Gluten Free Menus are online

We finally have gotten our gluten free menus up on line at brookstonegrille.com. I hope that this gives people what they want but if not we are always open to suggestions.

Fresh Fish on the Grill

This is the season to grab some nice fresh fish like striped bass, tuna, swordfish or as I had the other night, catfish. I was doing the family grocery shopping, a feat that never happens because Pam usually does it, and in an interest to shake up the old menu at home I grabbed some nice sized catfish fillets. The preparation of the fish was really simple and you should all try this. Get a nice spice rub that you like, I used garlic and herb, and combine that with just enough oil to coat the fish.. If using something spicy you may only want to rub one side or if not then rub both. The most important thing here is the cleanliness and heat of the grill to be used. Get a good wire brush and get all the junk from last weeks barbecued chicken off of the grill then start preheating the grill until it is about 400-450 for a good 5 minutes. To cold and the fish will stick so be patient and let the grill heat up. Then take a throw away rag and oil the grates of the grill right before you put the fish on. I don't think spraying the grill with those non stick sprays works as go soI like to use the rag and some oil, just becareful not to use to much oil because it will flare up, but that is what makes it exciting to grill right?
Once the grill is ready then just put the fish on the grill on the side that you plan on presenting. The catfish was 5 minutes on each side and it was perfect. Just before you take it off press it to be sure it is slightly flaking since it can be a little tough if not quite done. At the same time don't over cook it so it flakes apart and you can't pick it up.
The catfish was so delicious it didn't need anything but a little lime or lemon and a simple vegetable. That is a quick and delicious meal for any family in under 20 minutes.

Enjoy

Wedding Food

Tis the season for weddings and at Brookstone we have at least 2 per weekend throughout the summer. A Brookstone Event Center wedding not only features a beautiful facility on manicured grounds but I dare say some of the best wedding food I've seen/eaten in a while. I may be a little biased but truly there is something beautiful about a duet of filet of beef and 3 crab stuffed shrimp. I think most people are shocked at the quality of the food when they come to Brookstone Event Center. They expect wedding food to be boring and barely warm. But when sink their teeth into our apple and cranberry bread stuffed chicken with chardonnay & sage sauce they know that isn't true.
Planning an event call Jen Sprizza or drop me a line at Brookstone 603-328-9255.

Enjoy your summer.
Chef David

Angus licensing

It is true that you have to have a license to publish "Certified Angus Beef" on your menus or any advertizing. You don't have to pay for it but they control it. You can use Angus Beef that hasn't been certified, meaning isn't in the top tier of Angus beef and there is no licensing, but you can't say Certified.

That is it. At Brookstone Grille our Rib Eyes & Cowboy steak are Certified Angus.

Chef David

The desserts

We ended up putting the dessert pizza on the menu but sales have been slow on it. I think it really needs to be sold. The servers have tried it and loved it but maybe people don't want dessert pizza. I'll give a little longer.
Also we added a Meyer Lemon cheesecake with blueberry compote. This came out great and is a big hit so far. The double fudge chocolate brownie sundae with Espresso sauce is also a big hit, shocker!!

So these items joined the hold overs of creme brulee sampler & Crazy Big Chocolate and Carrot cake.

See you soon. Sorry for the lag between blogs

Desserts: What do you want?

Trying to write a dessert menu seems to have me stumped. I keep trying to figure out what it is that people want for dessert. I don't eat many desserts, but love to make them. I tend to fill up on the entrees/apps so there isn't much left.
Yesterday I made a dessert pizza. We have the stone oven at Brookstone Grille and I'm thinking why not?
I took one of our doughs and rolled it out thin, brushed it with whole butter, then spread a vanilla mascarpone cheese layer on the dough. I sprinkled it with dark brown sugar, then chunks of white chocolate,like I was spreading cheese on a pizza. I tossed that into the 600 oven for about 5 minutes but left the dough a little under cooked (like fried dough texture).
Topped it with fresh strawberries and it was delicious.
Question would you buy it or is it to out there?
Visit Brookstone Grille & Event Center Facebook page and join the discussion.
Our most popular desserts right now are a creme brulee sampler, huge chocolate cake & chocolate martini.

Chef David

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See you soon with more cooking tips. Cooking with beer sounds good for March.

Chef David

Great Customers.

I have to say that I really do appreciate the customers that come to Brookstone Grille. Every now and again I get the opportunity to sit at the end of the night and have a drink with guests who are willing to share their opinions and experiences at Brookstone.
This past weekend I had a great conversation with a couple that has been coming to Brookstone for a while and really enjoy the quality of the food and love sitting at the bar.
She expressed to me that alot of times she doesn't like that the food is to heavy or doesn't want a starch that is served with the meal etc.. I guess I assume that guests will always ask for what they want but I wanted to encourage that. I explained that at Brookstone Grille we really don't mind if you want to modify the menu to eliminate a starch or double up the veg or change a portion. Mind you it can slow things down when it is really busy but the long and short of it is we want you to be happy with your experience and to get what you want.
Not only myself but also my chefs are instructed to always try and accomodate every request from the guest even if it means going out of your way because if that's what makes us different from the competition the good for us.

Thanks and we'll see you at Brookstone Grille

Braising Meats on Cold Days

My friend Keith, also a great chef, reminded me that this is a great time to be talking about braising meats on these cold winter days. For those of you that maybe haven't heard the term it is the process of slow cooking meats in a variety of liquids depending on the dish.
Some of the best ones that we've done recently are braised beef shortribs that we served over risotto with mushrooms and edamame (soy beans). This dish was so delicious, Sous Chef Justin did a great job with these and many enjoyed the fruits of the labor.
The basics of braising are these:
What ever meat you choose to braise,like the short ribs, should be seasoned with salt & pepper then lightly floured. Next in the pan where you plan to cook these short ribs you should heat a little oil til it is hot enough to sear the meat all around. Once you have seared the meat remove them from the pan to hold off to the side while you prepare the liquid.
Next while the pan is still hot you should add your vegetables/mirepoix which are onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and saute 4-5 minutes. You may need to add a little oil to the pan as not to burn the flour bits that remained after searing. After few minutes add a couple of crushed garlic cloves and a few stems of your favorite herbs like thyme, rosemary or oregano. Saute that 2-3 minutes just to release the flavors then add a healthy amount of a good quality red wine for cooking. Reduce that slightly, by 1/3 then add a good quality beef stock and bring to a simmer.
Now add back in the meat item and any potatoes or root vegetables that you may like.
The liquid should come about 2/3 up the side of the meat.
Next is to cover that pan with foil or a lid and put into a slow oven, about 325.
Now depending on the size of the meat etc you have to wait, but it is worth it.
Allow the meat to cook slowly for several hours until you can pull the meat away easily with a fork, again the cooking time varies so reference your recipes here. Once the meat is done remove it to hold while you reduce or thicken the remaining liquid to make the sauce. This is when the final seasoning gets done and you can strain this sauce and reserve any of the vegetables that you may want to eat. If you use turnip or other root vegetables in your vegetable mixture they are going to be perfect and you'll just slater with butter and eat with the meal.
I think if you give it a try you'll really love this style of cooking.
Enjoy and thanks Keith for the request.

Brookstone Grille Face book Page

Become a friend of Brookstone Grille & Event Center by visiting our facebook page. See up to the date info on events and get some personal invitations that others won't get. Check it out! It is new for us and it is so 2009.

Prime Rib

We'll as I've discussed before we recognize the fact that as a neighborhood restaurant we have to listen to our customers and give them what they want to nurture our relationship with them.
In that vein we are wrapping up the details (menu's, equipment etc) of offering a delicious prime rib dinner. Some of our best customers have suggested that this is what they really wanted so we put a plan into action and should be offering this item as early as next week.
Prime rib as you may or may not know is a very slow cooked item and is prepared in a cooking unit called an alto sham. We are going to be offering the very best cut available because we have a license to offer Certified Black Angus Beef. This rib is very consistent in marbling and once we rub it with herbs and spices then roast it for 4 hours it is going to be tremendous.
So plan on visiting The Brookstone Grille soon to try this new item and let us know what you think.