What's on Tap

Way 2 Kool Rootbeer
Santa Fe Pale Ale
State Pen Porter
Third Eye Pale Ale
Pinstripe Red Ale
Stella Artois
Bass
Bare Knuckle Stout

The View

Even though the snow killed my business, I do have a great view from my kitchen passthrough.
J

Can you say nervous?

So the ABQ Journal is sending a photographer out on Friday to shoot some pix for my soon to be published review. What's the review gonna say? Beats me...

I would be lying if I said that we haven't had some rough spots over the past two months. There have been some mistakes made, food overdone, underdone, underportioned. Some cooks fired, some cooks walking out, some rude servers, and of course, some very tired owners.

Some previous published commentary (which will remain anonymous) that I received for my advertising dollars, spent 1/3 of the commentary rehashing a mistake (which we corrected quickly) made by a former cook that just couldn't comprehend how we did certain things, no matter how many times he/she was trained. Money well spent, ya, but if you're gonna pay for a review...

I can't touch every plate or talk to every customer and I'm not a huge chain with a legion of staff trained by corporate in Denver. Every day we get a little bit better, and even though some days feel like we've taken a few steps backward, things are smoothing out and improving.

It's tough to have your livelihood affected by a couple of meals consumed by someone that may or may not know what they are talking about but have the power of the almighty pen. I really don't think it can be a bad review, I just don't want press that focuses on errors that may or may not be fixed, something stupid I didn't catch, etc...

Hang for more news

J

Breakfast 7 days?

I was thinking...how could I work more? I've had several requests for breakfasts 7 days a week...what think you?

EMAIL ME!!!

New Hours!

Everyone told me how frustrating it is in the East Mountains since everything closes up at 8pm. There's a really good reason for that... everyone's at home.

I've had about 6 people come out to eat after 7:45 pm since I've been open. I will now also close at 8 pm Sunday through Thursday. I'll tough out 9 pm on Friday and Saturday. If you know for sure you want to eat after 8pm, call us up and promise a big tip and we'll find a way to get you fed!

J

Takeaway meals...starts December 3rd!!!

Don't want to cook, but don't want to go out to eat...Available after 4pm Monday - Thursday

Serves 4
Monday – Chipotle Rubbed Roast Pork loin with gratin potatoes and collard greens.
$26.95

Serves 4
Tuesday – Red Wine Braised Lamb top round, polenta and vegetables
$26.95

Serves 4
Wednesday – Beef Pot Roast, just a touch of red curry, new potatoes and vegetables
$26.95

Serves 4
Thursday - Whole roast free range chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli
$26.95

Fun Facts and Pics

Today is my 67 day in a row...I am taking tomorrow off (thanksgiving), but I have to do a little grout repair while we are closed...maybe I can get it done tonight?

We have fed 7607 people (up until last night)

Lots of sharpness...did I mention that I am rather talented in the sharpening department. If you have some dullness in your life, I charge a dollar an inch to bring back that edge.


Some pretty food.

We've hired the freakishly tall


And the freakishly small


Got a sign...


Had a few motorcycles drop in.


Okay, enough screwing around, I have some menus to finish.

J

Wine November 17th

Wine Dinner
November, 17th 2007
Now with two seatings and vegetarian option!
5:30pm and 7:30pm

1st

Baby Greens with a Orange Saffron Vinaigrette
Paired with: Loimer “Lois” Gruner Veltliner, Austria
2nd
Smoked Trout Bruschetta Lemon/Dill crème Fraiche
Paired with: Duck Pond Cellars Chardonnay, Washington
- or -
Grilled Mushroom Bruschetta with shaved Parmesan and truffle oil
Paired with: Scarlet of Paris Pinot Noir, France
3rd
Polenta with a winter vegetable ragout
Paired with: Lockwood Sauvignon Blanc, California
- or -
Polenta with a duck confit ragout
Paired with: Domaine de Colette Beaujolais Village, France
Dessert
Apple Tart Tatin with Vanilla Ice Cream
Paired with Selaks Ice Wine, New Zealand

Oysters!

Thursday 4pm - Close
Salvation Cove Oysters $1.50 a piece
Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet, France $7.95 a glass
Pint of beer $3

Wine Dinner

Wine Dinner November 10th
$30 per person
6:30 pm

Garlic and Butter Steamed Clams
Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet, France

Duck Confit and White Bean Toast
Domaine Roger Perrin Cotes du Rhone, France

Basil Champagne Sorbet

Red Wine Braised Lamb with Butternut Squash Risotto
Casa Silva Carmenere Reserva, Chile

Cappucino Creme Brulee
Porto Kopke Fine Tawny Port


Reservations Required
See Cashier for Reservation

or call

505-286-2684

Soups of Next Week November 4th

Soups of next week

Monday
Potato Garlic
Tuesday
Tomato Sherry Soup
Wednesday
Green Chile Chicken Stew
Thursday
Carrot Ginger Soup
Friday
Clam Chowder
Saturday
Clam Chowder (because one day just ain't enough)
Sunday
Chipotle Corn Stew

Wine Dinner #1 and news

Howdy folks, it's the end of my 3rd week and I have a few things to announce.

For sure, I am going to do a wine dinner on November 10th, but I've got a wild hair to do one this Saturday the 3rd if I have enough interest and I can get the wines paired...Menu is at the bottom of the email.

Email me back with interest. Probably be @ 6 or 7 pm, depending on popularity.

I can't face doing a fall/winter menu, so I am calling this a farewell to warm weather (I hope) menu. The November 10th menu will follow later in the week. I am leaning towards some bigger flavors including but not limited to Lamb, squash, risotto, and maybe some truffle.

Also, if I have an interest, I can bring in AWESOME fresh oysters. Let me know (I would need to order them on Monday to get them for the weekend).

Look for fresh steamed clams and/or mussels this weekend in the restaurant!

Wine Dinner November 3rd

Farewell to Warm Weather (forecast calls for a high of 65)

Trio of appetizers

Mango Tuna 'Ceviche'
Spicy Dungeness Crab Salad
Smoked Trout with Dill Crème Fraiche

Ginger Chicken Consomme with Lime Sorbet

Seared Red Snapper with white wine, new potatoes and bell peppers

Dessert TBA


Jay Wulf
The Greenside Cafe
IT ALWAYS TASTES BETTER ON THE GREENSIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN!
greenside@gofoods.net
jaybob@cybermesa.com
www. gofoods.net

What's next

After having done this for other people for so many years, it is very rewarding to kill myself for myself

I went from very physically exhausting 10 hour days of construction straight into physically exhausting 14 hour days cooking. I opened the doors with only about 2 days in the kitchen since January. I am now ready to look at the menu and our style of service and determine what changes need to be done.

I believe we have already been attended by a food writer of some sort who we served a bad bowl of mac and cheese to, but recovered with a tasty steak quesadilla. I know this, because she left her notes? Any takers?

Menu -

http://www.gofoods.net/Greenside_Menu.pdf

I don't feel compelled to open for breakfast during the week. Anyone out there think differently?

I do feel compelled to offer breakfast when I do open at 11am

Salads are now bigger and filled with more protien and the price will go up eventually.

Tuna appetizer will go away, everyone that orders it loves it. Too bad they only order it every other day

I will be training the cooks constantly...it never ceases to amaze me the lengths people will go to 'help me out' with my food cost, presentation, prep time and of course quality, just to do something half assed.

I want to get them trained up, so I can start working on specails and some desserts! I have a very diverse menu, but I am afraid people will get sick of it pretty quick.

SERVICE -

Many comments about disliking the counter service.

Literally, I have about 6 people on the floor that are over 19, you have to be over 19 to serve beer and wine. I think counter service is here to stay ( with the exception of some wine dinners! )

More later when I actually get to work on the menu some!

J

Finishing up Construction

Construction went fairly uneventfully after the flood. General inspection delays (very small in retrospect) small hood crisis and our first visit by the EMT's.


With all the waving of sawzalls, one handed circular sawing on the top rung of a 12 foot ladder, this doozy of a cut happened while trying to change out the cover of a flourescent light fixture. An incorrectly installed light fixture (existing B.T.W.). worst cut I have ever seen. 15 stitches and missed everything that could have screwed his hand up.

If you don't know, just act like you do.


Then call Ted!


Thanks for all the help Dad.



T-Minus 2 days...


Todd and Cash, awesome board chalking team.


Welcome to The Greenside Cafe!

Construction Update and Flood

Finishing up a nice relaxing 12 hour day with a pint and a feeling that I have neglected my blog.

I have recipes to laminate, things to clean, but what the hey...where did I leave off.

I think I left off with the flood?

We finished the tile...



Most of the finish work was done...


We even had a nice meal prepared over a catering stove...lingine and clam sauce.


I have lots of pictures of the damage, but suffice it to say, restaurant was this full of water, EVERYWHERE!

It's the tan line there, about an inch and a half over 3600 sq ft, the landlord gave me the impression that the storage tank was about 12,000 gallons short.

The landlord, being an environmentally conscience fellow, had installed a very cool grey water system that would be used to supply the toilets for the shopping center. It hadn't been connected, but there was a 'quick' disconnect fitting installed, so that it could be hooked up when the time was right. The fittings were aluminum, the rest of the plumbing was brass, and when the two are combined a reaction happens that results in very rapid corrosion. I don't know any of this, I've just been told.

It burst after only being 2 years old. It blasted through my back wall in a stream that was 15 ft high hitting the opposite wall about 30 ft away...did I mention that all this happened about 2am?

Thankfully Jamie from Sandia Crust was going to Telluride for the weekend and was pulling a late night doing prep for his staff before he left. I didn't have my phone in the house (it's by my bed now) but when I did check my phone, I had 4 panicked messages from Jamie, "Jay, oh my god, I don't know what to say man, there's water pouring out of your front door, I'll call you again and hopefully you'll wake up." "Jay, it's going into China Best, all of your furniture is getting soaked and it's absolutely pouring out your restaurant." "....all I can hear is the sound of water moving at a high velocity and Jamie grunting in the background...." "Dude, I just turned off the big lever in the back, but I am really sorry, your place is absolutely full of water!"

I got about 10 seconds through the first message before I was tearing down the road listening to the rest of the messages, getting a little more panicked every second.

Two things I am happy about...

I am opening a restaurant and not a furniture store. Restaurants are kinda designed to handle water

It wasn't my fault!!!

More later.

OPEN

Ya, pretty quiet opening...NOT!

Been crazy, pictures to follow.

J

Okay, just a little blog

We have a gas meter.

I should have working equipment.

I'm ready to assemble furniture.

Finish trim is 90% done.

Electrical will be done next week

Refrigeration will be done next week.

All we need is Electical Final Inspection, Mechanical/plumbing final, environmental health pre and final and we are ready!

We had a little flood! About 12,000 gallons of water smashed through the back wall and filled the entire dining room with 3 inches of water.

Silver lining...it wasn't the new plumbing, and we discovered the f***up the previous plumbers did now, instead of later. They put a galvanized aluminum fitting over a brass fittting. I guess when you add water and pressure, the two metals react and carode. I will post pictures later.

J

Getting Closer

A few teaser photos of what is happening. It's hard to do since things change everyday.

I do have a pretty final menu ready. For all of you who felt my online menu was a little lacking, you were correct. I will post that up pretty soon.

Wine list is underway, lighting is coming, hiring is full throttle. I'm telling the public that I will be open the first of October, but I fully anticipate being ready the first weeks of September, depending on inspections and such.





What a weirdo!

A little bit of the Flagstaff singletrack I tasted while the family was in Michigan. Very nice!




A video walk through of some of the restaurant



Yes we are accepting applications...send me your tired and oppressed, my restaurant ain't gonna be worth a darn if I don't get anyone to work there. If you were thinking about applying NOW IS THE TIME!!! You know who you are!!!

J

I googled Greenside

A woman wanted to repaint her house, so she called a contractor ...

... and set an appointment to meet with him. When the contractor came to her house they did a walk-through and he asked her what colors she would like. They came to the living room and she told him that she would like a nice, warm cream color.

The contractor wrote something down on his pad, then walked to the window and yelled, ''Greenside up.''

The lady is a little confused, but doesn't say anything, and they continue to the dining room where she tells him, ''I would like a nice warm white in here, nothing stark.''

The contractor writes something down on his pad, then walks to the window and again yells, ''Greenside up!''

The lady is really confused now but still does not say anything. They continue to her bedroom and she says, ''I would like a nice, cool, relaxing blue in here.''

The contractor writes something on his pad and again walks to the window and yells, ''Greenside up.''

The woman is now totally perplexed and says to the contractor, ''Three times I have told you the color that I want, and you write something on your pad, then you walk to the window and yell greenside up. What is going on?''

The contractor replies, ''I have four blondes laying sod across the street.''

I think I'm gonna open a restaurant

We're permitted...so now we can legally do construction.



My inground inspection is done, I don't want to jinx it, but we are finishing with dirt and concrete this week.



One day soon, this will be full of beer.



I have walls!!!



For the first time, I actually feel like we can set an opening date...nope, haven't done it yet, but soon, I promise!