8/26/2009

Last post about yesterday, I was sipping wine and praying I would somehow not have to go into work. I showered, got my shit together, and rode to work. I stopped by 7-11 and bought a 5 hour energy and a Gatorade. Get to work, slam my liquid crack, and start prepping. I was on salad station,and had to make back up dressings. I spent a good 45 minutes making ancho-peach, lemon-basil, and raspberry vinaigrette. I then had to cut cheese/plate up cheese boards. I nibbled on various cheeses during this including a port wine cheddar that we had just received that day. I also grazed on the accompanying dried fruits and olives whilst putting together the boards.

I got my meez set up and started filling items that were low. Enrique made a pizza, but I didn't even look at it. My stomach was not happy with me at all. I just drank water for dinner. I had my head down cutting various veggies when boom, a ticket for a salmon tartare. I start cutting up the fish into a dice when another ticket comes in, another tartare and 2 salads. Then another ticket, and another, and another. We were under attack by every server at once.

Kicked it into overdrive and started nailing out orders. Chef was tackling the ultra annoying tempura green beans and spring rolls that are strictly happy hour items. There were 3 orders of each, and of course, no rolls are prepped, and the batter set-up was not assembled. Chef get all the apps fried and as I am helping him plate up, I realize we are OUT of ranch dressing, the sauce that is served with the green beans. I panic, but then immediately knock out a small batch, having to taste the product myself. Ugh. I hate mayo.

So we get out of the weeds, no thanks to the server that ran the wrong food to the wrong table TWICE!! Fucking servers. We prevail because our crew rules. Happy hour is over, but the downtime is short. Dinner rush was steady. I stopped to eat a green bean from an extra order that was fried. During rush I realize that we are most definitely going to run out of bacon......soon. I announce this to chef, but he says nothing. Probably not wanting to acknowledge this. I think for a minute, and remember that I have 2lbs. easily in my refrigerator at home. I pick up the phone and harass my poor mum (whom Lisa had already asked to tend to the puppy tonight) into bringing my bacon up to the restaurant. She of course obliges. I love my mom, she's the best.

Oh yeah, I have major heat rashes under both of my arms.

I know this is supposed to be a food diary blog, and i realize the grotesque, blunt turns it takes sometimes. I'm sorry, but that's how I roll. Don't like it, don't read it.

So, from working in a cramped super hot kitchen and constantly moving, I have developed painful rashes under my arms, an already super tender part of the body. I am almost yelping from the pain as I'm assembling salads, moving Lexans and hotel pans full of ice for fish and keeping my meez cool, moving the slicer out of dry storage to slice prosciutto al a minute for wrapped salmon, and basically doing ANYTHING. I even had Lisa pick me up from work, in too much pain to ride home. I get home and strip off my clothes and take a hot bath, followed by some hydrocortisone. It just stings worse. Lisa looks up home remedies online. I take a cold shower followed up with baby powder, much better. I take up residence on the couch with a glass of wine and play the sick kid card. Lisa being the mother saviour she is, of course caters to my whiny whims.

She had gone out to eat with her family earlier that evening to Salt Grass Steakhouse. She was sweet enough to bring me an order of crab fondue, and her leftovers, which was a center cut filet, cooked black and blue, and garlic mashed potatoes. She had barely touched her meal, so I scored like almost a whole steak. I am most definitely going to marry that gal.

I pretty much stayed on the couch the rest of the night. I finished reading Kitchen Confidential sipping wine, then watched episodes of No Reservations on my computer. I ran out of wine, so I mixed plastic bottle vodka with triple sec and tonic water. I stayed up until 5am watching Bourdain and drinking.

I woke up when Lisa left for work, and have remained mostly dead up until now. I need to take the dog out for a walk, he's getting a bit stir crazy. I'm also getting hungry so I had better figure out what to eat.......