Has it really been a week???

So I guess it has been a week since my last blog. Sorry for the delays. It's been crazy busy getting things ready for opening.

What has happened during these past seven days (in no particular order)....

The bar is fully tiled and grouted. It looks awesome! We glad that we took the time to make it right. The dark tiles add a rich touch and complements the slate nicely.

Wine tasting are under way to finalize the list. We had a number of tasting this week. Mostly good stuff with a few duds. The list will have a nice selection of varieties and flavors. We're still looking to have about 20 wines by the glass. They will cover all the flavor profiles with some exciting (and interesting) wines.

Plates and glassware arrived on Wednesday. They will look great! Unfortunately, the silverware is being delayed. We're still looking for something to cover our a** until the inventory arrives.

The grout in the slate baseboards is done. One more thing to check off the list.

Todd has been busy scrubbing more of the kitchen equipment. He's done a great job getting it ready.

The health inspector did his preliminary inspection. We had a few small issues to address but for the most part, we're feeling good about the status. We're hoping for a final sign-off on Tuesday. Then we can get some food in the coolers.

Tons of people have been stopping in to see the progress. While it distracts me from the task at hand, it great to see the support from the area. They seem to love the menu and can't believe the changes to the restaurant. It's exciting to share our passion!

We also had a lot of vendor visits this week. I guess that's what happens when you get to crunch time.

Lisa & I spent a day shopping for decor. We had the back of my Rover filled with decor for the walls, tables and whatnot.

The floors are just in need of a few coats of polyurethane. Then it will only be getting the last of the trim installed. Once that's done, we can but the floor behind us (finally!!!).

I'm sure there about 100 more things that happened this week. But the days are starting to blur together.

And for the big question....when are we finally going to open the doors for business?

If the planets align and everybody cooperates, we should be open at this time next week. Keep an eye on our blog and/or facebook for the skinny.

Enough already....

Just when we think that the finish line is getting closer, we add another project to our already long list. This time it was refinishing the "bar"

But before I get to that....I promised a few menu teasers last time.

Beet Caviar – Roasted Red and Golden Beets, hardboiled eggs, feta cheese, and avocado crème served with a selection of blini

Crabcake Salad – our signature cakes served atop a fresh green salad with champagne vinaigrette

Bacon Seared Scallops – Scallops seared in bacon, drizzled with Balsamic-Guinness Glaze, and garnished with candied bacon

And for the wine drinkers:

Hahn GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre)

Let's not forget the beer drinkers:

Lagunitas Whiskey Tangy Foxtrott


Back to our progress report...

As I mentioned earlier, we decided that the "bar" just didn't look right with the blue-green tiles. It got a facelift using the same tiles that we used on the tables.

Here's a time-lapse of the progression...

After grinding the exisiting tiles and stripping the plastic trim, it was time to start putting down some tiles.

The foot rest area is complete. It only took about 4 hours to complete this section. Lots of cutting and leveling the tiles. They say you can't build a good house without a solid foundation. The same goes for a good bar :)

Sunday morning starts with the facing of the bar. This progressed much better than the foot rest. It's amazing how easy it is to install tile if you can't have to cut anything ;-)

Almost there....just a few more tiles to go...

And the finished product! But don't forget to notice the walls behind the bar. It's a very cool cloth "wallpaper" design that was done by Lisa and my mom. The pictures don't even do it justice. It's beautiful!!!

Another long weekend and we're all exhausted. Time for some food and a brief moment of relaxation. Tomorrow will be another long day.

Until then....cheers!

Tables, tiles and dishwashers

It's been a few days (okay...a week) since my last blog. We've been busy getting more work done for the restaurant.

We first have to give a HUGE thank you to my mom and Roger. They've been a great asset (and real troopers). Roger has been helping me build the tables and mom has been helping Lisa with some wall coverings.

We spent last Thursday-Sunday working on the tables. And yes, they're still not completed. The heat and humidity have been a virtual killer. Roger & I spent the better part of four days working in the driveway and garage to get the tables done. While they've been a tons of work, you couldn't buy anything this cool for a restaurant table. These are the touches that will help set us a step above the competition.

On to some pictures....

We set up the workstation to cut the plywood. Each table has a double layer of 3/4" plywood that is glued and screwed. Nothing like starting with a good solid foundation.

These are a few of the "cores". The smaller ones on the left will be 2 tops. The larger are rectangular 4 top tables.

To make sure we were working hard enough, the management team took a seat (and a glass of wine) to watch the progress.

Stage 2 of the process is to lay the tile. We picked an Italian procelin that slightly resembles slate.

And the tables are finished off with some beautifully cut red oak. The pictures don't do these tables justice. They are just plain sexy!!

In all, there are only 4 of 14 tables completed in 4 days. But we are ready to bear down and finish the remaining tables on Thursday.

Monday was spent installing the slate baseboard in the dining room. We've had a few challenges along the way but the plan is in motion. The baseboards should be finished on Saturday. That will give me a few days to get the floor sealed before the chairs arrive next week.



In addition to the flooring, there were contractors: 1) installing gas lines in the kitchen; 2) installing cleaning chemicals in the "dishpit"; 3) measuring for can lights behind the bar. There were 4 contractors and a vendor in the place at one time!

I should also mention that we tasted and selected some great wines on Monday afternoon. It was a great way to end the day.

The rest of the week has been spent doing some clean-up and tying up loose ends.

I almost forget to mention the dish machine. The guys from Ecolab were out today to install the dishwasher. And as luck would have it, it was broken. Oh well....they'll have it fixed tomorrow.

A few menu and wine teasers will be coming before the weekend :)

Until then, stay cool!!!

T-minus ??days?? and counting

While there are still tons of small (and medium) details left, we're trying to nail down an opening date. Hopefully we can get something rolling before the end of July. The checklist isn't getting any smaller but most items have at least been arranged.

Tuesday was an exciting day (queue the sarcasm). I had the pleasure of waking up at 4:30am to drive to Milwaukee. Then I got to spend the next 8 hours in the SafeServ certification class. Snooze... But it's good to get a refresher on all the dos & don'ts of food prep.

Big news for Wednesday!!!!

We have a sign! Really....our roadside pillion sign is done.

This is the view I was greeted with when rounding the corner..

Josh from TLC (Tims Lighting) was up on in the bucket with the first panel.

And now for the final product....

Other news from the day (in no particular order):

The world's largest walk-in freezer is now a great walk-in cooler.
Interviews went very well. Especially considering my past results.
Picked out china and glassware. But we're still questioning the flatware. Why did the Wedgewood need to be sooooo expensive???
John came out to talk about some tile work. It looks like that will be done on Monday or Tuesday.
Al stopped to look at extending the gas lines and adding another sink.
Todd & I discussed some additional menu ideas. It's starting to flow nicely!

Time to get some sleep and start all over again tomorrow.

Where's that big "DONE" stamp?!?!?!?!

But before we get to that....lets rewind to Saturday & Sunday....

Saturday was prep and more cleaning. And I was able to break out some more power tools :) This time it was the arm hammer with a chicel.

When the carpet was installed when the restaurant was built, they laid a filler to make the carpet align with the tile. That was 38 square feet of filler!!!!

Three long hours on my knees and the work was finally done...

Swept and vaccumed and the floor is ready for stage 2...the "upper deck"

So much for Saturday....now on to Sunday.

I needed to run to Fleet Farm in the morning to get some cut-off wheels and jigsaw blades. A quick little trip turned into something a larger. That's right folks.....75% off all plants and flowers :)

Somehow I managed to spend almost $40 on flowers even at that rock bottom discount price. And that meant that Lisa had her job task for Sunday (and she did a great job!!!)

The daunting task of finishing the flooring was taking a mental toll on both of us (especially me!). We decided to crack up the wallet and spend a few buck to get some help. But were do you find somebody on short notice....why, Craigslist, of course!

A few phone calls later and I had a guy lined up to stop by on Monday morning to look at the project. After a little number crunching, we agreed on a price. And he agreed to come back in a few hours to get started. Thanks to Mike's hard work and expertise, the floor is 99% complete!!!

The next step is to tile the baseboards and install the transistion strips., But for the most part, mark this bad boy DONE!!!

Progress?

Its been a long (and at times painful) week. But there is progress. And at least that's something positive.

Tuesday brought the delivery of the new kitchen equipment. We now have a charbroiler and 6 burner range. I still can't imagine that they ran a restaurant without a range. I'm still looking for a convection oven. So if you know of anybody that has one, I'm interested!

Other progress this week....the lower section of the dining room now has flooring!!! My first mistake was not hiring somebody to do the job. When I say that this restaurant is being built with blood, sweat and tears, it's not just a saying. See the picture of my finger for proof :)

I'm back up this weekend to get the upper level of the dining room prepped for flooring. I've tried to find somebody to help with the installation. But it seems that people just aren't that interested in working :(

Have a great weekend everybody and I'll post more pictures and progress on Sunday night (if I'm still able to move).

Long time, no see

Sorry about the long lapse in the blog. It has slipped away the past few days.

Things are slowly but surely starting to fall into place. We are definitely in the "spending" mode.

New kitchen equipment...check
Flooring...check (more on that fiasco shortly)
Chairs....check
Tile for tables....sort of a check (finally found the right tiles!)
ServSafe class....registered and paid
Nick-nack decor....check, check and check

What does all that mean:
Ordered the range and charbroiler for the kitchen. It still baffles my mind that you could have a kitchen without a range. How did they saute, make soups, bake, etc, etc, etc????

New dining room chairs are in the queue. I was hoping to get them next week but it may not be until the 21st. Any shipping delays to the warehouse could affect the opening.

We found some nice "nero" slate-like porcelain tiles. Mom and Roger are coming up next week to help build the tabletops.

Getting your restaurant manager certification from the state requires completing a food safety class. As much as I hate taking the day away from our much needed construction time, it's a necessary evil.

And then there's the "nick-nacks". Not all if it is what I'd consider "nick-nacks". Just a few splashes of color. But found Lisa's much sought after bench for the foyer area. And of course, a foyer wouldn't be complete without a mirror and a picture. We also bought some artwork for the restrooms. That's one area that Lisa had stamped as "DONE".

Remember the flooring that I mentioned....to make a very long (and hot, it was about 90 that day) story short, the banding straps on the pallet are not very strong. You would think that if they put it into a semi truck and ship it half-way across the country with those straps, I should at least be able to make it 25 miles home. Well....you'd be wrong. Not only didn't I make it all the way home, I didn't make it 2 miles. Boxes of flooring all over the round-about in west DePere. In all, 20 boxes fell out of the trailer. And 11 of them had some form of damage to the tiles. They are replacing the damaged boxes!

We took a day off for the 4th of July. It was a much needed step away from the restaurant (except for the 45 minutes that I ran up there to sell the soft serve ice cream machine!!)