Fresh Fish is Good For You!

One of the really cool places Angela and I visited in France was the Lyon market. It's easy to understand why most of the finest restaurants in France are in Lyon, because it's the place where the best produce, meats, fish, and all things related to fine food can be found. Stalls lined up with everything one could want to supply a restaurant or home table, everything of the highest quality. 

Fresh fish has always been at the forefront of our menu here at Pastiche. Like many chefs, I like seafood because there's such an incredible variety of flavors and textures to choose from. Many years ago, I met a fish salesman named Chris Sullivan, who worked for a company in Chicago called the Chicago Fish House. When they went into Chapter 11 in the mid 1990's, he moved to another company called Seafood Merchants, which was owned and operated by a couple named Roy and Bonnie Axelson. Chris and I hit it off right away because we both got out of the service the same week, and met shortly thereafter. I was one of his first accounts when I was at Tripoli, and I followed him over to Merchants when he moved. I mention this all because it's so important to know who you're buying from; you're depending on them to make you successful. Chris retired last year, and in the 37 years I bought from him, I never once got a bad piece of fish. Roy and Bonnie were also friends, as are many of the rest of the gang there- Dennis and Mark, Tim, Debbie, Jesus, Victor (our driver) and Frank, who's recently retired to Calico Rock, Arkansas, where the bass are always biting.

So when you come here, know that your fish will always be top-shelf, prepared to order, and presented to you with thought and respect. No, I don't have a favorite, but I do like a good fish fry, and if I see halibut or sole on a menu, and I know the chef, it's a pretty easy decision!

EXCLUSIVE MENU

Simple, elegant, French classics. Hand-selected, affordable wines, refreshing cocktails, and gracious service

What's Good?

Every once in a while, I discover a better product than what I've become used to and trade up. Not to say I haven't been aware of Valentine Coffee Roasters for years now; Joe was bartending with us in Bay View in the Farmers Market years when Valentine was building a name for themselves. We sold their coffee in our wine shop, too, and drank a lot of it at home. 

When we bought the old River Lane, Mr. Marks dealt with another company. Their coffee was very good and we really liked our sales guy (he became a good friend and the reason we continued to buy their product). Well, he left them recently, and the quality of service, which had been slowly going downhill since COVID, regressed further. Angela was frustrated, so she told me it was time to call Valentine, which had been at the top of our short list of local roasters for many years. I met with them, we tasted our way through a set of brews Robb thought would appeal to us and complement our food, and decided to make the change. They're a great company, with a terrific product. Like us, they sweat the details, and work a little harder than their counterparts to give their clients the best they possibly can. 

Now, a cup of coffee is never likely to be a deciding factor in whether or not someone dines at a particular restaurant, that's for sure. So why am I telling you this? Well, it's because we take a certain amount of pride in the work we do to give you the best experience we can offer. We deal with vendors who feel likewise. Success is in the small things, like a good bread basket, the freshest fish, aged meats, properly cooked vegetables, and a great cup of coffee to go with a delicious homemade dessert. All these little things may be unimpressive on their own but when taken all together, they make for a relaxing and memorable meal.

Our philosophy, my philosophy for decades, is taken from the great French chef and restauranteur Fernand Point, who maintained that "Success is the sum of a lot of small things done correctly". We'll happily leave groundbreaking presentation or avant-garde dishes to other, more creative chefs, and always do our best to take care of the "small things" that we believe make all the difference.

Last Saturday, I did a private cooking class for a small group of very well-behaved ladies here at Pastiche. The one who organized it asked me to include roast chicken, hot bacon dressing, and caramel sauce, so I put together a three course menu of things that can be done rather easily by someone at home; spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, roast chicken with natural gravy, potatoes and vegetables, and a puff pastry apple tart with caramel sauce.

Start to finish, the class took about an hour and a half if you don't include "Champagne Time" beforehand and the Q & A afterwards. It seemed like a good time was had by all, and Angela and I enjoyed having them in our kitchen. 

For a chef, teaching is part of the job, and there are some of us who like it so much they migrate into positions at cooking schools where they don't have to work nights and weekends and have summers off. There's no grind of getting product in and processed, or cooking on a hot line. No customers to deal with, either, just students. Of course, there are downsides to teaching in a school, so many that most of the good chefs I know aren't interested because they don't want to deal with the bureaucracy, students, stifling structure, or the notion that "those who can't do, teach."

Me? I enjoy teaching on the job, where I can have the freedom to determine how I want to train an aspiring cook, which largely depends on the degree to which they show up and do the job. In a school, it's your job to teach the lazy as well as the promising kids, but in the cold reality of the real world, you choose the promising ones and give your knowledge to them, leaving the rest to be happily adequate at Applebee's or a cafeteria in some printing company. There's something for everyone in our business, after all.

As far as teaching classes for guests and friends, that's just for fun and to help them be able to eat better at home. Over time, I've found that it takes a lot to put a class together and still put in a full work day, and I can never be sure if I'll have two or twenty two people interested. So a couple years ago I decided to leave it up to the guests. If a group of friends wants to get together for a Saturday morning activity learning how to cook something, they can let me know. We'll see if we can figure out a good time and go from there. What are the most often requested topics? Sauces and fish dishes, with braises a close third. Bon Appetit!

 Tuesdays and Wednesdays on bottles up to and including $60. If that's not enough great news for you, we're extending Happy Hour service to the patio as long as the weather's nice!

Here's a few quick tips for grilling fish; build the fire on half of the grill and use the other half and cover to cook the fish with indirect heat, don't make the fire too big or too hot. You can toss a few rosemary or thyme branches on if you like the flavor, or use a sprig to baste the fish as it cooks with EVOO or clarified butter. Fish kebabs are excellent and you can use different kinds of fish and shellfish together. There are contraptions to make grilling a little easier- hinged wire baskets that you can flip and maneuver to keep the fish from sticking to the grill (it might stick to the basket, so spray it first with Pam or something similar. Grill some thick lemon slices, too, because the char adds a nice flavor to the finished dish. 

If you've noticed that life has become stressful and annoying, try a glass or two of wine to smooth things out. No matter what my problem is on a given day, and I've got many, my go-to's are Cava in the morning and Domaine Tempier Rouge in the evening. Put on some good music and eat some French or Italian food... your problems won't actually go away, but you won't care as much for a while.

It's here for a limited time every year- delicious Rosé. We have several excellent choices for you.

(Message from the Subliminal Advertising Dept. "Please Donate to the Porch Fund https://www.gofundme.com/f/mikes-porch-project-we-need-your-help?lid=4uq0fo299s34&utm_source=product&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TXN_donation_alert&utm_content=internal )

Meant to be drunk young, limited production, fresh and clean; rosé is the perfect way to enjoy a beautiful sunset with friends and a charcuterie board. 

Give it a try, and I think you'll agree!

Summer desserts tend to showcase fresh fruit, with lighter presentations. Angela's garden strawberry tarts were fantastic- made with strawberries from our own patch out back. Raspberry and mixed berry tarts are also wonderful, lemon is always popular. My favorite is peach, more toward the end of summer when the truck peaches start coming up from Georgia... Put a big slab of vanilla ice cream on one and that'll fix my sweet tooth for a week.

When it comes down to a nice meal, always end it on a sweet note!

We've been getting inquiries and even a couple bookings for special dinners, so if you're interested, give us a call or send us an email and we can answer your questions and maybe even get you in the book! Whether it's a one-off menu created with wine selections especially for you or a group of friends and family to order off our regular menu, or even a luncheon, we'd love to talk about it! 

Got a Rehearsal Dinner, Birthday, Promotion, or Special Occasion?

Let us know what we can do for you. We can accomodate medium (40-80) or smaller (10-40) groups, larger groups at certain times, create special menus, pair wines, pretty much anything within reason- just no glitter on Angela's carpet, please! Talk to Frank and he'll get you all set up.

OPENING HOURS

Tues - Sat: 5:00 to 9:00pm

Sun - Mon: closed

Happy Hour Tuesday-Friday

Patio is Open (Weather permitting)