Searching for Cellar Temperature in H-Town

View from inside Reef's Wine Cellar into the dining room

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are virtually no basements in Houston; being just 40 feet above sea level ensures that there are very few. So many of our beloved foods and beverages are created, aged and thrive in that zone of 55°-57° Fahrenheit with 60% relative humidity: red and white wine, beer, all forms of sausages, hams and charcuterie, cheeses and vinegar. This combination of the right temperature and humidity provides the optimal sweet spot for these items to properly age and mature until the time comes for you to reach that final objective, consumption. To re-create this ideal environment above ground calls for a little creativity. It is surprisingly simple to convert an old refrigerator into a “cellar;” all you need is an external thermostat, a hemostat and a small, inexpensive humidifier from Target. I just made one from a very old prep cooler to store our wines at Little Bigs Montrose. The light blue control pad with the temperature reading sits right next to the cashier. This particular unit is pretty damn amazing. You can set it at temperature variables between X and Y and, within those variables select run times so that your compressor won’t overwork itself by repeatedly kicking itself on and off too quickly. You might be asking yourself why we would need to maintain cellar temp wines in a burger joint. And I say, WTF not? I get a kick out of it and if you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly!


Remote Temperature Control at Little Bigs Montrose

All the equipment you need can easily be picked up at a place called Allied Kenco. If you are even just slightly obsessed with charcuterie, this place is a mandatory stop. Cody is the man to see over there and, for the past five years, he has helped satisfy my fixation for these types of things.

Luckily, at Reef, there is no need to convert old kitchen equipment since I already have a real “cellar.”

View into Reef's Wine Cellar from Table 4

Since Reef opened, I have been jones-ing to use this room for something other than wine. But hanging whole joints of meat next to my beloved Innocent Bystander (all the while staring into the eyes of a starry-eyed young couple enjoying a romantic dinner at Table 4) is just not an option. So, I’ve been waiting for just the right opportunity to age something in full view of the dining room.

We have been making our own pepper vinegar at Reef since day one, using it in vinaigrettes, pickling liquids and finishing sauces. You will always see a bottle of it right next to me up at the expediting “pass.” We use a fresh Thai pepper called a Dragon Finger (aka Harlingen Red).

Dragon Finger Chilis

I have always thought, “If I could just get my hands on an Oak barrel to age this vinegar... .” Well, look what showed up on our doorstep.

Oak barrel brought to us by our good friends at Quintessa Winery

As we speak, I’ve got a guy building a cradle to hold the barrel so we can store it at the end of the wine room.

A local farmer who grows for us -- Stacey Roussel from All We Need Organics – has done a great job growing these peppers. Once she hits the generous glut of the season, we are going to fire that sucker up and see where we’re at.

I’ll let you know how our aged pepper vinegar turns out in 2010.

Chronicles of a Six-Foot-Four Texan in Boston: St. Paddy’s Weekend vs. The International Boston Seafood Show

28th Annual International Boston Seafood Show

At the beginning of this week, I was fortunate enough to attend the 28th Annual International Boston Seafood show -- and on St. Paddy’s Day weekend no less! This year, there were over 52 countries represented, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto as keynote speaker, 6,114 exhibitors and an estimated 17,231 conventioneers attending. Let me tell you, for a guy like me, it was complete sensory overload. I was like a fevered maniac all three days. With more information and booths than it is humanly possible to absorb, I was like a shopaholic during a Walmart Blue Light special, screaming through exhibits, trying to do my best impersonation of a sponge, spurred on by the knowledge that around each corner there would be yet another new thing/fish/product/machine that pertains 100% to my daily obsession. It was an orgasmic and yet futile endeavor to try to take it all in. All of this set in the heart of Historic Boston. And with over 1,000 Irish bars in the surrounding Boston area…obviously, I was a busy boy. And did I mention it was St. Paddy’s Day Weekend?

28th Annual International Boston Seafood Show

The most interesting booths were the ones with the products from Asia. What made them so damn interesting was the sheer number of items that were new to me. That and the aggressiveness of their salesmen (actually women, mostly), leading with samples and politely insisting on the superiority of their product. Folks, this may sound like a stretch but, during those three days, I ate my weight in sushi, no bullshit! At least 20 pounds of Hamachi passed through my gullet; and I’m not just talking about regular old stuff, I’m talking about new, different and special types like Rookfish, Bluenose, Sun Mackrel, some kind of red tilefish and many more.

Japanese fish

There was even a table where Morimoto had his crew laying it down.

Morimoto crew

The Japanese dried products were fascinating, especially these crispy whole crabs with some sort of glaze. They had the mouth feel of potato soufflé, straight up addictive.

Crab poppers

At the same booth, this dude had what looked like a hot griddle press on which he would place a tiny dried shrimp or sprinkle dried baby anchovies, hit the press and out would pop a chip. Seriously. It took me back to those days when I would cruise my neighborhood on my black, banana seat Huffy and, turning the corner, saw the new kid on a brand new BMX Super-Goose…

I want one!

Chip press

On the other end of the aisle, a guy from the Midwest was selling nothing but what most would consider trash fish: Shoepeg, Gaspergoo, Buffalo, Carp and Flat Head Catfish.

Gaspergoo

On day two, they held the national Oyster Shucking Contest where three-time champion, and the current world champ title holder, William “Chopper” Young took the gold home once again. He had an unusual technique and tool: his knife was about 2 ½ inches long and resembled a prison shank and he attacked the oyster from the side. This guy was all business.

Oyster shuck

I was equally as intrigued with the equipment side of the show. There were space-aged coolers, vacuum machines large enough to package a man, “green” packaging solutions, non-stick flooring and totes for shipping live fish.

Live Fish Tote

There were all kinds of amazing instruments for monitoring and evaluating environmental conditions like 10-mile remote thermostats and hemostasts, refractometers that calculate Brix (sugar content) and blood-protein content and my new favorite toy, a salinometer.

Salinometer

You should have seen the looks I got at the three different oyster bars that night when I pulled that sucker out to gauge the salt content of each different oyster we sampled. Geeky I know, but what the hell …I’m a 6’4” Texan obsessed with fish, rollin’ strong in Bean-Town on St. Paddy’s Day weekend. I’m pretty sure I pulled it off.

The Great Golden Tilefish: The Story of Brian Brennan and My First Step Towards Reef

Golden Tilefish

About four years ago, while cooking at Bank in the Hotel Icon, a guy named Brian Brennan started working at Airline Seafood. We sat down and I gave him the same spiel I had given every other fishmonger since I returned to Houston: I wanted different, local, whole fish -- I wanted the fish that I had seen, caught and eaten as a fisherman and citizen of the Gulf Coast. After about 45 minutes of me getting all fired up on the subject and wading though my wish list of fish, Brian popped his head up and said (in his coastal country drawl), “Okay, dude, I gotcha.” Okay? Really? I was speechless, because every other guy in the business came up with beaucoup reasons why it just wasn’t possible but, as far as Brian was concerned, OK was all that was needed.

At the time, I had no idea that Brian had spent most of his natural-born life off of FM 2004. (FM=Farm to Market road, yet another wonderfully unique Texas thing). FM 2004 is that bayou-riddled stretch of a back-road-avenue connecting Freeport with Galveston. I also had no idea that he had spent the past 7-8 years driving up and down the Gulf Coast buying and selling fish. He knew these captains well; hell, he ate Sunday dinner with half of them.

Two to three weeks later, Brian shows up, sporting that big shit-eatin’ grin of his and hauling a whole mess of Golden Tilefish. When they hit the table, I looked him straight up and said, “Brian, I asked you for local! Not shipped, man, local.” He started to explain to me about the deep water shelf that comes closest to Matagorda (the town, not the bay), where the Colorado River dumps out, about 60 miles out from the shore, and the ocean depth starts to drop quickly along with the water temperature – perfect for fish like Golden Tilefish, that I would typically get from the East Coast. He told me how these Golden Tilefish were there, along with many other species that most boats don’t fish for, or even keep if caught, because there are no buyers back at the dock. I couldn’t believe it. I think I might have even called him a liar (sorry about that B). But I did some of my own research and it turns out the Brian was right -- amazing!

The body style of the Golden Tilefish is unique to the Gulf

Golden Tilefish are from the Malacanthidae family. They are very easy to distinguish among other members of this family because of the large wattle-like adipose flap on the top of their head. Found in waters ranging between 250-1500 feet deep all along the Continental shelf and slope. Their habitat extends from Nova Scotia down to south of Venezuela. The flesh is extremely flaky, lean when cooked and, because of the very low fat content, does not lend itself very well for grilled applications and can become extremely dry when overcooked (slower cooking and or medium temp is highly recommended).

Being able to acquire these types of cherry Gulf fish is what spurred the whole idea of Reef. This may sound like a stretch but, initially, it was the work of Brian and Steve Berreth at Airline that gave me the confidence to open a place like Reef -- confidence that, if I was to write the check, “Local Gulf Seafood,” payment would come back in more than just Snapper, Shrimp & Crab.

There is an old fishing adage that goes like this: an impatient man runs over more fish than he catches on his way to greener pastures. I had been doing that very thing for years. Brian got out of the fish business about two years later but, before he left, he kept me in a steady stream of Golden Tilefish, Trigger Fish, Triple Tail, Croaker, Cobia, Amberjack and many other hard to acquire Gulf species. Airline Seafood’s Steve Berreth and Mark Musatto (my former Executive Sous Chef at Bank) have been able to continue what Brian started with great catches for Reef.

Golden Tilefish

Hunting and Fishing Cookbook

Whether you’re an avid hunter or fisherman or someone who cooks for one, this must-have game and fish cookbook is for you!

You’ll find hundreds of mouth-watering ways to turn venison, elk, pheasant, wild turkey, walleye, salmon and more
into meals that will satisfy the whole family and even dinner guests. Plus, there are also hearty camp breakfasts,
most of which can be prepared in just a skillet. We’ve included many sweet and savory recipes for satisfying portable snacks as well as a tasty collection of recipes using wild ingredients that can be picked or gathered. Hundreds of recipes are shown in full color.


Free Download

Fish Screensaver

After years of development, SereneScreen Marine Aquarium 3.5.3 is finally available for download and purchase! This is a Beta-Test version, but your MA3 Key Code will not expire, and entitles you to download all updates through the final version. MA3 is not just an update to previous versions - the entire program has been re-written from the ground up as a full 3D environment, taking advantage of the increased capabilities of modern video cards.

Free Download

Fly fishing

Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of species including pike, bass, panfish, and carp, as well as marine species, such as redfish, snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass. There are many reports of fly fisherman taking quite unintended species such as chub, bream and rudd while fishing for ‘main target’ species such as trout. There is a growing population of anglers whose aim is to catch as many different species as possible with the fly.

In fly fishing, fish are caught by using artificial flies that are cast with a fly rod and a fly line. The fly line (today, almost always coated with plastic) is heavy enough cast in order to send the fly to the target. Artificial flies can vary dramatically in all morphological characteristics (size, weight, colour, etc.).



Artificial flies are created by tying hair, fur, feathers, or other materials, both natural and synthetic, onto a hook with thread. The first flies were tied with natural materials, but synthetic materials are now extremely popular and prevalent. The flies are tied in sizes, colours and patterns to match local terrestrial and aquatic insects, baitfish, or other prey attractive to the target fish species.



Unlike other casting methods, fly fishing can be thought of as a method of casting line rather than lure. Non-flyfishing methods rely on a lure’s weight to pull line from the reel during the forward motion of a cast. By design, a fly is too light to be cast, and thus simply follows the unfurling of a properly casted fly line, which is heavier and more castable than lines used in other types of fishing. The angler normally holds the flyrod in the dominant hand and manipulates the line with the other close to the reel, pulling line out in small increments as the energy in the line, generated from backward and forward motions, increases. The mechanics of proper rod movement are commonly described as “10 to 2″, meaning that the rod’s movement on the forward cast is arrested at the 10 o’clock position (12 o’clock is rod straight up, 9 o’clock flat forward, 3 o’clock flat backwards) and the backcast at 2 o’clock. In proper casting, loops of line unfurl completely before the angler throws his rod in opposite direction. The effect resembles sending a wave along a garden hose to remove a kink. Newer casting techniques promote minimal wrist movement, a very open stance and movement of the arm parallel to the ground, discouraging the rigid boundaries of the 10 to 2 technique. Proper casting, regardless of technique, requires pauses in both directions (forward and backward) to allow the entirety of the line to unfurl parallel to the water’s surface. As additional line length is desired for farther casts, the angler allows momentum generated by the forward and backcasting to carry slack line previously pulled free from the reel to glide forward through the non-dominant hand. Flyline speed and orientation in three-dimensional space, in both the forward and back cast, yield a tighter or looser unfurling of the “loop” of line. As rhythm and line control improve, longer and more accurate casts can be achieved. Poor casts typically lead to tangled lines that pile up on the water’s surface in front of the angler as he attempts to allow the fly come to rest.

In broadest terms, flies are categorized as either imitative or attractive. Imitative flies resemble a natural food items. Attractive flies trigger instinctive strikes by employing a range of characteristics that do not necessarily mimic prey items. Flies can be fished floating on the surface (dry flies), partially submerged (emergers), or below the surface (nymphs, streamers, and wet flies.) A dry fly is typically thought to represent an insect landing on, or emerging from, the water’s surface as might a grasshopper, dragonfly, mayfly, stonefly or caddisfly. Other surface flies include poppers and hair bugs that might resemble mice, frogs, etc. Sub-surface flies are designed to resemble a wide variety of prey including aquatic insect larvae, nymphs and pupae, baitfish, crayfish, leeches, worms, etc. Wet flies, known as streamers, are generally thought to imitate minnows or leeches.

F and B Offspring

Raising a child and a restaurant at the same time really is not normal. The 16 or 17-hour days and time spent with my restaurant family and customers means a lot of missed events (parties, socials, parent/teacher conferences, family get-togethers, anything on Fridays or Saturdays). My daughter, Kennedy Gayle, is now four years old; and Reef is now creeping up on two years.

Most of Kennedy’s life (well, what she remembers) and time spent with me is in some way connected to Reef. Imagine growing up not knowing any social barriers or fear of interacting with the unknown in a communal setting, that’s Kennedy. She navigates through the dining room, into the kitchen (she knows exactly where Maria keeps the fresh-baked rolls), then across the line – yelling, “Behind you!” as she walks through to say her hellos to all of the cooks-- and back out through the bar to the hostess stand where she begs Mary to let her seat a table (she has already mastered the table numbers). Believe it or not, this can and does happen at 8:30 on a Saturday night.

One of my favorite stories to tell about Kennedy happened two weeks after we opened Reef. Kennedy automatically assumed that everyone coming to the restaurant was a personal friend and she didn’t think twice about pulling up a chair, having a seat with the customers and starting a conversation about the Wiggles, Dora, “The Dude”(our dog) or her new shoes . My wife and I had to sit her down and explain that every table was here to enjoy dinner by themselves and that it was impolite to interrupt. I had barely gotten the explanation out when her eyes started to well up and she began to cry. Talk about heart-breaking.

The key to being a “Food & Beverage” Dad is quality of time (since quantity is not really an option), so Kennedy has no curfew. If I get home before 11pm, she waits up for me. She comes with me to the farmer’s market, equipment auctions, Saturday AM prep and even buying fish down at the docks. That’s just the way it is in an F & B family.

Buying Fish With K-Dog (aka Kennedy Gayle Caswell)

photo credit: Shannon O'Hara

Fishing Rod Maker

Wood provides a “classic” look in many ways. It brings back memories and visions of a day gone by. In the old days, fishermen would often have a wood handle on their rod and a wood framed landing net by their side; it was the material that was available. A full wood grip or trim bands on your custom built rod will truly set it off as being custom built. How may wood grips have you seen on the lake or stream?

Born of a love of wood and fishing.

At Classic Custom Wood, we truly custom-make each wood fishing rod grip and landing net to your specifications. The process starts with questions that will assure that you get a “custom” handle or net– made just for you – not a stock items that you just pick off the shelf. Next we’ll build you a virtual grip and send you the picture so you can tweak it to make sure that what you get is what you want. We keep a limited stock of the most popular woods but can get most any exotic woods from one of our suppliers. We only use the highest quality wood.

We can make a grip for the Fuji concealed hood for either spinning or trigger grip bait casting. Common grips, which incorporate a barrel type real seat, are far easier to produce and can be made to your specifications. Half wells, full wells, cigar, western or custom type fly grips can also be done for you fly fishermen. We also produce custom trim bands or partials for you to incorporate into your cork grips as well as plans for you to make your own jigs and build your own.

Be sure to visit the FAQ’s page to find out more about wood as it compares to cork.

If you think you’d like one of these but don’t build rods yourself, click on Tackleworks, or the Custom Rod Builders Guild, in the links page or contact us and we’ll help you find a builder near you.

Sounding a little stuffy isn’t it? As you go on through this site we’ll get to know each other better and I’ll loosen up.