What's on my mind?

The warm days and vanishing snow(thank you!)have got my mind doing a full court press on Spring menu ideas. I've written before about how the menu gets written, but this time, I'd like to shed some light on the beginning of the creative process. The beginning part for me is simply throwing every idea that pops into my head on paper and see what happens. I don't limit the ideas to simply food items or techniques. As you'll read below, literally everything that pops into my head makes it on the paper. So....if you're interested in a sneak peak of the early Spring menu, here it is in its earliest form.

The pic below is a Spring addition to our bread service. Yes, not only does the menu get a big ol' overhaul, but so does the bread service, desserts and cookie tray. These little gems are olive, bacon and dijon stuffed rolls. Sound good? They are, but don't take my word for it(what do I know?), get in to the restaurant and try them out!




Early SPRING 2010

Morels
Country ham
Celery Root + Foie + Popcorn
Pork Belly
Ramps
Peas
Fiddlehead Ferns
Lamb Neck
Tarragon
Asparagus
Shad Roe
Watercress
Chives + flowers
Smoked Maple Syrup
Green Flavors
Last of the wood fires
Sweetbreads
taste like dirt
Crispy gnocchi
Rabbit pot pie
Skate
Raw Tuna
Farro
Bulgar
Fromage Blanc
First cut grass
warm sun
honey roasted radish
spring eggs
bone marrow
carrots
young garlic

More to come......