sporadically so I promise I will try to get better. First off I would like to tell everyone to stop by and check out all of the changes that we have made at Victory 44. We have done a fair amount of re-modeling and we aer pretty excited about that. You have to see the "praise the lard" picture. I think it is pretty cool. We also have some pretty great new menu items that are pretty tasty. So now to business...I had one of my favorite regulars stop by Victory 44 tonight and she gave me some really great feedback. Some was hard to swallow and humbling, but good none the less. She and her husband are really great customers of both of my restaurants so I always appreciate her critiques. The majority of her critiques had to do with some of the consistency in our service at Victory 44 and the lack of finesse at The Kitchen. I couldn't but agree with what she had to say- that was the humbling part. I am continually striving to find perfection. I am continually looking to create better camaraderie amongst the staff and to really inspire them. I think one of the hardest challenges I have faced now as a owner is really finding cooks and servers that are making this industry their career and not so much their job. I find that the staff that are career oriented are so much more passionate and focused than one that may consider it just a job until they move onto something else. I love to see someone who is passionate about what they do and I really hope that I can continue to inspire and nurture the cooks and servers that I have working for me now. I appreciate the feedback as sometimes I become so tunnel visioned that I dont see some of the obvious areas I can work on in my own restaurant. I love a good challenge and I actually love good honest criticism so I can keep growing. So thanks for the feedback- I am sure you know who you are......

Tasty Treats......

Last week my chef Duffy from Victory and I went out to Piccolo Restaurant. We were really in the need of getting out and finding some good grub and inspiration, and we found that at Piccolo. We decided off the bat that we would order everything on the menu. The meal started off a little slow (duck egg/ saltine/ asparagus, grape gaspacho/ lomo) and I wasnt sure what to expect and then whammo....mortadella agnolotti- are you kidding me. This was hands down one of the best dishes I have eaten in a long time. There were several others that were spectacular like the rabbit with pickled cherries/ artichoke/ country ham. It really turned out to be one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Dessert wasnt amazing compared to the earlier plates, but then again its hard to do desserts right when you compare anything to chef Dianne from Solera/ La Belle Vie. (Obviously I am a fan of her desserts)But none the less it truely was a amazing meal. Doug Flicker really is a great chef. We are fortunate to have such a restaurant in this town. Thanks Piccolo and we will see you again soon real soon.....