Your explanation is reasonable and makes perfect sense, so much so that it makes the preceding rhetoricals read somewhat disingenuous. What gave me the impression the turkey was frozen was that it was brought out from the kitchen in a little wrapped frozen bundle, then placed, immobile and fused in a lump, on the grill top, where it proceeded to steam thawed. Tasted great to me, not least because it was the "homemade" turkey I am accustomed to from the Depot - big, delicious, unevenly-carved chunks of turkey - as opposed to processed lunch meat.

I'll happily concede it may be primarily psychological, but not seeing that in the past, even if it was/is common practice, made the sandwich seem like something that was freshly carved up just for me. Watching the frozen packet brought out to thaw made me think of leftovers.

Vitesse...I don't know what's worse:

1. A whole roasted turkey or bone in breast sitting out all morning, afternoon and early evening, before being sliced and then rewarmed to go on my club sandwich. I'd be reluctant to order this unless it was at a busy establishment. State of Illinois mandates that cooked proteins be held below 41F or above 135F.
or
2. Cooking fresh, portioning and reheating for service. Product is held refrigerated or frozen at a safe temperature. Quickly reheated to order. Quality is compomised, but nobody's going to get sick.

If you do the volume, cooking fresh makes perfect sense. If volume is slow or inconsistent, you can only make so much turkey soup.

I once received a ticket from the City of Dallas for holding rare prime rib at room temp.)

Food for thought.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Vitesse...I don't know what's worse:

1. A whole roasted turkey or bone in breast sitting out all morning, afternoon and early evening, before being sliced and then rewarmed to go on my club sandwich. I'd be reluctant to order this unless it was at a busy establishment. State of Illinois mandates that cooked proteins be held below 41F or above 135F.
or
2. Cooking fresh, portioning and reheating for service. Product is held refrigerated or frozen at a safe temperature. Quickly reheated to order. Quality is compomised, but nobody's going to get sick.

If you do the volume, cooking fresh makes perfect sense. If volume is slow or inconsistent, you can only make so much turkey soup.

I once received a ticket from the City of Dallas for holding rare prime rib at room temp.)

Food for thought.

I'm struck by scenario one-probably because I have been reading documents all day, save for the two hours in meetings, and I am missing something, but why would a whole roasted turkey or bone in breast not be kept in the fridge if it were going to be kept all day for carving /portioning?

Seabee,

Somehow, maybe incorrect assumption on my part, I visualized the old owner Robert cooking a turkey every day, holding at room temp and slicing to order, which in a high volume situation makes perfect sense. I have no knowledge od how DAD operates...just that image in my mind of Robert. That would be perfection. Cooked refrigeraated turkey wouldn't be quite as tasty, but as we all know, that would be plenty good. The practice of pre slicing and portioning just brings it to the plate more quickly. As you know from your recent freezer experience, freezing will usually prolong the shelf life.

I tend to think in operational terms.

I visualized the old owner Robert cooking a turkey every day,

Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at, not the procedure, per se, but the appearance, the romance of what the Depot once was. I unfortunately didn't get quite the same vibe my last visit, but again, that may just be my high expectations at work for a beloved spot, reborn.

I do know, fwiw, that Old Depot used to run out of turkey, sometimes early, which might be more likely if it were sliced to order. Either way, as expediter, freezing the turkey didn't speed things up, particularly.

just ran into Robert Nava and he is now over at Kinderhook Tap. i will post this over on that thread as well.

oh, that's good news (I think). would love to see their menu change up a bit at kinderhook.

jmc wrote:oh, that's good news (I think). would love to see their menu change up a bit at kinderhook.

And I've never had anything there that really moved me; I have to believe having Nava in the kitchen will help.

Yeah, the food is underwhelming for sure. I enjoy the curds. Still the best beer list in South OP IMHO.

Folks, let's please be careful here because some negative, non-sequitur comments are being made here about Kinderhook Tap, not Depot Diner (and we wouldn't want any readers to get the wrong impression).

If you'd like to post about Kinderhook Tap, please visit this thread, where the change of ownership has already been brought up.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

On Thursday, the diner was closed and "for rent" signs are posted in the window. I was driving by, so was unable to investigate.

I had stopped by the area Turano Bakery on a special mission and got some special attention from one of the managers.

While chatting he mentioned that he was an investor in the latest incarnation of The Depot and that it was burning money and it was time to pull his support.

My Bride and I did stop there a couple of weeks ago on the weekend for breakfast and it was nothing bad. Very young staff both behind the grill and waiting on tables. Seemed to be doing a reasonable business.

I will miss several of their dishes although Big Guy's Sausage Stand does a great Pot Roast Sandwich (I think it is the Monday Special).

Big Guy's Sausage Stand
7021 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn
(708) 317-5213
www.bigguyssausage.com‎

Both Big Guys (as Panther mentions) and The Junction Diner have solid pot roast sandwiches designed to address some of the area's craving built by the Depot. Junction is really growing on me.

Panther in the Den wrote:I had stopped by the area Turano Bakery on a special mission and got some special attention from one of the managers.

While chatting he mentioned that he was an investor in the latest incarnation of The Depot and that it was burning money and it was time to pull his support.

My Bride and I did stop there a couple of weeks ago on the weekend for breakfast and it was nothing bad. Very young staff both behind the grill and waiting on tables. Seemed to be doing a reasonable business.

The Depot American Diner is no more. Coming soon!

Creole Soul
5840 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago

Could be interesting!

Looking forward to seeing how Creole Soul pans out!

Regarding The Junction, I'll try the pot roast sandwich next time I'm there. I want to love it, as much joy as it brings to my kids, but so far I've had nothing better than sub-par burgers. They couldn't hit medium rare to save their lives. Is there anything other than the pot roast sammie I should try there or is that what I really should have been ordering all this time?

CubsFanFoodie wrote:Regarding The Junction, I'll try the pot roast sandwich next time I'm there. I want to love it, as much joy as it brings to my kids, but so far I've had nothing better than sub-par burgers. They couldn't hit medium rare to save their lives. Is there anything other than the pot roast sammie I should try there or is that what I really should have been ordering all this time?

You may want to post this comment over in the Junction thread, where it is more likely garner some feedback. There's no reason to start a tangent about The Junction on this thread. Especially now.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators