Xiao Ye Investor Dinner

Last night, we served 2 seatings of investors and their concubines/concududes at the new spot. Menu items included: Buddha Sex Cabbage, Princeton Review Bean Paste Noodles, Tarofongo, Dumpling Face Killahs, Country Fried Steak the Legend Continues, General Tso's Head on Prawns, and of course Everything but the Dog Meat Platter.

Also, if you are on the mailing list, you already got word last night that we cancelled friends/family dinners this weekend. As you can see, we are fully capable of putting food out, but I just feel we need to get our feet under us as a team. We've been in the new space with the keys a total of two weeks and its just not enough time. Since this blog is about opening a restaurant and the daily ins-and-outs, I'll give you some insight into what I've been going through. 

We have really dope long-time customers (thanks you dope fiends fo yo suppote!) and we've gotten a lot of press leading up to opening. I never want to let people down so I set really ambitious timelines.  But, I'm learning that you have to push back even if its good press/good expectations because you can't rush the product. I think every one knows that. 6 months ago, I was doing stand-up at the laugh lounge and running UBL (unemployment basketball league where 4 stoners woke up at 2pm everyday to play 2 on 2 in Ft. Greene before looking at jobs on craigslist). I'm still very raw in my management and running of a restaurant. As much as that has become part of the appeal, I have to rein it in. Its like taking any dude from an And-1 mixtape and throwing him in the NBA, I never played "organized ball". But somehow, I made it work and I'll make it work again. The kitchen I inherited doesn't have all the equipment that I need to do my dishes 100%. I've been trying to force a square peg in a round hole making it work, but at the end of the day, I need a Taiwanese/Chinese kitchen. It's gonna take me a little bit to get it organized/set-up the way I want, but trust it will happen ASAP. I won't put out food that isn't 100 and when we do open, I guarantee it'll be perfect.

Meat Platter

Bar - 77 beer

General Tso's Head on Prawns

Not enough seats so we eat like Chinamen

Country Fried Steak the Legend Continues

Tarofongo w/ Sunny Side Up Egg

Pushing Home Leftovers