Ever Wonder Why There Aren't More Late-Night Eateries in Boston?

So did we. In fact, this anomaly has bugged us for some time, probably ever since we first moved to Boston in 2004. And if you have gone to college in Boston, you have also shaken your head on occasion after a night out, wondering where the heck you could get some crab rangoon at that hour. I know of only a handful of places that are open late on weekends, including an overpriced sausage push-cart that robs unsuspecting mass-holes of their money after a night out at the Greatest Bar (I'm just bitter because I recall one night when I stood in a line for the sausage sandwich, only to get to the front and realize that they were $7...pssh...nope...what do you think you are? A large commercial lender?)

So, we really want to extend our hours of operation from 11pm on weekend nights to 1am...or even 2 or 3am. We wanted to know how this could be done, so Chin contacted one of our industry sources. First our source explained that there were late-night licenses available, ones that allow shops to be open until 1am, some until 2 and 3am, but conceded that they are available in limited quantities and cost money. He also acknowledged the old-fashioned Bostonian mentality surrounding late-night businesses, and that is that they mean nothing but trouble and noise ("those damn college kids, they've overtaken our town!")...seems a bit Puritanical doesn't it?

While there are some areas in Boston and Cambridge that have late-night activity and would support such an eatery, most of the time businesses are faced with political opposition when trying to extend their food service to the wee hours. What late-night spots do you guys know of that seem to do well?

All About the Benjamins...or Maybe Jacksons...er...Lincolns?

A few days ago, Tanya and I had a meeting with the bank. Between the three of us, this was our third meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to get us started with personal lines of credit. The three of us decided to bring to the company a total of $50,000, meaning we would each be personally responsible for our own investment. Because we are all fresh out of college with little to no credit history to speak of, we all had to hustle our family members for a cosign commitment. Everyday we're hustling. We will then transfer the funds into our business checking account and then spend it on pretty, shiny things...like a nice stainless steel Turbo Air Reach-In Refrigerator.

Another thing we discussed with Ronald, the small business banking specialist extraordinaire, was the issue of merchant services. The merchant services department handles businesses' credit card transactions and does such things as installs the 'terminal' which is the slot for swiping credit and debit cards. The fee is a flat rate at first and then after 6 months, merchant services will reassess our business in terms of the number of transactions we process a day and whether or not it merits a better rate, etc. And that's not all...because we have a Bank of America checking account and if we decide to subscribe to BOA's Merchant Services, there is next day funding -- which means, ladies and gents, that the transactions will come through the next day and, voila, there's our money. The truth be told, however, we have bigger fish to fry before we sign on to merchant services -- but the way we see it, it's better to be prepared for these things now.

So, "What big fish?" You ask. We need investors before we start talking about swiping the plastic-y goodness that are the debit cards of our sexy and beautiful customers...or those of their parents, in many cases. This week we will be talking to some nice people who will hopefully get pen-happy with their checkbooks. If all else fails, we take to Plan B - sell stuff on eBay.

Wo de si-uh

... for some local, sustainably grown produce... Once again, I butcher a language! Can I get a whaaaat?

So our latest internal "hot-button" issue/debate is over locally grown food. We, as a company, believe in sustainability and supporting local business. We also want to appeal to our market's ethical food interests. Our thinking is that if our market likes what we support, they will want to support us and become regulars... So basically, we are totally altruistic.

Anyway, when we first broached the idea of buying our produce from local farmers, we focused solely on Massachusetts farms. Of which we found a fair amount (mostly in western MA). However, a recent conversation with my partner/friend Renee left me reeling. Let me preface this by saying that Renee has what I am going to call a "sharp business-mind." Through some industry contacts, Renee discovered that Maine was a hot-spot for the kind of produce we need. When she mentioned this to me, I sort of dismissed it since Maine is not Massachusetts and we decided local was an important cause to support.

When Renee and I eventually got to talking about Maine produce, I mentioned "what about the whole local thing?" She looked askance. Maine is local, was her reply... it's in the northeast. And if it's "local" and we can get it cheaper there because it's a bigger industry there, then why not?

So... what defines local then? Does it have to be within the same state, region, country... I, lets call me naive.. or maybe idealistic, think at least within the same state. And Renee, the lets-cut-a-deal part of the company, says oh... northeast... it's fine. Thank god we have a third to tie-break, or else we'd have to resort to rock-paper-scissors or competitive drinking games. You know, how real companies solve problems.

Anyway, wa du si-uh... I am going to wrap this up and get some lunch. Hopefully, the lettuce on my sandwich is from a "local" farm. So while I eat my lunch, voice your opinion on what local means to you. And when you see a company boasting their use of local produce, where you automatically think it came from.

As an addendum to Renee's last post, let me thank in name Meghan. You are famous.

On the Topic of Research

So for New Year's, my best friends from college and I ventured to New York City to welcome 2009 with style and panache. And what I really mean is that we were all hot messes and some of us welcomed 2009 like we welcomed hardwood floor...that...um...night - can I get a holler?

New Year's Eve aside, we spent most of our days eating at different diners and cafes -- birds of a feather eat together - you know what I mean? They would not be my friends if they did not share my love for food. So the places I remember are Moonstruck Diner, Hudson Place, Petite Abeille, Pinkberry, some bagel place on 2nd, Buttercup, the infamous Chicken and Rice stand, and finally...a similar restaurant to our own...Restaurant X on the Lower East Side. Dun Dun DUN. I dragged them there after we had eaten brunch and frozen yogurt, both within about 2 hours of each other-- are they troopers or what?

They were handy research assistants, bringing to attention important details that we will be sure to incorporate into our shop. My team of inspectors also offered their support and said, "You could do better than this!"

Our friends are important in the realization of the dream that is Saus. They have been supportive and inquisitive -- take Chin's friend and girlfriend who got him some useful equipment for our upcoming taste testings, for example. Or Tanya's coworkers who send her useful links that keep us in the start-up restaurant loop. And my friends, who gladly allowed me to drag them to a third eatery. Did I mention that we got cupcakes right after?

Thanks: Brendan, Henry, Janet, Amy, Lauren, Candice, Jenny, Monica, Kristie, and Brett.
Also: Neha & Jane & Sachin

Orinoco

So, it has been a while since I've posted. And that has to do with the fact that I've been super busy and I also haven't had much to share. However, I've decided that my silence reflects a poor commitment to Saus. Thus, I'm breaking my silence with a post that isn't directly Saus related but it is industry related... For those of you who are familiar with my long neglected blog BarFlyontheWall (who am I kidding, that blog is dead...), this will be similar.

I tried a restaurant for the first time this past Friday. I had been hearing such great things about it and it had been on my to-go list forever. My anticipation was not for nothing. Orinoco was so delicious that I feel the need to pass on my exceptional experience.

Orinoco has two locations- one in the South End and one in Brookline Village. I went to the cozy Brookline Village location. It has a vibrant, busy atmosphere but doesn't feel uncomfortable or overwhelming. As soon as I walked in the door and saw the rough wooden finishing, turquoise accents, and warm walls I was happy and hungry.

And the food! Seriously, ridiculously amazing. They play with traditional Latin flavors and add unexpected twists. Nothing I ordered was bland. I got an assortment of empanadas for an appetizer. There was the usual black bean empanada and sweet pork empanada but also a crab-filled empanda. And they came with a sweet, lemony dipping sauce that I was tempted to scoop out with my finger when the empanadas were gone. Dinner-room decorum stopped me.

For my meal I got lamb chops crusted with pistachio-panela-plantain. It was spicy, sweet and crunchy (I like how they add texture to their food). Mouthwatering to think about. The tenderloin comes with crab picadillo piled on top, which I think was my favorite part of the meal. Orinoco made me fall in love over and over again.

Basically this post is so I can pass on my new-found love and to show that I am continuing my serious market research in exploring new flavors and searching for inspiration! Seriously, hard work people. I take my job seriously.

It's 2009, Saus Gets on Twitter

Hey readers, Happy New Year!

So, we're trying to prime ourselves for total viral-dom when we are open. This is why we have surrendered to the pantheon of social networks so adored by our Sausy market. That being said, add us on Twitter - Saus_Inc - and receive mini-updates of our goings-on. Wow, that sentence was pretty hyphen-tastic. We would also love to follow you guys, so let us know what is going on.

A friend of mine once said (once, as in three days ago)...

"All is fine in 2009."