It's a Fish Shack Freak Show

It's been three weeks since my last post. Miss me?

It was about that time when one of our bus boys, Diego, got into a fight one night after work and got the crap kicked out of him. He's okay now. But it meant for almost two weeks that we were short a major part of the team so all the waiters had to pick up an extra shift busing tables. This meant working seven shifts in six days.

I've haven't had two days off in over a month. And so, on my day off I head to the beach and leave the laptop behind.

At the same time one of the servers, Ivette, had a few too many mojitos during a shift and was suspended for a week. The rest of us had to pick up the slack, meaning more double shifts for everyone. An eight-hour dinner rush is rigorous enough, tack on another four or six hours to that and it makes for one helluva long day.

Tack on another few hours of drinking afterward (to unwind, of course) and then do it all over again the next day. Staying sober in this town in not an easy thing to do.

And the thing is, it's pretty much been like that since I started working at Joe's. I had only been there a couple weeks when Tanque (Tank) the main bartender just upped and vanished. He's been at the restaurant since day one and works double shifts six days a week. Very important cog in the wheel.

One day, he didn't show up for work. Wouldn't answer his phone and no one (that I know of) knew where he was. The rumour is that he was in some kind of trouble and escaped to Baja to hide out. In a cave on the beach, no doubt. Ari, who's both a server and bartender had to pick up all of Tanque's shifts, leaving us short a waiter.

We only use fresh lime juice in all of our margaritas and mojitos and the bartender goes through hundreds of limes a day. Have you ever seen what prolonged exposure to citric acid can do to your hands? It ain't pretty. Ari was not only exhausted from working no-stop but her hands were being ravaged as well.

Then, 10 days later, Tanque was back. I never got the full story (or any part of it, actually) and frankly it's better not to know. In Mexico, too much information can be a very bad thing.

But somehow it all ends up working out. We all just dig in and keep the wheels turning at Joe Jacks, pumping out close to 400 meals a night. In a place that only seats about 80 people, its a fast-paced and sometimes grueling environment. And yet it's fun somehow. The insanity of it all and the constant pressure, mixed with a crazy cast of characters means there's never a dull moment.

And I'll take drama over the mundane any day. I also know that my time here is brief and in a little over a month I'll be leaving it behind. There's comfort in that. Believe me.

This is Total BS!

Who likes Brussels sprouts, right?

Imagine how much you'd like them if it was your job to peal the leaves from 20 kilos of the micro cabbages on New Year's Eve?

I finished work at 4pm on NYE only to stay at Joe Jack's for another 2 1/2 hours pealing BS. I seriously considered letting my steak knife slip, allowing it to sever the vein in my wrist. It wasn't just me though, it was every waiter, bus boy and manager doing the job.

Thankfully sprout season has almost run its course and the final crops are coming off the fields. Our pealing duties will soon be over. Just ask Paulina my co-worker how that makes her feel? I snapped these pictures yesterday in the waiter station while the two of us were on pealing duty.

Good thing for us. Not so good for our customers as the Warm Parisian Bistro Salad will soon come off the menu. If the thought of Brussels sprouts triggers your gag reflex this salad will make you a convert. If you're that rare being who's already a devotee of BS than you're in for a recipe that will more than satisfy your next craving.

Joe didn't actually give me the recipe for this salad but it's pretty easy. And sorry, but it's gonna be up to you to for measurements and quantities.

~bacon
~red onion
~Brussels sprout leaves
~medium-hard boiled egg
~red wine vinegar
~croutons

I will give you a little tip on pealing sprouts. Cut off the root bottom then take a paring knife and remove the core. The leaves are much easier to remove when the core is gone.

Start by sauteing some chopped bacon until the fat is rendered. We use lardons at the resto (big, thick pieces) so use thick cut bacon or pancetta if you can. Toss in some thin slices of red onion and saute for a minute or two. Then add the leaves of the Brussel sprouts, tossing around so that every leaf is coated in the bacon drippings. Add some pieces of egg. Here's the secret: a semi-soft yolk will add a touch of creaminess to your salad. Add a splash or two of red wine vinegar to the pan and toss once more. Pour out into a bowl and add a few croutons on top for crunch.

So damn easy and so bloody good. Hands down the best use of BS I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

The Seafood Chronicles

It’s Tuesday. I don’t know about you but I certainly feel like a cocktail. Not that I have much to complain about. Life is good. I’ve recently returned from a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where, as any good hedonist knows, is a fantastic place to enjoy cocktails. And I myself, along with my traveling companion Mr. Jamie Slater, a.k.a. “Ida Slapther” indulged several times in delicious blended margaritas—delivered direct to our very favourite palapa.

While out for dinner at one of our new favourite restaurants, Joe Jack’s Fish Shack, we sampled the house specialty, a tasty and refreshing ginger mojito. We needed the digestive aid of the ginger to help sooth our bloated bellies.

On our first visit to Joe’s I ordered the self-proclaimed “famous seafood chowder”. A hot and hearty bowl of soup isn’t something I normally crave in 20˚C weather but I’m a bit of stargazer, especially when it comes to food. I had to see if this was indeed the Meryl Streep of chowders or just a tart of a soup named Paris, meant to seduce pink-faced tourists like me.

To my culinary delight this soup had balls to back it up. A tomato-based, Manhattan-style chowder so complex and layered in its seasoning I don’t know where to begin to describe it.

It’s like sitting around a campfire and someone throws a bag of spices onto the fire which may or may not include fennel, cumin and paprika. Then someone else throws on a bag of dried poblano peppers and a bushel of tomatoes.

Into that smoky and charred broth is pieces of melt-in-you-mouth octopus, swollen shrimp, pacific lobster and mahi mahi—all locally caught and fresh beyond compare.

The abundance of affordable fish and seafood in the markets in PV is one of the reason’s Joe Jack came to PV from his two successful digs in San Francisco and Los Angeles and opened his eponymous resto.

Lucky for us.

His fish and chips have become legendary in the three years since he opened and while neither Ida nor I tried them, we can both hail praise for the battered fish tacos. Three huge pieces of mahi mahi, thick and crispy coated, topped with a smooth and refreshing avocado and coriander puree, smoked-pepper salsa and crunchy slaw. For less than $10 CAD, it makes over-indulging very affordable.

There’s a vibe about Joe’s that instantly puts you at ease. A vibe that brings you back. Well that and a waiter Ida and I called Jaun.

It’s a vibrant place and servers are constantly running past with tall glasses of sangria; delivering dessert cups filled with Joe’s amazing ceviche; or doling out thick pieces of coconut pie. Had we had room for dessert it would have graced our table too.

Thankfully, it gives us good reason to return. Well, that and Juan.

www.joejacks-fishshack.com