ORDERING, 2 BASS!

Today is the first day that we get to really feel the heat. Being in the restaurant kitchen is unlike any level so far. Well, I guess it’s closest to level 3, but still different. We were prepared for 2 dishes, as in we wrote up note cards for the two dishes that we were to be responsible for. There is the Mediterranean style braised bass with a garlic aioli crouton, and the Arctic Char, served with creamed spinach, pomme anna, and yuzu hollandaise sauce.

I am in quite a predicament. For level 3 I left work a little earlier than I should have to get to class. For level 4, this was usually not an issue since there wasn’t much of a rush except for buffet. Now for Level 5, if we are to do two dishes, we are most definitely going to need to get in earlier to prepare. I know just picking the stems off of the spinach takes FOREVER. However, for our first class, we only did the first dish, the bass. I got in at 5:45, and we were barely ready to cook the fish when service began. We needed to chop a bunch of onions, some peppers, gather the mise en place, peel tomatoes, Scott made a fish fumet earlier in the night, we needed to prepare the aioli, toast the croutons, then we had to cook all of the braising liquids, and once that was ready, we could prepare the fish. It took about two hours to do all this. I thought we’d have some time to spare, but a second dish is looking pretty impossible at the moment. Level 6 was also only doing 1 fish dish with just 2 people, as well. Their‘s was a barramundi, which had a few more accompaniments with it. I think they had pommes puree and something else. I wasn’t quite paying attention.

They had a bunch of tips for us, and most importantly, since our dishes went up simultaneously, we needed to communicate so the dishes came out hot and together. We did a great job though, I think. It was tight, and hectic at first, but we pulled it together. By the end, more people were ordering the barramundi, so it was easier on us. I think they ordered it because it was called barramundi. I know I would. In fact, our Mediterranean braising liquid was quite good! It had fennels seeds, bay leaves and crushed red pepper to flavor it. It also had green and black olives, potatoes, chopped tomatoes and red pepper tiles (in addition to a slew of onions) to add a nice contrast of tastes and texture.

Basically, once the braising liquid was complete, we ladled some into a sautoir, seasoned it with S&P, brought it to a simmer, then seasoned some bass and threw it in until it was cooked.

I guess I should go over the ordering method briefly. The dinner is prix fixe style, so everyone orders an appetizer, a fish, a meat and a dessert. They also have vegetable alternatives for the fish and meat, if necessary. So when they order they call out the order “2 BASS, 2 BARRAMUNDI!!” And we call back from our respective stations “2 BARRAMUNDI!” “2 BASS!” They also mark the orders on a board. When the appetizer goes out they star our fish dish to let us know we should fire it up because it’s going out soon. Then when they need the fish they say “FIRE 2 BASS!” We then communicate with the barramundi guys to make sure they’re ready when we’re ready and vice versa so the food and plates stay hot.

All in all, we did pretty darn well! Scott is a great partner. Sometimes he rushes and forgets to season or something like that, but we were under the gun, and we’ve all done it. Tonight should be better considering we still only have one dish, and we have leftover aioli, so we don’t have to prepare that, and we know exactly what needs to be done. Tonight, I would also like to prepare the tomatoes, as far as peeling them, and we can make sure we have a fish fumet, and so forth. Then again, I will get in earlier on Saturday and we’ll have more time to prep everything. We’ll see what happens tonight (Thursday).