Choice of Fruit or Roasted Potatoes

Ham & Eggs* Asparagus, Hollandaise*, Toast
House Pancakes
Biscuits & Boar Sausage Gravy
Eggs Benedict* Choice of Crab Cake, Ham, ot Spinach, English Muffin, Hollandaise*
Bacon & Eggs* Asparagus, Toast
French Toast Raspberry Sauce
Bordinos Hash Potatoes, Shiitakes, Sundried Tomatoes, Zucchini, Chevre, Toast

SALADS

Add to any salad: Grilled Chicken,  Grilled Shrimp

With any salad or sandwich: Cream of  Tomato Soup / Featured Soup

Mixed Greens Balsamic Vinaigrette, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Chèvre Crouton
Caesar Romaine, Traditional Caesar Dressing*, Grana Padano, Croutons
Pear Mixed Greens, Sherry Vinaigrette, Bacon, Walnuts, Moody Blue

BURGERS & SANDWICHES

Served with Greens & Tomato, Choice of Fries or  Potatoes

Moody Blue Burger* Caramelized Onions
Chicken Sandwich Bacon, Garlic-Chile Aioli*
Bacon Smoked-Gouda Burger* Avocado, Gouda, Sundried Tomato Aioli*
Turkey Croissant Avocado, Gouda, Romesco
Grilled Ham & Smoked Gouda Caramelized Onions, Honey Mustard, Texas Toast

SIDES

Biscuits
Eggs*
Potatoes
Toast
Bacon
Ham
Fruit
Asparagus

*These items contain or may contain raw or undercooked ingredients. Consuming undercooked meats, poultry, seafood,
shellfish, or eggs may increase your RISK of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.

But anyway, to the topic at hand, cured pig parts.  Also, with the new menu, we changed how we present our salumi platter.  Originally, it was selection of five of our house cured and prepared meats.  Generally, it was a slow seller as it was the most expensive appetizer and meant to be shared by a group of people.  Those who did order it really enjoyed it, but it takes a small group of dedicated individuals to tackle the mound of meat.  It isn’t an individual’s portion.  Especially, when less common parts like duck livers, lamb necks, pig heads, and beef tongues start getting involved.  Considering these two things, for most people it was far less daunting to get a caesar salad.  Fair enough.  Even I don’t stretch my limits every time I eat out.

Since we aren’t going to stop curing meats (especially the fun parts like heads and tongues and livers), we had to make it more approachable.  Ashley, one of our senior servers, planted the seed of change a while ago.  She brought up the idea of splitting it up into two prices and letting our guests choose.  It took me awhile to warm to the idea and figure out how to work it out.  I envisioned only selling slices of lomo and coppa while watching all the coppa de testa and corned beef tongue lingering for a while and then being eaten by the kitchen crew.  In the end, with this new menu we did just as she suggested for both the salumi/charcuterie plate and cheese boards (Salumi: $18 for 5 and $12 for 3, Cheese: $12 for 4 and $7 for 2) .  Gotta say, I’ve been impressed by the number of slices of prepared pig head and duck liver pate that are being sold.  Pheww….Change the approach and people are far more willing to take a chance on something.  Sometimes it pays to listen to the service staff….sometimes…..blasphemous words in a kitchen, I know.  But, hey, they do all  the client interaction and can see first hand our guests reactions and apprehensions.

Now that I’ve spent two paragraphs writing about how we are now selling our salumi and charcuterie plate differently, some of you might be wondering what I am actually talking about.  Salumi and charcuterie are two variations of the same theme; the preservation and preparation of meat (mostly pork) born in the age before refrigeration.  They developed over centuries in Italy and France (and other parts of Europe) to utilize all the parts of the animal before spoilage.  The French tended to gear their method towards the utilization of the offal in various sausages, terrines, pates, and other cooked preparations.  The much loved confit is one of most well recognized examples of this.  The Italians, after dispatching the pig in late fall, tended to salt and preserve whole muscles in their barns.  Far and away the best known example from Italy is prosciutto.  As time progressed, Americans developed their own traditions, bacon and country hams being the most famous.  Truth be told, the beef “jerky” preserved by Native Americans, long before the appearance of Europeans, is the original American “salumi”.  Appearantly it was a slippery slope from there to the plastic wrapped stuff sold in every gas station and convenience store in America.  How sad…..

Anyway, the salumi platter has been an incredible outlet for us to showcase our curing program that was begun last year.  It was a simultaneous goal of ours with the whole animal processing.  We experimented with many items and have thus far been very successful, but we are constantly striving to refine our products.  From the animals we recieve we have made: lomo, lonzino, bacon, tesa, pancetta (flat and rolled), coppa, guanciale, lardo, lamb bacon and lamb prosciutto.  Our biggest gamble thus far have been the two prosciutti and the country ham currently hanging.  Only time will tell on those.  Patience isn’t one of my strong suits so this is a little agonizing.  While several attempts have been fantastically successful (lardo, guanciale, and bacon), others have been comically unsuccessful.  Thus far, good lamb prosciutto has completely eluded me, disasterously salty or developing a unique white green fuzz.  Ooops.  We’ll keep trying.  I was never a much for baking because I don’t like not being able to taste and adjust throughout the process.  Waiting ’til the very end to determine success or if you have to bin something and start over isn’t for me, and baking is only a few hour process.  Waiting weeks, sometimes months (or over a year for the prosciutti) is outright cruel in my book, but yet I do it anyway.  The results are well worth the pain.  I was reminded of this over the weekend during inventory as I counted our various cured meat products.  A few we use just for specials like pancetta (we now how have 2 kinds), others like guanciale (affectionately refered to by the staff as “face bacon”) and tesa (red wine and spice cured belly) have made their way onto the menu.

Later this winter, I’m sure our offerings will expand after I take another curing class at Iowa State University’s Meat Science Lab in Ames, IA this January.  There really can’t be a more exciting place in the dead of winter than central Iowa.  Can there???

The cool thing about a flight is that it has only one rule, and that is to have more than one wine.  One of my favorite flight variations is to taste multiple vintages of the same wine. It’s truly amazing how different vintages of a wine made from the same vineyard and grapes vary.  If you really want to geek out you can even investigate the difference in the weather, or the length of harvest, the blend, or even the chance of a different winemaker.

I also enjoy comparing wines of the same grape grown in different parts of the globe, or different areas in the same region, state, or country.  With some wines the differences are subtle, while others are slap you in the face different.
Other flight ideas: crisp whites, warm winter reds, dry style roses, bubbles bubbles bubbles, white blends, red blends, same producer different wines, dinner or small plates paired with a flight.  I also recommend the “because I do what I want flight” because like I said before the only rule is to have more than one!

Wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed, I’ll see ya at the bar!

Cream of Tomato Soup  5

Beef & Bean Chili – Smoked Gouda, Onions, Sour Cream  5

Caesar Salad – Romaine, Caesar Dressing, Grana Padano, Croutons  6.5

Fried Mushrooms – Herb Sour Cream  7.5

Calamari – Spicy Tomato Sauce, Orange-Saffron Mayo  8.5

Crab Cake – Romesco Sauce  8.5

Beef Tenderloin Meatballs – Port Wine Tomato Sauce, Parmesan Crisps  7.5

Entrées

Beef Tenderloin Rigatoni – Haricots Verts,

Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Port Wine Cream Sauce  18.5

Wild Boar Sausage Linguini – Fennel, Tomatoes,

Arugula, Spicy Tomato Sauce  18

Chicken Fettuccine – Roasted Bell Pepper, Spinach, Shiitakes,

White Wine Cream Sauce  16.5

Tortellini – Spinach, Mozzarella, Spicy Tomato Sauce  16.5

Chicken – Tesa Black Eyed Peas, Summer Squash,

Truffle Marsala Cream Sauce  27

Beef Tenderloin – Beef Fat Fingerlings,

Zucchini, Gorgonzola Butter  35

Bikes & Blues Specials

Entrées

 Each comes with choice of two sides

Burger –  8 oz House made Burger, Bacon, Cheddar 12

Pulled Pork Sandwich – Rubbed & Roasted Pork Shoulder, Grilled Onions  10

Blackened Chicken Salad Sandwich –   Spiced Chicken Salad, Mixed Greens  9

Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich – Grilled Peppers and Onions, Cheddar,

Horseradish Mayo   9

Catfish Po’ Boy – Crispy Catfish, Remoulade, Hoagie Bun  9

Blackened Striploin – 10 oz. Beef Striploin, Pesto Butter  28

Sides

All Home-made and Served Fresh

Baked Beans

Cole Slaw

Potato Salad

Chips

Corn on the Cob

Roasted Potatoes

Dessert

(Ask about our full dessert menu)

Warm Fudge Brownie Sundae – Woodford Gelato, Chocolate Sauce,

Whipped Cream 7

Traditionally there are six categories of American Whiskey:

Bourbon: Must be made in the U.S. from at least 51% corn, stored a minimum of two years in new charred oak barrels, and can’t be distilled beyond 80% alcohol (160 proof).

Tennessee: Must be made in the state of Tennessee, stored a minimum of two years in new charred oak barrels, and filtered through sugar maple charcoal.

Rye: Must be made from at least 51% rye and can’t be distilled beyond 80% alcohol.

Wheat: Must be made from at least 51% wheat.

Corn: Must be made from at least 80% corn, aged in un-charred or used bourbon barrels but doesn’t have an age requirement.

Blended: Contains only 20% rye or bourbon whiskey with the remaining a neutral mass produced spirit.

American Whiskey is going through a revival and there are some really cool artisanal distilleries creating craft spirits, and following their own set of rules.  With close to 300 of these distilleries in the U.S. I have five that are available to us in Arkansas.

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is made from Barley, 80% of which comes from Colorado with the rest coming from the Rocky Mountain region.  Aged for a minimum of two years in charred American oak you will find honey on the nose and spice and vanilla from the oak on the palate.

Breckenridge Bourbon made in Breckenridge Colorado is 51% Colorado corn and is light bodied with aromas of brown sugar, with sweet oak and vanilla on the finish.  This bourbon is great alone, but mixes well for a really great cocktail.

St. George American Style Single Malt is made in California from barley.  The barley for this whiskey is partially roasted and partially smoked.  It is complex with sweet bourbon notes and nutty scotch like flavor.

McCarthy’s Oregon Style Single Malt is made in the Islay tradition from malted barely brought in from Scotland. It is aged in old sherry casks and has a salty smoky flavor.

Corsair Triple Smoke American Style Single Malt is made by the Corsair Artisan Distillery, which has places in both Tennessee and Kentucky.  Corsair is the newest of the craft distilleries available in Arkansas.  Its malted barley is smoked three different ways: peat, cherry, and beechwood.  It starts sweet with notes of vanilla and spice from the barrel and has a smoky finish.

The above mentioned craft American Style Whiskeys are different from the bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys we are familiar with, while still sharing a resemblance both with American Whiskeys and those from Ireland and Scotland.  They are hand crafted and well loved by those who make and drink them.  Come see what all of the “buzz” is about, we’ll see ya at the bar!

This is that perfect time of year when you can get the best of both worlds productwise.  Tomatoes are still swinging (when not on hiatus from hideous summer heat and drought), beans are dangling from the stalk, and pumpkins and butternut squash start popping up at the market.  It is a cooks paradise.  The only other time that rivals it is the on set of spring when cellared veggies giveway for those fresh from the vine, stem or stalk.  These are the times when produce seems to be at its most bountiful.  It makes me happy.  I thrive on change and progress and these next few months are loaded with both. Soon our menu will be shifting from the mainstays of summer to the bounty of fall and winter: hard shell squashes, root vegetables, apples, and so on.  This is the time when you have to work a little harder and use a little more technique to coax the beauty out of the product.  You can’t exactly slice, season, and serve butternut squash like you would a tomato.  Trust me. I’ve tried to eat them that way, not advised.  We get to braise things – one of my favorite ways to prepare meats – short ribs, lamb shanks, veal breast and pork belly.  Turning lesser known, and even less enjoyed, cuts into rich, gelatinous goodness.  Of course, we can braise meat all year round but who in there right mind wants a a piping hot, rich slab of pork belly or veal breast when it is 103 outside??? 

My liquid palate also changes with the temperature.  Gone is the craving for ice cold beer for refreshment and in comes the desire to sip on a big red wine by the fireplace.  In between, those two extremes I do waver back to beer occasionally, but generally a crisp white does the trick.  When it comes to wine, I am an unabashed francophile.  I would pretty much rather drink our pot sink water than an oaky California Chardonnay.  Okay, a little far fetched but not by much. Comes with having lived in France, and visited several times.  Actually, if you swap out the chicken houses for vines, Northwest Arkansas reminds me of Burgundy, believe it or not. This is start of the time when I give much more of my check right back to Joe for having pillaged Vonny’s wine cellar and the excellent selections she has stocked.  Ah well, it’s worth it.

And last but farthest from least, Fall means football!!  I have always loved the sport, despite my gross inability to ever play the sport well.  Our high school had a national record for state skiing championships, but a winning football season was an anamoly.  Proudly, I helped (debateable) both.  Outside of my two years of college at CU in Boulder, I never had much more than a passing interest in college football.  Oh how times have changed, as my life from Labor Day to New Years is dominated by the SEC.  The string of home games dictates when we do pretty much everything during these months, both at work and at home, and is what we prepare for all year round.  Graduation and Valentines Day are like preseason scrimmages and spring ball for the staff.  We are always anxious to get to the real thing.  The veterans know what it takes to get through and the rookies never know what it is like until they have been through a game Friday.  Those early home games double the fun too.  I know because three years ago I was one of those rookies.  Suppose it could be worse…I could live in a town where the home team was part of one of those about to be defunct conferences like the Big 12 (and dropping).  Or the home team was Ole’ Miss.  That’d be the worst….

Americana (champagne flute)
1/2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon
Simple syrup (to taste)
Dash orange bitters
Stir in ice filled shaker and strain into flute, top with Secco Italian Bubbles, garnish with a fresh peach slice.

St. Kir (champagne flute)
1/2 oz Hangar One Buddha’s Hand Citrus Vodka
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Stir in ice filled shaker and strain into flute, top with Secco Italian Bubbles, garnish with a twist of lemon.

Rock Town Twist (martini stem)
1 1/2 oz Brandon’s Gin
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters
Shake and strain into chilled martini stem, garnish with a twist of orange.

St. Augustine (martini stem)
1 1/2 oz Cruzan light rum
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz Simply Grapefruit Juice
Shake and strain into a chilled martini stem, garnish with a lime.

Caza Tini (martini stem)
1 1/2 oz Cazadores Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Cointreau
Simple syrup (to taste)
1/2 oz each fresh lemon and lime juice
Shake and strain into a chilled, salt-rimmed martini stem.

Southern Ginger (tall rocks glass)
2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz ginger simple syrup
Shake in a ice filled shaker and strain into an ice filled glass, top with ginger ale.

While some might consider this a curse, it is kind of a blessing in disguise, at least from a creative stand point.  Following an unintended research line can lead to some great inspiration and brainstorming.  Take for instance this morning.  I fired up the computer to pay bills, a rather mundane yet highly necessary task we all have to face.  However, when I went to get online it asked if I wanted to restore my previous session, which had been interrupted by the fact that it was 2:30 AM and I now have to be up at 6:40 to get my daughter to school on time.  No, this does not add up in my favor, but such is life.  And before you ask, yes S.O.S. is apparently a very hereditary trait.  My daughter takes forever to get ready for school.  I am screwed.  Anyway, I digress.  

Previously, I had been on the website of an avant garde Italian restaurant called Combal.Zero.  Insert huge, glistening shiny object into my productive morning.  An hour and half later, instead of paying the damn SWEPCO bill (or writing my overdue blog post), there are notes scribbled on it about smoke and sweet potatoes and orange.  Those were scrawled while watching videos of Jordi Roca, the pastry chef brother of El Celler de Can Roca in Spain.  This was after watching and going through menus slide shows, and videos on Combal.Zero, Akelarre, Arzak, and Martin Berasategui.  Apparently, my flight of fancy had a decidely Spanish bend this morning.  I love cooking and everything there is to know about it.  I am extremely passionate about it.  I can sit rapt fascination for hours watching these guys work, like a kid studying his favorite quarterback. Their creativity.  Their focus.  Their precision of execution.  Their emotional attachment to what they do.  For me also, it is fun to remember what it was like to have 20 plus cooks working in the kitchen to serve 85 (or less) guests while working in France (that explains the 75 Euro chicken…..).  This level of interest also applies to not only the European super chefs, but also the incredible talents in the U.S. like Grant Achatz, Thomas Keller, and many more. 

Surfing restaurant websites isn’t the only place my best intentions get divereted.  Magazine articles, books, you name it.  I remember spending a late night watching every video on the Protein U. website.  Incredible learning opportunity!  (Okay, shameless plug – Michael Hudman and Andrew Ticer of AM Italian Kitchen in Memphis have a great pig butchering video there.  Good guys doing great food in Memphis btw.)

What does this result in?  Yet more unbridled curiosity in the culinary world around me, creating, yes, a never ending cycle.  It is why I love what I do most.  Does it all have pertinence to me running the kitchen at Bordinos?  Not in the strictest sense, but it does inspire me to investigate new ideas like finding a use for the pounds of tomato guts we are producing currently.    Tomato consomme, tomato powder, tomato gelee (oops to much agar agar, it bounces), tomato bubbles (inspired by a Grant Achatz menu item of several years ago).  Truthfully that is what I was doing during lulls in service last night.  Will we use any of it?  Probably not.  But it stimulates future investigation and growth.  Once I understand Agar better, vegan friendly terrines.  Tomato bubbles?  Just curious.  I can drink the tomato consomme straight from a glass, it is that good.  A splash a vodka wouldn’t hurt it, though.

Beyond the specifics, these “diversions” always prove fruitful for one reason or another.  It may be reminder of a forgotten product, or an unknown item or technique.  I never fail to be inspired by what I learn, even if it is nothing specific.  Do young athletes learn specific moves from watching Walter Payton or Wayne Gretzky (dating myself, no?)?  Probably not, but are they inspired to try achieve that same level of excellence it what they do?  Absolutely.  I am no kid these days, but unlike in sports I get to do this the rest of my life.  Each little shiny object makes me want to be better than the day before and expand my skill set and try harder everyday. 

For all that, I am perfectly okay with my case of S.O.S.  Turns out I found a career that can actually be helped by this strange affliction.  However, I am also cursed with Walkinitis (a strange affliction caused by the change in air pressure upon entering a walk-in refrigerator that makes you forget the very reason you entered said walk-in in the first place.  It runs rampant in the restaurant industry and there is no cure.  No, it has nothing to do with dead brain cells from many years working too close to the wine cellar.)  The fact that I get too spend everyday learning and growing at what I do, and having all those shiny objects be the source of such fascination, makes me feel pretty lucky.

Btw, honey, yes I’ll pay that scribbled on power bill tonight when I get home.  Thank God for online banking……so long as I don’t start over with the Roca Brothers….

Before someone starts screaming at their computer while they read this, I do understand that many people throughout the world have legitimate, and often severe, reactions to different foods.  After working in kitchens for 20 years (slight pause for “Good God, has it been that long ?” moment), I am a little skeptical of what people claim as allergies.  I have heard a lot of them and some are blatantly BS.  If someone has something they really don’t like or is against their latest diet trend, just be honest about it!  Okay, still not helping my cause here against the tirade of many.

Having said all this, I have learned a lot with my wife in the last month.  After watching her hobble around with stomach pains the other day after having a slice of meatloaf, my perspective is changing.  My Mom puts breadcrumbs in her meatloaf and all of us forgot.  Damn you, bread crumbs!!  Given the small amount ingested, the reaction was surprising.  Things like this are really helping me erase my doubts about the various allergies out there.

We have also been learning a lot about what goes into various food stuffs.  We were surprised to see just how much wheat had insinuated itself in our daily diets. Obviously bread, cakes, and regular pastas were out.  Soy sauce?  Uh oh.  Beer?  Damn!  How cruel!  Okay obvious, but still mean. Certain chocolates?  WTF?  Why is there wheat in my chocolate?  Casein, a major protein source in dairy, is another issue.  Amazing where that is turning up too. Soy cheeses?  Cosmetics?  My beloved sausage?  Commercial, yes.  Mine, no.  The list of what Lee can’t/shouldn’t consume is growing by the day.

On the flip side, so is the list of tasty items that I used to scoff at.  Tofu based “Sour Cream”?  Actually pretty good and blends with salsa without getting all runny and soupy.  Rye crackers?  Always liked those.  Rice American cheese?  One fake product tastes the same as the other.  Who knew?  Okay all of you with dietary restrictions already knew.  I am learning.  Old dog, new tricks and what not.  Yes, we have had a gluten free menu at Bordinos since well before I started, and we will continue for as long as I am here.  I will admit to harboring a little skepticism here, as gluten seems to be the answer to everyone’s digestive ills these days.  But after seeing the different issues it causes, I am far less skeptical than I was before.  Food allergies are much more a part of my life, so I guess I am just going to have to accept that not everyone is using the word allergy because they don’t like beets or onions or Dr. Atkins said no carbs. 

Besides casein and wheat did I mention the Blackberry?  She was also allergic to that, too. I think for now we will work with 2 out of 3.  Baby steps….

Fruit “flavored” beers are popping up everywhere and it seems most taste artificial, the two that really surprised me are the Shiner Ruby Redbird and the Budlight Lime. The Ruby Redbird is Shiner’s summer beer and is brewed with Texas Ruby Red grapefruit juice and ginger. It is light, crisp, not sweet and oh so refreshing. I think it also comes in a can so it is perfect for poolside imbibing. Now, when it comes to cheap domestic beer I’m typically a Miller girl… Honestly I would have never even considered Budlight lime, but I helped a neighbor move some furniture to her basement and she offered me one after. I’m not one to turn down a cold beer on a Sunday afternoon, so I graciously accepted and it did not disappoint!

Personally I enjoy a rosé any time of the year, but particularly during the summer.  Let’s have a quick lesson… Rosé is NOT THE SAME as white zinfandel, end of lesson… My most recent rosé obsession, the Tariquet, is made of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet franc. It comes from the Gascony region of Southwest France and is a beautiful pomegranate color with hints of strawberry and hay. A fabulous wine to be served chilled, with or without food.

Finally, I would like to share my new overall fave, the rye whiskey sour. Bulleit has recently released it’s new rye whiskey and it  is perfect in this fresh whiskey sour. First make your simple syrup, over high heat dissolve one cup sugar in two cups of water. Meanwhile slice one lemon and pull a handful of mint and basil from the garden, when sugar is dissolved add these three ingredients to the pan. Let boil for a few minutes then remove from heat, cover and let sit for like an hour. When ready, strain simple syrup from the lemon, basil and mint then transfer to a squeeze bottle or any container handy. Fill a shaker half full of ice and add two ounces Bulleit Rye, juice of half a lemon and one half ounce (or to taste) of the simple syrup. Shake and strain coktail into a glass filled with fresh ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with a mint leaf. Aw yeah!

Cheers to all, enjoy these summer faves and let me know what you think! I’ll see ya at the bar!