Bedrock

I’m living in Bedrock–Nevadians are all about the decorative front-lawn rocks– like the large red ones the Flintstones have in their front yard. Let me set the scene for you…on Saturday mornings our neighbors rake their rocks instead of mowing their lawns. We have washes (a.k.a. “This used to be a river, but now it’s a bed of rocks”) instead of rivers! It’s at least 92�F every day (usually by around 11AM) and there are frequent dust storms! I feel like I’m in a foreign country. Where are the lush green mountains and cool, deep lakes of my Upstate homeland?!?

I have a fabulous new job working as a pastry cook at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Las Vegas!!! Everything about it (except maybe the pay) is great! I’m on the early morning shift right now, so I go in at 5AM (which, because of the 20 min. commute, requires waking up at 3:15 AM. Oh, Billy. This world is determined to make me a morning person I feel.) and get out between 1:00PM and 3:00PM. It’s a pretty good schedule, because I’ve still got the afternoon to get things done before hitting the sack at 7:30PM. Plus, I love my job!! It’s TOTALLY fun and extremely low stress and I’ve already almost completely taken over the breakfast line, so I sort of get to be in charge–something I highly enjoy. After service, which starts at 6:30AM and ends around 11:30AM, I go into the bakeshop and bang out bread production, or depending on how busy we are, head over to the pasty department and help them out with plated desserts for dinner. There’s so much to learn!

Bouchon means “bistro” in French. I’m sure you’ve all got a general idea of what a bistro is–casual great food, European style–but did you know that the first bistros were coal distributors? In the Olden Days, a bistro was a comfortable, busy, community harbor where you went to get your coal for the week, have a glass of wine, and catch up on local gossip. Eventually the bistros started offering small food items too, and as more advanced forms of heating developed, the coal-selling died out. The origin of the bistro has a lot to do with the ambiance and architecture of these restaurants today. Most of them are loud, upbeat, cozy places where you can go and feel comfortable and casual and eat great food at the same time! Adam Tihany designed both of TK’s Bouchons, so you can get a feel for what they’re like inside (this link shows pictures of the Bouchon in Yountville, Bouchon Las Vegas has blue velvet seating and is five times larger…).

Well, it’s past my bedtime, so I’m signing out for the night. New on MoltenChocolate.com
Lifestyles of The Poor and Aspiring
A live guided tour of my new apartment.