I want to Create my own Menu

[goat]

so yes I may be 27 and obsessed with food and cooking and enjoy being a quasi foodie here in dallas. But down the road, my dream would be to open up my own off the whole joint that people come for good food, drinks, and good music in a semi laid back setting.

But with all that guess what.....5+ years of dreaming and trying to find you perfect menu for what I am looking to do....

First up.....Appetizers....i think i could get some major menu items basically from the HF nation.

Thoughts?

 

[scottsins]

kobe beef carpaccio.

 

[crayon1973]

just so we're clear: I WILL patronize your restaurant and support you in every way possible so don't think I am trying to dissuade you from the dream BUT - there is no more difficult job in the world than owning a restaurant. You will be working about 14-16 hours a day 7 days a week and this will completely consume you for the rest of your life.

If thats cool with you I think you should have a seared tuna app. Everyone loves those. Come to think of it, what about a slight ripoff of Uchi's maguro with goat cheese:

Sear some tuna, cut it into slices, top it with a red wine sauce, and add goat cheese crumbles on top. You could serve it over a small bed of sauteed bean sprouts or maybe fresh field greens would be safer.

Damn... thats sounds good. I think I'll make it tomorrow.

 

[bluto]

what crayon said about the restaurant biz.

no matter what you gotta have hot sauce/chips as appetizer.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

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[goat]

I know...I know....actaully the dream is too more or less raise the funds for it and find someone experienced to run it....

But a boy can dream up his perfect menu.....I am thinking a mix between a "Houston's" style menu and some lower end bar fare. with personal family touches...

 

[Roger]

cold smoke any and every fresh fish you can find

cold smoke beef tenderloin and serve slice thinly on little toast and horseradish sauce

 

[austingirl25]

Read Kitchen Confidential for info about the restaurant biz.

That said, I like a good bruschetta appetizer.

 

[Roger]

Anthony Bourdain has backed off several of his claims in Kitchen Confidential and said that eveyrthing he said he has seen and known to be true but the regularity of it may have been embelished

 

[Bernard]

Don't listen to the nay-sayers. Chef talent CAN be bought. Wait staff will jump to the next new hot spot to make the big tips. Your main job will be glad hand the customers and boss around a bunch of illegal immigrants and substance abusing Americans.

Take the following quiz:
1. Are you an ego maniac?
2. Are you a control freak?
3. Do you know what "Limpia la mesa!!" means?

As long as you answered "yes" to all three questions, you're perfect for restaurant ownership. Now all you need is a gift for bullshitting investors into fronting the money for your venture. DO NOT put any of your own money into the deal. Only OTHER people's money. Always remember, you are the "talent". The investors are lucky you are allowing them to invest in your deal at all.

When it comes to financing your dream, it's all about other peoples money. Of course, when the money starts to roll in, that's when it becomes YOUR money. Take a healthy chuck of the top as your fee for running the store. This means you get paid even if there are no actual "profits" for the investors. Of course, if there are any actual profits for the investors, make sure a huge chunck of the profit also go to you, the owner, since you put the whole thing together.

Oh yeah, steak tartare is an awesome app.

Bernard

 

[general35]

since you mentioned houston's, you would have to get a similar spinach/artichoke dip...they have one of the best off a menu that i have had...it is one of the only decent things on their menu...Shade in Houston has this fried shrimp and cheese grit app which is fabulous.

 

[coachkiss]

Someday in the near future, I will be opening up a rural restaurant in North Texas. Now, rural restaurants that make it all have one thing in common...simplicity. Make one thing (or two things) and make them well.

I will serve tamales and chili verde over rice. Period.

 

[Ramathorn]

I'd love to open a restaurant, but it is indeed alot of work.

 

[El Sapo]

I recently left the restaurant industry after 14 years and was going to type a long response to this post. However, some of what I would have said has already
been mentioned and I also didn't want to sound overly negative.

Opening and running a successful restaurant is very difficult. You got that part by now.

You mention the words 'obsessed' and 'dream' when describing food and your future restaurant. Good. These are personal ingredients you -must- have.

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[celis]

Dusted mudbugs

 

[DigglerontheHoof]

Cabrito.

 

[threesheets]

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[RabidLonghorn]

Be sure and read Tony Bordains book, he talks about mistakes people make opening restaurants, one is giving freebies to friends the other is falling in love with a simple concept and thinking that one thing can make a place a sucess.
I cooked in the restaurant business for 20 years, if you need help I would be glad to help.

 

[goat]

OK....i really dont want to open up a restaurant today. But would be a pipe dream down the road.

More importantly think it would be fun to try and set a "menu" and work at perfecting the dishes...playing with it ....etc.

 

[Roger]

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[RabidLonghorn]

My restaurant experence is owners freak after their new place dosent make a big profit as soon as they expect, they start cutting costs on the food quality and they never build up a customer base.The other thing owners do is think they can change a favorite food item on the menu and make it better and the change drives away customers.

 

[kjgirl]

Fried Mushrooms are always good. I like shiner bock battered fried mushrooms to be more specific.

 

[The Dog]

donuts
beer

end of menu

 

[RockyBalboa]

I love how he asks for good menu items and gets lectured about owning a restaurant instead.