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Had a crazy good service night because of a weird ingredient swap
We got slammed last Friday, a 70 top walk in right before the rush. We were out of the micro cilantro for the halibut crudo. My sous grabbed some fennel fronds we had for stock, chopped them super fine with a bit of lemon zest. The dish went out, and three separate tables asked what the 'amazing herb' was. It was just trash scraps we almost tossed. That little panic fix turned into our new standard garnish. Anyone else have a 'happy accident' ingredient that stuck on your menu?
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loganprice1mo ago
Last summer our ice machine died during a patio event. We had to use frozen fruit puree blocks meant for smoothies to chill the cocktail shakers. The peach one bled into a gin drink and people loved the hint of flavor. Now we keep fruit ice on hand just for that. @anthony_lane55, your burnt onion story makes me think we all have a secret pantry of "mistakes" that work better than the real plan. What's the weirdest base ingredient you've ended up keeping around?
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anthony_lane551mo ago
Man that's the best feeling, when a total scramble move ends up being a permanent upgrade. We had something similar with a burnt onion puree that was supposed to be trash, now it's a base for like three sauces. Those panic moments are low key where the best menu ideas come from.
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