The Occasional Restaurant

I've had a secret (or at times not so secret) passion to open my own restaurant. However, I am well aware of all the advice to NOT get in to the food business: long hours, small profits, huge risk and employee theft. But I may have found a good way out. My friend from Hungary sent me some of her favorite food blogs recently, and hidden in there was Habeas Brulee, a fantastic collection of food and photography. The website is run by a NYC attorney and has some delightful treats in there. Two things caught my eye: The first was a cardamom, Meyer lemon creme brulee in sugar bubbles. (see the photo along with this post) This really got my gastronomic mind rolling on towards tasting menus and unique ideas. The second was the author's 'occasional restaurant,' Jack. The restaurant is opened for one seating every other Saturday night for a fixed price, 5-course meal. In Brooklyn no less. Genius!

So I thought about my ideas. I have a new notebook slowly filling with cooking ideas - like a science-themed tasting menu (dinner for nerds!), or a "round the world in 8 courses" tasting menu. And perhaps some time I will open my own occasional restaurant. The perfect balance between serving and doing what I enjoy so much, with the commitment of a full time restaurant. All I'd want is to make a little profit, but really just experiment. I wonder if I could make it work.

So first I need to get a name. I want a concept restaurant that embodies adventure, bold fresh flavors and tastes. Same idea, fixed-price 5 or 6 course meals over a 3 hour evening. There are three front runners, but I offer my ideas for names so far:

• The Rusty Leek
• Kinetics
• Thermodynamics (a little long - but the logo was good)
• Extracts
• Abby & Grace's
• Entropy

So I'll drop in a poll for you all to offer input. Ideas you can post here. Want a taste of what I would offer? How about this?

Around the World in 8 Courses

1. (Russia) Buckwheat blini with eggplant 'caviar' and sauteed dark sausage
2. (Asia) Beef noodle soup with sushi rolls
3. (US) Fried chicken leg with seared macaroni & cheese 'cake' and celery foam
4. (France) Pan seared ribeye steak with shoestring pommes frites
5. (Italy) Squash and Parmesan ravioli with lemon and walnut sauce and grilled calamari
6. (Middle East) Small pita with grilled lamb, tatziki sauce and chopped dates
7. (South America) Aztec 'hot' chocolate with whipped cream and pepper sugar cookies
8. (Germany) Deconstructed black forest cake

This is just one idea. Maybe I'll post my other one tomorrow with my 11 course tasting menu.

HRP