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.....

What’s new at Victory 44 and The Kitchen….

We have been working on quite a few changes at Victory 44. Some have been a change in décor (and there is a lot more coming) and some have been in reformatting the menus. We have really expanded the beer offerings and have added quite the selection of artisan beers. We have also been reformatting the menu. We have reduced a portion of the menu and added an expanded chefs table that changes weekly. It has been so fun to create some of these dishes. The feedback has been amazing. The new chefs have been working so hard and it is really a menu that we all can be proud of.

We have also brought back our Saturday and Sunday brunch. Some of the highlights include: Maple Braised Bacon, Olive Oil Pancakes, Fried French Toast, and the “Chefwich”. The maple braised bacon literally is 6oz. of smoked and maple braised goodness. It is so good. The dish I love the most is the “Chefwich”. It is actually a pork tongue and fried egg sandwich. I know it sounds crazy but trust me it is really worth trying. The pork tongue goes through several different cooking methods and the results are so fantastic. So stop by Victory 44 and get some tongue…. :)

The Kitchen in Stillwater is in full swing as this hot summer is upon us. Chef David and I have been working on new menus out there as well. We have added some pretty great pastas and some really fantastic seafood. I can’t decide between the seafood sausage or the merguez or the crab cake or maybe the nicoise salad as to which is best. The whole menu is so fantastic. Our brunch out there is doing really well also. Stop by add grab one of our coveted patio tables and enjoy a fabulous meal.

Life is busy, restaurants are busy, four little boys at home are busy….but all in all I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Keep enjoying the great summer and be sure to indulge on plenty of great eats.

Changes

Changes- something that I have learned to embrace and I have found that change can lead to something even more than I once thought. We have had some changes as of late at Victory 44. Some of my previous cooks had informed me that they were leaving to start there own restaurant. In some ways this was not a shock at all since I knew my chef had once owned his own place and always dreamed of having another of his own. Some parts of me were upset but it was more in part because of how the "departure" went down. In the haste of their decision they had offered jobs to all of the current staff. Something that is pretty bad form in the restaurant industry- but in some ways they felt they had developed a crew, and in some ways they did. Yet they overlooked the repercussions of the decisions they made and the respect that may have been lost in the lack of communication and the soliciting of the staff. Ultimately two very good things came out of this...I was able to truly see how vulnerable one can get when giving to much freedom, creative influence , trust, praise, and in some regards control of the kitchen. But I also learned that change happens for a reason- I was not always happy at some of the aspects that had developed in the restaurant and now I was able to take control and regain what was lost. In my haste of trying to run to busy restaurants I lost focus on what I truly love-to cook! In some ways the departure of my cooks to chase their dreams help me realize how much focus I had lost of my own. I have since been able to hire some of my old cooks from way back in the day which has been a very exciting reunion and I now spend much more time developing and nurturing there food knowledge, and in return they do the same for me. It has been a pretty smooth transition and the entirely new staff that has been put in place is really doing a fabulous job. Don't get me wrong- my idea to get rid of all the servers and use only cooks has been quite ambitious and full of unexpected learning curves, but that is half of what makes it so fun. We are really on a path to truly develop this concept and really iron out all of the details......and to clarify- I have no bad blood for my previous cooks- in some ways its a little bit of karma (not that I believe in karma) but I did the same thing to my former boss when I was not certain of what the outcome could have been had I just told him my dreams. I wish them all of the best of luck and I am very excited for the future of Victory 44. We have really been developing some really exciting dishes.....so please stop by and give them a taste and stay tuned for all of the exciting developments of our really unique concept. Like we say every table is a chefs table.......

Here we go again...

Alright...I have started a new blog and I promise this time to be much better about posting what is happening in the restaurants. The postings will consist of photos and comments from me and my crews from both Victory 44 and The Kitchen. Stay tuned for updates of new spring menus and photos of dishes. There is a BBQ cook off this Saturday on the patio at The Kitchen in Stillwater from noon to 5. I have created a pretty sexy and playful dish that I hope brings home the gold.....or I guess wins the gold and keeps it at our restaurant since the event is taking place on my patio...... Hope to see you all there..........