What do you like on your plate?
 

We are now establishing our menu items, and it will soon be time to start placing orders for our initial inventory. The sooner we can establish a balance in what we order against what you buy the easier it will be for us to reduce waste and maintain value pricing. Please take a second to share with us and all other restaurants who visit this forum and also face the challenges of small business buying power, by stating what you are most likely to order.

The common categories for consideration are beef, pork, chicken, lamb, veal, shellfish, seafood, vegetarian. Which are you most likely to order? Also; would you please share the name of your favorite dish to eat or thank the participant who already added the dish to this thread if you find it posted? Thank You.

Tapas
 

Hi Baygo....will you be strictly Tapas, or will you also be offering a full menu?
If full, then PRIME RIB is always a favorite when we dine out.

I tend to avoid red meat in most cases, so pork/chicken are primary meats, although a well-prepared lamb dish will get me every time.

A good seafood selection is also welcome, although IMO, salmon is overrated so I don't order salmon much when dining out.

Not Just Tapas
 

Yes, we will offer a few entrees in addition to Tapas.

Our favoritew Tapas restaurant is in Key West. It's Santiago Bodega's.

http://www.santiagosbodega.com/

We love most things on their menu. It's Tapas so we like an eclectic mix of dishes when we're there. Their menu is on their web site.

Entree suggestion
 

Many years ago there was a place called the Hickory Stick. They served a duck dish that was out of this world. Crispy skinned duck with a fruit sauce that was superb. I can't remember what specifically the type of fruit sauce it was. Perhaps someone will remember the place and the sauce? That is something I would like to see on the menu.

would have a white fish like haddock or cod

Hey, Lakepilot.....thanks for the tip. We'll be in KW some time in march and will definitely give Santiago's a try. Can't wait to try baygo's place, as well.

Being as I'm a vegetarian.... not having a vegetarian item on the menu would be a killer. ;-)

In general restaurants are MUCH better than 20 years ago, when many had nothing for a vegetarian "We have a side of mashed potatoes, will that be OK?" Unfortunately, most vegetarian options are pasta - which I love, but not EVERY time I go out.

Give me tastes from around the world. That's what I look for in restaurants.

LOVE Halibut and Swordfish, Scallops are a must. I love Pan seared sea scallops in balsamic as an app.

Last night I went out to eat with my wife and I had pan seared Spicy Jumbo Shrimp and Scallops. She had Red Snapper.

BBQ'ed Scollops & Broccoli with some butter and garlic. "Awesome"!

A porter house...if it's a good cut, proportionate, and cooked well, it's worth it regardless of price.

i'll also second a prime rib special

Have fun in KW. It's one of our favorite places. We managed to do Fantasy Fest this year. That's something. You won't regret this restaurant. Fantastic.

As previously mentioned......Prime Rib. Nothing beats it....and to accompany it....garlic mashed potatoes!

Not being a big seafood person, I do like shrimp scampi! For those who don't eat seafood at all, how bout chicken scampi.

Fantasy fest huh?
 

Wow, I do have to do that. Just got back from KW and missed the painted bodies and Santiago's. Next time.

White fish and shellfish are a must with good selection of red meat for this guy.

I think traditional Spanish tapas can include something of what everyone likes...but I believe it is important to have a clear explanation of what each tapa is made from. Don't want to eat no weird stuff.:):)

Sometimes I like to not know until after I eat it!

You wouldn't be saying that if you'd spent any time in China...;):coolsm::cool:

I actually had Horse once, back in the seventies or so when some meat market in Connecticut was selling it as an "alternative". It was being served in a restaurant in Newport, RI as "London Broil". I tried to eat it...I was much more open minded then than I am now. :D ...but it was Not palatable. I wasn't going to say anything....BUT, the waitress came by and asked how everything was. :look:

I answered: "I've never had anything like this before in my life. .....I've never had Horse". She was mortified and immediately offered to get me something else...whatever I wanted, and On The House.

The meat was perfectly done and looked like a good steak, but it just had a VERY strange taste that I couldn't get used to. NB

EDIT: There was never any mention of Horse on the menu

The food is still edible, just different. FWIW, I thought the cow stomach was too rubbery, and the chickens feet were too bony, but still palatable. Most of the other things I tried were decent, it just took some getting used to.

The toilets are a different story though... Not much of a fan of the squat-n-dump.

Mahi mahi is always a treat.

Well executed scallops are awesome, especially pan-seared with with filet mignon and served with asparagus (one of the best things my wife makes).

If you plan to sell scallops wrapped in bacon (not exactly a traditional Tapas menu item, I know) please be sure you coat them in real maple syrup before you broil them. Changes them from good to fantastic.

Hearty veggie dishes with plenty of spice are a favorite of mine. Dishes made with asparagus, beets, chick peas, or portabello mushrooms and such. Basically stuff that really fills you up with no guilt.

Any plans to offer hard boiled quail eggs? I like a nice bowl of those when I travel abroad.

Maybe some options from a Japanese Yakatori restaurant. They are a lot like Tapas bars (not just chicken on a stick).

Ummm Dave, I'm coming over to your house for mahi mahi and scallops wrapped in bacon! Makes me hungry!

NO tilapia, please....
 

I'm sure many of you have seen the Discovery Channel special about what they are fed before they go to market........ pretty disgusting...

They're Vegetarians
 

Tilapia are low on the food chain and adaptable—basically, easy to cultivate. And people have been doing so for years: a bas-relief on a 4,000-year-old Egyptian tomb shows tilapia held in ponds. Today nearly all tilapia farmed in the U.S. are raised in self-contained aquariums that purify and recycle water. These so-called recirculating aquaculture systems often employ “biofilters”—microorganisms that feed on nitrogen—to treat wastewater. Bacteria break down some fish waste into nitrogen (which the microorganisms absorb for fuel) and other organic compounds that can be used to grow plants and algae, which are fed back to the fish. Sediment is removed from the tanks mechanically, and 99 percent of the water is recycled. “It’s a highly efficient system,” says J. Emmett Duffy, Ph.D., professor of marine science at The College of William and Mary in Gloucester Point, Virginia.

Or in laymen's terms, their poop fertilizes their crop of algae.:laugh:

Cold Plate!
 

Baygo,

How about a little advice on the plate itself?... If your going to serve salads, please make sure they are served on a refrigerated COLD plate. There is nothing more disgusting than getting served a salad on a freshly dishwasher warm plate!! :(

Good luck!!

Dan

Eating well is such a pleasure eh? I'm hoping to catch a big mahi mahi in a couple of months fishing with my dad in Costa Rica. Can't wait.

Personally, I wouldn't serve any seafood that is not wild caught. While fish farms in the USA are ok.....most others do not have good sanitation. Take a look the next time you go to supermarket and you'll see most comes from southeast Asia and latin America.
Some of these fish farms are exposed to raw sewerage....shrimp, scallops, tilapia and catfish from these countries should be avoided IMO. When the water gets too filthy, they just dump in antibiotics to keep the parasites down. When they release the water from the pools, it pollutes the beaches for miles.
Google up "Filthy toxic shrimp farms" and see for yourself.
People sell them because the are CHEAP.....Chinese scallops sell for around $4 lb wholesale. We are paying $8.50 for wild caught sea scallops.
There is one exception......salmon are raised in nets in the open ocean and the water remains clean.
Sorry to gross you out

I agree with Samiam but easy to tell in markets as they tell the country of origin but not easy in a restaurant unless they post something which is rare

If I was...
 

... to go to a "Tapas" restaurant I would hope to find something like this.

http://www.windmill-tapas.com/index.htm

Something to drink other than tap water?
 

Now I'm curious what everyone likes to drink when they dine out. Eventually I'd like to stock 27 options for beer, wine, scotch, whiskey, vodka, tequila, gin, rum etc.. Please share your favorites with the forum. Thanks

Maker's Mark....
 

...on the rocks with a twist, please.

Scotch
 

Dalmore Single Malt 21 year old straight up please.

a good selection of reasonable priced red wines

My wife will generally stick to a decent Pinot Grigio. I'll tend to prefer a napa red.

This is presuming we're eating at a more upscale place, if we're out for casual fare, then maybe a couple of Coronas, or rum and coke's.

Nothing too fancy.

Basil Hayden's on the rocks or neat.:liplick:

Love Kettle One and 3 Olives vodka. Usually drink Stoli or Absolute.

Kettle dirty martini or a Sam Adams for me. Or a Guiness!

I took a shine to ice cold Beck's back in 1966. Goes good with any meal and or desserts too! :liplick: :)

Absolut vodka and an assortment of fine red cab wines such as...

Anything from "Stags Leap Wine Cellars"
Clos Du Bois
Franciscan
Simi
Etc, etc.

Good luck and thanks for asking!!

Dan

A small plate of good quality olives served with the menu to savor whilst making a selection would be a nice touch.

If your selection might be slightly more pan-Mediterranean in scope, a good spinach pie (spanakopita) would draw me in. Same thing with hummus, though that's going even further afield geographically.

I'm a sucker for a fresh-made salsa too. Especially if in-season locally-grown tomatoes are used.

Not sure how this ingredient might fit in, but dishes incorporating local game - with a Spanish twist - might be interesting. Maybe not as a regular menu item, but at least as a seasonal special if you can strike up a relationship with a local game butcher.

There was a local (Lakes Region) guy who tried this a few years ago. It actually grew into a small chain called "The Road Kill Cafe". Their pledge to the customers: "If You Can Identify It...It's Free."

I have personally seen one in Rangely, ME, and Newport, RI. :look: NB

scotch
 

16 yr old Lagavulin Single Malt or J.W. Black for a blend are always a great addition to any establishment.

If I remember right, Nadia's Trat used to be the Road Kill. Just a remark, not trying to turn the thread :)

We had one of those types of places in the Detroit suburbs. I forget the name, but the basic concept was it was a drive-thru/fast-food place that served all kinds of "roadkill" types of game meat.

local
 

Anthing with sundried tomatoes is very nice. What about featuring wines from local wineries. I believe there is one right there in Gilford, and probably others across New England.

Local Brews
 

NH has some awesome locally brewed beer. I'd put some of those on the menu!

My wife usually looks for a low cal beer like MGD 64 but rarely finds it at the many restaurants we frequent. As for me JW Red on the rocks rocks.

Not to derail this but I'd love a good Greek or Mediterranean restaurant to open up in the LR. We're fans of The Athens Restaurant in Manchester - I'd love something like that up here. There's a decent Greek population in Laconia (that's where Argie is from - he's first generation American - parents are Greek)... If I just had the money and the right spot... :D

small world
 

I'm ordering lamb kabobs from there for lunch today.:D

Hey SS...
 

What time should I be there for lunch? :liplick:

I stumbled upon this Greek place in Portmouth, but have not tried it yet. Menu looks good:

http://www.cafenostimo.com/

Gotta support the NH brews - Tuckerman's and Red Hook need to be on tap!

Ain't eaten there in a few years. Greek salad's great there. No lettuce as ought be the case. Lotsa Americans are surprised when they get a salad in Greece to find no lettuce.

IMHO, the spinach pie is a little bland. It's about the only chow I'm particular about. I love them red potatoes they have there.

To bring this back to topic -

Spanakopita and baklava both use filo dough. In Ottoman times, filo was of such importance that the royal house had 2 head chefs - one for everything else...and one whose sole task was making filo.

Since we're talking about the other side of the Mediterranean...

Until the 15th c. there was a strong moorish presence in the Iberian Peninsula. Putting items with filo on the menu might be a way to acknowledge the region's fascinating history!

(Okay, a stretch, but I forgot my lunch and could really go for a piece of spinach pie about now.)

On My Rocks....
 

I like a little Maker's, Maker's, Maker's and you be right on the Mark!:liplick:

Keep it in NH!
 

I really like the idea of using NH wine and brews! There were more than I realized.

Is anyone familiar with any of the following:

Wineries:

Stone Gate Vineyard - Gilford

I wonder if riverat has used his Forum Fest win of a private wine tasting & vineyard tour?

Piscassic Pond Winery - Newfields

Mead sounds interesting!

Flag Hill Winery & Distillery - Lee NH

They also make: General John Stark Vodka and Josiah Bartlett Barrel Aged Apple BrandyThey also make a Sugar Maple Liqueur, which I will just have to try!

Zorvino Vineyards - Sandown

Jewell Towne Vineyards - South Hampton

Candia Vineyards

LaBelle Winery - Amherst

Breweries: (I don't think they have their own establishment to serve them.)

Redhook Ale Brewery - Portsmouth

Tuckerman Brewing Company - Conway

Smuttynose Brewery - Portsmouth

Nutfield Brewing Company - Derry

Dont forget http://www.whitebirchbrewing.com/, he's just started last summer, out of hookset. If you want some high end, delicious beer, you have to try some of his!

Although I love red meat, I absolutely go crazy for a well-seared rack of lamb, lamb kabobs as well.

And since some mentioned it, when the heck did Dolphin become Mahi Mahi I want to know? Probably around the time restauranteurs tired of answering how it really wasn't Flipper :emb:

I loved grilled Dolphin none the less.


Great Caesar salads, shrimp/chicken/steak.

Add scallops, grilled shrimp, veal marsala and other dishes you'll be great.

If you really want a loyal patron, I travel 1500 miles now for Conch Fritters if you're interested, price no object :laugh:

I am anxious to know some delicious vegetarian dishes so would appreciate the names of any that one would like to order to get started.

salad..
 

A great salad selection would be great too. My personal favorite is a wedge salad, served cold on a chilled plate. Does anybody around the lake offer this?

Canoe
 

Canoe has a wedge salad with either Blue Cheese or Ranch (not 100% that ranch is option 2), is that what you mean?

wedge salad
 

I think it should come with blue cheese dressing...or something close, there are some variations...with some crumbled bacon bits and some actual blue cheese.....

That is it
 

That is what they do at Canoe- it is good too!

Sorry VtSteve
 

The mahi-mahi is a fish, not a dolphin.

I am sure that VTsteve meant the dolphin looking mahi mahi which defines the bull dolphin or others. You are correct that the true dolphin is a mammal, but not eaten.

Mahi Mahi
 

Great fish.....not at all related to the dolphin....(Google it) and a welcome sight on any part of a seafood menu.....so many ways to prepare it....a tasty but blank canvas. Occasionally one finds it on the menu listed as Dorado (from the Spanish).:liplick:

The Dolphin is a fish. I think I know full well why many restaurants just gave up and started to call it by the Hawaiian name Mahimahi.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...ed=0CFEQ1QIoBA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahi-mahi

http://www.safmc.net/FishIDandRegs/F...4/Default.aspx