The Rundown: Restaurant Recipes

Jumbled in with the 437 other plans and ideas and career opportunities that I have riffling through my head on a daily basis is the notion that one day, when I've got a whack of cash all saved up (because I'm so awesome at saving money) I would love to open my own restaurant.

Actually, to call it a restaurant would give you the wrong impression. More correctly, I would one day love to open my own pub; one with a big old bar in the center of everything with plenty of brass taps and stools to go around and a menu of my own creation.

Yes, I fancy myself a bit of a cook amongst all the other things too.

Anyway, after fixing up a delicious dinner tonight that would certainly be on the menu, I got thinking about how I skipped out on a Rundown yesterday while caught up in my Vancouver Lovefest but now I have a perfect topic for one and so what do you know?

A little background on the idea concept first: open for all three meals of the day since breakfast is my all-time favourite with board games like checkers and chess built into the smaller tables, books, newspapers and a reading area available for people to sit and eat in and none of that tacky bar shit that clutters up most chain pubs these days. Live music three nights a week and trivia night on Tuesdays too.

Now that you have the vision...

Five Future Restaurant Recipes

5. The Breakfast Hero
Besides serving several classic breakfast options, this bad boy would be the secret weapon and people's champ of the breakfast menu. Half a homestyle loaf of bread, sliced in half and gutted of some of the dough so as to make room for the goodness. Scrambled eggs with your choice of additional ingredients (peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc.) one top of two stripes of Irish bacon and topped with sharp cheddar cheese that gets melted down on top of all of it. Served with home fries and lots of ketchup...

4. Avocado, Bacon and Roquefort Salad

This one I stole from a place in England called The Chop Shop, but after making my own variation tonight, it would surely make the list. It's pretty much just as the name says; all those ingredients on top of Baby Spinach with a warm Roquefort cheese dressing. Top be served in both meal and app sizes.

3. Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Wild Rice and Asparagus

Everybody needs a killer chicken entree and this is mine. Nice salty prosciutto wrapped around a boneless, skinless chicken breast, seared before being put in the oven with fresh asparagus on a bed of wild rice. Make a nice little white wine sauce from the pan fried goodness and bon appetit!

2. Angelhair Shrimp Pesto

Gotta have a pasta, but this one won't make you feel all stuffed after three bites. This one will leave you satisfied and wanting more, the way it should be. Fresh pasta with wilted spinach and big, fat shrimp tossed in a nice garlicly, pine nutty pesto with some fresh parmigiano reggiano over top for the final touch.

1. The Ahi Burger

Way back some time ago, I first made mention of this bad boy. This would be the one that really has them coming back. Great for lunch or dinner, this would be my star attraction. Sushi-grade Ahi tuna cut into nice steaks about 1/2 inch thick, marinated and seared on the grill. A fresh Scotch Bap with Wasabi Mayo, sliced avocado and julienned cucumber as garnish with your choice of salad or sweet potato fries as a side. Trust me - heaven in a bun!

There are way more ideas for the menu and I will admit to this - my place isn't going to be the health conscious choice seeing as bacon makes an appearance in almost all these recipes. But in the words of Vincent Vega... Bacon is good!