The Kreb's tasting..

This afternoon I was fortunate enough to be invited to a little taste of what might become, the Kreb's menu.

They are in the beginning stages of forming menu's and I guess how these things work is, the Chef creates recipes, then before a restaurant opens they try them out. I've never known how this all works, so for me, it's really interesting to see it from the beginning stages. After starting a business, I'm really curious how other industries do things and how they work.

We were told that several tastings would ensue (over the next 7 months, I believe) and in the end when the final recipes are chosen, they will have everyone who tested the recipes over the next several months, come back to see how it evolved. I wonder what recipes from tonight will be in that last showcase. I know the roasted duck leg confit was one of my favorites and then the char- crusted prime ribeye with the sour cherry steak sauce..and the cheddar ice cream over the apple tart was really tasty too. We were told to be honest, which of course I was. I always appreciate constructive criticism, because it can only help a business grow.

During the beginning of the tasting, we were given privy to a little presentation of the design for the inside of the Kreb's, Andy Ramsgard will be the master-mind behind bringing Adam and Kim's vision for the restaurant. While you can click on any of these words that are highlighted, if you don't have time to do it, I really want to share one important thing: The Weitsman's are doing all of this with such incredible intentions, all net profits will be shared among Onondaga County food banks and other charities. Even if the business isn’t profitable, they will donate a minimum of $100,000 dollars a year to feed the hungry and help children. With the risk of revealing my true corniness, I will admit that I felt very honored to have been able to sit in on a tasting. Thank you again Adam and Kim! For those who may feel intimidated by the scrap yard guy, I can say that he is a giant teddy bear with muscles and "smiling" eyes. I wanted to share a blog post about Adam, that I found while searching for a link to attach to his name for reference. I couldn't have said it better myself!

Here are some of the items we sampled and critiqued today:

• Spinach and curly endive with Champagne Vinaigrette, Hickory smoked ham, apple and roquefort.
• Maine Lobster bisque with scallion creme fraiche.
• Roasted duck leg confit with sauteed broccolini and calamryna fig.
• Clear spring trout with spinach, sweet onion cous cous and sesame hollandaise sauce.
• Char crusted prime beef ribeye with whole wheat popover, sour cherry steak sauce, snap peas and butternut squash puree.
• Seared sea scallops with oyster and hedge hog (he he) mushrooms, carnaroli risotto and swiss chard.
• Ida red apple tartlett served warm with farm cheddar ice cream and cider reduction.
• New York cheesecake with hazelnut crust, banana brulee and bourban caramel sauce.