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Monday, August 03, 2009
Getting Close to Your Meal -- and the Benefits of Standing in Line
The term “comfort food” conjures up similar emotions in most of us: a feeling of well being that we associate not simply with what we eat, but the context in which it is eaten.
We remember the sense that all was right with the world when we walked into our family kitchen on a chilly winter day to the welcoming fragrance of Mom’s special meat loaf, Granny’s Old World spaghetti Bolognese, Aunt Helen’s fried chicken…or maybe the lamb biryani that was a favorite of Uncle Ramachandra.
The point is, “comfort food” is much more than a few hackneyed mac and cheese stereotypes. It’s food that was usually slow cooked, ladled into bowls or plates by someone we loved, and served up in a place that insulated us from a crazy and impersonal world outside the familiar walls we called home.
If we were to try and capture the culinary mission of the Brick Oven Bistro in just a few words, I think we’d describe it as “the constant effort to fill the comfort food void in the hearts and tummies of our customers.” For some, this might be our meat loaf, our Yankee pot roast, or one of our soups or stews. For others, however, it might be something that they’ve never even tasted before…like our new garlic roasted Kurobuta pork loin with raspberry chipotle candied glaze.
There’s another aspect of comfort food that I don’t think receives its due: the anticipation that comes from watching a meal being prepared. Over the years, we’ve found this to be an unexpected benefit to having our customers line up for their food. What started as a matter of convenience has become a unique experience that is a Brick Oven trademark.
Next time you join us for a meal, watch the interactions that take place in the serving line. People talk to our staff and to each other about the food that is being prepared right in front of them. Maybe they ask questions about how it was cooked, or what’s in it. Or perhaps they compare their experiences with different menu items, share their personal favorites and the reasons they find it so hard to order something other than their comfort food of choice.
The net effect of all this, we hope, is that our guests come away with a feeling that one of them recently described as being “like a hug from the inside out.” Now that I think of it, maybe that’s the very best description of comfort food…and of the Brick Oven Bistro’s culinary mission. Next time you need a hug, you know where to find us.
Monday, August 03, 2009 8:02:41 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)
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