Creative carbonation
Quite a few restaurants mix up their own soft drinks these days, but Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder, Colorado, takes the idea a step further by bottling housemade sodas with a high-tech double carbonation system.
When the restaurant opened in fall 2010, they made sodas the usual way by muddling fruit and adding seltzer, recalls co-owner and beverage director Bryan Dayton. But when a devastating fire shut the place down for nine months, Dayton and his team used some of the down time to re-conceptualize their fizzy drink technique....
Buying oil for your fryers
Stability” and “oxidation” aren’t just terms you might have last heard in your high school chemistry class—they’re important concepts to know when buying oil for your fryer. So we asked some “oil experts” to pass along their tips....
Sourcing sustainable seafood is a tricky business
Sustainability continues to be a driver when it comes to buying and menuing seafood. But the criteria for sustainable seafood is confusing to many operators. Sure, entities like the Marine Stewardship Council, Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium have issued guidelines and lists. But for some restaurants, these “recommended” species don’t always jibe with food costs or availability. Compromises have to be made to get food on plates....
Invasive species on the menu
Bun Lai, chef-owner of Miya’s Sushi in New Haven, Connecticut, came up with a creative solution to sustainable sourcing: he menus the very fish that are threatening the ecosystem. “Rather than using the most popular types of seafood for sushi, which are often caught or farmed in a way that is ecologically destructive, at Miya’s we choose to focus on invasive species because they are abundant and problematic,” he explains....
A sea of technology
“The customers come in, look at the menu and check their fish apps,” says John Brand, executive chef at seafood restaurant Ostra in the Mokara Hotel and Spa in San Antonio, Texas. Brand is referring to Seafood Watch and FishPhone, two Smartphone apps that instantly put sustainability info at the user’s fingertips. Although Brand is a fan of both technology and sustainability, “the criteria and recommendations for Southeast species are different,” he claims, and the apps don’t always get that specific....
A sandwich star is born
Erbert & Gerbert’s, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based chain known for its signature sandwiches with quirky names, discovered a hole in its lineup: no chicken sandwich. “Chicken is the leading protein in the country, but we didn’t have it on the menu,” says John Tvedt, director of operations for the 52-unit chain. This hole was recently filled with the launch of the Spartan Sandwich....
A fresh take on breakfast
Aside from the standard glass of juice or fruit cup, most chain menus don’t offer a whole lot of produce at breakfast. It’s a different story at First Watch, the breakfast, brunch and lunch concept based in Brandenton, Florida. “Daily chalkboard specials take advantage of seasonal produce and there’s flexibility on our regular menu to feature the freshest available,” says Chris Tomasso, chief marketing officer....
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