RE-discover. RE- kindle. Re- Purpose, past food STUFF
Grab a pencil; there's lots of info here.
THE BROADSTREET CAFE (part 1)
When JZ was at the helm of Creative Cuisine with his business partner Mike Currie, they bought Broadstreet Cafe in 1992. It was an interesting time; because even though there was not a Facebook, helpful critiques on Yelp, or Trip Advisor, the rumors and gossip always got back to us. Many times in letter form. And sometimes not very friendly. The most significant concern was would the owners of Henry Wellington "ruin" Broadstreet. Luckily for Broadstreet fans, Jerry and Mike had grown into seasoned businessmen and knew how to run a restaurant. They knew not to touch the things that worked. In this case, it was Broadstreet's eclectic yet still formal vibe. Lois Owen, the owner of Broadstreet from 1980-ish to 1992, was a pioneer in the visual feel and re-imagination of using old "stuff" in a restaurant space. I will also say the food was something Rochester had not yet been introduced to, and she deserves kudos for that. I hope to have more on the Owens and other Broadstreet stories in the future. Haunted bathroom, anyone????
Maybe even more important to understand beyond the decor was to leave alone THE BROADSTREET BREAD alone.
The Broadstreet bread was a well-loved beginning of dinner staple every customer looked forward to. It also was part of the Redwood Room along with fruity olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. They actually had a massive wheel of parm there they grated on the regular. However, I may be so bold to say I doubt that is happening in the Redwood Room today. That was a lot of work!
For some reason, I always thought there was a connection between Daubes and the bread but, I found out it was Lois's recipe. It was a classic 4 ingredient French baguette recipe. Quite simple. My friend Sandy happened to have the recipe from Lois (see photo!) I believe right from the beginning, Helen Gowan was in charge of the kitchen and bakery. She was an accomplished cook, having studied in the 1970s at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne and Le Cordon Bleu in France, the L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Maryland, and with Verna E. Meyer and Jacques Pepin in Minneapolis. She was referred to as an elegant petit woman who often had encouraging words for the kitchen staff. But she was pretty firm about the bread, once complaining that batch was peasant bread, and Harbor View was more refined. Oh my gosh, that makes me laugh! I genuinely wish I had met her. Helen Gowan died on October 18, 2018, in Seattle, Washington, where her daughter lived.
I talked with Lori Overkamp, who was on staff before Creative Cuisine took over and stayed for many years after. Some of you will remember her in the dining room. She was perfection on the floor with such fabulous menu knowledge and a wonderful attitude. She refers to her time at Broadstreet as her favorite job ever! I had forgotten her roots started in the kitchen.
She was on the lunch crew, so she oversaw the kitchen and those lovely lunch items. Tomato Basil Soup, anyone? She spent time on desserts and, of course, BREAD. The bread at the time, was made by a Cambodian woman named Si Tha from 1985-1990. Lori said Tha was stern and her English a bit rough, but they got along well. Tha insisted there be no bubbles in the dough; it must be kneaded and kneaded; sore wrists and hands were not going to get you out of the job. Most days, they produced 17-24 loaves, so it was a commodity, to be sure. Lori always worried if it would last through dinner service.
Cutting bread for the complimentary bread bowl was a significant job for the wait staff, and I was told not uncommon to slice into a finger here or there. Yikes! That gorgeous wood top all the baguettes got sliced on still stands on the patio at Hot Chip.
Before Creative Cuisine took over Broadstreet, they did get to the point you could pre-order bread to take home. So I would often run down and get some Sunday mornings for a beautiful Sunday Brunch at home. At the time, there was a croissant place in the Riverside building and next door a tea and coffee shop. Croissants and Cream had gorgeous bakery items, and even though they were what we call "proof and bake," they were a far cry from the Wonder Bread variety that would pop up at a Perkins. So our menu consisted of croissants, French bread, earl grey tea, and soft cheeses from Barlows which included, Boursin Garlic and Herb, Saga Blue, and a Champignon Mushroom. Not bad for 1983 or so. Also, plenty of cheap champagne!
In 1992 when Creative Cuisine took over Broadstreet, Paul Prinzing was baking the bread almost flawlessly daily. There were always struggles with humidity etc., but most days, the bread was perfect and plentiful! I have to think at some point there was a need to actually use up old bread, and I believe that may be where skordalia came into the scene or at least became part of the menu regularly. Skordalia was another beloved Broadstreet menu item. Guess what?! I have the recipe and will share it!
The Broadstreet Bread, continued on for years. We converted that little building in the parking lot to The Broadstreet Bakery. Later after Broadstreet closed that building was actually my beginnings of the specialty food and cheese business. I started out as Culinary Market.Full circle.
So this is cool. I have the original bakery table; the one bread was kneaded on, right here in my office as a stand-up table. I love it and am honored to have it here in my space! PS- I managed to "save" several Broadstreet building pieces. I'll fill you in on their new homes later.
And now, without further ado, SKORDALIA.
Broadstreet recipe, with plating photo. My notes in pencil and the revised ZZest version.
A little background: Skordalia was made for YEARS at Broadstreet. Everyone memorized the recipe and just made it. But, I know that eventually, things start changing, and the garlic, for many reasons, became overwhelming. It's because the original recipe used fresh crushed garlic, and as time went on, pre-minced garlic was necessary to keep up with the vast amounts made weekly. I know everyone thinks they love garlic, but that recipe needed an overhaul. Fast forward to ZZest Cafe. I found the original recipe, and it called for TWO TEASPOONS of fresh minced garlic. So we reworked it and also added the fresh zing of lemon olive oil to finish. I think it is perfect, so here though not the original, it is a workable recipe!
First, make the paste and note: potatoes need to be day old and cold and same for the bread. Old bread and cold potatoes make good skordalia.
Skordalia Paste
1 loaf 9-10 oz day-old French bread, crust removed
2 lbs day old boiled red potatoes, peeled
2 oz almonds (note- at ZZest, we used Marcona almonds. Don't buy them from Fresh Thymes, they are gross. Trader Joe's is a good option.)
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon. salt
1 teaspoon. pepper
¼ cup olive oil or canola/olive oil blend
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
Cut the crust off of the bread and soak the bread in cold water for 2 minutes to soften, then squeeze out excess water. Peel day-old boiled potatoes and smash. Puree the almonds with vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Add the wet bread, mashed potatoes, and garlic to the food processor, drizzle in the oil. If the paste is too thick, just thin it out with a little bit of cold water.
Skordalia Beans
2-15 oz cans northern white beans, drain, rinse
¼ cup green onion, chopped
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together gently in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Personally, I only use 2 teaspoons of garlic in the beans. So if garlic is your thing, go for it, but if you need it to keep for a few days, cut back.
PLATING
Spoon paste on your platter. Have fun with this; make a smooth oval, two circles, or a volcano. Spoon the beans on top and drizzle with Agumato Lemon Olive oil.