Leaving Mexico City

As of this week, I have resigned from my post as executive chef of Social House Mexico City.

No regrets. No hard feelings....
Social House gave me a great opportunity to grow and learn about the business.

Of course, I'm holding back. If you asked some other people, they might say something different.... just saying.

"Casa Social" Mexico City...under construction

@ Social House Santa Fe, Paragon Business and Residential Suites



lobby @ Paragon




inside Social House "kitchen"





@ Social House Masaryk-Polanco
Located in a historic colonial mansion, this location will offer a great contrast in design with a
modern interior setting.

Social House Menu Preview

Click on each menu to enlarge.

The SH Mexico City menu is very similar to the cuisine for SH Las Vegas. Btw, SHLV will be opening this week inside Crystals Mall at City Center.

Some differences are from the availability of ingredients. The style in which the kitchen is laid out will also influence the way we will be doing things here in Mexico. There is definitely a greater variety of vegetables and fruits here compared to Vegas...and much fresher too!. It is something that I can't wait to take advantage of. Having access to amazing products is key to any successful restaurant.

The menu is still incomplete, and I apologize. I just couldn't wait to share the info. I have yet to finalize the pricing, but it'll be a complete menu before opening.

Have suggestions? Bring them my way! Thanks for reading.

Preview: Social House Mexico Menu

As the kitchen and restaurant are getting closer to being ready, I am getting more excited each day. With the help of my sous chef Aldo, we're starting to get settled in. Above is a preview of the Social House Menu for Santa Fe, Mexico. For everyone living in DF, please come out to support us for the upcoming grand opening! Thanks.

A Passion for Family Meals

One of my favorite things about working in a restaurant kitchen is having family meals with the staff. These are the meals eaten by the cooks, servers, bussers, wine sommeliers, managers, dishwashers. It is often prepared by someone belonging to the kitchen staff, before guests arrive.

Some days, it can be whole roasted chicken with natural jus with potato puree or shepard's pie and then rhubarb cobbler for desert. Other days, we only have trimmings available from that beef ribeye I just butchered or scraps of vegetables. Staff meals can mean the Mexican cook in my kitchen feeding the entire staff tacos, made from the beef trimmings. Another day, the Indian prep cook will turn out beautifully cooked vindaloo and chicken masala. It doesn't matter what is on hand, but cooks will find a way to make magic from humble ingredients. (Usually!)

Macaroni and Farm Vegetables poached in Tom Yum Broth


Steamed Snapper with Ginger and Scallion

Thomas Keller devoted a section to family meals in his book, The French Laundry. It is titled, "The Importance of Staff Meal". He writes, “Staff meal was first about the fundamentals of cooking … Can you be passionate about cooking at this level? If you can make great food for these people, create that habit, have that drive, that sincerity, and keep that with you and take it to another level in the staff meal, then someday you’ll be a great chef. Maybe.”

Staff meals are simple, fun, and diverse. These meals bring the team closer together and is meant to keep everyone happy. That is why I am passionate about it.

Santa Fe Construction

View from outside patio of Social House.


Patio


Part of the lounge


Space for walk in and freezer


My future kitchen.
(The entire hot line is the length of the brick wall)



Construction continues to move along in Santa Fe. The completion date is looking to be May 24 and kitchen installation will take 7-10 days. I must say, that this kitchen will probrably be the smallest I've ever worked out of. It doesn't look to be more than 300 sq. ft. The space is to fit the hot line, the pass, prep area, a 3 compartment sink, beverage station, dry storage, a walk in refrigerator and freezer, the dish pit, server's station, and a pastry station that is barely even a space at all!

Only one solution:

We're going vertical. That means tons of shelving and being extremely organized.

There are two restaurants already opened in the Paragon building:
-City Bistro
-Le Bodocua

Also going in beside Social House are:
-Kingfisher
-a restaurant by Los Canarios
-Artnoc, a wine shop

Social House Food Preview

Beef filet w/ 5 sauces

Chili Squid
Tocino Pork Ribs, Pickles
Arctic Char, Truffle Soy Reduction
Braised Tamarind Shortribs, Curry Corn Salad
Yellowtail Jalepeno
Tuna Tataki, Ginger Chili Sauce

Kobe Beef Tataki, Wasabi Creme Fraiche, Lemon Soy
Trio w/ soy salt, citrus, chili oil
Nigiri: tuna, salmon, ama ebi

source: socialhouselv.com

Social House Preview!!!

Social House ad in Caras Magazine

Frontage of Social House Mexico City site.

Social House at Paragon Santa Fe



This is my 3rd day in Mexico City. Things are happening very quickly. They expect buildout to be in 3 weeks, (although from what I can tell, construction has not begun yet). I stopped by the site of the restaurant with Javier, director of Luxury Clubbing Group and Jenny, my fiance.
During my time here in Mexico City, I've been in communication with Joe Elevado, Executive Chef of Pure Management Group, and Aldo Bravo, who will also join Social House Mexico as a chef. I can't wait to get into the kitchen!

More pictures and updates to come!

Introduction

Hi Everyone...

I am very excited about opening Social House in Mexico City in March 2010. It has been an awesome journey getting to this point and I know there will be longer roads ahead.

Food...Restaurants...Cooking...it is my passion. Cooking is what I have always dreamed of doing. Never in a million years, did I think I would be doing it in Mexico! Life is funny, but it has treated me well.

With this blog, I want to share the foods and experiences that I encounter during my tenure in the capital city of Mexico.

Prior to this great opportunity, my experiences include:

-Wazuzu, Wynn Encore Resort, Las Vegas, NV
-Red 8, Wynn Resort, Las Vegas, NV
-Social House, Treasure Island Resort, Las Vegas, NV
-Sona, West Hollywood, CA
-Joel Robuchon at the Mansion, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
-Atelier, Ritz Carlton Hotel, New York, NY
-Ambrosia on Huntington, Boston, MA

-Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

I am excited and ready to go. Vamanos!

My Story...

Sheridan was born in Los Angeles' Chinatown, and raised in Monterey Park, CA. Growing up in an area considered by many gourmandes as home to some of the finest Asian restaurants in the world, this was a giant playground for his culinary beginnings. Since a child, Sheridan has had a fascination with taste and the transformation of ingredients, leading a very natural path to becoming a chef.


Upon graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Sheridan embarked on a culinary journey that has shaped who he is today. He began his culinary career in Boston at Ambrosia on Huntington, where the French-Asian cooking was recognized as one of Esquire Magazine's 25 best new restaurants.


In 2002, Sheridan was recruited by Chef Grabiel Kreuther to join the kitchen of Atelier, the Ritz Carlton's signature dining room in New York City. The restaurant recieved numerous accolades, including a NYT *** review. In 2004, Sheridan returned to Los Angeles to be part of a team that cooked and developed amazing tasting menus at Chef David Myer's Michelin * restaurant, Sona.


Intrigued by what he was hearing about the Las Vegas culinary scene, Sheridan gained a position on the opening team of Michelin *** restaurant, Joel Robuchon at the Mansion. A year later, Chef Joe Elevado offered him the opening sous chef position at Social House, one of the most acclaimed Asian restaurants in the country. In 2008, with the opening of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, Sheridan was again recruited to join the opening team of Wazuzu. There he helped lead the renowned pan Asian kitchen with Chef Jet Tila. During his tenure, the restaurant was named by Conde Nast Magazine as one of the "hottest tables" in the country.


In 2009, he was reunited with the group behind Social House, and.offered an international executive chef position to lead the opening of two Asian restaurants in Mexico City.


In 2010, Chef Sheridan was appointed the opening executive chef of Comme Ca at The Cosmopolitan. Prior to the opening, he traveled with David Myers to study the great Parisian brasseries in France. At 28 years old, Sheridan became one of the youngest executive chefs on the Las Vegas Strip. There, he led the restaurant to national recognition, including being named one of the top 10 best new restaurants in the country by Gayot.

Like every cook and chef cooking their hearts out and climbing the ladder in this business, Sheridan always wanted to have his own restaurant. When an opportunity was presented to operate his own food business in one of the greatest gastronomic cities in the world, it was an offer that he couldn't refuse.