Daniel Martinez

Regarding : The Menu @ The Brown Pelican Daniel Martinez Introduction. Obviously the kitchen is small. At the moment we have to work with: A walk-in cooler, a low-boy reach-in freezer, and a two-door upright reach-in, divided down the middle. Previously the latter of these was used to store raw proteins on the right, and dairy products and beers on the left. There is a longer cold table against the wall and next to the walk-in fridge, but it has apparently been used for linen storage, and it is unclear as to whether or not the unit actually works in the first place; so we’d have to test that, or get rid of it. Miscellaneous equipment includes a single oven, located next to the possibly-defunct cold table, and a single induction-heating hot plate. There is also a large vacuum sealer, a Robot-Coupe, two small stand mixers, various cast-iron skillets, and an electric pasta machine with all the attachments. In the kitchen proper, at the moment we have a tiny charbroiler; a flat-top (griddle); a six-burner Vulcan range with oven; and a deep-fryer. We have also four heating lamps, two of which were previously used to keep plates warm, the other two of which comprise the heating element above the pass, keeping the plated dishes warm. Finally, we have a low-boy reach-in cooler with space on top for prep, or for a make-shift cold table comprised of hotel pans filled with ice, and filled with those necessarily-chilled, prepped items requisite to the preparation of any various dishes; and we have a single cold table with hood, the likes of which might often be used for pantry items or stored sauces. The problem with the cold table with the hood, is that the hood is unattached at the right side, and the bottom plate of the unit is fairly barely attached at certain points. ~~~~~ Menus. Due to the size of the kitchen, and the equipment available at present, it makes most sense to ensure the menu, both for lunch and for dinner, at the Pelican (as it will be known), is kept really very simple and basic: High-quality food, offered at reasonable prices, limited in menu but excellent in execution and presentation. Ideally we will be open for only lunch and dinner, and we will, as at all our restaurants, offer catering and large party events. Many of the menu items herein outlined can be executed on a large scale, without great risk of compromise. In fact the only and greatest compromise, as with the various dishes we serve at other restaurants, is the starch itself: Whether it’s pasta or rice, if it sits in the sauce for too long, it’s going to get mushy. Here following we have two menus, one specifically for lunch and one specifically for dinner. They are quite limited, it is true; but to the customer they offer a wide variety. The logic behind this, is that, for one, the customer gets what the customer wants. For another, by keeping the menu simple, and generally based on derivatives, we can keep the kitchen staff and preparatory work to a fair minimum. ….And let us ponder the structure of the menu for a brief moment. A menu, any good menu, must needs be cohesive and comprehensive. We want to offer variety but we want, also, to steer the customer in a logical way to eat food the way we are presenting it. Fine and dandy to let someone modify a dish, but overall (on average), we want them to experience Pelican in the manner in which we wish it to be perceived, which is as presented (by marketing and what have you).….So the menu doesn’t need to have the fanciest of the fancy, or the localist of the local. Ultimately it has got to be smart, definable, and replicable. Each dish is the product that the business is selling, and the menu is a list of available products. For Lunch. Soup du Jour. Gumbo. ​Choice of Shrimp or Chicken. Salad. Spinach | Arugula | Wedge Po’Boys.​ ​Served with French Fries. Fried Shrimp | Fried Oyster | Fried Softshell Crab | Fried Crawfish Single.​ Choose one Duo​. Choose two Trio​. Choose three Quad.​ Combination of all four. Sloppy​. Served hot, with roast beef, mustard, and gravy. “Dressed”: Romaine, Tomato, Pickle, Mayonnaise “Scantily-Clad”: Drawn Butter, Pickle “Accompanied”: Remoulade | Gravy | Creole Mustard ‘n’ Honey Choice of one; to be served with french fries Rich Boys (Oysters) Bienville | en Brochette | on-the-Halfshell Dessert. Creme Brulee. ​Bourbon-Vanilla | Seasonal Bread Pudding​. Bourbon Sauce | Pralines ‘n’ Cream Sweet Potato-Pecan Pie.​ Bourbon Sauce For Dinner. Oysters. Bienville | en Brochette | on-the-Halfshell Salad. Spinach | Arugula | Wedge Rice. Jambalaya. Shrimp | Crawfish | Crab Served with Crawfish Cornbread (or) Sauteed Seasonal Vegetables Etouffee. Crawfish | Beef Short-rib | Softshell Crab Creole. Shrimp | Chicken | Crawfish | Softshell Crab Rice and Gravy. Served with Crawfish Cornbread (or) Sauteed Seasonal Vegetables Fish du Jour. ​Served with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Maque Choux A la meuniere | en Papillote | Amandine | Southern-Fried Dessert. Creme Brulee. ​Bourbon-Vanilla | Seasonal Bread Pudding​. Bourbon Sauce | Pralines ‘n’ Cream Sweet Potato-Pecan Pie.​ Bourbon Sauce ~~~~~ Considerations. 1. Regarding Soup: This will not necessarily be Chef’s Choice, as usual; but will be comprised of three main soups, on a rotational basis, which will utilize various leftover ingredients as needed. These three main soups will be: Shellfish Bisque (Shrimp, Crawfish, or a combination of both); Corn Chowder; and Sweet Potato Bisque. 2. Regarding Salads. 2.1. Spinach Salad will be fairly traditional, in that it will have the typical mushrooms, red onions, tomato, and hard-boiled egg. Differentiation is had by our use of Tasso Ham instead of bacon, and dressing the salad with a Tasso Ham Vinaigrette instead of a bacon vinaigrette. 2.2. Arugula Salad will be a simple combination of arugula, fresh blackberries, glazed pecans (or toasted almonds), and some cheese (usually a salad like this might be served with bleu cheese, or feta, or some such as that); dressing will be a light lemon vinaigrette. 2.3. Wedge Iceberg Salad will be along the lines of a fairly traditional chophouse salad, with tomato, ranch, bleu cheese, and the hefty wedge of iceberg lettuce; but, again, we will use the Tasso Ham instead of bacon. 3. Regarding the Gumbo. ​The Gumbo will be prepared according to traditional cooking method and technique; however, upon receiving an order, the cook will add to the gumbo the specified protein, thus making it a chicken or a shrimp gumbo. 4. Regarding the Po’Boys. ​Generally these are traditionally served with fried seafood and/or shellfish. To be eaten “dressed” is a common term. The use of both “scantily-clad” and “accompanied” is a play on this common phraseology. Often the option is given, whether the sandwich be dressed or served more plainly, especially when serving seafood variants. The Roast Beef Po’Boy is also fairly common, but it does, in this context, seem somewhat out of place; however, as an ingredient, it is utilized in the dinner menu item, “Rice and Gravy”. 5. Regarding the Jambalaya. T ​ he Jambalaya will be prepared using any and all traditional ingredients, including chicken and andouille sausage; however, in its execution, when the customer orders the particular Jambalaya of his or her desire, the cook will add a specified quantity of the specified seafood to the dish; hence its being “Shrimp” Jambalaya, or “Crawfish” Jambalaya. 6. Regarding the Etouffee. T ​ his is more of a cooking method, than a dish per se, quite similar to risotto. Therefore we can offer a variety of etouffees by utilizing a base of medium (“peanut butter”) roux, the various necessary vegetables, and the meats themselves. Ideally we could store these in a hot table or steam table, such that throughout the day they continue to slow-cook and render the proteins more and more tender. 7. Regarding the Creole. T ​ he idea is the same, somewhat, as with the aforementioned three Rice Dish Variants: The cook(s) will prepare a base sauce, which is fairly simple, and to it we will add the customers’ specified protein. 8. Regarding the Rice and Gravy. F ​ or this we would make the gravy utilizing drippings and broth from the lunch-time Roast Beef Po’Boy sandwich. We would also, to ensure a richer gravy, utilize any braising liquor rendered in the overall preparation of the short ribs for the etouffee; and, as needed, we would add to the gravy with not only the leftover roast beef, but any under-utilized pieces of short rib. 9. Regarding the Fish du Jour: ​By labelling it as such, we ensure that we will have fresh fish on a rotating basis, and we can utilize market pricing to ensure reasonable salability and profitability, as needed. Therefore when the cost of ​X fish goes up, we can instead order-in ​Y fish, and so on. 10. Regarding Dessert. T ​ he Sweet Potato Pie is a means by which to utilize various leftover roasted sweet potatoes. In their overall preparation as a side dish, they would be seasoned initially somewhat sparingly, so as to ensure their adaptability later on down the road. Obviously we wouldn’t want garlic or onion in our sweet potato pie; but we might want it in our side dish or roasted sweet potatoes, for example. In this dessert there would be fairly little choice, although as times goes on we might be able to offer a sweet potato pie ​sans Pecans, if the customer base so dictates. However with the Creme Brulee we would offer a traditional/classic Bourbon-Vanilla flavor combination, as well as allow the cooks a certain freedom in that they could do a Pumpkin Spice Brulee around the holidays, if they so chose. As for the Bread Pudding, it would be served in one of two ways: Either with the Bourbon Sauce, as is fairly traditional, or with a Pralines ‘n’ Cream Ice Cream. It would be served warm. 11. Regarding Pricing. ​Obviously this will come with the recipe build; however I am somewhat reluctant to do the recipe builds at the moment, because first we must achieve the appropriate flavor and lock-down the necessary quantities relative there-to. Furthermore, although this brief-but-varied menu certainly makes sense to me, I do realize that some of the dishes which were previously under consideration may have been more along the lines of a finer dining experience. And although I think that is certainly doable, especially in a setting such as that to be had at The Brown Pelican, again I reiterate my concerns regarding the kitchen, the equipment, and the space. By keeping things simple, small, and classic, we will not necessarily overload the kitchen staff with too much to do, or overcrowd the kitchen space with too many bodies. Additionally, this style of food does not exactly have the best history in our little Tucson, although when it’s available people do flock to it; and, as ever, if we’re going to do something, then we’re going to want to do it right. Obviously tradition is a huge factor; so we stick to the classics, get a better feel for the kitchen, and then down the road possibly expand the menu, either statically with the menu-printing, or generally, by way of Creole-inspired specials. Thus is the idea to minimize waste as well as workload, as well as staff. That said, I figure to submit this for approval, or at least consideration, before proceeding. 12. Regarding Catering and Large Parties. As previously mentioned, we could execute the vast majority of these dishes on a large scale. Quite probably ​not the Fish du Jour; and the “Sloppy” (Roast Beef) Po’Boy would likely get soggy if not served with the gravy on the side. However, aside from that, to prepare and serve a large batch of Jambalaya, Creole, Rice and Gravy, or Gumbo or Etouffee should prove reasonable, and we could do large platters of Oysters Bienville and/or Oysters en Brochette. Sweet Potato Pies could be served whole, sliced; and the Bread Pudding could be served in a large or small pan, with the sauce on the side (but not necessarily with the ice cream).