By JOHN CARLSON
jcarlson@muncie.gannett.com
Passing the window looking into The Hideout’s tiny kitchen Monday night, you might have stopped, squinted, then wondered what those pointy green things sizzling on the grill were.
The answer: Asparagus spears.
The question: In a tavern?
The reason: It was Jeff’s Kitchen night.
That being the case, the grilled asparagus was soon served to somebody on a bed of rice pilaf with orzo pasta alongside “Kiev Style chicken,” in a dinner not at all reminiscent of typical Hoosier bar fare such as tenderloins, French fries and cheeseburgers.
“Random inspiration,” answered Jeff Richey, The Hideout’s cook, when asked how he comes up with the special menus featured at his namesake, Jeff’s Kitchen, the first Monday and Thursday of each month.
All this can be traced a while back to when, one night a week, he and another cook there brought their own special ingredients to the tavern and whipped up some unexpected culinary delights.
“They did their own Hell’s Kitchen,” joked Rick Turner, who owns The Hideout with his wife, Barbara.
Now that Jeff’s Kitchen is firmly set on the schedule, Jeff is planning the menus on his own, Rick’s only stipulation being that meals be reasonably priced, selling for between $10.99 and $12.99.
“We’ve had some great dishes,” the co-owner continued. “We’re trying to get something that you’re not gonna find normally around here. … It’s fun to watch (Jeff) do this. Looking at his size, you know he likes to eat.”
So far, the special dinners have included chicken scaloppini served with an apple/gorgonzola salad; a bacon-wrapped, applewood-smoked boneless pork chop served with grilled corn on the cob, Caesar butter and a slaw salad, and sliced steak with a savory sauce, seasoned corn and deep-fried mashed potatoes.
“It’s gone real well so far,” said Rick. “Probably the best one has been the pork chop.”
Indeed, mention that pork chop to the regulars and they sort of swoon, describing how that night their noses sniffed the air as the waitresses passed, carrying the dishes to the tables.
“The pork chops, they were delicious,” recalled Jama Batthauer, who had just finished dinner and was now sharing apple pie a la mode with her husband, Joe. “Everything we’ve had here has been really good.”
Back in the cramped kitchen, a space made all the smaller by Jeff’s considerable size, the shaven-headed cook was working on two other diners’ dinners.
A 38-year-old Daleville native, he had been employed in jobs such as a parts guy and a building maintenance engineer before coming here two years ago, his previous cooking experience limited to what he made in the kitchen at home.
Somehow, once he began working at The Hideout, the cooking bug bit.
“I would actually love to go to culinary school,” he declared. “I really can’t see myself doing anything but cooking for the rest of my life.”
Naturally, in the meantime, he has embraced the Jeff’s Kitchen concept.
“I thought it was a great idea,” he said. “It was (Rick’s) idea, but it didn’t take me long to get on board.”
Now, the smallest thing sparks visions of new culinary endeavors.
The other day, for example, he spotted some Greek vinaigrette dressing in storage, and soon was envisioning a Greek vinaigrette salad with all the trimmings, right down to the fancy olives and feta cheese.
As for the main course, gyro sandwiches sounded good to him, but then he thought maybe he’d forsake the lamb for, say, beef tips.
“That’s the way every dish has been,” he said.
Other plans?
“I love the pastas, I love the sauces,” he said, before adding, “and then there’s Cajun. Cajun is definitely in the works.”
As he talked and plated his fare, he dodged Kim Johnson, who smiled happily as the work went on.
“I’m his sous chef,” she said, laughing as she shared the kitchen. “We get very excited. I feed off his excitement.”
Also feeding off the excitement is Barbara Turner, the other aforementioned co-owner.
“We talk about it all month long,” she said, discussing upcoming Jeff’s Kitchen meals. “People are excited. They tell us, ‘Oh, we’ll be there.’ I’ll suggest a few things. Today we got to talking about chicken cordon bleu.”
What was that conversation like?
“I never thought that would happen here,” she said.
Meanwhile, while Dean Martin crooned That’s Amore over the jukebox speakers, Jeff left his tiny kitchen to visit his customers at their tables.
“You’re a great cook,” one woman told him, then waffled. “Er, chef?”
He just laughed.
“Tonight,” Jeff said, happily, “I’m a chef.”
z Contact John Carlson at 213-5824.