Gillian Clark

My "chog"? Is this a new online word? Golly, I'm having trouble keeping up. I had a really good time. The folks there at the Washingtonian are really great. It was refreshing to drive downtown, get down into a parking garage, wearing a suit and dress shoes, ride an elevator and sit at a desk. I NEVER get to do that anymore. Can't say that I miss it. But it is nice for a change.

Don't forget to remind me about your donut.

Gus...I really apologize for that. We had a sewer issue. Our building was built in 1911 and the old pipes were not built right. In some parts of northwest DC the sanitary sewer and storm sewer are on the same line. So when it rains like on Friday night, a lot of debris from the storm drains and sewers backs up into our pipes and we had it all stopped up and coming back up. The only thing to do is not wash dishes and not let anyone use the bathroom. The health department unfortunately does not let you do that. Trust me Robin and I weren't having a good time Sunday either. All of that water coming up had to be taken out of the retaurant in five gallon buckets that the two of us carted out. And it is not clean water. We would have loved to stay open. Believe me. I had fried up 25 pounds of fried chicken and had a mess of grits. It is never an easy decision to close but one we had to make for everyone's safety. I would hate to have someone in the bathroom and have sewage back up on them. Today while I was doing the Washingtonian chat, Robin was in there with the plumber getting it taken care of. If anyone was turned away Sunday let me know, I've got a chocolate donut with your name on it should you decide to try us again. Again, my deepest regrets that you were disappointed.

I think this is one of those little understood issues that could be argued well a bunch of different ways. But ultimately most Chef's have wild imaginations, big egos, are overachievers, and hyper ambitious. I know that cooking in front of the stove for years can get tired...like I'm not using my full brain. I've got to do other things. As line cooks and prep cooks we've all worked for years to perfectly blanche Haricot Verts, and roast the perfect chicken. Its time to conquer other things. It's no different than any other job. I'm sure the suits out there don't want to type reports all day. Eventually you want to be at the desk with the windows with the underlings bringing you their reports and sweating over it. Most Chefs do hours of prep during the day, and have neither the energy or stamina to work the line at night. We need those young kids to come in and sling the pots around. Hopefully, we've trained them and instilled in them all of the things that make our food what it is. They wouldn't be cooking for me if they haven't. Time in the kitchen isn't necessarily time best spent for a chef. There might be prices to be negotiated, a fundraiser to attend, a publicity opportunity, a meeting with the accountant. Some of my best food ideas come to me when I'm in a building that's not my restaurant. I can tell a well trained staff that I want this or that to go with a sauce that is a little acidic and in season. I'll leave it to them, but ultimately it is my decision. "How about a blood orange reduction, Chef?" Sounds good..do it. Sometimes that's how it works. You can be involved and in charge without doing it all. Expanding and growing for chefs is different for all of us. Some of us satisfy this lust by opening more places. Others do TV shows. Write books. But before we leave the kitchen we make sure that the folk in charge know how we want things done. A great chef is a great teacher, a great conductor, a great communicator. I believe a chef can have a restaurant in NY and one in DC or LA. If all of those things have been accomplished. It doesn't mean you care any less.

Just my two cents. I used to wear dred locks. My Locktitian had a tiny studio where she washed and locked everyone's hair. Sure in the old days she had 10 customers and worked until 11 or 12 at night. She's very talented and of course her business really grew. New studio, more chairs, an article in the Post. She hired a shampooer and three other folks that she trained and stood over until they each locked hair just as she did. People complained...they wanted Susan to wash and lock their hair...no one else. Well, unfortunately it doesnt work that way. As business grows we all need help and we need to teach people to do it our way. I wasn't always behind the stove every day the way I am at Colorado Kitchen. But it is a tiny restuarant compared to others in town and others i've cheffed. At Broad Street Grille there were 145 seats (CK has 48) I had a big staff that I worked with before we opened for two weeks. I stood over them and fussed at them when they didnt do the risotto or the crab cakes like I had shown them. But I stood behind the line and called orders (expedited) and stepped in when the kitchen was going down or someone was on vacation. I rarely got my chef coat dirty. But the food was my food. This is the way that Chef's can really teach folks how to cook and make them do the cooking so that they get better and one day have a show of their own. I remember at Evening Star hiring a team of really rag tag folks...I brought out the great cook in them and it was a good feeling. We had some rough times and bad reviews and then we hit our stride. It was really hard but I taught high school and figured there was a lot of teaching that needed to be done...one of my cooks confessed that he had never made pancakes before. Sometimes the dishwasher wouldn't show up and there I was washing dishes that night. The manager insisted that I cook and make one of my cooks do the dishes that night. I said, "NO". They need to get better at this. They need to learn how to do this and do it under pressure. There is no better training and no better way to build the next generation of chefs. I remember Susan Lindeborg and Ann Cashion standing back and letting me cook. You never forget that trust bestowed upon you and it makes you work even harder. All of us at Cashion's one night watched Ann take a Saturday night off. She didn't want to go...we had to make her leave. But we had pride at stake too. We wanted everyone in town to see Ann out on a Saturday, to see that she trusted her staff that much. It made us feel great and while she was gone we all strived for perfection. Just my thoughts...thanks for letting me share.

wasn't that Jason? Make sure you sign up before Sept 5th if you want a chef coat with your name embroidered on it.

Bring the Cubans

Here's the link to the Web site for the Culinary Camp http://hometown.aol.com/jstcookit/AtTheStove.html

http://hometown.aol.com/jstcookit/AtTheStove.html here's the website

You can bring your own knives if you want....but there will be knives, cutting boards, kitchen aide mixers, bowls, whisks, everything you might need.

There are wine experts, beer experts, martini expert, six other chefs. Food educators as well. we're still compiling the list of folks. more details will be out soon. The camp has been in my head for years...finally had the energy to make all of the phone calls and visit a bunch of places to have it. We're hosted by Camp Twin Creeks in Minehaha Wva. You don't need any experience at all. Significant others are welcome for a fee depending on how many days they stay. If they are not participating, but eating meals for the entire weekend its $175. Registration is from 3 to 6 on Friday. The reception and martini lessons/cocktail hour starts at 6. Dinner with wine pairing lessons starts at 7pm.

ADVENTURES AT THE STOVE Eat, Drink, & Cook With Great Culinary Minds A Weekend of Tasting, Cooking, & Hands-On Learning Side by Side with Working Chefs It's a weekend where you taste wine, whisk hollandaise, sample beer, learn to make the perfect martini, cut and sear steaks, simmer an Indian Curry, knead sourdough, try an exotic cheese, soak chicken in a marinade, and more You're hands on with Great Culinary minds. It’s a weekend in the woods with fresh air and plenty of stars. Be a line cook for Saturday Night Service. Put up Eggs Benedict for 40. Relax at the Campfire while sampling the world’s finest scotch. It’s Culinary Camp…so take a break from the kitchen on the lake, at the driving range, tennis courts, mountain bike trail, or archery targets. This Culinary Immersion Weekend--September 28th through 30th---is all inclusive for $495. To get your personalized AATS Chef Coat pay only $525 for three days and two nights of the best cooking lessons you'll ever experience. Reserve now. Call 202-545-8280 Adventure….get a taste of it!

But of course I accept your apology. I really didnt think it warranted either. I admire your admission that you really did not know the building's history and that we really don't expect folks to walk in and say the entire name before they order. Legally, you have to give things a name and sometimes you have to add more words than you may need so it does not duplicate a name active in the county tax register. The General Store at Forest Glen came up after several attempts to just call it The General Store. We did want to add the component of the Tavern. So we agreed on The General Store and Post Office Tavern. There are certain legal requirements that can force your hand here. But again, I like the name. I just got back from Central and had way too much to drink. Time for me to shop for an island online.

Okay folks. Heather opens the thread with a link to the Post. This is the first response in the thread. I'm sorry Hearse but that is like a slap in the face. Those are fighting words. They are aggressive. I'm never aggressive on this post just explaining my side of things. I've never met you or seen you. But if I were introduced to you by Heather and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Gee, man. What an ugly shirt." How would you feel. I don't want an apology. I just want you folks to understand what we're doing and what we do. If you don't like the name. That's fine. You have a right to your opinion. But if you believe the name is too long. Why not say that? Why say it is the worst name you've ever seen. We often drive by a place in Maryland called RIP's. How's that one? Its short but kind of scary. I did not write those 900 words today on this bright sunny Monday (I was at the chiropractor). I wrote it at 1 am. Yes, that is how I ended my 48 hour weekend standing on my feet was those 900 words. Explaining to Hearse the background of the name. Which he admittedly did not know. Kind of reminds me of the comment about my foie gras from someone who had never had HOT foie gras before. My mother always told me that keep your mouth shut if you are loose on the facts and never use superlatives--worst, stupidest, etcest will always get you in trouble. I do not go on this site to be beat up or to start fights. It was 900 words of explanation. Sometimes during my day like when people call me at 8am on Sunday morning and exclaim "Oh good your open now." They can't hide their disappointment when I answer, "No, we open at 11." They want to know what the hell am I doing in the building at 8 if I'm not open. Well it takes me 3 hours to get ready to serve brunch to 149 people. There's 10 pounds of sausage to roast, and a case of eggs to poach, etc. I just think sometimes it is good to have chefs on here because some folks just don't understand what it takes to do this thing. I was on a thread about Rays answering someone who could not believe that a popular menu item sometimes has to leave the menu. That lack of understanding has many folks on this board foaming at the mouth. But even the explanation satisfied Hearse. I was invited to participate on this board by Don Rockwell. He created my screenname and all of that. I unfortunately have no funky nickname to hide behind. So I really can not say what I want and not pay for it. I'm out here just telling you guys when I think you're wrong about something. I think you can not like the name. That was not being obnoxious. If you find the name distasteful then maybe it is not the place for you. Can't say it to the cab driver? Well, maybe RIP's is for you. I think you folks have a great time on this site and there are nights I read it just to see what place is getting a lot of talk and buzz and business or is popular. I don't really like eGullet or chow hounds. I really can't tell you why. I just don't. I log on occassionally. I don't have very much time to sit here and follow everything, just a thread that sounds interesting. And if I feel like I have two cents to throw in I do it. If you don't want chefs or me in particular to read and respond I will cancel my thing (can I do that Don?) and I will never log on again. However, if I'm on here and someone says that my "name is the worst." I'm going to defend it. Human nature, no? I don't have much time. I've got to go to my daughter's school then meet a friend at Central. This took me 10 minutes if you're counting. I type 65 wpm. I'm also a former English teacher and I'm a writer. Words come easily to me. I've lost a few (used to teach shakespeare--sorry about that juliet misquote, Don.) I've still got a little in me though.

Actually Juliet said, "Don Rocks is an Ass. If only a point were a rock twould hit him in the head and we'd hope he'd get it." Yes I have read all of the positive comments and thank you. When Robin and I drove up to that little house it stole our hearts. It has not been an easy year. It was a year ago that we saw it and decided that we'd take on the project. We came really close not long ago to dropping the whole thing. Landlord troubles, permit hassles, etc. But we've invested a great deal of energy. We don't expect anyone to call it The General Store at Forest Glen. Robin and I often just call it The Store. So many people head on over to the "Kitchen" we're told. I believe when they were serving food there before it was called The Forest Glen General Store. The landlord has dug out the basement for us to increase the ceiling height so we do hope to have a prep kitchen downstairs as well as a really small beer and wine bar that will serve much of the same food as upstairs, but also late night snacks like pizza, and stuff I haven't thought of yet. Robin neglected to tell Tom that I'm putting a big old convection oven down there so she can spend her days making pies. They sell really well at the "Kitchen" so we will do a few at the Store.

Gee, The Hersch (which is a great name by the way). Sorry I didn't consult you first. The actual name is "The General Store at Forest Glen". We came up with this genius idea because the place was--guess--A GENERAL STORE. It also served as a post office. We have some of the original furniture from the post office days that we are going to use in the space. Gosh, I am stunned at how quickly folks on DR.com love to take it out and take a whiz on stuff just for general purposes. I frankly see nothing wrong with the name. I guess we could have called it Popeyes or Quiznos but those are taken. When you name a business in Montgomery County you have to do your research and name it something that no one is using (active). We plan on using the name in making it very general store like. I guess if the name really kills your appetite you can eat at the Woodside Deli or Kirsten's or Armands. The place is a general store. Shucks it was built somewhere around 1898. We are trying to keep it as original as possible. We're doing this to a bulding in a historic area and trying to fit in with the history of the neighborhood and the place. Doing this and meeting codes is challenging. But we have a great team of people working on it and the landlord has done a great job on the outside. I majored in English in college but I could well have majored in history. I'm fascinated by it and am glad that Robin is with me on this. We could have changed the whole thing inside and made it glitzy and flashy. But we are taking the time to get the right stuff in there to make it feel like a general store. It is somewhat of a process for us and we enjoy doing this kind of thing. You won't find us in a strip mall or anything like that. We seek out the places with character and breathe life into them. The space on Colorado Avenue, complete with restored tin ceiling and vintage advertising, was built in 1903. I guess there is no way you could have known what we are about. If you've never been to CK then you have no idea of the kind of work we do. Something that I would like to continue to do. I hate when people are critical of silly things like the name. Criticize my use of buttermilk or that I don't serve enough vegetarian items. But to go after the name of my store--sheesh that is petty. I think it is a fine name. This reminds me of when we put the sign up in the window on Colorado Avenue. I had someone tell me that if I'm going to name my restuarant Colorado Kitchen I'd better be serving neck bones. After all, what did Juliet say "would a rose not smell as sweet?" We're really excited about The General Store. And agreeing on the name (pretty much just tweeking the name that is already on there) was part of that. Naming a place and making it official is like turning on a switch. So much stems from that. It's the first building block for a lot of things, a lot of ideas. We've decided on furniture and paint colors--these are milestones. Can we all just be positive and stop using this web site to beat up on folks that are trying to do cool things? It takes a lot of energy and money to make a place and even more to make it work. But it sure is easy to sit back behind a computer screen and throw stones. All of us on this site that are in the business appreciate the enthusiasm but would also like some understanding. Before you start shaking your fists about someones name or that someone has run out of fried chicken or a cut of steak, recognize what goes into it. I may run out of something because I got shorted on my delivery. Maybe a prep cook didn't show up or the dishwasher and while washing dishes I burnt it. I had a couple send me an angry email because they waited for Sunday Brunch to start and it was 11:05. How dare I make them wait another five minutes. They had been out there since 10:30. Well, when I apologized and said that I had been lifting a hot pot full of potatoes off of the stove and tore my thumb nail off. I needed five extra minutes to wrap the nail back on with tape and plastic wrap. They were kind enough to write me back and say, "If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen." It's really easy to pick on us and complain. We've had other things to worry about and glad that the name was in stone with the county and the IRS and that we had a Fed ID number, phew. But it took months for the plans to be finalized and now we have to wait and twiddle our thumbs waiting for inspections. Is the plumber going to actually show up today or is he a no show and I'm paying rent on a building that is still months from being finished. So whatever, Hersh. Too bad if you don't like the name. You probably won't like the food either or the wine or the beer or anything. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to vent. Its been a long week.

That's exactly what we do. There is no embarrasing ceremony where the shakers are taken and I laugh an evil laugh. There are times that the server forgets and then I see Daddy hand junior the pepper shaker to play with so he can read the menu in peace. And junior puts the entire thing into his mouth. Yes I had a baby, they put things in their mouths. That's how they investigate the world. When this family is done and leave. The next group gets to sit at this table. Some poor sap is desperately trying to get pepper out of that shaker and can't. Why? The baby saliva and pepper have combined to block the holes. You could repair a ship with it--pepper and baby spittle. I've had that combination of baby spittle and cookie stuck to my glasses. I had to throw that pair away. You guys don't know all I see from my little window. I had the servers toss out a bottle of ketchup when I watched a guy lick the hollandaise off of his knife and then put the knife in the bottle of Heinz to get the ketchup to come out on his hashbrowns. I'm looking out for you folks. . There are people that get offended when we take the shakers away and replace them with a set we don't care about. The servers try to be as inoffensive about it as possible. They hate to do it. Sometimes I have to beg them. We've lost so many that I will ask the parent to just take a look at our little memorial (I've had to ask adults not to play with them too. One guy tied a little chef guy to his napkin and had him commit suicide off the edge of the table). I just want people to understand that I spend more time on Colorado Avenue in that little kitchen than I spend in my own bedroom. I'm close to all of that stuff. We should all just respect other people's property--in a house or in a restaurant. Gum on the underside of my tables is another issue at CK. We are now offering tissue the minute you walk in chewing. I'm the one that has to scrape it off the bottom of my tables and chairs. I hope everyone thinks about that. Kids are not the ones chewing gum. It is aways someone over twenty. My servers hate to give people tissue. They don't want to offend people. They want to give everyone kids, adults, parents the benefit of the doubt. They want to give them the chance to do the right thing. I did too before I owned a restaurant with an open kitchen. I see all kinds of behavior that makes me want to open a school of manners and common decency. Sure we have incidents where we watch people that have obviously never eaten with a knife and fork to the extreme of people who tear recipes off the wall in the bathroom or write on them. Its not just kids who need to learn how to behave in public. Its just one place to start. We're not doing our kids any favors by not showing our children how to behave in public. They grow into the adults that put their feet in my chairs and don't eat their green beans and go to Paris or Tokyo and look for a McDonalds.

I can relate. We used to have fried chicken with collard greens on the menu every night at Colorado Kitchen And yes it was so popular we had to take it off the menu. I had the prep cook doing nothing but wash and cut collard greens that take about three hours total preparation. Then I spent the morning and much of the afternoon cutting and marinating three cases of chicken just so we could run out of it by 8pm every night. There were so many furious customers in the dining room that htought nothing of coming up to me and telling me how disappointed they were as they grabbed their hats and stormed out. Meanwhile, I had plenty of yummy fish and a great, lovingly prepared meatloaf that was spoiling because everyone just wanted the fried chicken. We were al exhausted just trying to keep up. And all of the people that didn't want chicken? Well we had no time to keep up the quality of the other food. The fried chicken had to go. I serve it occasionally as a special. But yes. A very popular item can bring a kitchen down.

here's the NPR piece http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4970141

Hi...not many people know this but a long time ago I was a child. I also have two children myself. I like my children to enjoy the dining experience just as we do at home at the dinner table. I shun the whole crayon and coloring book thing. I want them to talk to me to have dinner conversation, to learn how to look, to learn how to listen, to learn how to dine out. Who is going to teach them, if not me. So behind that philosphy we don't have crayons and coloring books. We have also had many unruly children in our restaurant. So for everyone's safety and the chef's sanity the server will take the shakers off the table. Some of them are precious to her and from her collection and for everyone to enjoy. We have an every growing memorial to the lost shakers. Some of them very deliberately broken by a child in the middle of a trantrum. It hurts me to see that kind of thing so the server takes the shakers off the table. We used to have lights around the windows until a parent sat there in the booth very quietly while her child climbed over her and tore them down. We have had the curtains on the glass window pulled down I can't tell you how many times. We have had crayon markings on tables, chairs and the back of the booth benches. I have come out to the diningroom in the middle of cooking for 50 people to ask a parent to mind their children (not only children misbehave--I also came out to yell at a woman who had been coming once a month or so and smoking in the bathroom--shes about 70. And then there was the couple making out while they waited in line. I yelled at them too). Jumping up and down on the booth seats...sorry it is the mother in me. I always think the worst. That kid is not only going to ruin my seat, he or she is also going to go flying through the window. People are not used to going to a restaurant where the owner is there every night and where she has personally purchased the things in the building. I paid for those chairs. I took out a loan for about $2000 to buy them. And that measly paycheck of a first year owner chef went to pay off that loan. So I have yelled at people to get their feet off of my chairs. Most kids are not as well behaved as yours. I remember you coming in. I did an NPR piece on it. But I believe we should eat at home in front of the table as a family. I see too much evidence of people who obvioiusly do not take time to sit down and eat with their children. It was really important to me when I was growing up. And I think it has helped me raise my two children. Eating out then is a great experience. I was able to take my little girls--they were 4 and 8 to the Morrison-Clark when Susan Lindeborg was Chef there. We practiced drinking out of stemware at home for about 1/2 an hour before we left. But that was my only concern because they knew how to sit at a table and eat. We did it at home all of the time. They didn't need crayons or toys at the table...we don't do that at home. We sat and enjoyed the beautiful room and had "dinner conversation". Kids should be raised to enjoy the dining out experience just like you. Why take them out? They shouldn't be stuck with grilled cheese or a hot dog while you have a steak. That's why there is no kids menu. But I do offer a great selection of small foods. These have included cornflake chicken leg, chicken pot pie, things that I think most kids will enjoy....fried ravioli is a big hit this season...as is the housemade noodles tossed with mushrooms. Parent should not always look at the kid's menu use your imagination....don't assume your kid won't like something. I went out with a friend her two kids were having the pizza in this very nice Italian restuarant...they always have the pizza. When my daughter's fried squid came to the table those two boys let their pizza get cold and the pounced on magalee and sian's squid. They devoured it, stuffing it in with two fists. My friend said, "Wow... I had no idea they would eat something like that." Exactly, give them a chance to develop a palate...keep trying new foods. That's what Colorado Kitchen is all about. But then I also serve grown people who won't eat their green beans...Oy Vey.

It was a busy Saturday night. In fact the crowd came early. All 49 seats were taken and the line was forming. Saturday night, a little before 7pm. This was busy in the making. Sure there were the simple vexations of special requests....salad no dressing, please no mushroom duxelle can we have mashed potatoes instead? Grumble Grumble...okay. Unfortunately there is no alarm. Surely it would have started ringing. So when Robin was rushing to the sink with the hot oil filled saute pans she wouldn't have had to dodge the seven year old girl from table 10 that had run through the double doors and into our tiny kitchen. "You can't be in here," she shouted. The girl eyed her but did not retreat. Instead, she took two steps forward. She was trying to bust a move, get around her spiky haired obstacle and get to the good part of the room--that little space where 60,000 BTUs are firing and she can get to that little opening and wave to her unsuspecting Guardians sipping coffee and finishing dessert. Robin gave her a coyote's wide eyed glare adding a growl to her voice..."You've got to get out of here now," she reasoned with the little brat, "It's not safe for you to be here." With that the girl ran out and took her seat. I watched her settle back into her chair beside her mother. As if she'd been in the bathroom and simply emptied the paper towel dispenser on to the floor. Her mother sighed and encouraged her to finish her ice cream soda.

My daughter came in form band practice as they were leaving heard the woman saying, "I thought this place was kid friendly. It is soo not."

I know many of you will find this hard to believe but I have also had customers come to my window at Colorado Kitchen and cuss me out. From a whole host of incidents. One man--in his late 50's or so called me a bleeping ridiculous excuse for a chef because I had run out of meatloaf at 9:30 on a Friday night. A woman gathered the 4 children in her party in the center of my dining room and they all held hands and began a rousing game of Ring Around the Rosie--it was 7pm on a Saturday. When I asked her twice not to do that, she said..."How dare you?" and some things I cant repeat. I have another semi regular customer who apparently has told everyone she has quit smoking. So she sneaks into my bathroom and lights up. Of course i know her and watch when she comes in. I confront her recently--my ladies room is again smoke billowing from the closed door--and am basically shouted down by this table of senior citizens that are convinced she has really quit. I tell you Dino...its hard out here for a chef.

Derek, I feel your pain. Even more since I saw that ad that said that for every $100 we ring in at our restaurant cash register...we get to keep only $5. Restaurants are works in progress. Always. Even after you've been open for years. We're always trying to get better. It is just hard to take all of the kicks in the teeth when you're working like a dog. It is one of the hardest working industries around. And for that hard work...labor hours still mean low profits. We're not doing this for NBA-like salaries. We love it for some strange reason. So sometimes the criticism rubs the wrong way. I think Hagedorn was suggesting that educated comments are taken more seriously. The condensation on the plate is a sign that the plate was cold...as most of us do. I had to read a post about Colorado Kitchen where the diner had never had HOT foie gras before. This diner had only had foie gras mousse. Perhaps commenting on my foie gras was not appropriate for this person since their experience was limited. I think that is fair don't you? Also, we've all been new line cooks and struggled...yes even Hagedorn...but the chef had to put us on the line so that we could learn and get better. And believe me we got better. I'm sure Susan Lindeborg has plenty of gray hairs from my first nights at the grill.

Why is it we hear about EVERYTHING and not a sole lets us in on this one!?!?! I can't wait until Hannah works again to find out about this one. Robin