a family and their employees and patrons are a part of it. “We see
generations of families at our bar,” he tells me. “Ron has a certain
idea of how life should be lived, and Ann leads from the heart.
When I was new, they told me to go home, quit working so much. I
thought I was going to be fired. But what we do demands creativity
and energy, and you can’t give that if you’re tired and worn out.”
Talk about balance. Let your team rest and create? Have a life?
What kind of insane management strategy is that? Dunno. But it
seems to be working.
Lahvosh at M’s Pub
by Ann Summers
S
nails are delicious. There is a reason the French cry
tears of liqueur over them. They are high in protein and
magnesium, and low in fat. Of course, that leanness all goes
out the window when you slather them with butter and cheese,
but just save up some calories and let her rip. An alternative
would be a fennel, parsley, olive oil and walnut pesto (or
adding grated lemon and bread crumbs, which would make it
a gremolata.) I urge you to explore, but for the Midwest, we’re
using good old Nebraska ingredients, except for the snails, but
you can get them at a grocery store.
A canned snail is a lovely thing. There is no wrenching them
from rocks, no “starving” or putting them to sleep, or anything
else unpleasant. In Anthony Bourdain’s fabulous “Les Halles
Cookbook” he allows, in his tradition of confidential restaurant
info, that no chef he knows uses anything but canned snails,
unless they live in France with a large mossy garden. He also
warns that piping hot snails tend to explode like new potatoes
in a microwave, even after taken out of the oven, and offers the
advice to cover up appropriately.
M’s Pub, which I recently visited for my article, does some
beautiful escargots, and there are many, many classic variations
on what they serve. Their cheese of choice is Havarti (but not
the sliced one in the deli section) and I would say that if you
choose to use cheese, experiment with some good French bread
slices, an oven and some cheeses that melt beautifully, not too
sharp, and local. I like gruyere and Emmenthaler, but a local
camembert is what I choose here. This can be an appetizer for a
large group or a main course for two with a salad.
24 snails (two cans)
1 small package of medium-sized crimini or white
mushrooms
¼ lb. (3 or 4 slices) smoked thick-cut bacon, diced
1 oz. or 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup of white wine or Pernod
1 minced shallot or tbsp. minced mild onion
2 minced tablespoons of chopped parsley
One head of garlic, crushed
Black pepper and salt to taste
2 tbsp. vegetable broth (o ȁ