It all began back in the early 1990′s while working for Pano as chef at the old Fish Market in Lenox Square and waiting for the Atlanta Fish Market to open. The area where the Atlanta Fish Market was to be built was not ready for building yet and Pano asked me to apply for a job as a  line cook with Vini Vidi Vici’s. He did not own the restaurant at that time but was owned  by Marcella and Giuliano Hazan. Before being hired on at Vini Vidi Vici’s my wife and I had a chance to dine there. I remember as they seated us the assistant waiter bought to the table...

Slow Braised Short Ribs, Garlic Broccolini and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes Ingredients ¼ cup olive oil Kosher Salt Black Pepper 4 each 12 oz beef short ribs 1 cup diced carrots 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced onions 2 cloves garlic sliced 1 each 12 can whole tomatoes, peeled ¾ cup Red Wine 6 cups good veal or beef stock 1 Tablespoon chopped rosemary 1 Tablespoon chopped Thyme Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the hot sauté pan and brown on both sides. Remove from pan. Add the garlic, carrots, onion and celery to the pan and brown for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and...

For the last couple of weeks I have been taking a close look at each and every recipe on our dessert menu including our honey walnut bread which is probably our signature bread.  You see, after the (abrupt) departure of our pastry chef I made an executive decision and took on the day to day responsibilities of the pastry chef myself. Playing in flour, eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla is one of my life time passions. I started my career as a pastry /sous chef for Pano’s and Paul’s many years ago and because of my success Pano put me on a plane to The Culinary Institute...

Had a chance to take the camera out while held up with the storm. Hope everyone is...

I want to apologize for not writing any posts for the past month or so. Because of the holiday season I have to buckle down and place my entire focus on the restaurant. Planning for the increase in business starts late summer and early fall. Thats the time I  really take a look at my staff and see what positions they will fill and what staff I will need to hire. Along with staffing there comes menu planning, developing  menus for special functions, increasing pars, and new ideas for our guests. This gives me no time to do what I enjoy as much as cooking, food photography. While...

Mckendrick’s steak house loves celebrating the return of fresh Florida stone crab claws. As this years season arrives with good news that the Deep-water Horizon oil spill will not effect the catch. Stone crab claws are truly one of my favorite seafood dishes. I love shrimp, lobster, blue crabs and king crab but there is something about stone crabs.  Maybe it is because these tasty crustaceans are only available from October to May, making you wait all summer long for them. What is unique about stone crab claws is the way the are harvested. The fisherman set out traps, haul them...

* * Craig Claiborne once said “Cooking is like child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love”. * When the fall weather arrives our source of inspiration changes. There is a change from the light dishes of summer to the more elegant home cooked meals. Hearty dishes of slow braised fatty cuts of beef, root vegetables and simple ingredients fuel my energy to make some traditional dishes. The one dish that I prepare as soon as the cool weather sets in is slow braised short ribs. I love the methods of cooking that are needed to follow in...

Making the pasta dough. 1. On a hard surface place 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour. 2. Make a well in the center and add 3 whole eggs. No need to add salt because you will salt the cooking water. 3. Mix slowly with a fork, using your  other hand to keep the pile together. 4. Add 3 teaspoons of whole milk. Mix together with the fork. 5. Start mixing with your hands until a nice ball forms. 6.  Sprinkle surface lightly with flour and need for 5-8 minutes. Rolling the dough. 1. Divide the dough in half. Slowly roll the dough very thin. This will take time. Remember to always roll the...

My first memory of enjoying a shrimp cocktail was when I was at the beginning of my career in the restaurant industry. My first position was working the dish station at Brunner’s Landmark located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Brunner’s Landmark was a large farm house over looking the gleaming waters of the Spruce Run Reservoir. The large farm house had a beautiful side porch,  two dinning rooms, a bar and a couple of rooms upstairs where owners Tony Brunner, his wife Judy and family lived. My mother new I loved cooking  and decided that when I was 16 she would take me there and...

I honestly loved taking the pictures and writing this post. Writing a post is much easier when you can prepare something that you love so much and you enjoy being able to take pictures and write about it. I love caramel, butter, cream and bacon. Since working  with bacon from Eden Farms my relationship with bacon has changed. I use way too much bacon. This bacon is thick cut, smoked and as tender as they come. When I was reading  a recipe for salted caramel gelato I wanted to drop everything I was doing and immediately prepare the recipe. Then it came to me: smoked bacon and salted caramel,...

** Nothing beats your local farmers market for the freshest ingredients! ** Well it’s off to the Sandy Springs Farmers Market. I promised my wife  I would cook something different for dinner this weekend  and yes, I always do the cooking. She didn’t want to go out for dinner so I thought the next best thing was for me to pick up some great food from the market. Thanks to Jeffrey Langfelder and his partner for bringing us the Sandy Springs Farmers Market and thanks to all the great vendors that come out each Saturday. It is really amazing how these two have managed to bring the...