The position will include front of house, bar, some administration work, and would suit candidates looking to develop their skills and knowledge of the industry, across a wide range of hospitality management areas.

Red Grapevine & The Coughing Gherkin are two very busy restaurants servicing the Armidale community, and currently employ some of Armidale’s most talented and experienced chef’s, apprentices & front of house staff. This is a great opportunity to learn the industry from a highly professional and successful team. The restaurants have an excellent track record of completing apprentices and trainees, and are strongly committed to the development of our industry in the local community.

Opportunities exist for the right candidate, on completion, to move into a management role within this dynamic organization.

Candidates must possess a love of food, a willingness to learn new things, and an interest in people. Must also be available and happy to work evenings and weekends.

Industry experience is not strictly necessary, although some customer service experience is an advantage. RSA certificate, and a current driver’s license is essential.

To apply for the position use the contact form below.

Winter is upon us in the northern tablelands, and with it – the desire to slow cook some of the more interesting cuts of meat in the butchers. Whether it’s pies, stews or pasta – the weather is brutally cold and there’s nothing quite like gooey and thoroughly tasty bits of meat on our forks to cheer us up.

This winter was the first for many years at red grapevine that we haven’t had Osso Buco on our menu, instead choosing to have this classic slow cooked pasta sauce on our specials instead. It’s been a great success, so much so that we decided to post it as our recipe for this month.

There is something especially alluring about Ox, however for those who don’t know, this is the meat from the tail of the exact same domesticated & castrated Bovine creature that gives us Scotch Fillet Steak and mince beef. The term ‘Ox’ generally refers to a Bullock that has been trained to work as a draught animal, not commonly practiced in a country with thousands of tractors. If you were to purchase ‘Ox’ meat at a market stall in Mongolia then it would be almost certainly be Ox, but in an Australian supermarket chances are it’s come from the very same animal as the packet of T-Bone or topside beef it’s sitting next to. Why butchers and chefs refer to the tongue and tail as Ox is probably a result of culinary tradition more than anything else. I doubt ‘Eye Fillet of Ox’ would be particularly popular in restaurants.

Ingredients:
2kg oxtail or beeftail (You may find it described as either).
2 large brown onions
3 celery stalks
3 large carrots
500ml vegetable stock
½ cup red wine

1. Arrange a large roasting tin or ovenproof dish with some chopped carrot, onion, & celery pieces
2. In a hot frying pan with a small amount of oil, lightly brown your oxtail pieces on both sides
3. When finished, place the meat on top of the vegetables in the dish. Deglaze your pan with the red wine and pour this on top of the oxtail. Then add enough vegetable stock so that the liquid level goes up 1/3 to 1/2 of the meat. It needs to be sitting in the liquid, but not covered.
4. Cover the oxtail tightly with two pieces of aluminium foil. It is VERY IMPORTANT that it is tightly covered with no holes. The slow cooking will only work if there is little to no moisture loss at all. As the liquid comes to the boil, it will turn to steam, but then condense on the inside of the foil and go back to liquid again. It is this cycle that creates the combination of boiling, steaming & roasting which breaks the meat down, and makes it so flavoursome & tender.
5. The whole tray will need about 4 hours in an oven set to 150 degrees C.

There is a comprehensive description of this method (officially known as braising) and a video of us slow cooking lamb on one of our older posts here.

6. Take it out of the oven, and allow the meat to cool slightly.
7. Shred the meat from the bone, making sure you get all the gooey sticky yuminess from all the nooks & crannies.
8. Save the carrots and puree them thoroughly till smooth.
9. Strain all of the cooking liquid.
10. Mix through the meat & carrot with enough of the stock to make a thick sauce. If it is too runny, put it into a saucepan on a low heat and reduce it until it has reached a nice thick consistancy.
11. Mix together with whatever pasta you choose. This month at red grapevine we have used tagliatelle.

Any question, or thoughts (or if anyone knows a little more about the Ox / Beef Etymology) please use the comment section below.

There may be smoother dudes in the New England region than these three guys, but if there is, I haven’t met them.
Join us in the lounge for soft & subtle trumpet solos of Ash Hall, the talented keys of Bruce Walker and the sauve & sensual vocals of Tony Elder. From the classic jazz standards to the quirky songs you didn’t realise you knew so well. Last time the trio played at red grapevine the atmosphere was electric. Don’t miss it.

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Friday 10th June – Francesca de valance & Alan Boyle

Red Grapevine is extremely proud to introduce an exciting double header featuring these two exciting Brisbane based artists.
Alan Boyle is an Irish singer-songwriter who now calls Australia home, building a reputation as a powerful live performer on the national emerging artist scene, suppoting some of Australia’s top musicians and visiting international acts.
For more info visit www.alanboylemusic.com
Francesca de Valence has a shimmering and accessible blend of pop, rock and folk has earned her praise and recognition across the globe, which began with a Los Angeles Music Award for International Songwriter of the Year in November 2008 for her debut EP From the Outside In.
For more info visit www.francescadevalence.com

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Friday 17th June – Cross Prosser

Cross Prosser is a young energetic group brought together by a passion for improvisation and jazz. A Jazz Quartet, made up of Sam Prosser (sax), Joshua Kreusler (piano/guitar), Anthony Saltis (drums) and Zac Grafton (bass). Cross Prosser have been playing together for 3 years and in that time has won many awards and competitions. The quartet play a broad mix of jazz, ranging from the ultra-cool tunes of Miles Davis to the jazz-funk fusion of Herbie Hancock with a few originals thrown in.

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Friday 24th June – The BobCatz

The BopCatzRockabilly: the swinging thump of early rock, coloured with a lick of country strum, the tang of southern blues and the shiver of fledgling funk. Rockabilly gets style: circus tattoos; sleek machines; dance abandon; preened jeans and sharp shoes. Rockabilly music moves through time and space – Louisiana backblocks, 1948, to Brixton, 1980s, to innercities across Australia, and now to New England. The BopCatz have tapped the wires and caught the sound, and are putting the foot to the floor right now. The BopCatz are Carol Elder (potent vocals), Steve Thorneycroft (archival guitars), Sarah Thorneycroft (humming bass) and Steve Harris (righteous drums), and they have been speaking with Elvis, Carlos and the Bandidos, The Shadows, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, The Stray Cats and Imelda May, and are bringing the wild word of hip bop song to a room near you. Combining many years experience as performing musicians, The BopCatz respect tradition but also prize innovation, channelling the spirit of the originals and pioneers, but also seeking out the new flavours and forms – a dash of swamp gothic, mudcountry blues and voodoo groove.

Friday 1st July – Maracuja

Inspired by Bossa Nova’s elements of subtle groove, idiomatic harmony, sweet melody and poignant lyrics, Maracujá perform songs from Brazil and a selection of pop/jazz/reggae/soul ‘bossafied’ numbers.

Maracujá began recently when Lindsay Rowlands, local musician and Denis Dos Santos, Brazilian/Japanese university student, discovered they shared an interest in Bossa Nova and a passion for music in general. They met regularly to play guitars, sing and just make music. The group now includes bassist-singer Dan Saunders, singer-diva-university music student Mel Baggs, and percussionista Jess Stocker.

They bring to their performance a broad span of influences, experience and abilities. Musical colours of Africa, India, The Middle East, Japan, Polynesia, Portugal, Indonesia and of course Brazil, render their expressive palette and while their playing provides an engaging, gentle and sonorous backdrop to many settings, you may want to practise your Samba steps!

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Friday 8th July – Frank Kessler

One of Armidale’s most experienced guitarists, seamlessly incorporating a subtle mix of blues, rock, jazz & country into his unique & pleasing musical style. Drawing from a deep & eclectic repertoire, there is something for everybody in every set. With strong & compelling vocals, Frank is a natural crowd pleaser,  and a sophisticated musical talent.
Not one to be missed.

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Friday 15th July – Moorey & Richie

One of Armidale’s most popular live music acts, playing a variety of styles across popular genre’s. Naturally dynamic performers, they engage audiences with ease. Their Live in the Lounge performances in 2010 were huge, and we expect nothing less this year.

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Friday 22nd July – …to be confirmed

Friday 29th July – EphenStepehn

EphenStephen is a classical guitar duo committed to exploring both inventive and established repertoire.

With a diverse history of projects ranging from new music commissions to ground breaking transcriptions of classic works, this duo embraces a unique musical vision.
For more info visit www.ephenstephen.com

Music from 8.30pm. Entry Free. Full food & drinks menu available till late.

Both kitchens pride themselves on maintaining a high quality of food, and a professional & ethical workplace. This is a great opportunity for someone who is serious about a career in commercial cookery.

Those seeking an apprenticeship should be available for full time work including nights & weekends.

Those seeking a school based traineeship should be in year 10 or 11 at school and be available to work at least two nights per week.

Positions for senior apprentices & junior chefs may also be available for the right applicant.

For more info call Brian on 0402 025 146, or use the form below to apply.

This recipe is hardly original. In fact, pasta with mushrooms is one of the oldest and most common combinations in Italian cuisine, not just found across the Italian peninsula, but served and eaten all over the world.

It would be fairly accurate to refer to this as ‘Boscaiola’ sauce, however at red grapevine we shy away from using the traditional terminology, preferring instead to describe the food in English. This prevents confusion, and also allows us to put some of our own interpretations onto the traditional dishes.

Ironically though, the definition of authentic ‘Boscaiola’ is not set it stone, and unlike many Italian sauces, the regional origin is not that distinct. In the context of food ‘Boscaila’ means ‘of the forrest’ – a reference to its most common ingredient – wild mushrooms. Literally though, ‘Boscaiolo’ means ‘woodman’ or ‘lumberjack’. It is quaint, but I’ve always liked the lumberjack connection to Boscaiola. It is a hearty & rustic collection of flavours and is always immensely satisfying. I think if I spent all day cutting down trees, this is the type of meal I’d like to come home to.

You can use any pasta that you like for this, but I tend towards the rule that short, spiral or tubular pastas should be served with rich tomato sauces, while long pastas work really well with sticky creamy or olive oil based sauces.

Interestingly enough, the name Pappardelle derives from the verb “pappare,”- to gobble up. Perfect for the lumberjack.

It takes about 7 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients

(Serves 1)

The Sauce:
1. In a hot pan, lightly saute the bacon, mushrooms & leeks for about 1 minute, or until the bacon crispens slightly, the mushrooms moisten, and the leeks go limp.
2. Add the crushed garlic and deglaze with the white wine.
3. When the wine has reduced in volume by about half (depending on the heat in your pan this should take anywhere from 20-40 seconds) add the cream, salt & pepper & bring to the boil.
4. Once the cream starts to bubble, it will slowly reduce. There is no time guideline for this, you just need to watch the sauce and turn it off when it has reached the desired consistency. For the best result, the sauce should be thick enough to stick to pasta, but runny enough to mix through it easily. If you reduce it too far, you can add a little cream.

The Pasta:
All pasta types & brands are different, so you should always follow the instructions on the packet carefully.

All pasta should be cooked in lightly salted water.

For this dish at red grapevine, we use Barilla’s Pappardelle Uovo from their specialty range. This is not available in a lot of supermarkets, but there are many great pappardelle varieties that are. If you live close to somewhere that sells fresh egg pasta than even better.

N.B. If you are fairly confident with the coordinating the cooking, you can save time by cook the pasta while you make the sauce, but it is quite easy to overcook the pasta this way (which is an irretrievable disaster). If you have an extra few minutes, cook the sauce first, put it to one side, and then cook the pasta.

Once both are ready, drain the pasta, and add the pasta to the sauce and mix. ALWAYS add the pasta to the sauce, and never the sauce to the pasta.

Good luck. Any queries or feedback please feel free to use the comments below.

The staff at red grapevine are very excited to be involved in Movember this year, and we’re hoping to raise money for this great cause by selling whole Ciabatta loaves at the restaurant for takeaway.  The Ciabatta is our signature bread, and this will be the first time that whole loaves will be available to the public.  They are approximately 500g loaves and and are $5 each.  100% of the proceeds will go to the Movember fund.  The bread will be available for sale each night on the bar.

Movember is not just about raising money, but increasing awareness of men’s health issues – in particular prostate cancer and depression.  The male staff at red grapevine will be attempting to grow moustaches throughout the coming month.  We are not too confident (we have a lot more faith in our bread than our facial hair to be honest.)  To find out more about Movember visit The official movember website.

To donate to the cause you can use the paypal link below

or directly to the Movember fund, by using this link to their donations page and searching for red grapevine.

If you can’t make it to the restaurant this month, but would like a loaf of bread delivered (as long as you live in Armidale), then you can buy loaves via paypal below and we’ll deliver one to you on our next baking day.

We bake Tuesday through to Saturday and the bread is normally ready at about 6pm.

By breakfast the next day it is at it’s best. (especially with vegemite!!)

]]> http://www.redgrapevine.com.au/2010/10/30/movember-red-grapevine/feed/ 0 http://www.redgrapevine.com.au/2010/08/19/alan-boyle-francesca-de-valence-21st-august-2010/ http://www.redgrapevine.com.au/2010/08/19/alan-boyle-francesca-de-valence-21st-august-2010/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:50:01 +0000 Brian http://www.redgrapevine.com.au/?p=512 Francesca De Valence

“Francesca de Valence is a musician to keep an ear out for” (Faster Louder). Her shimmering and accessible blend of pop, rock and folk has earned her praise and recognition across the globe, which began with a Los Angeles Music Award for International Songwriter of the Year in November 2008 for her debut EP “From The Outside In”. With two award-winning EP’s and numerous Australian and US tours under her belt the Brisbane songstress released “Something New”, the first single and music video from the “Oh it’s Simple” EP in February 2010. Since then it has snapped up a semi-finalist gong in the International Songwriting Competition and is a finalist in the MusicOz Awards, the Australian National Songwriting Competition.  Francesca’s music ‘apprenticeship’ started with a childhood dedicated to classical music studies and later a degree in Jazz from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. But it was the influence of her song writing idols Carole King, Stevie Wonder and Neil Finn that put a teenage Francesca on the road to writing her own songs. Having performed with some of the world’s best including Michael Buble and Keith Urban, Francesca’s decision to make her mark on the music industry is one that she’s not looked back on. “Soaring, Beatles-esque melodies and…Crystalline Vocals”                  Nick Bond, Sydney Citysearch  “Listening to Francesca makes you think of some of the greats such as Carole King and Sarah McLachlan. This Australian has a true distinction and a timeless quality to her voice.” Radio Indy “Francesca is created for the 21st century music marketplace. Her style is fresh and her melodies are perfect for commercial radio.” Al Bowman, Founder/Executive Producer, Los Angeles Music Awards “Sweet, heartfelt songs…that show off her naturally beautiful voice”Sally Browne, Courier MailFrancesca de Valence is currently available for signing, licensing, booking, publishing and management worldwide – contact info@francescadevalence.com

Alan Boyle

Born under the weeping Irish stars, Alan Boyle wandered the earth for years before falling asleep at the gates of Australia, where a family of possums took him in and dressed the wounds on his fingertips…..

His first EP SHALLOW HEART was recorded in Dublin before moving to Brisbane in 2005. He has since appeared at the Woodford Folk Festival, QLD Multicultural Festival, Greenfest and Brisbane’s 2009 Australia Day Celebrations, building a solid reputation as a powerful and original performer on the Australian emerging artist scene, more recently supporting Oz music legends Dragon and Wendy Matthews on their respective SE QLD tours.

A 2009 QSong nomination for “This Town”, one of the songs from the new OXYGEN EP, selection as the recipient of the Billy Thorpe Scholarship Award followed by an Irish mini-tour which found Alan supporting Fionn Regan and playing to a national audience on the RTE Radio1 Today Show, marks the beginning of something truly special….

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/alanboyle#ixzz0x3Gf1uvZ

Live in the Lounge @ red grapevine. Friday 20th August from 9pm

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