May The Stars Light Your Way
 On Saturday, February 11, 2006, I spent my twelfth night in the kitchens of Jean-Robert at Pigall’s. I arrived around 1:15 and was greeted by Todd, the sous chef, with, “Are you here all night?”. Each time he’s said that to me in the…
This evening, the HAPPY MOUTH SUPPER CLUB entered our fifth year of monthly dining. It was Wendy B’s month to select, and she did a great job in choosing Germano’s Restaurant. Germano’s Restaurant, one of the top Italian Restaurants in the Midwest, has been delighting…
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This afternoon, I spent my thirteenth day in the kitchen of Jean-Robert at Pigall’s, the 4-star French restaurant in downtown Cincinnati. I arrived at 1:00 and stayed until 5:30 since we had dinner plans this evening.
While there, I prepped a variety of products and helped Chef get ready for his off-site party that night. There were a variety of additional tasks beyond the normal prep for Saturday service, so I feel like I was useful. I’ll be back down there soon!
Tonight, a group of us (Bob, Sharon, Jay, Angel, Chef Doug, Wendy, and Drew) met at the Iron Horse Inn in Glendale for a Saturday night Wine Dinner. It was a good time. Here’s the menu: The Iron Horse Inn Restaurant Italian Wine Dinner —…
This evening was another monthly outing of the HAPPY MOUTH SUPPER CLUB, and it was Tracy’s month to pick. Tracy indicated that she was feeling bold after her two most recent picks, so she selected THE CELESTIAL in Mount Adams. The Celestial has an absolutely…
PICTURES ARE HERE!Â
This evening’s activities were really fun. Wendy & Holly had collaborated to plan a surprise party for Jay, who turns 40 at the end of April. Holly provided all the decorations, Ed delivered them to Wendy, and Wendy & I (with help from others as they arrived) decorated our private room at the IRON HORSE INN. The room was a forest of balloons (purple, black, and silver), garland, and crepe paper.
Everyone – nearly 20 of us — showed up early and were in position for the surprise. Through artful deception, Ed got Jay to the restaurant and pointed upstairs to have a drink while they waited for Holly (who Jay believed was running late but was actually peering out the door to time the shouts of “SURPRISE” appropriately). Ed & Jay breezed right by the door on their route to the bar. Holly flung the door open and we all shouted “Surprise!”. Jay was suitable surprised, nearly jumping from his skin and turning beet-red. Much merriment, drinking, eating, and gift exchanging occurred. Dinner was great. Our table enjoyed an appetizer of Prince Edward Island Mussels in a fresh garlic, basil and spicy tomato broth; some peppery Brandied Lobster Bisque with Shrimp (Robin loved it and ate all of Dave’s!). My entree was Roasted Chilean Sea Bass which was topped with garlic aioli and herbed bread crumbs, served with pickled red onions, mashed sweet potatoes, and fresh vegetables. It was super-tasty.
Desserts were on me… I’d prepared two cakes — a Bavarian Chocolate Torte and an Orange Cream Cake. The staff at the HORSE did a great job — everyone got a slice of each kind of cake, and there were even some leftovers.
After dinner, we retired to the patio at the Glendale Pub and watched trains go by. It was a great evening.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAY!
It’s the third Tuesday of the month, and that usually means the WINE DINNER at the IRON HORSE INN. I met up with David & Chie and we enjoyed the following menu, celebrating the Graziano Family Vineyards. Jen from Tramonte & Sons Distributors guided us through…