Saturday, July 12, 2008

Salty's Knives (Click on photo for close ups)


Bob Kramer Meji 240 Damascus


The workers all dressed in black


Three Michael Raders


Kanemasa Mukimono


Shigefusa 240 Kitaeji Gyuto and Mizuno Tanrenjo 240 Suminigashi


Michael Rader Small Santoku


Shigefusa 240 Kitaeji Yanagi


Shigefusa 270 Yanagi


Speaks for itself. Arguably three of the best gyutos in the world.


Masamoto 240 Gyuto White Steel Mizu Honyaki


Shigefusa Nakiri


Nenohi Kiritsuke. This is one sexy knife. Unsusual characteristics. It will take some practice to master it.


Misono 360mm stainless bread knife. If you want to spoil yourself get a good quality Japanes bread knife. Incredibly sharp. This thing tears up cutting boards.


Old faithfull. Hattori KD 180mm santoku. I've owned and used this knife for seven years. (As you can tell) It's in need of refurbishment.


Watanabe 270mm Damascus sujihiki. This knife is unreal. The steel feels unworldly, as if from another planet. Used primarily for sashimi. Double beveled.


Seki Cut Deba. Used like a small clever. Also great for breaking down whole fish.


Masamoto 360mm hon-kasumi yanagi in white steel. My go to sashimi knife. Some people dis Masamoto, I think this is a superb knife.


The Queen Mother of all knives. Mizuno Tanrenjo 390mm special blue steel honyaki yanagi. Select ebony handle with hand tooled silver. Ebony saya (sheath). Traditionally used for sashimi I also use it for slicing boneless whole roasts.


Yawakawa (or something like that) santoku. I bought this inexpensive knife on ebay to try out the Japanese handle. (Which I liked) Surprisingly sharp handy knife.


Togiharu 180mm santoku. A good all around knife. Nice edge and retention. Used often for everyday prep.


Takeda 240mm cabon (white) steel. The blade on this thing is huge. A cool rustic look. Great long lasting edge. Especially for white steel.


Carter Funayaki 203mm in white steel. This is one sexy knife. Used alot. Much like a santoku, great for slicing and dicing just about anything. Very thin blade so you have to use discretion when using. Extremely sharp.


Sabatier utility knife. Old school French made knife that I use more as a pairing knife.


Mr. Itou 190mm Gyuto. This one is like the hot rod in the garage. Rarely taken for a spin. The handle is a matter of taste. Some people think these bold knives are gaudy.


Fugiwara 270mm stainless sujihiki. Although this on is single beveled. I use this often for sashimi and tataki. Also occasionally as a filet knife.


Hiromoto 270mm carbon steel gyuto. Used for rough prep. Great for lettuce, cabbage etc.


A.E.S. Damascus barbeque knife. My much maligned Argentinian bbq knife. A thick informal knife that in Argentina is traditionally brought to outdoor barbeques.


Global Vegetable knife. This remains from the old guard. Good for cutting soft vegys.


Mr. Itou paring knife. I don't use paring knives much but this one is cute.


Misono Honkotsu in Swedish Carbon Steel. Sturdy knife for cutting anything with bones. I use it most for cutting between the bones of rack of lamb during service. I'm still looking for a Japanese knife to trim tenders.


Chroma Eight inch Chef's Knife
This used to be my every day knife. A good sturdy journeyman's knife.


Hattori KD 210 Gyuto. It doesn't get much use but this knife is the "Ferrari parked in the garage". I'll take it out when the weather is nice just for the sheer pleasure of driving it.

Status

It's been a couple weeks since we've changed the menu and for the most part I'm happy with it. I've already done the usual tweak and changed the tuna and the rib eye. The tuna was a little ambitious for the kitchen staff and the customers. The rib eye is an absolutely gorgeous steak but when I changed the menu price to where it really should be sales fell drastically. I continue to be frustrated with the fact that a lesser steak is being served in many restaurants in Milwaukee for $10 more. I decided to bring back the New York strip which I can sell at a lower price. It's also a beautiful steak and will probably be more popular but I'll miss the bone-in beast.

I've started to dry age my beef tenderloins and strip loins. It will improve the quality and hopefully help set us apart from our competitors. The strip is a 14oz dry-aged USDA Choice product. Served with a bourbon-Dijon sauce with garlic-chive mashed potatoes. ($29) If I may add, bargain priced IMO. The tuna will be panko encrusted, lightly pan seared, sliced and served with ponzu glaze and sauce Maltaise. I'm purposely making the Maltaise (orange accented Hollandaise) a little thin so we can do a drizzle effect on the plate.

As far as logistics go it's been an up and down battle. It will take myself and the boys a little time to get in a rhythm. Business has been surprisingly strong so it's been a challenge.

New salad plates will be arriving next week after an unexpected delay. Square white plates that I think will add a little style to the presentation. White rectangles and squares are all the rage these days. I've incorporated both into the new menu.