Sunday, November 22, 2009

Event went very well.....

Festival of Trees went very well.  We had lots of fun and it was not stressful at all.  All of our equipment worked perfect and nothing really went wrong.  I really enjoyed this event and plan on doing it every year.

Here was the final menu that we had last night:

Vegetarian Pumpkin Stew  (variation of Three Sisters Stew)
Pork Sausage with Apple, Spinach, Bacon, and Feta Cheese
Hot Dog Sushi with Mustard, Onion, and Neon Green Pickle Relish

I think that all three had their fans, but the sushi probably got the best reactions of the night.  Most people were receptive to it and wanted to try it because no one had ever seen something like that before.  We did have one guy that argued with us.  He says that sushi implies "raw fish" and he "ain't eatin raw fish!".  Explained to him that it is only a hot dog and bun rolled up like sushi, and he still didn't want any part of it.  His loss.  Guess that some people just can't handle new things.  This is probably not going to be a restaurant item.  I am going to test the possibilities, but it is a lot of work and would have to be done when ordered.  We will see.

The Pork Sausage was fantastic!  My wife came up with the recipe and people raved over it.  We did have a few people who turned their noses up at it, but quickly figured out that they are "beef eaters" and probably think their bacon and ham are made from cow.  The ones that did try it, told their friends to come and try it.  This isn't a cart/restaurant item we are carrying, but we will offer it for catering.  Makes a great appetizer or entree.

The Vegetarian Pumpkin Stew was based on the Iroquois Indian recipe for Three Sisters Stew.  The recipe only calls for squash, beans, and corn.  We made it better by adding the chopped pumpkin, hominy, pureed pumpkin and spices.  Those that tried it were amazed by its wonderful flavors and heartiness considering there is no meat in it at all.  We are going to carry this in the restaurant and hopefully it will be this week or next. 

Overall it was a success.  We made new fans and wowed our existing fans.  Will hopefully be able to get some catering jobs based on our food and the professionalism of my staff.  I couldn't have done it without them and appreciate all that they did.


This week will be a slow one.  Not sure we will see many people out until Saturday.  We will be closed on Thursday and Friday.  I would be open on Friday, but our downtown area is pretty much dead until late in the day.  Since we now have several "big box" retailers in town, most people will be there or in Austin.  Saturday should be better, but you never know.

Added new menu items for this week.  Already taste tested them and they should do good.  Will be adding a couple more items in the next few weeks and then will probably stop adding until after the winter time is over.  I have tons of ideas for the spring and those should help boost the business.

Should have my crop of hot peppers ready in the next few days.  Will be canning them in the restaurant kitchen, so that we can sell them.  These are Tabasco peppers that have been growing for a couple of months now.  They are slowly turning red and it is making them hotter and hotter each day.  We had a few of them grow earlier in the year, but all this rain has made my plants really thrive.  We will also offer them as a condiment for the hot dogs.  These things are hotter than the sport peppers or jalapenos we carry now.  Will post an update when they are ready. 

Updated the website (www.franksrocks.com) with new info and changed the layout a little.  Really want to have it all redesigned, but the cost of that is prohibitive at this time.  Will have to see if I can remember my html and just do it myself.

Everyone have a great week and wonderful holiday!  Please tell your friends about my blog and have them read it.  Even if you can't experience the hot dogs for yourself, you can do the next best thing and read about them.

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