Kitchen Chick

Save Everyday Cook!

The restaurant business is tough. Even a successful place can be the victim of tight cash flow, physical limitations, and circumstances beyond management's control. The chefs at Everyday Lunch in Kerrytown are doing some of the freshest, most innovative cooking in Ann Arbor today — their menu varies every day depending on what's available, what's in season, and what they feel like doing, it's reasonably priced, and it's always excellent. I'd put them up against anyone in town.

Medium Rare Flank Steak over Summer Vegetable Ragout with Lemon Oregano Butter

But unfortunately, Everyday Lunch has run into a cash crunch. Their kitchen wasn't originally designed to support a successful restaurant; I think the way the lunch business has taken off was a surprise to everyone involved. And they recently lost out to the City of Ann Arbor for a rare reasonably-priced liquor license (Surprise! The city awarded it to one of its own golf courses instead! No conflict of interest there! Way to support local business!) so they can't serve wine, despite also owning a wine store one floor down.  They may have to close.

Their owner has come up with an innovative plan to get the capital she needs to expand the kitchen, buy one of the new liquor licenses that are becoming available (the city doesn't have enough golf courses to waste ALL of them), and keep Everyday Lunch going. Essentially, she's considering selling store credit at a 10% discount, in $250 increments. (If you buy in at a high enough level, there are other benefits too). It's valid not only at everyday lunch, but also at everyday wines. We're going to buy in, and we wanted to tell all of you about it too, because if you're interested you'll need to act fast. Here's Mary's explanation:

The Future of Everyday Cook

Hello, everybody.

As many of you know, Everyday Cook is at a crossroads and may be closing toward the end of this month. As the Everyday Cook business model has evolved, it's become clear that the lunch restaurant is our shining jewel. Led by executive chef Brendan McCall and his amazing team, Everyday Cook has gained an impassioned following of foodies throughout Michigan and beyond. The daily changing menu and commitment to fresh, local ingredients is so special and unique that we just can't let that go without a fight.

When word filtered out recently that we were closing due to lack of capital funds to sustain our necessary growth, there was a genuine outpouring from the community. And those conversations got the wheels turning.

So here's the deal - we are weighing the idea of offering memberships to Everyday Cook at various levels with increasing benefits. Your membership and the influx of capital from the memberships would allow us to:

• Streamline and upgrade the kitchen area for greater output. Purchase additional refrigeration units to allow us to sell food and freshly prepared items to go.
• Apply for and purchase a developmental liquor license so we can serve wine and beer, as well as offer wine tastings and wine classes.
• Offer fixed-menu supper clubs.
• Offer space to local growers to sell their products year round.
• Update the restroom in our space so that our customers can use it.

So, you're wondering "how are these memberships going to work?" Glad you asked.

Lower level memberships would be offered in $250 increments — starting at $250 and running up through $2,500, — and then we will add an additional 10% of value to your membership. For example, a $1,000 commitment will get you $1,100 on an "Everyday" card that you can use at Everyday Wines and Everyday Cook (everything from lunches, wine, other beverages, specialty food items, dinners, wine classes, etc.).

If you have an Everyday Wines bag and get 10% off six bottles, your investment will go that much further. There will be some exceptions such as gratuity and items that we are selling for others and not keeping the proceeds (i.e. local farmers or local booksellers).

We'll also offer upper level $5,000 and $10,000 memberships that will include the opportunity to host complementary customized private dinner parties, the ability to use our event space, and members-only wine and food tastings. If you're interested, we'll fill you in on all the details.

We will spend the next week or so evaluating response to this idea. If you are interested in the membership scenario, please let us know by dropping an email to [email protected]

Regardless of the outcome, Everyday Wines will continue to go strong. And, of course, no matter what happens with Everyday Cook, we still have two weeks to savor the best food in town.

From the folks behind the counter and in the kitchen at Everyday Cook

Chili/Chowder Cookoff

Joe and I often do things on a whim. After our morning walk, my friend Patti and I met up with Joe at everyday lunch for — what else — lunch. That evening everyday lunch would be hosting their Chili and Chowder Cookoff fundraiser for Think Local First. We got swept up in the general enthusiasm — Patti was volunteering, and chefs Chewy and Brendan were cooking up their own entry — and Joe and I both knew where we'd be eating dinner.

There was a catch, of course. We had tickets to the UM Department of Theatre & Drama's performance of Shaw's You Never Can Tell, which meant we'd need to watch the clock so we'd have enough time to get to the theater. And, of course, since we'd be a bit dressed up (I like dressing up for the theater), we'd have to be extra careful to not spill chili on ourselves. So it was that I tottered around in my heels with a heavy camera and flash slung around my shoulders, trying to balance a small paper "bowl", a spoon, a score sheet, a pencil, and a wine glass.

(Really, wouldn't we have all been better off with four arms and hands? Just think! You could play your own piano duets. Or cook twice as much, twice as fast!)

And Joe and I had a grand time, running into old friends and meeting new people. And in spite of my insufficient number of hands, I still managed to stuff myself with chili and chowder. Seven chowder entrants and eight chilis, all of them different. Smoked haddock, applewood smoked clam, basil-flavored, and a nice rich traditional New England chowder, a just corn chowder, etc. On the chili side there were two chicken chilis, an assortment of different beef and bean chilis, including an espresso beer flavored one, ox tail, and even a vegan chili. I managed to try most of them, but sadly I missed a few. Our only regret was that we had to leave before we were ready to go. We're looking forward to next year's Chili & Chowder Cookoff.

NOTE: If any of the entrants reading this actually have recipes for their entries (which I realize is a long shot), please post them. I might try to make one or two later and do a full post on it.

In Second Place:

2nd Place Chili winner Jane, daughter of fellow food blogger Mom's Kitchen, with her Spring Chili. The homemade tomatillo sauce took this chicken chili to the next level.

(2nd Place Chowder went to Laura M. I did not get to sample this one, but I think this was the C.S.I. chowder, which Joe did try and thought was great. If so, it included squid and fish balls, and was orange.)

In First Place:

Chewy (left) serving up his 1st place winning Spanish Bullfighter's chili, and "Most Original" winner Alex (right) with his Wisconsin Chili.

The Spanish Bullfighter's chili was made of ox tail, and was smooth and rich — gourmet chili. Alex's Wisconsin Chili used golden raisins, which contrasted especially well with the cheddar cheese they supplied.

The belles of the evening: Chowder 1st Place Winner Kate, and her sister Courtney who took "Best Overall."

Kate served up her delicious Basilicious Chowder, and Courtney was mobbed by the crowd (Joe, um, had two bowls) for her "Lobster Loves Sweet Potato" Chowder. Their chowders were not only fabulous, but they demonstrated excellent use of garnish that enhanced both the appearance and the flavor.

Lidia Bastianich & Borders @ everyday cook

Lidia Bastianich and Nicole Sims enjoying Ziti with Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Salted Ricotta in a break between filming segments

A week ago I mentioned that I had the good fortune to attend the live taping of a pilot cooking webcast show — at everyday cook — for Borders Books that featured Lidia Bastianich doing recipes from her forthcoming book Lidia's Italy.  It was a blast, and I can't wait to see the show!

We attendees gradually gathered outside of everyday cook with great anticipation. When we filed into the everyday cook kitchen, we found it transformed into a studio. Cables and equipment everywhere, camera men catching pre-show stills and checking their gear, black cloth over the windows, and temporary lighting hung everywhere to light up the kitchen. The audience area was a series of high cocktail tables dressed with tablecloths, bottled water, and wine glasses. A camera man overheard me as I mused aloud about the best place to sit and he directed us to an unclaimed table right in front of the stovetop. Perhaps it had gone unclaimed because it was tucked tightly between two camera stations and a post. Joe and I squeezed in to the table, and I have to say we enjoyed some of the best seats in the house.

Show producer Rich Fahle of Borders welcomed us all and explained how the taping would go. There were be several segments with breaks between each one. We were to be as quiet as possible during the taping and to not leave our seats if at all possible. (But if we absolutely had to get up, please don't waltz in front of the cameras!) Lidia's two co-hosts were Nicole Sims who runs Skip to My Roux and Mark, a Border's executive. Food TV fans might remember Nic from All Star Kitchen Makeover when she won a kitchen make-over designed by Alton Brown. She was the main host, and did such a professional job that Joe (who didn't know who she was) was convinced she was a moonlighting news anchor.

Lidia kicked the show off with a simple appetizer of frico with apples and cheese and from there she mesmerized the audience with her mix of cooking lore and personal stories as she walked Nic and Mark through each recipe. Her enthusiasm was infectious! We were served small bits of the frico and the pasta during the show, along with enough wine to keep us all happy. At the end of the show, the dishes were put out buffet style and the audience was invited to eat. There was no fear of there not being enough food. Even after everyone went through the line, there was enough for seconds.

As much fun as I was having in the audience, watching both the show and also watching the camera crew move around and give their directions in hand signals, Nic looked like she was having a blast in front of the camera. I asked her what it was like to film this show with Lidia, and she said:

"It was great fun to work with her. Lidia is a consummate professional and also a very kind and warm woman. She also was very generous in her assistance in getting us all ready for primetime, from food prep to blocking out the conversations for the camera. Since I really connect with food and family the way she does, I felt a natural kinship as I really "get" where she's coming from with this book from her heart and it was just like having a friend come over and hang in the kitchen and share meaningful food stories."

I don't have any further information about when this webcast will be available, but I know the plan is to do a series. In the meantime, if you want to get as close as possible to hanging out in the kitchen with Lidia while sharing her cooking and her stories, check out a copy of Lidia's Italy — it's available this Tuesday, April 10. (We got an advance copy, and I've been cooking from it all week...)

Show Menu:

• Frico with Apples and Montasio Cheese, paired with Fantinel Prosecco Extra Dry NV. This crisp "pancake" is a delightful way to enjoy cheese and apples together. (Recipe for Frico with Apples and Montasio Cheese below.)
• Ziti with Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Salted Ricotta, with Borgo Maddalena Tocai Friulano 2005. Simple and fresh!
  
• Sausages with Fennel and Olives with SFIDA Primitivo/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend. We particularly enjoyed the wine with this one.
  
• And for dessert Lidia showed how easy it is (and Nic and Mark showed that it does require a little practice, but practice makes perfect!) to make crepes for Crêpes with Chocolate and Walnuts.

Wines were supplied by everyday wines in Kerrytown:

Fantinel Prosecco Extra Dry NV  — $13.99
Borgo Maddalena Tocai Friulano 2005 — $14.99
SFIDA Primitivo/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend — $10.99

Lidia doing pre-show prep. From left to right are Chewy, Lidia, Brendan (behind Lidia), another chef brought in to help, Rich the Borders producer, a cameraman, and Mary, owner of everyday cook.

"À la Bonne Franquette"

Steve Rosoff (L) and Francis Glorie (R)

I thought for certain I would be lost when I walked into everyday cook for Francis Glorie's & Steve Rosoff's first class about French cuisine taught en français. In fact, my tongue froze up completely when Francis greeted me in French and I could only stammer an apology — in French — that I didn't speak French very well.

You don't need to speak French very well to have a lot of fun cooking and learning about French cuisine with Francis and Steve, but you do need to be able to understand enough spoken French to follow along and get the gist of what they are saying. If you can do that, though, you'll have a very enjoyable time cooking along side of these two guys as they talk you through the preparation of several courses while, at the same time, helping you brush up on your French culinary terms.

Francis is a private French chef and business executive. Steve teaches French at U of M and is a restaurant consultant and experienced cook. Over the course of the evening, they shared their love of food and French language and culture while showing how to prepare several amuses bouches.

We kicked off the evening with a short lecture on the history of French cuisine and some of the main characteristics of French cuisine from different regions (e.g. butter is heavily used in the North, duck fat in the Southwest, and olive oil in the South). Then we got cooking. After they show you what they want, they hand you a knife (or other implement of destruction...) and ask you to finish it. I'm fine with a knife, but a danger around a stove. Sure enough, after Steve handed me a ladle for the blini I managed to graze my wrist against the hot handle of the large griddle (and consequently spill my ladle contents in a messy blob). As burns go, it barely even turned pink. And the side benefit was getting to eat the blini mistake as a test subject.

And then there was the pâte aux choux... I got an arm workout incorporating eggs one at a time into the base until a soft elastic dough was produced. Once the pâte aux choux was ready, we stirred in grated gruyère, then dropped it in large spoonfuls on a baking tray, topped with a touch more gruyère, and baked until they rose into airy puffs. While I worked on these, my fellow student cleaned mussels and chopped confit de canard for a potato-duck appetizer.

I've never cooked mussels at home before, but watching Francis steam them and then build the sauce showed just how quick and easy it was to make a bowl full of delicious mussels (with enough sauce left over for mopping up with bread!).

On occasion they took pity on us less-than-fluent students and dropped in an English word here or there, but the conversation and instruction was conducted in French. At the end, the dishes were casually plated up and we sat down to eat and do a debrief in English. (Our chance to get answers for anything we didn't understand the first time around.)

The menu for the first class (alas, I did not write it down! so it's all by memory) included: gougère (gruyère puffs); frisée salad with bacon and goat cheese and a lovely dijon vinaigrette; little potato halves topped with duck confit; mini buckwheat blini topped with smoked salmon, a savory herb-flavored whipped cream, and salmon caviar; and mussels in a mild curry-white wine-cream sauce.

I highly recommend this, even — perhaps even more so — if you think your French is not all it should be. I strongly believe that the best way to improve your foreign language skills is jump into an immersive experience that pushes you to learn. It's hard to find immersive experiences locally, and this comes fairly close to being immersive.

And what better way is there to improve your French (at least your listening skills) than to spend a fun evening, with delightful company, learning about French cuisine?

UPCOMING CLASSES
Space is limited and pre-registration is required, so call to reserve.

Classe 1: Introduction (a repeat of the class I took)
Thursday, March 1, 6:30 - 8:30pm
(This class only: special introductory price $45)

Classe 2: Les Potages, les Fonds
Thursday, March 8, 6:30 - 8:00pm

Classe 3: Les Hors d'Oeuvres, la Charcuterie
Thursday, March 22, 6:30 - 8:30pm

Classe 4: Les Poissons, les Sauces
Thursday, April 5, 6:30 - 8:30pm

$75/class (or $65/class if you take all three)

For registration:
everyday cook
734.827.COOK
[email protected]

eGullet 2006 Heartland Dinner

Clockwise, starting from the top: Squash blossoms waiting to be stuffed, peaches grilling, zucchini roulade.

The most anticipated event of the weekend was the big Saturday night dinner, where eGullet members displayed their culinary prowess and cooked a multi-course feast fit for royalty. With time a-wasting, after the wine tasting, Steven Shaw and Tammy put together a timeline for the courses and everyone got to cooking.  Well, most of us. I just got in the way with my camera.

The craziness reminded me of some of my and Joe's early group Thanksgiving dinners, where nine chefs stuffed themselves into our kitchen. The turkey's roasting in the oven, three more dishes are on the stove top -- each with its own chef -- more prep work is happening on the counters, and everyone gets elbowed and stepped on everywhere... until the last moment when the dishes are done, the turkey is resting, and the gravy chef shoos everyone out, out, out-of-my-way, out to the dining room! (Making gravy is serious business.)  And the craziness collapses to one stove top burner where the gravy chef is whisking frantically and swearing (just a little) while her mom hovers, with words of assistance just a breath away. Then some unlucky person gets pegged to carve the turkey ("unlucky" because none of us knows how to carve a turkey), and the feast begins.

Except there's a lot more room at Great Oak, and thus there was correspondingly less elbowing. And with lots of last minute cooking for the dishes, there was plenty of space between the courses, giving this meal a leisurely quality and creating a memory of a dream-like moment stretched and suspended in time.  (The absinthe may have helped.)

eGullet 2006 Heartland Gathering Wine Tasting

Saturday afternoon brought everyone together in the Great Oak Co-housing common dining room to taste an amazingly wide array of wines under the guidance of Ric Jewell, sommelier and front-of-the-house manager at Zingerman's Roadhouse. Operating under instructions to find interesting, less well-known wines that anyone could afford, Ric walked us through 21 bottles from all over the world, many of them wines made from relatively unknown (at least in the U.S.) grapes such as savagnin, pedro ximenez, verdejo, and counoise.

21 wines! Even with dump buckets, we were a rather rowdy bunch by the end...

An Afternoon at the Clements

The 2006 eGullet Heartland Gathering kicked off with a tour of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the Clements Library at the University of Michigan. 

If you attended the University of Michigan, as I did, the Clements Library is one of those mysterious buildings that all students look at but most never dare to enter. The beautiful Italian Renaissance style building set on its spacious lawn is home to the American history and culture collections that span from the fifteenth to the early twentieth century, including the Culinary Archive.

Janice Longone herself gave us a tour of the current exhibit. Jan is a well-known food historian and antiquarian culinary publications dealer. She donated her extensive collection to the Clements and has, appropriately, become the Curator of American Culinary History. Her passion for our history from past through present shone as she shared stories about building her collection and the fascinating history and cultural context around each item.

eGullet Heartland Gathering 2006

We had a fabulous food-ful weekend with the eGullet Heartland Gathering 2006. We kicked off Friday afternoon with a tour of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive conducted by Jan Longone herself. The current exhibit is titled "Patriotic Fare: Bunker Hill Pickles, Abe Lincoln tomatoes, White House Coffee & more" and shows a fascinating collection of articles, ads, and cookbooks that used food and cooking as a means to express American patriotism.

Saturday afternoon Ric Jewell, currently of Zingerman's Roadhouse but formerly the sommelier for Tribute, guided some thirty of us through twenty-one wines from all over the world. A marathon wine tasting of unusual and lesser-known grapes. Wow.

Evening was the big group-cooking event with a nine-course meal, with some really amazing foods. I can't really do justice to them in this short space. If I mention one, I'll feel compelled to mention another, and so on.

I'll be writing up each event as quickly as my time permits.

Everyday Wines hosts Growing Hope Fundraiser (Local A2 Event)

While in Kerrytown today, I stopped in at everyday wines to say "hi" and learned that they are hosting a wine tasting at everyday cook in Kerrytown (upstairs). Saturday, April 1, 4pm - 6 pm. Just $15/person. Proceeds go to support Growing Hope.

Click on the image to see the full event announcement.

eGullet Gathering in Ann Arbor

Clockwise from upper left:  Green Beans with Bacon, Guajolote's Beet Salad with Bacon, Roasted Red and Purple Fingerling Potatoes with Rosemary, Zucchini Blossoms stuffed with Caramelized Zucchini ready for dipping and frying.

Our friend Tammy hosted an eGullet gathering in Ann Arbor.  They toured Zingerman's Bakehouse and the Creamery, shopped for many tasty goodies at the farmers' market, Kerrytown, and Zingerman's, and retired back to Tammy's place to cook up a fabulous meal. 

I had planned to join them on the tours, but yesterday started on a bad note when the construction zone in front of our house came roaring to life at at the indecent hour of 7am and continued downward when they accidentally cut the gas main, which left us without hot water or the use of our stove.  The local gas company sent a guy to check our house to make sure it wasn't being flooded with gas.  I thought about cooking breakfast outside on the grill, but then the skies opened up and a flood of biblical proportions poured from the heavens.  Well, so much for that plan.  At least we managed to fetch the new Harry Potter book.  But I did make finally make it over to Tammy's at Great Oak Co-housing in time to chop squash and stuff zucchini blossoms.

The squash blossoms were the big hit of the night.  Tammy wanted to recreate a carmelized zucchini dish that she had at Jose's Minibar in D.C., but she wanted to dress up the presentation a bit.  She spotted squash blossoms at the farmers' market, and it just all came together.  A big thanks to Steve Shaw for calling Jose's Minibar and getting the carmelized zucchini recipe.  You can find the recipe for the blossom stuffing, and read others' write-ups on eGullet in the topic Heartland Gathering in MI.

Tempura Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Caramelized Zucchini

There were some 26 people cooking, drinking wine, and having a general good time.  Some 15+ dishes were prepared and savored.  Along with the squash blossoms, I also particularly enjoyed the couscous salad with butternut squash and green beans and mint.  It was served with a yogurt dressing on the side that was nice, but I didn't think it was needed.  The green beans with bacon were also a delight to me.  I'm rather picky about my green beans.  My childhood experiences with canned green beans were traumatic, and I'm still recovering.  But these were wonderful, with plenty of bacon. The muscian's tart was my favorite dessert. I tend to think that most desserts are too sweet, and tarts often seem to fall into that too-sweet catagory, but this one was perfect -- full of nuts and just enough sweetness to balance the nuts.

And here we are, just sitting down to the soup course...

The full menu is in the extended post.