Marla's Blog

Friday Update

Friday Update:

The plumber never came last week.  He forgot about the sink.  Came this Thursday, installed sink.  The sink is defective, leaking around the drain stem, right through the porcelain.  Have to order another sink, and try to get the sink’s manufacturer to reimburse me for the extra plumbing charge.  Pending.

The panic bar I purchased two weeks ago wasn’t the problem, it’s the electronic lock.  Had the panic bar returned (I never installed it) and am waiting for the electronic lock to really break before I go back to that problem.

Freezer Lowe’s delivered was not the “commercial” one I saw in the store.  Because I had just unloaded the old leaking freezer, I was pissed.  While the delivery men were pacing back and forth, I got on the phone with Lowe’s and on Frigidaire’s website at the same time.  It seems they don’t make that commercial freezer anymore and that the one being delivered was newer.  The man from Lowe’s suggested I try the new freezer and if it didn’t work, I could switch it out with the floor model that I saw in the store.  Whatever.  I kept it.  Do I really want to take a freezer that the company is no longer making?   

The new freezer leaks like crazy.  When I say leaks, it’s the normal water that is produced from the defrosting process.  Usually the water is heated and evaporates off, but if the freezer is overworked, the extra water will flush out into a little pan and then evaporated.  If there’s a lot of water, it pours over onto the floor, loosening the tiles.

I purchased a commercial freezer from my fixtures company and it was delivered Wednesday.  Now in all of this, new freezers take about 16 hours to come to temperature.  So I have lost a ton of product and crammed my one ice cream freezer with all that I can.  We are serving Store bought ice cream instead of our own.  Yes, we’re telling the customers.

We finally get the real freezer up and running, it’s chilling to minus 10 degrees.  It’s wonderful.   Our small ice cream freezer goes out.  Refrigerator man, whom I love, comes and orders a part.  I pay overnight freight.  He comes two days later to replace the part, but has been sent the wrong one.  Another part is shipped overnight and is replaced.  I don’t pay any of the shipping.  Both freezers are working.

Took me 8 days and 12 phone calls to get the freezer from Lowe’s picked up.  I finally had to call the corporate office to lodge a formal complaint.  Freezer was picked up next day.

Now in the meantime, I have started a new summer menu.

Another Monday

My daughter, a friend of hers and I drive up to Lake Hartwell.  We have some wonderful friends who let us visit.  The lake water is beautiful, warm and quiet during the week.  Friends come over, I drink vodka and play scrabble.

The next day we take their pontoon boat out and go to an island with a lovely sand beach.  My husband has come up for the day.  Now I'm feeling a bit cocky and decide to swim across to a point, about 600 yards.  Even though I have taken a swim noodle with me in case I get tired, and the people with us include two firemen and one police officer, my husband is planning my funeral and all the changes he is going to make to the restaurant when he becomes the owner.  It takes me 40 minutes.  It feels great.

A much better Monday.

A Monday: My "day off"

We’re closed for business. 

Came in to strip the office and back hallway linoleum tile floors and put down new finish. Tried to get some guys from the kitchen to help, but I couldn’t get our schedules coordinated. This wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, but get me around some TSP cleaner and I go nuts. I scrubbed the floors with a brush and then hit the stairs by hand. I got a little carried away- 4 hours.

I found a problem under a freezer in the hallway. It had been leaking water and all the tiles were loose. I just so happened to have some tiles in the basement, the glue, but the trowel was at home as well as the planer which I needed because the tiles were not sitting flush and were cracking. Put some finish on the newly stripped floor that wasn’t under the freezer and ran home for the trowel. Upon returning, I found more tiles loose, more planing and patching to be done. 

Now I’m pissed. I plane, sand, wood putty, apply glue, press down tiles while covering myself in dust, glue, putty and whatever. I even had to pull out my heat gun; yes I have a heat gun, to remove tiles that were cracked and only partially loose. Ok. It’s all down. I’m a candidate for Holmes on Homes, the TV show where a contractor (Holmes) comes in and shows all the shoddy work that had been done before. It didn’t look sloppy, but underneath was questionable.

Now I have to finish the 2 coats of sealer and 4 coats of finish that need to go down. Drying time is 1 hour + on each coat. You can do the math. During one of the drying times, I go to Lowes to look at a new freezer. I had calls into my commercial equipment people at the same time but they were out. Part of me, (the cheap part) didn’t want to spend $1400.00 on a commercial freezer, when this one had been working fine, but leaking.

The lavatory I ordered from Ferguson’s arrived UPS. On my way to Lowe’s I see my plumber driving by, so I remember to call him. Yes, my plumber’s number is in my sparse cell phone list. He’s on his way out of town for a few days and will replace on Friday. 

I was very excited to find a Frigidaire Commercial Freezer at Lowe’s. This is perfect. It’s high off the ground, which is needed for cleaning and has a higher quality evaporation system. Ordered freezer for delivery on Tuesday.

Back for another coat of finish. Go home, take a shower. Back for another coat. Go to grocery store. Back for another coat. Home with groceries and Popeye’s for dinner. Back for the final coat of finish, this time with my daughter. Afterwards we head to a friend’s pool for a quick swim. I drink vodka. 

A Thursday

Dropped my daughter off at camp on the way into work at 9:30 am.  Brought the sink I had purchased on Sunday to see if it fit in the men’s room to replace the one broken over the weekend.  Of course not.  Got down on my hands and knees to try to find the manufacturer and did.  Went on-line and found Eljer’s website.  Matched my model and called to see if I could order directly from them.  Of course not, but customer service was excellent. Gave me a supplier here in Atlanta-Ferguson’s Plumbing.  Was told place a LTL order.  “Less than Truckload” which is used for special orders.  I’m always learning something new.  Order went through without a hitch and sink(lavatory) will be here on Tuesday.

Made a pot of coffee.  Filled out prep list and organized cooler while pot was brewing.

Linen Delivery Came.

Placed an order for glassware to arrive tomorrow.

Got online to check email.  I find that once online, I can spend an easy hour or more updating information so I have to be careful.  Updated website with new wine tasting information for September.  Had my webmaster update a review item.  Posted the September wine tasting info on LocalWineEvents.com, a great free listing that goes out Nationally.  Tried to update my Citysearch listings but could not get through.

Called Heating and Air guy to come replace filters on our rooftop ac unit for the kitchen.  Two months behind schedule.

Went upstairs to start cooking. 

            Fresh Tomato Sauce

            Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

            Date Pastries

            Pate a Choux

            Pastry cream

            Crème Anglaise

            Banana Ice Cream

            Scallops

            Grilled Asparagus Tarts

            Cleaned and Pounded Chicken

            Gaufrette Potato Chips

            Simple Syrup for the Bar

My backup came in at 1:00 pm.  He’s my tournant which means he rotates stations throughout the kitchen.  He’s been with me 6 ½ years and I love him to death.  He’s working Saute tonight, but comes in early and cuts fish/ meats and does hundreds of other prep items so I can run around and order bathroom sinks(lavatories)

Checked in liquor throughout the day. Short one case of wine.  Reordered for Friday. Back door is not closing properly.  Called a repair company but they can’t come until Tuesday.  Back upstairs to continue cooking, meanwhile mulling over broken door and problem we’re having with salad refrigerator leaking coolant.

Got a call from our Chicken purveyor.  Our case of chicken was stolen off their truck during another delivery and since my item is a special order, can’t send until tomorrow.  What ya gonna do?  86 Chicken.

Back to look at door again.  I think it’s the panic bar that’s not closing properly.  Went online to find company called Grainger which sells all kinds of stuff.  They have what I need and since they’re right downtown, placed an order and will pick up in the morning and will install it.  If that solves the problem, I will cancel service call scheduled on Tuesday. 

Received meat order and the veal top round was terrible.  Sent back and reordered from another company.  Had to coordinate with my my sous chef over the phone(his day off,) about orders coming in on Friday so I could make a minimum order to get the veal in.  He had ordered our puff pastry from a different company and though the description of the product is the same, the quality is crummy, to we had to shift that order as well. 

Problem with my salad guy.  He didn’t know how to make shortbread cookie dough.  I told him I would help him, but he had another employee do it for him.  I suggested that he pay the other person to make the cookie dough.  Needless to say, he stopped what he was doing and came over and finished the dough.

Called cooler repair man and suggested he had not looked at all the possibilities with the cooler he serviced on Tuesday.  He didn’t agree.  He’s been doing my coolers for years and is so excellent, I’ll have to give him this one.  Have to replace the cooler by the end of the year.

Scrubbed shelf under prep table.

Tried to fix mop sink.  Drain is loose.  Need to come in on Monday when we’re closed and  caulk with silicone and reset with shorter screws.  The long screw are keeping the rim from setting where it’s supposed to.

Booked a baby Shower for August.

Booked a Pharmecutical Company Dinner for August.

Confirmed order for Reservation Magnets that I give out to customers.

5:30  PM. Ready to open.  I worked expo during service. This is the person who puts the plates together for an order, making sure the meats are cooked properly and arranged properly, garnishes the food and trays up for the waiters.  Easy when slow,  very very hard when busy.

9:00 Placed fish and produce orders for Friday.  Thanked my kitchen staff and went home.