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re: Let's talk "insider" industry secrets
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:15 am to BrotherEsau
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:15 am to BrotherEsau
quote:
To this day I do not order catfish, amberjack or mahi in any restaurant (ecept catfish at Sparhs) and won't order any type of fish unless I am in a very nice restaurant, then I still usually get red meat.
Why is this?
3
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:16 am to OldSouth
We always kept a bottle of real crown, so if someone would complain, we'd say "Oh, that's odd, here I'll fix you a new one". Happened to me once.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:22 am to JasonL79
quote:
Why is this?
Most catfish comes individually frozen in a huge box and is farm raised. Everywhere I ever worked, it was thawed in gallon oyster buckets, and iced nightly, but often was just floating in water. Even if taken very good care of, it's just not great quality fish.
As for amberjack and mahi, they also came in individually frozen, but also individually Kryo-vac'd (no idea how to spell that). They'd always get a slim layer of slime pretty soon after being thawed, that washed off and didn't really affect the taste. The amberjack was always a little hard and gray too. Just kinda nasty.
Fish in general will go bad pretty quickly. Restaurants don't like to throw stuff away. I'll eat any fish if it is fresh and I cook it or I'm in a very good restaurant, but not in a not-nice restaurant.
This post was edited on 10/11/13 at 8:24 am
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:25 am to JasonL79
quote:
JasonL79
quote:UH OH.
Why is this?
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:29 am to JasonL79
Most of my inside stuff comes from the supply side as my family had a wholesale seafood processing and distribution company for 30+ years.
I see a lot of people on here talking negatively on frozen shrimp. Majority (probably 90%+) of your restaurants are using frozen shrimp. Some use it year round and never use fresh. For some reason, I see a lot of people on here that say "the shrimp tasted funny, they must have been frozen". There are a small number of restaurants that use fresh shrimp and when they do, it's only available a few months a year.
There is a real thing as fresh tuna. I see people on here that say all tuna is frozen. This is false. I've personally seen tuna unloaded on the boats, and then later that day personally delivered it to the sushi restaurant to watch them cut it up and serve it while I was there. No freezing was being done with the tuna either.
Shrimp that are peeled are treated with treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. It makes the shrimp appear glossy,clear, and more firm. Fresh shrimp do taste better. I'm not a fany of tripoly. It changes the taste and texture of the seafood. It's also used in chicken,scallops, and fish. You can tell the amount of tripoly that is in your seafood when you cook fish, shrimp, or scallops. The water just sweats/pours out of the seafood while cooking. Real fresh seafood will not sweat that much water while cooking. Tripoly is mainly used for weight retention and for the freezing process.
I see a lot of people on here talking negatively on frozen shrimp. Majority (probably 90%+) of your restaurants are using frozen shrimp. Some use it year round and never use fresh. For some reason, I see a lot of people on here that say "the shrimp tasted funny, they must have been frozen". There are a small number of restaurants that use fresh shrimp and when they do, it's only available a few months a year.
There is a real thing as fresh tuna. I see people on here that say all tuna is frozen. This is false. I've personally seen tuna unloaded on the boats, and then later that day personally delivered it to the sushi restaurant to watch them cut it up and serve it while I was there. No freezing was being done with the tuna either.
Shrimp that are peeled are treated with treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. It makes the shrimp appear glossy,clear, and more firm. Fresh shrimp do taste better. I'm not a fany of tripoly. It changes the taste and texture of the seafood. It's also used in chicken,scallops, and fish. You can tell the amount of tripoly that is in your seafood when you cook fish, shrimp, or scallops. The water just sweats/pours out of the seafood while cooking. Real fresh seafood will not sweat that much water while cooking. Tripoly is mainly used for weight retention and for the freezing process.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:32 am to BrotherEsau
quote:
I'll eat any fish if it is fresh and I cook it or I'm in a very good restaurant, but not in a not-nice restaurant.
I understand that. Most restaurants tend to go the cheap imported frozen way with fish.
This post was edited on 10/11/13 at 8:52 am
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:39 am to JasonL79
quote:
JasonL79
Droppin knowledge as always.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:48 am to LSU Jonno
quote:
Sure took the wind outta your sails, eh?
Not really. I didn't know the recipe.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 8:56 am to JasonL79
quote:
Majority (probably 90%+) of your restaurants are using frozen shrimp.
Yeah, everywhere I ever worked used frozen shrimp. I never found anything wrong with that and it does not bother me. I've seen episodes of Kitchen Nightmares and similar shows where they bash places for using frozen shrimp. It's silly. Everyone uses them. It's not a big deal.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 9:09 am to BrotherEsau
I worked in catering so my experiences are a little different than restaurants.
Obviously you have people who are partying while working and abusing the system (drinking,stealing food, saving the good stuff for themselves, etc). That kinda goes without saying. Watch your liquor closely or it is going home with the staff most of the time.
I will say that from my experience, if you tip your caterers beforehand or let it known that they are getting a tip, your service and experience will be 100x better than the alternative.
You would be surprised how many people don't tip catering staffs, a lot of times the staff will get pretty upset when they realize they aren't getting tipped and the service will really go downhill from there.
Not really a secret but it takes about 45min on the nose for beer to get as cold as it possibly can while sitting on ice.
Obviously you have people who are partying while working and abusing the system (drinking,stealing food, saving the good stuff for themselves, etc). That kinda goes without saying. Watch your liquor closely or it is going home with the staff most of the time.
I will say that from my experience, if you tip your caterers beforehand or let it known that they are getting a tip, your service and experience will be 100x better than the alternative.
You would be surprised how many people don't tip catering staffs, a lot of times the staff will get pretty upset when they realize they aren't getting tipped and the service will really go downhill from there.
Not really a secret but it takes about 45min on the nose for beer to get as cold as it possibly can while sitting on ice.
This post was edited on 10/11/13 at 9:13 am
Posted on 10/11/13 at 9:10 am to OldSouth
quote:
The servers NEVER got to taste the food, specials, nothing. I had no idea what it tasted like.
At the one I worked at, you were required to try everything on the menu within your first couple of weeks of starting. Then you had to take a verbal "test" to make sure you knew what you were talking about: this included food information and restaurant history/organization.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 9:37 am to MSMHater
quote:
J. Alexanders was, by far, the most impressive kitchen I ever saw. Always fresh ingredients. Sauces and dressings made fresh every day. Taste tested the entire menu every single morning. Just really well run kitchen
Each of the Pappas restaurants does this as well. Worked at Pappas Seafood House for several years. The kitchen was crazy clean and organized.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 10:22 am to Salmon
Posted on 10/11/13 at 10:50 am to hiltacular
quote:I know of an English HORECA cooling system which is highly energy efficient, and does it in 45 seconds.
Not really a secret but it takes about 45min on the nose for beer to get as cold as it possibly can while sitting on ice.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 11:38 am to JasonL79
quote:
Most of my inside stuff comes from the supply side as my family had a wholesale seafood processing and distribution company for 30+ years.
I see a lot of people on here talking negatively on frozen shrimp. Majority (probably 90%+) of your restaurants are using frozen shrimp. Some use it year round and never use fresh. For some reason, I see a lot of people on here that say "the shrimp tasted funny, they must have been frozen". There are a small number of restaurants that use fresh shrimp and when they do, it's only available a few months a year.
There is a real thing as fresh tuna. I see people on here that say all tuna is frozen. This is false. I've personally seen tuna unloaded on the boats, and then later that day personally delivered it to the sushi restaurant to watch them cut it up and serve it while I was there. No freezing was being done with the tuna either.
Shrimp that are peeled are treated with treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. It makes the shrimp appear glossy,clear, and more firm. Fresh shrimp do taste better. I'm not a fany of tripoly. It changes the taste and texture of the seafood. It's also used in chicken,scallops, and fish. You can tell the amount of tripoly that is in your seafood when you cook fish, shrimp, or scallops. The water just sweats/pours out of the seafood while cooking. Real fresh seafood will not sweat that much water while cooking. Tripoly is mainly used for weight retention and for the freezing process.
I remember we had a similar discussion months ago that involved O Brah saying he only eats sushi on certain days when they get their fresh catch, and also that certain restaurants get first pick over others. Then BlackenedOut pointed out that it was no longer done that way due to changes in distribution, and that all the restaurants get the same fish on the same days.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 11:43 am to Rohan2Reed
So Peche gets it's fish same time as Red Lobster?
Posted on 10/11/13 at 11:45 am to TigerWise
I think they were only talking about sushi restaurants. Could be mistaken though.
As far as Peche vs. RL goes .. They use different distributors. The point I was addressing was about local Nola restaurants getting different access to/treatment from the same suppliers.
As far as Peche vs. RL goes .. They use different distributors. The point I was addressing was about local Nola restaurants getting different access to/treatment from the same suppliers.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 12:59 pm to CajunAlum Tiger Fan
quote:
what's the recipe for the sauce served with the blackened alligator at The Chimes
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. That horseradish sauce is fricking amazing.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 1:26 pm to Rohan2Reed
quote:
I remember we had a similar discussion months ago that involved O Brah saying he only eats sushi on certain days when they get their fresh catch, and also that certain restaurants get first pick over others. Then BlackenedOut pointed out that it was no longer done that way due to changes in distribution, and that all the restaurants get the same fish on the same days.
Locally, tuna boats can come in any day of the week so they could get fresh tuna or fresh fish that just came in.
A lot of the fresh fish consumed here comes from Miami (lot of imports from the carribean islands and S. America) and the east coast. Those trucks come in on Mondays and Thursdays usually. But seafood can be flown in on airplanes(cargo portion of passenger planes) 7 days a week from any where in the world.
So there isn't really any certain day that seafood wholesalers get their seafood. Monday and Thursday may be where a bulk of their stuff comes in but not all the time.
The restaurant that gets the first pick is usually the better customers(buy more) and the ones that pay the quickest.
Posted on 10/11/13 at 1:35 pm to iAmBatman
quote:
15 lbs. Mayo (Kraft)
3 No. 10 cans Ketchup (Heinz)
40 oz. Worcestershire sauce (can't remember the brand, but not L&P)
2 oz. Black pepper (forget what spice house they used, but pepper's pepper)
2 oz. Garlic powder (ditto)
Converting Mayo at 220 g/cup, and the #10 can at 12 cups (both are subject to debate), a workable recipe is:
3/4 c. Mayo
1/4 c. Ketchup
5 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
One of the reasons that everyone claims that every recipe they try is not quite it is that they make the sauce then eat it. Cane's won't use it until it has sat for 24 hrs. to let the flavors meld
That's copied and pasted from when I posted that exact statement on here about a year or two ago.
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