Whatever happened to the Rendezvous, anyway?

Well, well, well. What happened to the Rendezvous? We’re gone. Closed for good, sorry to say. 6/1/11 would have been our 16^th anniversary. How time flies! We had a good run, though, and appreciate all the wonderful support we had. That appreciation extends not only to all our customers/friends, but to the employees whom we felt were like “family” over the years.

This is really the first time I’ve sat down to address the issue. We closed quietly and walked away, with no fanfare. I felt sorry for our remaining faithful and very wonderful employees.

We started the place on a shoestring, and never really made enough to say we were “profitable,” though the IRS thought otherwise, which I guess is a good thing. But over the years, with the decline in the local economy, as the Georgia Pacific mill finally closed after trimming from 600+ employees to around a hundred, and the decline in the fishing industry, locals tightened their belts. When the stock market took a beating a couple or so years ago, we lost some of our regulars who were on fixed incomes and, of course, with the recession (spelled with a “D” in our book) that ensued, virtually everybody started to cut back. With massive corporate layoffs, skyrocketing gas prices, and all the other economic doo-doo that was hitting the fan, along with the economic voodoo, cutting back was the smart thing for people to do.
Finally, it became time to cut our losses. In our 15+ years, we had never had to take the drastic action of not opening for dinner when we had no one on the books for any given night. But, come October, that was the reality.

What a difference a few months make. In the summer of 2010, I figured it was about time to step things up a notch. Work on some marketing programs locally, which had been in the back of my mind for years, but which never came into being, and raise some financing to upgrade the rooms and the dining room.

My sous chef, Lindsey, and I worked on some ideas. We got one of the marketing plans up and running on a small scale, and it was well-received. We worked on my idea--going back many years--of doing theme rooms for the B&B, with each representing a different area of France. We (Lindsey, actually) got this blog up and running for better communication with our friends, on a fairly informal basis. The were a lot of things in the hopper, so to speak, but when the bottom fell out from under the business in the fall, I didn’t feel the outlook was good enough to justify borrowing.

So, that’s sort of the short story. If you know me well enough, you know that I miss it. As I’ve always told people, cooking for me is therapy. If I had the energy, I could do it 24/7. With Lindsey in the kitchen, I think we were turning out some of best food ever. She had been through a culinary program in Arizona, had had restaurant experience, has a wonderful, creative mind, a wonderful attitude and lots of energy. Over time though, everybody on the staff was under more and more pressure as hours had to be cut back in the face of slowing business. We all had to work our butts off.

So, in a way, I’m relieved. For now, it’s a nice respite. It’s no fun losing money, and it’s no fun having to tell the staff not to come in for work. And it’s no fun having everybody work under so much pressure. We’ll see what happens down the road. I’m not counting out another restaurant (sans B&B), but I’d be smart to wait till the economy improves.

A lot of people wanted me to write a cookbook and, partly for that reason, a good friend of the Rendezvous bought me the laptop I’m currently using after my old, clunky Compaq bit the dust many years ago. I always laughed, though, because writing a cookbook is not an easy task. At least, not if you want to do it well. There are so many wonderful stories and memories from the Rendezvous. Recipes, too, of course. And this blog was going to be the beginning of sharing a lot of that. Sort of building a cookbook one step at a time. And, I may still post some things from time to time, in case anyone’s interested. Lindsey may, too, though I don’t want to put any pressure on her. She and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of kitchen and cooking-related matters.

Some of my fondest memories, of course, revolve around the people over the past 15 years, both customers and employees. We gave quite a few high school kids their first jobs, and saw some go on to do wonderful things, or just be wonderful people, in general. It seems unfair, perhaps, to mention names, because there are so many. But I do want to mention a few nonetheless. Paul, who worked in the kitchen with me, and absorbed things like a sponge, and who went on to a culinary program in Scottsdale. Paul wasn’t notable just because he absorbed everything; he was a great kid and a hard worker. I always have regretted the night I yelled at him for getting a dessert plate wrong that we were assembling for a dinner we were doing for the staff of a well-known Sonoma County winery. This, Paul, is my apology.

Paul’s sister, Kristine, also worked for us as a busser. She was another good kid, who went on to U.C. Berkeley. But what has always humbled me were their parents, who always thanked us for taking them in and giving them their first jobs. Their gratitude was overwhelming.

Cherie, another busser. Bright, a great worker, a very nice person. Who could have waited tables for us, but didn’t want to ask, and ended up leaving for another restaurant.

Elise, yet another busser. Went to the University of Wisconsin for genetic engineering, but ended up becoming an international lawyer. Lived in such far-flung places as China, Thailand, and ended up working for the International Red Cross in Geneva for a while.

Kitchen folk--Liz aka “Lizard,” but only to me. Wow. Got a business degree from Humboldt State and then went to through the two-year program at the country’s best culinary school, the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, where she did extraordinarily well.

Roxanne. Brilliant in the kitchen, and brilliant now. Both a great cheerleader and a great critic (much appreciated) in the kitchen.

Willie. Old (not really), reliable Willie. Always there when you needed him. He saw an awful lot of kitchen people come and go.

Lindsey, of course, goes on the top of this list.

Waitron types--Mark, like Wille, saw a lot of people come and go. He was there till the end, and a favorite of a lot of customers. I finally had to tell him how annoyed I was getting because frequently people would call for reservations--and 95% of the time I would answer the phone--and they would say “Is this Mark?” Mark was a retread. One of many. Retreads were nice, because so often it seemed people wanted to come back to work a second--or sometimes even a third--time. Mark worked for us many, many years ago, but left because of our system of handling the cash bank at the end of the night. But he had a heart of gold, and I kept telling him he was welcome to come back any time. And he finally did. The second time, I think he lasted about nine years. Mark’s like the brother I never had.

Lisa...I have to mention because she’s sort of legendary. Another retread. A very good waitress, good at thinking on her feet.

Hadji. A real professional, city-type waiter. Polished. Good at selling. Good at making the customers happy, and wasn’t bashful about making special requests to the kitchen to make that happen. Great sense of humor, great smile. Actually, now that I think of it, most everybody who worked for us had a great sense of humor. Hadji was the only one ever on the staff to address me as “chef.” But only on the job. I respected his respect.

Customers over the years...so many...so wonderful. And you know who you are. But I want to mention Stan and Bette, who would call to ask if we had salmon, and would always have us prepare a special sauce for them. And Bob and Shirley, who always wanted pheasant in the fall with a golden chanterelle cream sauce. People like these touched my heart.

Finally, the hero behind the scenes. Janice, who was always every bit as important as I was. She kept us afloat. She paid the bills, and made sure the checks never bounced. She kept me on the straight and narrow. Her cash-flow knowledge was phenomenal and, along with everybody else, the pressure on her really increased as the years went on and especially the past year as she was trying to keep it all together. But that’s the end of the story. The beginning is that she is the one who encouraged us to quit our corporate jobs and move to France for a year, so I could work in one of the top kitchens there. Without that encouragement, there never would have been a Rendezvous to begin with.

FAQ: What am I doing now?
As some of you know, I was selling wine wholesale for a broker in my “spare time” in Mendocino County over the last three years. At the end of last year, Sonoma County was offered to me. So, I live in Sonoma now, and sell wine.

I miss Fort Bragg. I miss all my acquaintances. I miss the area. I miss the pace. If I were to do a restaurant again, I think I’d want it to be in Fort Bragg.

The incredible, edible egg!

The incredible, edible egg. Many of you may be old enough to remember that advertising campaign. Proficiency at egg cookery is incredibly important in producing food which is not only edible, but sublime. It’s what makes many marvel at how creamy our “double caramel custard” is. One food/travel writer said he’s had caramel custards all over the world, and ours was the best he’s ever had. But that’s not the subject of this post. We’ll probably talk about egg cookery down the road. The subject at hand right now is physics. As everyone knows, chemistry is extremely important in the kitchen. Largely overlooked, however, is how physics enters into the equation. I encourage anyone who has a serious interest in cooking to take an introductory course in physics. Such a background can make you a better cook. But that’s not the subject here, either. Getting down to brass tacks, it’s physics as it relates to eggs...the shells in particular. As my wife would say “simple things amuse simple minds.” The next time you crack an egg, take the wider end and insert it (gently--you don’t have to smash it) into the smaller end. Now, hold the open end between your thumb and index finger or middle finger--whichever feels more comfortable. Point it nose first toward your garbage, or a sink, or whatever receptacle may be handy. Make it a few feet away to see what I’m getting at. Toss it toward the target and let loose. Make it more of a line drive than a pop-up. Boom! Straight from the fingers to the target! Eggshells are aerodynamically slippery! They go where you want them to go, and it’s always fun to see how well they work! It helps, too, that the center of gravity is moved toward the nose by inserting the one half shell inside the other. Granted, it took good aim, too, but my favorite shot was from ten feet away toward a beverage in a plastic two-cup measure that a prep cook had in front of him on the butcher block prep table. Aim, release, SPLASH! I don’t know who was more shocked! Give the egg a try sometime.

Kitchen Laws--originally posted 8/26/10

Many of you may already have a basic understanding of the way a professional kitchen functions thanks to the rising celebrity chef phenomenon and programming like Top Chef and the entire Food Network. The Rendezvous kitchen also makes use of the traditional French hierarchy. We are a small kitchen. We have Kim, the Executive Chef and owner, the Sous Chef (that's me! Hello, I'm Lindsey), and we have a dishwasher/ prep cook- Willie. Those of you that have dined with us will also be familiar with Mark, our intrepid front of the house representative. ;-P

Kim is very humble and does not request that we address him, "Chef", and in my time here I have had the privilege of working in a collaborative environment when it comes to creating wine dinner menus, regular and tasting menu contributions, and even in marketing the restaurant (i.e. a blog!).

There ARE, however, some inescapable, hard and fast, laws by which no man can deny. My personal ruling hand? Gravity. You name it and I have probably dropped it! Tongs clattering to the floor? The sound of muffled (possibly expletives) as someone falls in the background? My apologies. It was probably me testing my bond with the Law of Gravity. Let me tell you, Gravity wins every time. Kim has a much more genial relationship with this force and has been known to catch, with cat-like reflexes, as many things as I have dropped. This is not to mention his deadly accuracy when tossing a bit of wadded paper towel!

The other Primary Statute? Well, that one stems from a man named Murphy... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy%27s_Law). Murphy's Law- also known as the fourth law of thermodynamics- states that anything that can go wrong will. In kitchen terms there are many nuances by which this law expresses its power. Those curd pastries from the prep list that got pushed down the priority scale? You are going to be baking them on the fly because you are going to run out. That beautiful salmon that was just portioned this afternoon? The lamb will be ordered instead and at an alarming pace. Being AWARE of these event further complicates our understanding of Murphy's Law. If I know we have one order of short ribs to begin and evening and therefore call into account my prior experiences with Murphy and make a point to prepare more I am, in fact, provoking Murphy to change his strategy. Now I will either run short on the accompaniments for the short ribs or the short ribs will be a blind spot on the menu for our guests that evening. The more we endeavor to understand and predict how this law will play out the more bewildering its fallout. =) All in all Murphy's law is the greatest force in our kitchen. It keeps us on our toes. We have learned to prepare to the best of our ability and to never stop cooking even during service. As a result the food is fresh, rich, and our skills remain sharp. Of course, becoming quick and confident in this aspect probably means that we will use up all of our saute pans before the end of the first turn... ;-P We can only laugh (and do, often!) and enjoy the pursuit of those perfect nights of service. Still- sometimes- you just HAVE to provoke Murphy!

You too can be witness to this ongoing negotiation by joining us for dinner. Ask us about our Chef's table and join in the fun. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Posted by J&LDreamboard

Welcome!--originally posted 8/19/10

Welcome to our Rendezvous Inn & Restaurant blog. Our hope is that this will be an enjoyable venture for all involved. Please be aware, though, that while I love to write, I have little free time on my hands. I'm not a blogger, and nary a tweet has emanated from these fingers. Why the blog, then? Well, communicating with our supporters is fun. Also, many on-line comments--Zagat in particular--mention that I visit every table during dinner. This is an ideal-world scenario. More often than not, I'm unable to get out of the kitchen. Or, I may make the rounds in the dining room, and everyone's engaged in conversation, so I don't want to interrupt. Also, I tend to be an introvert. One recent night I cruised the dining room and didn‘t see anyone I knew. I continued on back to the kitchen and said to Lindsey, my sous-chef, "My gosh, I didn't recognize a single face out there." For me, that's scary.


So, let's get started. I'm not of the opinion that anything I have to say will be particularly important, and I hope none of it ever becomes self-important. I don't like the whole celebrity chef thing. Which, along with comfort, is one of the reasons you will almost never see me in a chef's jacket. Now, you may see Lindsey in a chef's jacket, or not. Comfort, I think. Certainly not pretension. She is both as good at what she does, and at the same time as unpretentious, as anyone can be.

Cookbook? Yes, maybe. The most frequently heard comment I get is: "You should write a cookbook." Like blogging, where's the time? I appreciate the comment, however, and consider it a compliment. To a certain extent, the groundwork has been laid, as I was fortunate enough to have someone in the kitchen who took it upon herself to type up all our recipe cards...an unimaginably formidable task. She's now close to finishing up the two-year program at the Culinary Institute of America back east in Hyde Park. In our eyes, she's one of the many Rendezvous "stars" we've been fortunate enough to have.

Recipes however, are in commercial-kitchen-ese, mostly in commercial quantities. Many of the procedural portions assume you're a professional chef. Sometimes an ingredient will be listed, with no clue as to where it's supposed to participate in the recipe. Frequently, too, we tweak recipes as we try to improve them. Since our cooking tends to be very seasonal, changes may be yearly. Thus a recipe for a wild mushroom soup, for example, will have the 2006, 2007 and 2008 versions all crossed out, and the 2009 version there. It can all get very confusing.

A couple of years ago, a lady from Iowa pleaded for the recipe for the sauce we serve with the rack of lamb. She wanted to give it to her husband for Christmas. The sauce takes us four days to make. Lamb stock, to lamb demiglace, to sauce which sits overnight to let the flavors meld, to reducing, thickening and seasoning. We had to execute the recipe four times in order to scale it down to home kitchen quantities, and deal with procedures such as "reduce to sauce consistency." While this may he an extreme example, you get the idea.

I think this may be enough for now...enough to get us started. Let us hear from you!