Cervena Venison
N. Y., for 25 years. Following a merger with
Lessing’s Inc., Great River, N. Y., in February
2009, he opened Restaurant Mirabelle, as
well as Mirabelle Tavern.
baked-in-house brioche topped with sea
salt. And each receives a unique finishing
touch: homemade ketchup, homemade
jalapeño mayo or a small slice of bacon
and American cheese.
Left: Catalan Food & Wine menus Cervena
Venison Thai street food that takes on a
whimsical Southern flavor.
Right: At Abacus, these lobster/scallion
‘shooters’ from Kent Rathbun are a big hit
with diners.
“I realized a lot of people wanted casual
versus dress up and long meals,” says
Reuge, who hails from France’s Loire
Valley region. “They wanted something
‘cool,’ and not have to choose from a long,
burdensome menu. Here, I wanted the
customer to have fun.”
Business has been brisk thus far, but
Reuge remains vigilant. Although he
doesn’t hesitate to spend money on good
ingredients, nothing is wasted, he says.
The fat in the lamb is the secret. You aim
to not dry it out—just put it on the grill and
don’t overcook it.” The lamb sliders are
priced at $9.95.
The National Culinary Review | October 2009
26
Open for both lunch and dinner, seven
days a week, numerous small plates are
featured on the regular menu. Basket
of Zucchini Fritters ($7)—the zucchini is
dipped in tempura batter then fried—has
proven to be one of the most popular
selections. “It’s served with fried panisse,
a paste made of chickpea flour. When
cooled down and solidified, we cut it into
french-fry shapes and deep-fry it,” Reuge
explains. “It’s plated with mayo that’s
flavored with harissa—a hot pepper paste
that includes Moroccan spices.”
Small is “hot”
Roger Freedman, chef/owner of three
restaurants in Jackson Hole, Wyo.—Il
Villaggio Osteria, Q Roadhouse and
Rendezvous Bistro—menus lots of small
plates, but they’re simply listed under
appetizers. However, he notes that “small
plates are a hot thing right now. Everybody’s
trying to get value out of this economy. Plus,
people are starting to eat that way. They’re
interested in getting a bunch of appetizers
as their entrée—to whet their palate with a
variety of flavors while spending a bit less.”
At Freedman’s Rendezvous Bistro, fish
tacos—two-to-the-plate—is the leading
small-plate seller. Each tortilla is filled with
a 2-ounce piece of fresh halibut dusted
in panko and fried, plus chipotle cream,
Napa cabbage slaw, fresh guacamole and
salsa, for $9.
On balance, Freedman contends that small
plates aren’t adversely affecting his bottom
line. “All are good food cost items. Even with
the lamb, we can still run about a 29% food
cost, so that’s cost-effective.”
Sliders, now pretty much an expected—
and warmly anticipated—small-plate menu
item, designed to share, are prepared at
Mirabelle Tavern from Kobe beef. It’s a
“trilogy plate—where good things come
in threes,” with each portion placed on a
Lamb sliders, three served with a bit of
Moroccan flair (and some homemade chips),
are “an amazing seller” at Q Roadhouse,
says Freedman. “We got this great lamb with
a good amount of fat in it, and I combined
it with other recipes I was doing. So there’s
lemon aïoli on one side of the locally baked
bun and almond pesto on the other side.
Big plus
Keeping “fun” top of mind, even Cervena
Venison Thai Street Food ($13), menued at
125-seat Catalan Food & Wine in Houston,
can take on a whimsical Southern flavor,
thanks to the efforts of executive sous chef
Antoine Ware, who hails from New Orleans,
and executive chef/partner Chris Shepherd,
