significant moments

There are moments in time that feel significant. Moments where you think to yourself: Well, that's going to change my life. Tonight, I had such a moment.

Five years ago, I had such a moment. I should preface this by saying that I am an intuitive gal (and I believe that this is an important part of people - yeah, I know, it can flaky and weird but it works for me). I rely on my gut, a lot! So, five years ago I was sitting in my tent trailer at my uncle's property near Clear Lake reading the newspaper and I saw a pencil drawing of the building at 725 Osborne St. and I knew that this moment was a biggie. I called Alex on his cell (he was still at work and going to join us later in the week) and said, "I found it." He knew what I meant. He called the landlord and the rest is Bistro 7 1/4 history.

Tonight, I had a moment. I sat in a meeting with two chefs and a friend and thought, "Well, there you go." Many of you know that Alex and I are constantly curious and working on multiple projects at a time but tonight was a meeting with a significant weight.

We'll see what happens but I am excited to be on yet another adventure!

the news to now...

I apologize for not writing more recently. It has been a crazy few weeks! First, I turned 40 which felt significant. I'm still processing that one although I sense my forties are going to be good to me. One of the advantages of owning a restaurant is that you can use it to host parties on occasion and so Alex threw me a fabulous birthday party! Thank you to all the staff for working so hard to create wonderful food and a lovely evening for me. Thank you to all my friends and family (my sister flew in from Vancouver!) for celebrating such a important event with me.

Next we flew off to Montreal for a couple days of rest and relaxation (read: catching up on sleep and eating incessantly.) Aside from two overnight trips to Grand Forks, Alex and I have not had a holiday since our week off last January so we seem to be trying to create more space for play (as the work piece is intensifying - see below.) Okay, every time I go to Montreal, I wonder why I don't live there. I love the urban nature, the metro, the restaurants and the markets make me want to weep. I love the French culture, the in-your-face, of-course-I'm-right, let's-have-a-drink-and-laugh craziness of it all (for those who don't know, I am half French Canadian). We ate ridiculously yummy food, mostly involving Au Pied de Cauchon restaurant and the markets. We bought fresh chickpeas, sausage from Ile-de-Madeleine and the most glorious cheese imaginable. My favourite is called Le Secret, a runny, oozing, melt in your mouth bit of joy (my girlfriend and I call it 'cheese puddle'). The cheese list at the restaurant takes up half the chalkboard and is being gobbled up by appreciative cheese lovers! I know Alex is going to write more about the food in his blog.

Next, we are heading to Toronto with our kids for some quality time with Alex's extended family. And, to shop for kitchen items (we need a quail egg cutter - who knew?) and food! In her retirement, Alex's aunt Inara took a part-time job at The Cheese Boutique. Of course, this is one of the few members of Alex's family that isn't obsessed with food so there is a fair bit of irony in that. Anyway, we'll be spending lots of quality time with Inara shopping for cheese! We also plan on checking out Mark McEwan's new market/restaurant, going to our friend Joanne's restaurant Relish, and heading to the Black Hoof for some offal and other nasty bits. If anyone has any suggestions for food stores or restaurants, please pass them along.

We are also planning trips to Brandon for the Royal Winter Fair (I love the fair, horse jumping and pig displays rock my world) and then to Vancouver in May to see our family and friends there. I haven't even begun to wrap my head around the food possibilities of that trip yet.

In between all of this, we have begun the process of planning the folk festival (yeah!!!) and our expansion (yeah?). I joke. Of course we are excited about the expansion of our restaurant to include a lounge and a private party room (and city planners willing, a patio) however I am not so daft as to not recognize the mountain of work involved in that process! We have drawings, we almost have a prospectus done and we are in negotiations with the landlords to take over the space next door. It's exciting and terrifying all at once. I will continue to update on the progress of this project.

As for the Folk Festival: full steam ahead! We are going to have a building to cook in this year. The design (Syvverson Monteyn) is fantastic but I will be a little bit sad to let go of my tent in the bush. There is something very empowering about saying that you cooked dinner for 5000 people in a tent in the bush. We are working on the menus (so if you have any desires/suggestions/needs, say them now), planning our guerilla kitchens (popping up next to you at any given moment), Alex's mainstage act, maybe some wine pairings, and a few surprises, too!

So, off to work and play I go!

The long distance reso

I am out and about today, running errands, schlepping children to activities, tending to life and an event occurs that takes place about once a week: someone recognizes me and tries to book a reservation.

When we first opened and this would happen (occasionally people would call us at home, strangers as well as friends, and do the reservation that way), I would happily agree to the reservation and remember to write it down when I got to work. I guess a few things have changed since then. Every night, we have multiple reservations for every table and so knowing what is available can be daunting. The other challenge is that I now have to remember 5000 pieces of information; the quantity grew exponentially as the restaurant grew. I often feel like my thoughts are like sticky-notes with no stick left. I have no place to put them and they just fall off.

So, I try to be gracious about resos taken on the fly but I really cannot remember what we have available for Tuesday, February 16th. I also can't be trusted to remember to put your reservation in the book unless I am standing in front of it with a pencil in my hand.

Of course, I can remember the really important things like what the woman on table 4 was drinking last Thursday. Oh well, better than nothing I suppose.

What's in a name?

On average, I think I meet ten new people every day. There are days when it is only a few but most days it is many people. Or, I re-meet people: someone I met three months ago, I am reintroduced to. Now, 3 years ago, if you had asked me, I would have said, "Oh yeah, I'm great at remembering peoples' names, no problem." Now, I stare blankly at my best friend and think, "Wait, give me a minute, I'll get it."

I have been thinking about ways to up my stats. I want a better average in remembering. Maybe I should get one of those brain games for my kids Nintendo systems. Or, maybe I'll up my intake of brain foods like spinach, soy beans and chocolate (I know, I know, wishful thinking...) I read in the paper this week that weight-lifting increases your brain capacity. I love lifting weights, I love having pipes, so that'll be easy.

Often, we use a team approach at the restaurant. The servers will caucus to quickly discuss what someone's name is. Sometimes it is a brief moment because one of us remembers right away. Other times, it is a little debate and squabble and we disagree. So, if you see us having a little moment, you know what we are up to.

I do have my own techniques, it's just that they seem to be faltering from the high pace of incoming information! I love mnemonic devices and have used them often. In fact, I used a mnemonic technique just this weekend when I met a couple who were at the restaurant for the first time: David and Jennifer. So, in my head, I thought: okay, David and Jennifer, David and Jennifer, Dan and Lisa. Crap. How am going to remember their names? (They very clearly said they would be back and I believe them, they loved it!) Oh, I know, we have regulars that come every Saturday for lunch and were the first table cooked for in 2010: Dave and Jennifer. It's the same, I can do this.

Of course, this whole stream of thinking is going on while I'm talking to these new folks and I fear I seem like an idiot! I am also keenly aware of one being a Dave and the other a David. I just now that is going to trip me up. When the new couple comes back I know I am going to stand, looking at them and smiling, silently panicking as I search my brain for their names and have a fight with myself about wether it is Dave or David.

It's hard to explain how important it is to me to remember people's names and stories. Actually, I have an easier time remember their stories. That relationship moment is incredibly important to me and it drives me crazy that I lose a piece of it (the name) the moment I walk away.

I think my new plan is I'm going to take photos of people as they come in and carry around a binder with people's information in it.

Or, I'm going to hand out name tags. I don't think anyone will object.

Really?

Tonight was busy, very, very busy.  Surprisingly so.  We had thought that it was going to be slow but we were wrong.  We had thought we would make a 10:20 movie but we were wrong about that, too.  It was fun, lots of interesting people (thank you to the lovely woman from the U.S. who talked about my blog...)

At about 7:30, when things were really hopping, a gentleman came in the door.  I asked him if he had a reso, he said no and asked if he could have a seat for one.  I apologized, pointed to my crazy, football playbook looking map, and let him know that I wouldn't have room until 9:45.  To which he responded, "You aren't letting me come in because I looked at your breasts.  And now that you aren't letting me in I'm going to look at them again.  And, once more on the way out."  Then he left.

Really?  Okay.  

Alex says I should have introduced him to my big husband who is in charge of flames and knives... 

Happy New Year's!

Well, we survived it and I would say, it was our best one yet! Often New Year's Eve can feel like Valentine's Day: forced and eerily quiet. As soon as you have a group of people gathered together with expectations of merriment, the situation can go terribly awry. However, this year, everyone seemed relaxed and connected and happy to be out having dinner. Lots of tables talked across to each other and were very playful. The room looked so pretty, with silver stars and balls and garlands; all twinkly and pretty.

It was a busy one, too. The restaurant was basically full at 4:00 and stayed full until midnight. I think most tables turned 4 times and the kitchen did a great job. We had dinner specials (that I assume Alex will blog about) of lobster and veal, with a fantastic appetizer of oysters - they were so yummy, I think I had six at the end of the night! Our drink special was so popular we went through a bottle and a half of Red Alize. I was feeling particularly proud because I made it up and it had what we call "high poundability" which essentially means the drink is easy to drink and goes down like beer on a hot summer's day. Sometimes cocktails can be big and complicated but this one was simple and yummy.

Champagne Martini

1 oz Red Alize (passionfruit liquor)

1 oz cranberry juice

Shake in a martini shaker until it's nice and cold and frothy. Pour into a martini glass.

Top with Champagne (we used Prosecco but a Spanish cava would be lovely or go for the real deal and use Veuve Cliquot! - my favourite)

We garnished with blackberries and raspberry but you could use strawberries or frozen pomegranate pips.

So now that 2010 is upon us and the party is over it is one of my favourite times of the year. I spend a great deal of time running between commitments and feeling like I never quite accomplish what I need to in any given day. The beginning of the year is often a great time for me to contemplate the path ahead and get my ducks in a row. This contemplation comes at a time when the restaurant seemingly slows down (although last January was ridiculously busy so I think it is a bit of an illusion - it just seems slower compared to four turn nights like Thursday!)

This year, I have a new office in our home which feels like a delicious treat. There are six people living in our home and space can be at a premium. We love living in this cozy, hectic environment but it sometimes translates to highly makeshift arrangements like my tiny desk and filing cabinet about a foot from where I sleep at night. My desk is moving into the music room! Yeah! Move over banjo, guitars, basket full of weird Kindermusic instruments, piano (okay, I now that isn't happening), I am making space to think and work! Hopefully my schedule and instrument practice schedule are able to co-exist...

So the question is: what am I working on? Well, there seem to be a lot of rumours flying around (feel free to check out my previous blog entitled "Fish Bowl") and so here is the state of affairs from my perspective: Yes, we are thinking about expanding our space to include a lounge and a private function room. We plan to keep the two space mainly separate, connected by a doorway, in order to maintain the feel of the bistro. We are also looking at 3 other opportunities and thinking about writing more (I will write more about those as they come together). We both love to keep our brains going and feel engaged with life. And, given that it is January, we need to write those folk festival menus! We're also working with the festival to offer food in new areas. I want to put a Bistro 7 1/4 booth at the festival but Alex thinks I'm crazy (I always worry a bit when Alex thinks I'm crazy...)

This year promises to be another fun-filled adventure and I wish you all peace, health and happiness in your year to come!

ring, ring

On occasion, I have been known to call a customer when they are seated in the restaurant. It happens this way: we keep a list of people who want to come in that night, I see an opening and call the person. However, at some point the person called in, spoke to someone other than me, got a reservation and is now enjoying their dinner in the restaurant. When I phone them on their cell phone, we have a good laugh, I feel a bit sheepish and then we move on.

The other night, I got a call from a customer in the restaurant, they phoned the restaurant line from their cell phone. It went like this: "Hi, I'm sitting at the table over by the bar and I feel that you haven't been paying enough attention to our table. You've been talking to other tables but not ours and I want you to come talk to our table." Me: "Um, ok, will do."

Another night at the Bistro.