Hello! My name is Lance Barto, I am the Sous Chef at Strings and have recently become a new contributor to the Strings Blog!
I will be blogging about the creative process that Aaron and I go through to develop menus and help explain how the food at Strings comes to be. There should also be plenty of photographs, videos, upcoming menus and the occasional recipe on the way!

Chef Aaron and I had a good chance to sit down today and discuss some ideas for the new Winter Menu (which will hopefully be out next week). I thought I'd give you all a little insight to some of the ideas we're tossing around.

The first two dishes that are relatively solidified are both Entrees for the dinner menu. A dish featuring Duck Breast inspired by Southern Cuisine, and a Seafood (Scallops, or White Fish) dish inspired by some of our favorite Thai flavors.

The Duck will be a seared Muscovy Duck Breast, resting on top of Black Eyed Peas, and wilted Mustard Greens. The Black Eyed Peas will be cooked in a broth of Ham Hocks and Mirepoix (Carrot, Celery, and Onion), the leftover broth will be emulsified with Foie Gras, and act as the sauce of the dish. There will certainly be some fresh herbs and garnishes with the dish though they are yet to be specifically determined. One garnish in particular we have yet to work out the details for will be cornbread or corn in some form. This is a dish meant to warm your bones through the cold of winter, and remind you of some good old Southern hospitality.

The Thai inspired Seafood dish will revolve around either a piece of pan-seared white fish (Haddock, Alaskan Cod, or True North Atlantic Cod) or Scallops Brochette (Sea Scallops Skewered and Grilled). Underneath the Seafood will be a Gingered Carrot Puree, and a broth of Lemongrass and Coriander. The Broth will also probably be used to emulate 'Sea Foam' on top of the Seafood. Once again some of the smaller details are yet to be worked out, but I'd say you can bet on seeing some Micro Cilantro, some form of citrus, and something crunchy.

Keep your eyes open in the next few days to look for a few more of our ideas and experiments!