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suggestions for restaurant menu
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PWise
Posts: 1,173
Hello all:
I've been working on a restaurant project over the last year. The concept is something like a Gastro-pub or upscale grill and bar...
The thing is that I'd been considering a more traditional type grill like these:
That's all settled now since that idea has been discarded and replaced by 4 XL BGE...
I have a proposed menu including proteins such as beef, chicken, duck, pork, suckling pig, various fish, scallops, shrimp, crab and lobster.
What dishes do you alltime experts recommend be included in the menu?
all comments and suggestions welcome
cheers
I've been working on a restaurant project over the last year. The concept is something like a Gastro-pub or upscale grill and bar...
The thing is that I'd been considering a more traditional type grill like these:
That's all settled now since that idea has been discarded and replaced by 4 XL BGE...
I have a proposed menu including proteins such as beef, chicken, duck, pork, suckling pig, various fish, scallops, shrimp, crab and lobster.
What dishes do you alltime experts recommend be included in the menu?
all comments and suggestions welcome
cheers
Comments
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No Chorizo on there? Paella?
Can you elaborate more? Beef. Could be steak or gourmet hamburgers. -
You obviously can't go wrong with meat on an Egg, but there's still probably a good deal of variety to be had. With 4 XL BGEs You have the option of going from low & slow (225-250*F) to searing range 800*F +.
I've always liked Asian menus (Japanese in particular) that offer similar items made with different methods: grilled, steamed, braised, fried, etc. You could certainly do that with beef/pork/chicken. Seems that would also make things easy in the kitchen because your going to have the low&slow items ready way ahead of time and the sears could be done in a flash.
And of course there's always pizza! Pizza from a blistering BGE is heaven on earth. The only drawback is you're going to need a mountain of lump to keep an XL at pizza temp all day/night.
In any case this sounds like a really neat concept. I'd love to hear how it goes for you. -
Chorizo will not be served (or at least is not planned to as of now) by itself as a main protein. By all means it is considered for refried beans, and grilled/baked cheese.
The beef selection will include Cabreria (tenderloin portion of Porterhouse), Porterhouse, Ribeye, Bone-in Ribeye, and maybe Skirt Steak.
There will be burgers with house freshly-baked-in-the-egg bread. Two types. Traditional house-ground-beef including bacon, chipotle, sirloin, and ribeye beef, among other stuff:
and a gourmet burger which includes house-ground kobe ribeye and duck grade A foie gras, amond other stuff (no photo of this one)...
Paella will be served on ocassional basis, (e.g. one day of the week as the "special")
any comments welcome,
cheers -
God bless you for deciding to get in the restaurant biz!
My only advice is to start with a limited menu including what you cook best and what is easiest to prepare. You can always add. Taking stuff off the menu (because it doesn't sell, or because that dish adds complications) is never a good thing.
Good luck.
Chris -
we have a butcher near by that cooks meat pies, single serving pies for 2 dollars each. place gets mobbed at 9 in the morning and ive seen people drive there with coolers to fill to bring them home 100 miles away. might be good for a pub, they cook alot of different pies, pork, hamburg and onion, kielbasa, salmon, ruebens, chicken, turkey and gravey, tourtiere, italians, chili,tomato banger, etc.fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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I love the idea, and am insanely jealous.
I would no doubt have an entree that is called Spatchcock Chicken. On an XL, you could do 3 birds easily and probably 4 small birds. The entree would be a full half of a chicken, therefore making 8 servings at a time. No chicken would ever be wasted as you could use it in so many different menu items as well. So many different ways to flavor it as well. My guess is that it will be a very popular item. -
Pato
I have a feeling that this is not your first involvement in the restaurant business. I think many of us here have dreamed about that or a similar idea.
SteveSteve
Caledon, ON
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yes! Pizza I forgot to mention... there's pizza on the menu also... suggestions as per toppings welcome...
the lump, eventhough it will be a problem, it is solved by a local provider who will deliver by the crate...
cheers -
Steve
I actually have a catering business at the moment and the restaurant is sort of an "addition of a business unit" hehe...
I'm working on the kitchen layout and design at the moment so the menu is an important item in order to consider the needed resources... It will be an open kitchen where all can be seen by customers with a glass window to avoid them hearing unpleasant screams and the such hahaha
cheers -
still jealous...not getting any less jealous. Not sure which emoticon means envy, but insert that HERE. Maybe it is :pinch:
I would certainly have appetizers on the menu like ABT's, Fatties, etc.
You could probably put all the BBQ joints out of business nearby if you wanted to. -
One thing that I really enjoy that not many places offer are sausages. There are really so many varieties now that they can be offered on a "of the week basis" so maybe you could even include Chorizo in the group sometimes. It's also fun to pair sausages and beer together (to cook in or to drink) if you can manage to get a wide enough selection of beer. And of course, you do know that in Germany beer is considered a food.
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Nature Boy's comments are good ones. Simple is best. Having said that, and seeing you're in Mexico, how about rabbit or goat?
Paul -
Pato,
I would suggest devoting 1/2 of your egg resources to low and slow to expedite service times. Maybe do a "Daily Special" that could be braised lamb shank, Osso Bucco, stews and such. Pizza, Bread and flatbread would require use of at least one egg. That would leave you one for grilling. Maybe look at several minis for steaks and quick cooks.
SteveSteve
Caledon, ON
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you know, the funny thing is that there is not one "nice" or good for that matter, BBQ joint as you know them in the states...
and there is only 1 or 2 respectable steakhouses and all my friends can attest that I made a better steak even BEFORE I got the egg in my angled black steel grill...
we can only wait and see and hope that all turns out well hehehe
will let you know and you can visit hehehe -
there can always be 5 or 6 eggs hehehe I just want to be as efficient as possible with the resources at hand... 1 of them is definetely for pizzas and at least 1 more for constant 250°F with 3 level grid, that leaves 2 for 700°F+ constant for searing and such... maybe 5 will be needed...
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I love sausage and beer... especially a heavy wheat unfiltered german beer that pretty much you have to chew to swallow hahaha
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rabbit I don´t know... maybe a once a month special might work and see from there... goat maybe once every two weeks, see, goat is the national dish of the state (Nuevo León) and there are plenty of goat (cabrito) joints and I don't want to be labeled as "one more goat place"
lamb rack and leg of lamb are definetly on the list of daily specials that will come out at least once a week... -
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
Can anyone else smell that kitchen???
I doubt there is a big need for an elaborate dessert menu, but my kids absolutely love Chocolate Chip cookies after dinner on my pizza stone. Keeping it simple and maybe just offering 1 free cookie for every customer would set u apart. Well, you will already be set apart. -
yeah... the chocolate chip cookie is a good idea, maybe paired with fresly-made-in-the-table traditional (vainilla or chocolate) or odd flavoured (bacon) ice cream might work hehe...
and about the kitchen... I'm pretty sure the whole place will smell great even with the glass window in between haha :woohoo: there will of course be doors and service windows...
cheers -
A lot of it depends on your seating and how many turns you expect to do. 4 XLs with 2 tiers is a lot of cooking space but you have to be mindful of the space and time requirements as well as the temperature requirements.
I'm guessing you are going to have other types of heat sources which can give you the option of starting or finishing items on the EGGs which will expand the menu choices.
I'd consider doing some items you can cook in bulk during the day or overnight that could be worked into other dishes at service time. You could also consider larger cuts of meat that are then sliced for service.
You can't beat a steak cooked on the EGG but you would end up devoting all 4 of the EGGs to steaks at service if you have a crowd, which is not a bad thing at all really.
If I were doing it I would have several items with Dizzy Pig rubs on them. But that's just me.
Great idea by the way. Shoot me an e-mail if you have a second. bobby@biggreenegg.com -
you know, I've never tried the Dizzy Pig rubs, but people rave so much about them that I will place my order for the whole variety soon enough to try them...
cheers -
I agree with Nature Boy come in with a limited menu.
Some friends and I had done some brainstorming a while back and, although we decided to put the project on hold, did come up with what we thought were some pretty good ideas.
We looked at a lot of criteria and cam up with the following. (If my old brain can get this all straight)
1 or 2 selections of steak that would be on the menu every night.
A different type pork selection each night but never more than one.
And then for example;
Monday night t-bone and sliced skirt steak, fresh ham steak and a special including chicken.
Tuesday: t-bone and sliced tri-tip, pork chops and chicken thighs
you probably get the point.
We also felt that keeping the 'sides' to a minimum was smart. Choices of two kinds of potato two green veggies steamed or grilled and salads.
Part of the reasoning was to be able to keep costs low and spoilage at a minimum.
We also thought that having a well advertised special once or twice a week would be acceptable. The nights for the specials would be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the slower nights in the restaurant world.
The watch word here is KISS Keep It Simple Stupid at all times.
Like Chris said it's easy to add and looks better than taking items off the menu. Keep prices reasonable to insure customers will come and don't get carried away because you have to have a waiting line. Don't add more seats just because. Good luck.
If you're interested in any more gimme a shout. I'll go see if I still have the paperwork we produced.
Sorry this was so disconnected but, I'm just an email away if you need anything cleared up. -
thanks a lot!
you are absolutely right, keeping it super simple is the key...
I'll shoot you an email if I come up (and sure will) with any dilemmas that you might help me with hehe
thanks again!
cheers -
Pato
That sounds great...my first suggestion is that you should be "present" in the business... and at present don't know if you could manage that due to your High Finance position in the Stocks Business.
Secondly keep things simple....don't over invest now.....wait 'till you get past the experience curve to do it....you will know precisely what is needed by then.
Thirdly I would advise you to start with a simple and yet diferentiated menu which would be easy since you would be the first egg-oriented Restaurant in Monterrey...Keep it Simple
Fourthly...learn as you go..surely you will have to addapt & change menus & settings all the time as time goes by...
And last but not least invite me to the inauguration :woohoo: -
we have a gelato place up here that serves a cayenne chocolate italian style icecream, nice and sweet and rich and then the cayenne hits you prompting another taste.fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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hahaha you can be sure you are in the invited list for the opening, if and when (hopefully soon enough) the project consolidates and the place is set up...
about the being present, I haven't really figured that part completely by now... The manager-to-be is a very good friend of mine and is of my complete trust. So I guess I will be there full time at first for training and supervisory purposes and eventually migrate to getting there at 3pm as soon as the market closes... who knows... maybe "high finance" as you so bluntly put it, isn't really for me hahaha :woohoo: -
wow! cayenne-chocolate definitely sounds interesting
thanks! -
Actually, given how well pork and brisket reheat, why tie up one or two eggs with low and slow? why not load them up with a guru about 9pm at night with the low and slow foods? Heck, if it is done at 9-10am you can hold it for 3-6 hours and be ready for the lunch rush and keep those eggs open.
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I would marinate big portabella mushrooms in a sweet and sour mix. Grill at about 350/375 to a nice soft and chewy texture. These could be used for a veggie burger toped with cheese, lettuce, onion, and a great sauce. I've been in the restaurant business all my life. I'm a partner in a BBQ restaurant right now. Email if you want to talk specifics. pennmo2@aol.com Good luck, Tom
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For an appetizer you could do an oyster on the half shell with butter,herbs de provence, parmesan cheese and cooked on the egg for about 10min -15min
Dallas,Ga
Doug
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