# Thursday, August 13, 2009

Would You Like a Little More "Green" With That?


    Next time you’re savoring a slow cooked meal at the Brick Oven, you might relish the knowledge that all the energy that went into its preparation, and the comfort of our indoor environment, was generated by a renewable energy source.  

    Not long ago, the Brick Oven made the decision to go green by purchasing renewable energy credits from Idaho’s first commercial wind power generator: Lewandowski Farms.  Those of you who have traveled east on Highway 84 have probably seen their turbine towers just outside of Boise on the way to Mountain Home.  

    Aside from the desire to reduce our “carbon footprint,” our decision to purchase the energy credits was motivated by our desire to support a local energy producer, and in so doing to support the future research and development of a renewable energy source with major implications for our state.  After all, Idaho is the 13th windiest state in the nation, even though it currently only a few wind farms in operation, last we checked.

    Lewandowski Farms is the legacy of farmer and entrepreneur Bob Lewandowski, who built, operated and maintained the wind farm by himself until his death in July 2005.  The family then sold the farm in April 2006 to a group of local wind energy researchers that included three Boise State University graduate students.  The relationship with BSU was further extended last month when Boise State University Housing announced that it would buy the credits for Lewandowski Farm’s remaining wind generation capacity to meet the energy needs of Morrison Hall, a student residence.

    Here at the Brick Oven, we are very proud to become the only business in Boise to meet its energy needs exclusively through wind power.  If you are wondering why a restaurant icon in downtown Boise would want to go green, the answer is simple: we think our food should be slow cooked…not our planet.




Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:14:29 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Cuts Like a Knife




     With apologies to rocker Bryan Adams, the truth is that pre-cut meats just don’t taste as good as hand carved – which is why you see our servers carefully slicing the beef, turkey, ham, etc. that graces your plates when you dine with us.

    The same, we have discovered, is true for vegetables; which is why we recently abandoned the practice of buying our produce pre-cut.  Instead, we’ve purchased our very own vegetable-slicing machine so that our fresh produce (we have a ban on can openers) can be cut before it is prepared.  Granted, this takes more time; but if we notice the difference, we know you will too.        



Tuesday, August 11, 2009 1:18:26 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Oh, Babe, It Ain't No Lie!
Here's a pop quiz for you: What's the new Brick Oven Bistro tag line?  Altogether now..."New Adventures in Comfort Food".  Good for you!

Sure, you're probably thinking, that's a nifty marketing slogan...but really.  Really?

Really.  If you have any doubts about how we "pay off" the marketing hype, take a look at our upcoming specials for this week (August 3 - 9):

  • Chicken Mulligatawny Pot Pie -- the culinary intersection of India and Indiana.
  • Jamaica Chicken Dinner -- Jai Rastafari!
  • Pork Chili Verde & Salad -- It's how we spell "comfort food" in Michoacan.
  • Hummus Sandwich & Mardi Gras Salad -- Our Mardi Gras salad is our Calico Bean salad with a scoop of rice.  We like to think of it as "a party in a bowl". 
  • Kobe Meat & Cheese Loaf -- You've already met this dish in a previous blog, but what better way to celebrate First Thursday?
  • Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwich -- This may be as close as we get this week to "usual" -- but if you like chicken salad, ours is something to "crow" about (sorry...couldn't resist the pun).
  • Gazpacho with Shrimp -- A cold soup, but a "hot" item on a warm summer day
  • Chilled Tomato Tarragon Soup -- Some like it cold...and tasty.
  • Kobe Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce, potatoes, and greens -- This deserves a blog on its own, but if you like a great corned beef on any of the other 364 days of the year besides St. Patricks, we've got you covered.
  • Tuscan Meatball Sandwich with salad -- And you were wondering about where to take the fam for Sundy supper?  Fuhgetaboutit.
So, if you still have any doubts about the "new adventures" thing, we rest our case.  Afterall, some folks still believe the world is flat.  But despite the exotic line up, there is one thing all the above specials have in common with the true spirit of comfort food classics: slow cooked, made from scratch...right down to the breads and the gravies.  No matter whether your mama came from Boise or Bombay (sorry...Mumbai), those are attributes we can all agree make up a great home cooked meal. 



Tuesday, August 04, 2009 2:25:46 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [2] 
# 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)  #  Comments [0] 
# Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Don't Tell Mama About Our Meatloaf


It's nearly axiomatic that if you ask a someone who they think serves up the best meatloaf, their likely response will be "my mom".  Loving your mom's meatloaf is, when you think about it, one of the highest acts of filial devotion.  It's right up there with sending a dozen long stem red roses every Mother's Day to the woman who bore you.

So it's not without a considerable sense of the gravity of this statement that we boldly proclaim the following:

Our Kobe beef meat & cheese loaf can kick your mama's meat loaf's matronly little hiney.

There...we've said it.

If we seem audacious, and maybe even a bit heretical, let us present our case.  To begin with, our traditional meatloaf recipe has won us a legion of die hard fans over the years;  the more enlightened and evolved of whom will actually bring their mothers to our restaurant to partake of this Brick Oven Bistro staple.  Believe me, it takes years of trust and most likely many hours of therapy involving family-of-origin issues to get to this point, but for those of our customers who have, we just want to say, "we're ok; you're ok".

But back to the meatloaf.  Our Kobe beef and cheese loaf is what we like to think of as "meatloaf reconsidered".  We start with locally raised Kobe beef, subject it to our secret meatloaf recipe (you've wondered about the trained ninjas posted at the doors to our kitchen), add a layer of savory cheese, sprinkle generous chunks of sausage (cause nothing goes with meat like...well, meat), roll it, pat it, mark with a "B", and put it in the oven for mama and thee (our apologies to Mother Goose for yet another blasphemy, but we're on a roll here -- no pun intended).

But wait...it gets better.  We serve this paragon of comfort food with baby carrots, hand mashed potatoes, our burgundy mushroom gravy (aka, nectar of the gods), and our homemade coleslaw.  It's enough to make a Boston blue blood yell, "boy, howdy!"

So now that we've gotten all this off our chest, we're ready to put our meat loaf where our mouth is (or hopefully, where your mouth is).  We'd like you to share your fondest meat loaf memories with us.  Just go to our Facebook page.  Who knows, maybe you'll inspire our next sacrilege.  Just don't tell mama.




Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:00:13 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Thursday, July 23, 2009

Get Your Buzz On With a Good Conscience



A nice thing about being part of the social media space is that even though we have a list of things we think will make great conversation starters, our followers often have their own ideas about what is topical.  Take the recent conversation on Twitter regarding our wine glasses made from recycled wine bottles.  An snippet from our friends at Bar Gernika (@Gernika):

Did you know that @brickovenbistro has  wine glasses for sale?made out of recycled wine bottles. really cool!

It was nice to see just how many of our Twitter followers picked up on that, and our first thought was, "Wow, why didn't we think to mention this."  Well, now we are :-) !  Thanks, Bar Gernika.  We owe you one!

We started carrying our recycled wine glasses thanks to an article in the Idaho Statesman by the Divas for a Difference, who wrote about a group in town called Sustainable Futures who were making glasses out of recycled wine bottles.  We checked it out, and I'm proud to say we became the first restaurant (it ain't braggin' if you done it) to carry them.  We've not only been using them, but we also sell them as well.  Here's what they look like:


Hey, it ain't fine crystal, but casual is how we roll at the Brick Oven.  By the by, we were also the first restaurant in Boise to make the switch to wind energy...but that's another blog altogether. 




Thursday, July 23, 2009 11:50:37 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Building the Perfect Strawberry Shortcake


Just look at this and tell me that it doesn't scream "summer".  It should.  Strawberry shortcake is the quintessential dessert of the solstice.  But to do justice to the season, you have to be pretty finicky about how you make this confection. 

And we are.

We start with a fresh baked biscuit, then add an initial layer of fresh strawberries with a little sugar and just a bit of triple sec (you heard us right) on half of the biscuit.  Then we spritz a nice layer of real whipped cream, add the other half of the biscuit, then top the whole concoction off with a dollop of whipped cream and some more strawberries.

If you want to see the magic happen in video, just go to our Facebook page at Brick Oven Bistro and let Lara show you how we take care of business downtown.  OK...here's one last look...

  


Tuesday, July 21, 2009 12:33:09 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Meet The Artist: David R. Day





Man cannot live by bread alone...although we might get some strong disagreement on that from fans of our bread pudding.  Inasmuch as we believe in feeding the soul along with the body, however, we take great pride in supporting our local artists. 

As part of our on going displays of local art, we'd like to take a moment to introduce you to our current artist, David R. Day (www.AmericanPhotoSource.com).

As a Boise native, David borrows a page from the time-honored axiom of great writers...only in David's case, he "shoots" what he knows rather than putting pen to page.  The result is strong images that he hopes can be a "bit of a puzzle."  When a viewer has to ask "where" or "what" an image is, he reasons, there is a communication that takes place between artist and viewer that David wants as the hallmark of his work.

David spent over half a year working on a new media concept that involves the application of pigment on copper -- a technique that more closely resembles painting than it does a more typical photograph.  "I was looking for a stronger connection between what I see when I shoot an image and what people get from viewing it," he explains.

We could spend a thousand words telling you why we love David's work -- but as the saying goes, all you really need to do is stop by and take a look. 




Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:53:18 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Friday, July 10, 2009

Mmmmmm....Bacon!
Not to go all theological on you or anything, but if you happen to subscribe to one of the Abrahamic faiths, it occurred to us that there is a 2-in-3 chance that pork might NOT be what's for dinner.  For the rest of us, imagining having to choose between staying right with the Lord and eating a BLT just might be the ultimate test of faith.

Which brings us to the subject of the Brick Oven Bistro's bacon.  You know what I'm talking about.  You're standing there in the serving line having finally made up your mind on what to order (the daily special is always a good default if total mental paralysis sets in) when you glance to the right of your carver and there it is...that big ole basket-o-bacon staring right at you.  Sure, you could tie yourself to the nearest embedded object a la Ulysses, but this is one olfactory siren song that is impossible to resist.  Go on...you know you want it.

So, now that we have your attention, let us tell you a little about our bacon.  

In looking for the perfect complement to our Turkey Club Sandwich, we began a search for a thick, slab cut bacon.  That search led us to a contract with a small meat packing company in Minnesota owned by Hormel – a collaboration that resulted in what today has been popularized as Applewood Smoked Bacon -- a culinary wonder that has since been picked up on by numerous other restaurants.  Culinary plagiarism, you say?  Not at all.  Where good food is concerned, imitation is definitely the sincerest form of flattery. 

Now, take a long, loving luck at the picture below and thank whatever higher power you subscribe to if you don't have to choose between the faith of your fathers and our Turkey Club Sandwich.







Friday, July 10, 2009 6:00:29 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Wallets Have No Taste Buds


Not long ago we came across an interesting article in the The New York Times by Eric Asimov.  The article was “Wine’s Pleasures: Are They All in Your Head?”  What struck us about the article was that it confirmed something that we have long suspected: people have an unfortunate tendency to associate the quality of a wine with its price.  

Asimov cited a study done by the California Institute of Technology and the Stanford Business School that “demonstrated that the more expensive consumers think a wine is, the more pleasure they are apt to take in it.”  He then went on to note that, “the researchers scanned the brains of 21 volunteer wine novices as they administered tiny tastes of wine, measuring sensations in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, the part of the brain where flavor responses apparently register. The subjects were told only the price of the wines. Without their knowledge, they tasted one wine twice, and were given two different prices for that wine. Invariably they preferred the one they thought was more expensive.”

Now don’t get us wrong.  We are firm believers in the adage, “you get what you pay for.”  Our experience as wine lovers, however, has also taught us that where we too often set the price bar for a great wine a lot higher than our taste buds might suggest.  For that reason, we take a lot of pride in offering wines that taste like they should cost more than they do.  Case in point: our Italian pinot grigio and our German Riesling – both of which offer a perfect compliment to our lighter summer fare.





Wednesday, July 08, 2009 4:01:32 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)  #  Comments [0] 

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