NTF: How did you get started in the restaurant business? Please talk about your schooling and any travel you've done to learn more about various cuisines.
Susan: I graduated from a liberal arts college in the mid-1970s. It wasn't until after college that I realized I really love to cook. I decided I wanted something a little more exciting for the rest of my life - and the restaurant business is definitely exciting if nothing else. So I headed off to New York and enrolled in the New York Restaurant School. I graduated in 1981 and here we are some 20 years later in Chicago talking about ethnic-American cooking at Zinfandel restaurant. I actually use my college degree here, which makes my parents very happy. At Zinfandel, we're looking for the regional culinary traditions of the United States, so we're kind of doing as much of an ethnic graphic study as a culinary one. Since most of us came to the U.S. from other places in the world, it's reasonable to say we brought culinary traditions with us. These culinary traditions remained until the mid 1900s when mass transit, convenience foods and women going back to work really made those regional cuisines disappear. At Zinfandel, we're trying to pull those traditional flavors back out and that is where turkey plays an important role. After all, it was almost our national bird and it's a wonderful addition to any restaurant menu.
NTF: What are some of the characteristics that differentiate turkey from other proteins, such as % of food cost, versatility, preparation tips, etc.?
Susan: Turkey is one of those quintessential feast foods, meaning everybody at some point in their life has cooked a turkey so they think of it as holiday dinner. As a restauranteur we differentiate it and present it in a way our customers haven't seen before, hence the Smoked Jerk Turkey Thighs with Banana Ketchup. The turkey thigh is my favorite part of the turkey. It's high in moisture, develops great flavor and you can subject it to the smoker and/or grill to create a wonderful, crusty skin. We find turkey goes over really well at lunch, and a couple of turkey items are really, really popular, including these Smoked Jerk Turkey Thighs. I run approximately a 15 percent protein cost on the plate and the rest of the plate runs between 19 and 21 percent, depending upon the vegetable, which is really good. We price the turkey thigh at $13.75.
NTF: Please describe your restaurant (upscale white tablecloth, casual dining, neighborhood spot, etc.). How does turkey fit into the scheme of your operation?
Susan: My husband, Drew, and I created Zinfandel Restaurant in Chicago's River North in 1993 as a celebration of American foods, wines and spirits. Our menu, which changes monthly, features ethnic American specialties and the restaurant features a warm, arts-and-crafts-inspired space of oak furnishings and rustic colors. Turkey fits into Zinfandel's overall scheme because it is the quintessential "American Meat." Ben Franklin wanted turkey to be our national bird because it is so important to the American diet. We also realize that many people eat out several times a week and are looking for lower fat options. These people like the novelty of seeing turkey on the menu.
NTF: How do you currently menu turkey at your restaurant?
Susan: I love turkey because it is 100 percent usable and chefs love that kind of thing. We brine the turkey breasts and use them for our dinner menu. We smoke the thighs and use them for this dish and we can grind up the legs and use them for turkey meatloaf. Then we also have the carcass for stock. It's so versatile. When we use the turkey legs for the turkeyloaf sandwich, we grind the turkey, season it, bake it, slice it and serve it hot with Wisconsin brick cheese, a little avocado and some basil pesto. We serve it with sweet potato chips and it's one of our other most popular lunch dishes. When we run this sandwich it will usually account for about 10 percent of our lunch sales on any given day. Once again, this has a really low food cost of about 12 percent. For dinner, we use a lot of turkey breasts as steaks and chops, which we also brine. These usually run about a 15 percent food cost for the entire plate because we can sell the breast for a little more money. In fact, we can actually sell turkey for more money than chicken because it is a little different and usually the portion is bigger.
NTF: Please talk about final presentation of your dishes and how you present the Smoked Jerk Turkey Thighs with Banana Ketchup in an upscale presentation and why.
Susan: I combine the turkey thighs (my favorite part) with an unusual preparation like the Jerk Marinade and Banana Ketchup. It stands out, both in terms of flavor and presentation, as this recipe is spicy, and consumers tend to really like that. Presentation is very important to us at Zinfandel. People eat with their eyes first, so if it's appealing, they will like it before they even taste it. Sure, we could easily place a plain five-ounce chunk of turkey on a plate with gravy and it would taste delicious but it would resemble a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, we slice down the thigh and form a pile of (crispy skin against moist, juicy meat) slices and serve them over rice. Turkey suddenly becomes a whole new dining experience. It is also easier to eat as it is sliced just so and it looks elegant, which helps to improve the profitability of the dish.
NTF: What beverage(s) would you pair with your Smoked Jerk Turkey Thighs with Banana Ketchup? (include wines, beer, nonalcoholic)
Susan: Of course, Zinfandel wine is probably the best match for any turkey dish. I also like Grenache with it, but I do like red or rose wines with turkey. However, robust California "Zin" is really terrific with these Jerk Turkey Thighs, partially because it compliments the Sweet Banana Ketchup. Other beverages that might be good with this dish include an ice-cold beer or a non-alcoholic Reed's Ginger Brew, which is kind of sweet and sort of spicy.
NTF: What's YOUR favorite way to eat turkey?
Susan: My favorite way to eat turkey is actually picking at all the little crispy skin bits left over after roasting a whole turkey or after slicing the Smoked Turkey Thighs. The crispy skin has always been my favorite part but I must admit, a couple slices of these Spicy Smoked Turkey Thighs or a Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich are pretty darn terrific.
NTF: Do you use the NTF web site as a resource? If so, how do you use it in your operation? Please describe other benefits of visiting www.eatturkey.com.
Susan: I don't usually use the web as a tool in my work, but I logged on to the www.eatturkey.com web site and saw the video of Todd English brining and preparing his turkey chop and that made me realize I had never brined a turkey breast. I suddenly thought, "Well, I've been brining pork for years, so why in the world am I not brining turkey?" It was terrific because it allowed me to cook the bird on the grill without it drying out and it added some flavor to the meat. Turkey is one of those great meats that really absorbs lots of different flavors. Adding a hint of garlic, some orange zest and maple sugar, just makes it terrific. I think vendor web sites are going to become more and more popular as more chefs use the web for recipe ideas and inspiration, and to be a part of a national (and international) community.