OK,

So an exhaust hood might not get a normal person exited. Chefs are, by any stretch of the vocabulary not normal so this get me excited!!!

It means that we are one day closer to opening, one day closer to doing what I love to do and one day closer to turning on my hometown to the foods I have experienced in the last 15 years of traveling and cooking around the country and the world.

So, without further ado…the hood!

and another view of the view…

chefRob

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The dinner, with the talents of Kellie Flynn as my sous chef went off without a hitch. That is, if you do not count the 7 different stores I had to go to to get everything I needed :).

Since we were a bit busy, I could not snap any photo’s of the dinner itself, but I did manage to get a couple of the breakfast the next morning….compliments of Kellie.

the Buffet…

my plate…

mmm…tasty!

chefRob

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Every other year the Sarcoma Alliance of Orange County (CA) holds a benefit auction to raise money for the families and those afflicted with this horrible form of cancer. Sarcoma is a soft tissue cancer that afflicts many of us, our friends and our family members every year. In support of this great and worth wild cause I offer a in-home dinner for 10 at this auction and it gets snapped up every year.

Well tonight is the night for this years lucky bidder and since the menu is Thai, I thought it would be fun to post the menu that I am doing this evening up in Newport Beach.

Sarcoma Alliance Auction Dinner 2008

• Miang Som - Miang of lime, pomelo & prawns.
• Kobe beef and chicken satays with peanut and sweet chile dipping sauces
• Steamed Black mussels, basil, coconut & lime
• Marinated Scallops (raw), lemongrass, lime and mint
• Petite filet(s), potatoes, roasted carrots, massaman curry sauce

If you would like to learn more about Sarcoma cancer of the Sarcoma Alliance please follow the following links;

Soft Tissue Sarcoma - National Cancer Institute

Sarcoma Alliance - National site

I’ll post some more recipes beginning tomorrow, I have been a bit backlogged with the restaurant opening.

Best,

chefRob

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OK,

So I began the process of opening another new restaurant today…day 1…ground zero…whatever you want to call it. As glamorous as it sounds, I worked with Drevan on the menu’s (dinner, banquet, catering) and went over the equipment list, which I will have to go over in detail very soon. Out of all of this grandeur, I did find time to snap some pictures (4) with my iPhone. I know this thing would come in handy one day.

This is the status of the Glass Door restaurant as of 17 March 2008.

Restaurant - the kitchen,

the bar, from the kitchen,

the Glass Door bar close up,

and finally the view (and what a view it is!)

More photo’s when I get my DSLR in house and work some magik!

chefRob

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Yes…that is right, but not your regular type of restaurant. Let me explain a bit…

This restaurant is attached to a new, boutique hotel here in San Diego’s Little Italy and is unlike anything the city has to currently offer. Wi-Fi, and all the amenities one would expect from a 4-star hotel just without the pricing structure. The rooms, for their location are, in my mind inexpensive…but more about the hotel later.

The restaurant is called the Glass Door and boasts a commanding view of San Diego Bay (which no other restaurant has in Little Italy), a great bar and a menu that is going to bury the other restaurants in the city. The cuisine is New American, the decor is modern lounge and your invited to experience this all with me.

I will be posting, starting Monday my journal 3 times a week chronicling the build out of the restaurant. So stay tuned and I hope you all enjoy the ride!

chefRob

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For the last couple of years I have been telling everyone that will listen about the benefits of eating these little red berries that are called Wolf berries (western Snow berries) or by their marking name, Goji berries. About the size of a very dry raisin, Goji berries are one food that you cannot go without. If you currently eat these great, if not read on…

Goji berries are native to the higher elevations in China and Mongolia and have a taste that is rather like a mild dried cherry with a bit of citrus in it. I have some friends that refer to the taste as “tree bark”, so I guess the exotic flavors I taste are due to having a refined palette (or that I have eaten a bit of tree bark in my life and like it, which is not the case). Eating the berries raw will certainly get you familiar with their unique flavor, adding them to dishes offers you all of the nutritional benefits without the taste (if you find you don’t like it).

I have Goji berries, Goji berry juice and Goji berry tea avaliable at the aGreatChef.com store if you would like this great food delivered to your home or office.

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Yea,

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to write about today, all I know is I had to write about something while taking a break from what seems like my never ending move in to my new diggs in downtown San Diego (more about that @ robconaway.com). So I have, to keep a smile on my face decided to write about something sweet…aka Creme Brulee.

Just for the record, I love this dish in it’s traditional form. That would be free range eggs, farm fresh cream, cane sugar and vanilla beans…that’s it. Roast some sugar on the top and you have a timeless dessert for any occasion. I have, over the years had many variations of this dish and still find that the one first presented is by far the best.

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