Comments on: Big Clean

By: dana

dana — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:37:57 +0000

They make tiny little brushes to clean pastry tips. I have purchased them at Sur La Table along side the collection of pastry tips and bags. They are very small little bottle brushes, and may work for your task.

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:28:50 +0000

I am searching desperately for TINY little brushes for cleaning my cream whipper - any suggestions?

Many thanks:)

By: hillel

hillel — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:50:24 +0000

Hey Dolores. You’re right. Restaurant writeups will return soon. And I have to admit, Houston is not on the schedule in the near future. We’re updating the design of the site soon and at that time I’ll try and get the restaurant index page current.

By: Dolores

Dolores — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:57:37 +0000

I have already typed a rather long comment. Where is it?

By: Dolores

Dolores — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Although I know you say you are eating as fast as you can, I must disagree. You have listed several cities as “coming soon”, and the listings have remained that way for several years. Will you be adding to your restaurant repertoire any time soon? I am most anxious for your reviews of Houston

By: Boy Named Sous

Boy Named Sous — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:00:20 +0000

Correction — I’m halfway through the program, I’ve completed my first year.

By: Boy Named Sous

Boy Named Sous — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:59:49 +0000

At the age of 38, I went back to school, and am halfway through my first year of the Culinary Arts program at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. I’m 1 month in to my first restaurant job at El Vaquero, and guess what? You’re SPOT ON! Guess what I’ve been doing for a month? Yup, nothing but dishes and cleaning. Sure, I take my turn at cleaning at school, but I get spoiled there — te dishwashing machine’s a continuous-feed Hobart. Not so at work, where I’ve been manning an old school Auto-Chlor, the kind where you open it, load in a rack, close it, and wait around 90 seconds before you can load another rack — a rach which, if you’re getting good at this, should take you about 30 seconds to load, leaving you a minute to unload the clean dishes from the previous rack, plus ever 3rd or 4th load carrying all the clean stuff back to its place.

But it pays off. I’ve already been promoted and am training at the pastry station now — not my favorite station, as I’m a meat man, but at least now I’m only cleaning up after myself and the pastry chef, not everyone in the whole house!

Hey, its not glamorous. It’s not BAM! It’s hard work, dirty work, exhausting work. But how many people can say they get paid to pursue their passion — even if it means pursuing it through the greasse and the grime?

By: Dana

Dana — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:43:49 +0000

Traca- Front of the house atvantage indeed!

Sean- YES! I do want advice, but I can’t contact you through my space, I don’t have an account! Maybe you can email me at DanaBickford@gmail.com?

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:46:06 +0000

I did my culinary school externship at WD-50. Send me an email if you want some advice about his quirks and how to avoid pissing him off.

By: Traca

Traca — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:06:07 +0000

Dang Dana…what a great post! I’ve worked in the restaurant biz for years and I’ve never seen a place torn apart like that (front of the house advantage, maybe?). I can’t believe that stove isn’t new! Loved the photos.