NYCCHEF

How's that math work? $5M gross 18% of gross is a reasonable estimated gratuity = $900,000 3% of $900,000 is $27,000 $150K is the total credit card fees on everything. ← Your right, my bad.....Then maybe he WAS having the waitstaff pay the total credit card fees. I wonder if that is legal. Where would I find that out? I guess I would have to look into NY state labor law.

From what I understand, the waitstaff are required to pay the credit card fees on tips only. So, in your case, it would be 3% of $15. If you look at it from an owners point of view....If your restaurant does, say, 5 million a year, thats 150 thousand dollars. Most restaurants dont bother making their waitstaff pay this, but considering the small profit margins that restaurants already operate under, it would be wize to start doing so (IMO).

I don't think that's the point, Fat Guy. Management has the right not to accept credit cards. Servers have no such right. Therefore, it is manifestly unfair to penalize them for serving customers who pay with credit cards. And considering how low their pay is in the first place, it doesn't seem fair to further lower their hourly rates globally in order to absorb the credit-card-related costs that management decided to incur. ← A good friend of mine is 'Bigfoot" from the book "Kitchen Confidential". I spoke with him about this many years ago. He said that he has his waitstaff pay the credit card fees, and that it is absolutley legal. He is a self proclaimed labor law guru. This was about 8 years ago.

That would be funny if it wasnt childish. Fact it's until there is concrete proof, the presumption of innocence is how things work in America. The only thing funny in this whole sad story is that New York actually has crimes or should I say (alledged) crime labelled as "Petit Larceny". Is that true or does gawker and eater mean "Petty Larceny"..... ← They probably made an error. A simple spelling mistake...like the one you just made....... Definitions of alleged on the Web: declared but not proved; "alleged abuses of housing benefits"- Wall Street Journal alleged(a): doubtful or suspect; "these so-called experts are no help" wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Neither has OJ.

From what I understand, if the manager/sommelier is integral in service ( ie: pouring wine, clearing tables, seating customers, delivering food, ect.....) then they are entitled to a portion of tips........Managers taking points off of the floor is a norm in many restaurants

That food looks absolutely stellar. Even if Doc was "made" as a VIP...the kitchen can only raise its bar for that table so much. The quality of the ingredients really shows. I have to go eat there.

Oh my God....That has to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. I almost shit myself watching those videos. The uncomfortable feeling was palpable......sounded like Paul hated it......gotta pay those bills though, dont you......And did he say that he was going to serve them pasta that had rat shit in it? HAHAHA!!!! I will NEVER forget this one..

I wonder how this will affect the decision of how many Michelin stars to give him, in NY.

Dinner at Lupa 4 nights ago. I had the brussel sprouts as well. Tasty, but I'm not a fan of large quantities of raw veg. Had the affetati as well. Delicious. I loved the clove scent in the head cheese. I loved the rustic presentation. Breasola (sure i spelled that wrong) was the best I have ever had. Herbacious, sweet and sour, and tender enough to eat with a fork. Gnocchi was excellent. Lupa is consistently one of my favorites.

Panama Hatties in Huntington. Its the only 4 star NYT restaurant on Long Island.

If you buy box seats, they come with "admission" to a clubhouse restaurant, which is sort of like a Houlihans. The new stadium is supposed to have a few different restaurants. ( Hopefully a good steakhouse) Now if you are really, really lucky ( which I have been a few times), you will see the game in a luxury suite. These are little living rooms which hold about 15-20 people, come with 20 outdoor seats, have their own waitstaff and catered food. Its great.

Not to get off subject....but Fat Guy mentioned the Macaroni Grill. I second his opinion. Their "Penne Rustica" cooked in a wood fired oven is excellent. Then again, what doesnt taste good in a wood fired oven.

79th st Boat Basin restaurant.....at west end ave. You cannot drive up to it, but you need to follow a path, on foot, down to it. It is only open in the summer, and is a great place for a steak sandwich and a margarita. It feels like your outside of Manhattan, and not too many people know about it. Takashiyama ( I must have spelled that wrong) on Madison between 54th and 55th. They have a tea room downstairs that is fun and completely hidden from the outside.

Circulator huh.....are you a Chef Vadouvan?

Sushi seki for medium fatty toro ( I have eaten about 3,000 pieces Masa for fugu and white truffle sushi The servers at Gari east have HUGE attitude.....I wont return Cleighe

I actually saw a Zagat billboard in Queens, and it said --"Zagat"- It rhymes with "The Cat"

Yes - $750

For anyone interested, there will be a White Truffle dinner at Cru Retaurant in Manhattan on December 6th of this year. The menu is as follows: Amuse Bouche Sliced Hamachi Collar with Marinated Fennel, Quince and Beets Sponge Crème Fraiche-Truffle Yolk Dressing CRU Krug ‘Grande Cuvée’ First Course Vanishing White Truffle Noodles Cauliflower, Custard Apple and Cepes Cornelius Gallagher – Oceana Meursault 1er Cru ‘Charmes’ Domaine Comtes Lafon 1997 Fish Course Seared Nantucket Bay Scallops with "Crema di Riso", Whipped with Parmigiano and Butter "Vacca Rossa". Dodo Nicotra – Felidia Hermitage Blanc J.L. Chave 1994 Pasta Course Homemade Foie Gras-Tapioca Ravioli with a Sunchoke Broth Tony Esnault – Alain Ducasse NY Barolo Bartolo Mascarello 1971 Fowl Course Gently Cooked Four Story Hill Guinea Hen Corona Bean Passatina, Caramelised Broccoli and Whipped Red Kuri Squash Hazelnut Fonduta Shea Gallante – CRU Barbaresco Riserva ‘Santo Stefano’ Bruno Giacosa 1982 Meat Course Everything from a Hampshire Lamb North Carolina Farro, Bianca Riccia and Herbs Salad Dan Barber – Blue Hill / BH Stone Barns Barolo Riserva ‘Monfortino’ Giacomo Conterno 1978 Pre Dessert Red Grapefruit Soup with Greek Yogurt Sorbet CRU Vanilla Dessert Tahitian Vanilla & Spice Pudding Cake Truffled Sabayon and Golden Barley Crunch Tiffany MacIssac – CRU Chateau d’Yquem 1983 Chocolate Dessert Austrian Pumpkinseed-Chocolate Souffle with Caramel and Madeira-Black Truffle Ice Cream Alex Grunert – Bouley Madeira Boal 1863 Barbeito

Trotters deal fell through

I have two suggestions for you. 1- The Elbow Room - Its in Jamesport I think. They are known for their steaks, which are marinated in orange juice, sherry, molasses and black pepper. 2- The Seafood Barge - Its in Southhold. The Chef is Americo Mintegui (ex Bouley, Lespinasse and El Bulli) Good luck!

Shun Lee Palace

Ok. I know that this is not a thread on lobster or sous vide, but seeing as you are discussing this, I think that I have some insight to share on both subjects. These comments are soley based upon my experience. Lobster The first time I heard about shelled lobster being slowly cooked in beurre blanc, it was at Le Moulin de Mougins by Roger Verge in the mid 80's. Then I saw it at Bouley in 1989. Lobster can be tough for a variety of reasons. The age is a factor. Younger lobster is almost always more tender. The older the lobster, the more activity it has had throughout its life, therefore the tougher it becomes. It develops more flavor, but it becomes tougher. Resting time. If the lobster happens to be cooked at a high heat, it should be allowed a certain amount of time to rest. If not, it can result in a rubbery lobster. When you buy lobster, you should hold its arms above its head and roll it in wet parchment or newspaper, and store it like that. This will prevent the lobster from moving around too much. If you have ever cooked a lobster and you see that the tail flesh is mushy, this is due to the lobster being caught and held out of the water for too long, unsecured. The lobster flails around and uses alot of energy. Being active in this way, it needs to eat, so it begins to "devour" its own flesh. This chemical devouring will break down the tail meat and make it mushy. So by securing the lobsters arms with the newspaper, it uses less energy and gives you a longer shelf life. You can also store it in seawater, but make sure that you change it often, as the oxygen is used quickly. Sous Vide Literally translated- it means "under empty". It is when a piece of meat, fish or vegetable is cooked in a vacuum sealed bag in a temperature controlled liquid. You put one thermometer into the water in which you plan to cook, and one into the bag in which the product to cook is to cook in. I dont prefer lobster in this manner, but I do like meats. There are specific temperatures which I find work best for each item. First, the water should be 60 celcius. This temperature is below simmering, it is barely shaking. Then I vacuum seal the bag with the item inside. Then, place a piece of double thick weather stripping over the thickest part of the item, on the outside of the bag. I insert the thermo-probe through this weather stripping, and into the meat. The stripping allows me to maintain the vacuum seal on the bag. The I will submerge the item into the water. I cook beef to 56 for medium rare, lamb to 58, squab to 55 and capon or chicken to 60. Hope this helps.

One thing that nobody speaks of. At Cafe Gray, the elevators are at the front left of the space, in the kitchen. When Gray looked at the space, this was something that he could not change. The elevator is the way that the raw food is delivered to the restaurant. If he were to put the kitchen at the back of the space, he would have to drag the food through the dining room to make it to the kitchen. So, it is design out of necessity.

I would suggest that you try the shortribs. The are rolled, tied, crusted with spices, seared and braised in a tomato, molasses, ginger and mango pickle mixture until they are tender. They are being served over grits and a sort of matignon. The sauce is horseradish. They are very much like the shortribs at the old Lespinasse, but without the frills (ie: superfine horseradish "hair", cripy shallots, ect.)