Welcome to RowHouse! 

May 14 - 17, 2008...

This weeks Menu May 14 - 17, 2008 

• Salad - Quick Pickled Cucumer and Red Onion Viniagrette tossed with Baby Greens.  Served with a Feta Mousse Crostini 
• Appetizer - Asian Peanut Noodles with Chili Garlic Paste and Peas 
• Veggie Entree - Sticky Rice Casserole of Asparagus and Waterchestnuts 
• Entree 2 - Sesame Crusted Halibut with Ginger Orange Glaze and Black Rice
• Entree 3 - Hoisin and Molasses Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Roasted Yams and Soy Braised Red Cabbage. 
• Dessert -  Sweet Sticky Rice with Fresh Berries 
• Dessert -  Apricot Bread Pudding with Plum Sauce 
• Dessert -  Coconut Milk and Chocolate Cake 

Reflections on the First Year at RowHouse from my staff and I...

"When I started this job over a year ago, I had no real experience.  I'd only cooked for my family.  Greg has taught me the majority of what I know.  We are great partners in the kitchen.  We even measure the same...a pinch here, a bit of that, about yah much, a dollop, glop, glussile...we always match.  He can easily tell me what he wants a dish to be like, and I can make it taste and look the way he describes. 

I'm more independent in the kitchen now.  Sometimes I make up dishes, or add compliments to a plate.  On Friday and Saturdays, I'm in charge of the kitchen so that Greg can meet the customers, and see what we can do to improve the service, the food, and the atmosphere.  Changing our menu every week is a challenge.  However it's also one of the most exciting things.  Every Wednesday when I show up for work it's a new menu, dishes we've never made, an idea that explodes into life sometime between 1 and  6pm when we open.

Another exciting part of my job is being able to take the plates to the tables.  Seeing the customers and their reactions.  I've gotten to know some of them very well.  I hope to know more of you in the future.  I want to thank all of you that have ever come in to the house, or who have visited the website.  We will keep trying to make elegant and exciting new menus for you to enjoy.  Any suggestions you have we would love to hear.

Greg and I spend a lot of time before we open discussing new menus and ideas.  We try new produce and see what we can do with it.  Cooking is something that's fun for both of us.  So we're not really working,  we're hanging out.  Greg and I have become great friends.  I get to hear all of the exciting stories of his family, and the trips, and the places he has lived.  We're always sharing ideas.  I thank Greg for the opportunities, friendship, and career that he has given me here at RowHouse.

I love my job!"         -Michael Colpitts, Sous Chef.

"I would love to be able to say I had this whole year planned out perfectly, that each step was well calculated, each menu approached with total confidence, and everything was so well orchestrated and organized it was perfect.  Well I can't say all that, Okay, none of that, except -everything was perfect.  The mistakes were honest, the forgotten elements not all that missed, and even though  some recipes came about from mistakes, I'm proud of the food that hit the plates over this year.  You, my customers educated us, and let us learn.  This was like an intense year of school for me, and I feel I learned much, but am each day still humbled by how much I still don't know. 

This Place, RowHouse, is special.  I am surrounded by walls that love the life we have brought.  Everyday I love coming here.  It feeds me with creativitly and drive, and I keep striving to keep it more and more interesting for all of us, You the customers, my staff, and myself. 

I asked my workers, the real stars of RowHouse to write down their thoughts of this year, I didn't expect all the praise and kudos, but it was welcome.  They are something.  I love each of them for different reasons, and I especially love what they bring of themselves to the house and most importantly to you.  I told everyone when I hired them I wanted people who treated people well first, and we could learn how to serve.  They have all been very patient with me.  As often as I change the menus, I probably change my mind and rearrange things an equal amount.  It's just my nature, and it can drive people crazy, but my goal is to always be on the look out for ways to work better, and serve better, and enjoy this place better.  I believe it can always be better.  And they just keep rolling with it.  They are exceptional, they have exceeding all my expectations, and often surprised me.  They have made RowHouse work. 

Whats a conductor without the symphony after all, just a guy swishing around a couple chopsticks."                            -Greg Fox, Chef/Owner

"When I first Heard about the plans for RowHouse, I was excited that Topeka was going to have such a great new place.  When I saw the article on the restaurant in 785, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.  When a friend told me Greg was looking for help last summer, I called immediately and asked when we could get together.  I remember I was so excited I forgot to mention that I was a server and wanted to work  there.  I completely fell in love with the house and a few days later, I was the "first girl" working at RowHouse.  It has been challenging, fun, and exciting to be a part of this place we call RowHouse.  For me, it's not just a job, it's part of my life, and I love these crazy boys more than I thought was possible.  Those of you that have been in for dinner know what an amazing gift Greg has...not only with food but with people.  It is an honor and a blessing to work with and for such a wonderful person."          -Shawna Conroy

"I along with Austin, Mike, Dave, and of course Greg, have been at the RowHouse Restaurant since the beginning of the establishment.  When one first walks into the House, there is an overwhelming feeling of inquisition brought about by the architectural and historical significance of the building itself.  My first impression was no different, as I assume to be true for Greg as well. The building speaks for itself in a sense, and any business that resides within the Rowhouses will be given this embodiment of history, but the RowHouse Restaurant isn't just a typical business, or restaurant for that matter.  It is the aspiration of a typical Topekian to become more than typical.  The person in this case is Greg and his tool, his stage, for this achievement is RowHouse Restaurant. 

In the beginning the edges were rough and not well defined.  The staff was untrained and unaware that the task at hand wasn't a mere "show up and go through the motions" activity.  A dream was at stake and ultimately a way of life for Greg.  I am sure he would be the first to tell of how RowHouse has altered his life. My knowledge of food, wine, and fine dining has increased exponentially during my stint at RowHouse.  It would not be unreasonable for me to say that before the restaurant, my level of naivety for such graces far exceeds what it is today.  It is the restaurant, and more importantly Greg, that I have to thank for such a gift that I unknowingly accepted and am now proud to have obtained. 

Now RowHouse is a finely tuned dining experience that runs efficiently but not without its imperfections, because to say there are no imperfections would be to say that the opinions of the common diners and the valued patrons are unimportant, and that would not live up to the dreams Greg has of what RowHouse can be.  Looking back on the last year, I can see the vast improvements made due to the patience and training of Greg, and the positive input of all those who choose to join Greg in his view of a better Topeka.  So I would like to publicly say "Thank You" to Greg and everyone who helped him make RowHouse Restaurant a Possibility."      -Joel Hicks

"Hi, my name is Robert Zimmerman.  I started working for RowHouse as a volunteer dishwasher.  I heard about RowHouse from Michael Colpitts who is Sous Chef there and my brother, brother/boss.  Anyway they had a dishwasher but she bailed out and that's how i started to work for them.  Now...here's what I have to do.  I wash all 700 dishes a day, by hand.  At the beginning of the day I clean the bathrooms, then I clean whatever they tell me to clean, and when I am caught up I still have more to clean.  On Saturdays I have to clean the Vomit Trap (GREASE TRAP), I have to get my hands all up in it and it feels like sticking your hand in a big tup of vomit.  At the end of every day I have to get done with the dishes, take out the trash, and the linen, and put all new trash bags in the buckets.  Then I have to clean the brick wall by my trash can, then sweep and scrub the floor by hand, and dry it off by hand. 

That's what I have to do."- Robert Zimmerman 

I HAVE TO INTERJECT AT THIS POINT...TO KNOW ROBBIE IS TO LOVE ROBBIE, AND THOUGH HE MAY SOUND LIKE SLAVE LABOR, HE DOES GET PAID, AND TRUTH BE TOLD, I'M  CERTAIN THE GREASE TRAP IS HIS FAVORITE JOB.  -GREG