ghostrider
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Posts posted by ghostrider
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BTW - to go slightly off topic - when upselling, a good waiter will nod his head slightly when offering you an upsell. There's even a name for the move, but I can't remember it at the moment. It's a very subtle move, and I've seen it work with my own eyes countless times.
You see that everywhere, from politicians to preachers to infomercial hucksters. I guess in anybody who wants to sell you something.
Being naturally cynical, whenever I see that move I immediately start questioning precisely what it is that they're trying to sell me.
Back to the topic -
Of course, efficient service is going to get a good tip. A genuine smile is going to get a bigger tip than a frown or a "why are you bothering me?" attitude, regardless of efficiency. The smiley face on the check may lead me to round up to the next dollar rather than down if there have been genuine smiles before that.
Squatting next to me starts you off with a debit, tipwise. Trying to feel me up - well, it all depends.
No, seriously, that's generally inappropriate, but not as obnoxious as doing squats. -
"Most of the studies Lynn cites were all conducted in low- to mid-priced casual dining restaurants such as Applebee's, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse." (Emphasis added by me.)
So, which is it, most or all?
If the writer were hustling for a tip, she'd have lost 50% right there for not caring about her writing.
Still, not a bad little piece. I'll confess that those smiley faces have worked on me at times, if I'm already feeling pleased with the service; if I'm not, they make me even less pleased.
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There's a restaurant - wish I could remember which one - somewhere in the West Village in NYC, where the man/woman iconic figures, which are the only identifying signs on the doors, are so similar, I had to look at them 4 times each before I was confident enough that I'd found the men's.
Come to think of it, this scheme is pretty appropriate for the West Village.
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When I was a kid, I remember spaghetti sauce made from *gasp* a jar. Specifically, Aunt Millie's. We didn't much care for Ragu or Prego. Didn't do meatballs much, it was just ground chuck, onions, garlic, Aunt Millie's, maybe a t. of sugar, salt and that was it. Served on Ronzoni spaghetti. Obligatory Parm cheese.
I've changed since then, but every so often I get a hankering for spaghetti sauce from a jar.
Will I lose my eG badge of credibility?
You be the judge.Soba
Millie's was the best jar sauce, for years, because it was the purest. I'm an obsessive label reader, Ragu & Prego have always had too much crap in them (things like corn syrup - yuck). Then Classico came along & did a better job of what Millie's had done so well for so long. Then Newman showed up, then the imports....
Jarred sauces are handy once in a while when you're pressed for time, I see nothing wrong with that, as long as there's no corn syrup in that jar.
Of course I have no credibility to start with so I can say whatever I want.
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And I could talk about many better meals I've had, in terms of the food, in many places over the years. But in terms of the overall experience, sometimes the ambience carries the day.
My thoughts, exactly!
or the company?
OK, if I could take the best group of people I've dined with, find the chef that was at a nondescript trattoria on an out-of-the-way piazza in Venice 10 yrs ago (2 years later she/she had moved on, as I expected), and put them all into that decidedly average pizza joint on the Guidecca waterfront for an evening - THAT would be nirvana!
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Sitting on the banks of Lake Trasimeno, dangling my feet in the water on an achingly beautiful Umbrian summer day. Eating fresh fruit, bread, cheese and local meat products and drinking some cheap local wine that was purchased from a little store on the side of the road between the olive groves, orchards and vineyards that seemed to be all you could see for miles. Glorious and an absolute epiphany. Certain smells and tastes make those images flood back to me. Smells/tastes like ITALY.
Oh yes. We've had a couple dozen lunches like that over the years. Smells/tastes like Italy indeed.
For the purpose of this thread, though, I'd have to point to a decidedly average pizza at a waterfront cafe on the Guidecca Canal in Venice at sunset. The food scarcely mattered, of course; the visuals, the boats plying back & forth, the changing sunset colors on that wonderful Palladian church across the water, the glowing clouds overhead, were everything that evening.
Sustenance for the body, a feast for the soul. I still wouldn't trade that for the best meal that Harry's Bar or anyplace else there can serve.
And I could talk about many better meals I've had, in terms of the food, in many places over the years. But in terms of the overall experience, sometimes the ambience carries the day.
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Actually, when I Was picking up mine at the grocery today, I saw that they had Hatfield brand Low-Salt liverwurst ;).
Son of a gun! I guess nothing is too specalized these days.
Nice to know that there's still some hope!
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That is a very good website, with some intelligent commentary on their teas.
Some of their estate teas are available from other merchants, but there are a few there that I haven't seen before. That's an accomplishment!
Now, if only they'd get their "Shop" page up & running......
Thanks for the link Mr. Jones.
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Paul and I have been going to the fair together every year since 1978. These days, we go opening day. Admission is reduced, rides are cheap, the grease is fresh, and the bathrooms clean. It is almost romantic for us. We remember what it was like before we had grey and wrinkles.
Brilliantly written, but those lines in particular just blew me away.
"...the grease is fresh..." Priceless. Thank you.
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Might be like some of the McDonald's in Maine, where they serve lobster rolls, but the corporate website does not offer that detail.
Yes they serve them, but they haven't yet learned how to make them.
I grew up on braunschweiger, always loved the stuff. But since the heart attack, it's off the menu. I'm more concerned about the sodium content than the fat BTW.
There are low sodium hams & cheeses around (tolerable, but a far cry from a good black forest ham & some Emmental or prosciutto & Taleggio, sigh), wonder if there's a low sodium braunschweiger. Probably too specialized an item.
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Clarification...
Lyndhurst (where I am) is on the SOUTH side of Rt. 3 from where Ghostrider is (Rutherford). Montclair is unquestionably WEST of both of us. I was busting him b/c he said south, so I assumed that was because to get to Montclair, he'd have to cross Rt.3. Everyone with me now?
--Lewis. or Clark.
P.S. Moral of the story? One can dine outdoors when you have a decent compass. Or Mapquest.
Actually you're on the southwest side of Rt. 3 from me.
Montclair is so much bigger than either R'ford or L'hurst that it is unquestionably west of both of us.
I realized that my confusion stems from this regional map I've had for decades which has Manhattan absolutely vertical on the page, whereas in reality the isle of Manhattan is skewed NE/SW. If you look at that map & don't look at the N/S indicator, Rt. 3 indeed appears to run straight E/W. My mental image of the area is so tied to that map, it's hopeless to change it at this point.
That's my excuse & I'm sticking to it.
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oddly, my impression is that route 3 runs east/west. while i know that's not the case, i always think of things in terms of north or south of route 3, just as curlz suggests. and montclair to my mind is surely SW of rutherford...although it's really due west, which is confusing me. i don't want to talk about this anymore.
It's that big curve to the north that Rt. 3 makes some miles west of here. Screws up everything.
Actually, you're right, Montclair really is due west. That just blew my mind. Well that's pretty easy to do these days.
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#1 - Reading about all the metropolitan areas and their expansions and swallowing of the suburbs, I can only think back to 1984 and William Gibson's Neuromancer and the Sprawl. For those who don't know, it was his premise that the entire area from Boston to Atlanta had become one giant city (BAMA - the Boston Atlanta Metropolitan Axis)
Which I'm pretty sure is a concept that Gibson pilfered from something Philip K. Dick wrote 20 or 30 years earlier. Sorry I can't cite the specific reference.
Gibson is great too & I'm going OT here so I'll stop.
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Edit: It's only south in that it's ACROSS Route 3. Heehee
Precisely!
I was going to specify southwest, but then I realized that I do find reasons to head west of Montclair, but not south, so I decided that south was more accurate.
I can usually add "except to go to concerts at PNC," but this has been a bad year for me in that regard.
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PS On a personal note, I have been in and out of the hospital a couple of times with diverticulitis (too many pumpkin seeds) and will be going for surgery to fix it for good (hopefuly) soon after the chief's parade. When I get out and am on the road to recovery we are planning to open our doors for limited hours to sell some of our most popular items like pork, ribs, our salad dressings and some of our sauces. So keep your eyes peeled for info, I will post it here first.
thanks again for your support
fink
My sympathies, & good luck. I've had diverticulitis for over 20 yrs, so far have been able to control it with some meds & lotsa fiber.
Sorry I can't be at Bobolink to wish you well in person. Not to mention the pig!
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Of course I don't know where Summit is either.
I just never seem to have a reason to go further south than Montclair.
Don't mind me, I'll get me map & figger it out.
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Someone mentioned outdoor dining at Greek Delights in Montclair. Dunno if it's sidewalk or patio. Nor do I know where Westfield is.
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The last "Italian" place to close in Rutherford was owned & run by Japanese folks. I wouldn't be surprised if this is their new venture.
but did they own and run an italian place?
Yes, they did. It was called - I think - Pasta Pronto. It had "Pasta" in the name, I never did more than glance at it. I just got the vibe that the Pasta would be about as special as the Risotto House's risotto.
They lasted a few months on the upper stretch of Park Ave there earlier this year.
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What makes you think the place is Italian?
The last "Italian" place to close in Rutherford was owned & run by Japanese folks. I wouldn't be surprised if this is their new venture.
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Then there's Cafe Cafe right here in my town.....
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We spent the night in Rockland, ostensibly to catch the early ferry, but really to have dinner at Primo. Melissa Kelly’s Mediterranean-influenced cooking is enhanced by fresh vegetables and herbs from her beautiful garden. Firsts included a nicoise salad with fresh tuna poached in olive oil, and grilled grape leaves stuffed with feta. Main courses were pork tenderloin saltimbocca and grilled sea bass. The wine was a very good Damijan Collio white, recommended by the waiter. Service was professional and friendly—the staff obviously takes pride in the place. Definitely the best restaurant north of Portland.
Have you been to the Robinhood Free Meeting House, on Georgetown Island, just out from Bath?
I've read many good things about Primo, but I'm wondering how the two places compare. I don't feel that I could declare Robinhood "Definitely the best... north of Portland" until I get to Primo.
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We looked in on this place while strolling off our dinner at nearby Royal India. I liked the look of it, but was annoyed that they didn't have a menu posted. (They were closed at that point in the evening so I couldn't ask.)
The Star Ledger critic seems to like it - Star Ledger Review - but I don't know how reliable he or she is.
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We were at Taj Palace just a few weeks ago. Mulligatawny soup was very good, thick & fragrant, best rendition I've had in about a decade. Nan was smoky & delicious.
The chicken biriyani was dull, way under-spiced. My chicken Pishawri ("a rare delicacy from north-west frontier capital, Peshawar, juicy pieces of chicken specially prepared with chef's sharp knife, then simmered in a light sauce with black pepper, yogurt, onions, tomatoes & mild spices"), OTOH, was excellent - aromatic, with plenty of bite from the black pepper.
Service was very good. Overall, I couldn't say "stellar" either, but it was definitely enjoyable. I'd certainly go back & no doubt will in the months ahead.
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I've been watching this place for months, noticed on Weds that they finally had their menu up in the window & a lot of restaurant furniture waiting to be arranged.
Kitchen and Cooking Footwear/Shoes
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted · Edited by ghostrider (log)
For all of my fellow hobbitses - check this link - it certainly improved my life:
Hitchcock Wide Shoes for Men
(Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this company. I simply have lots of their shoes because I can't find such a selection of 4E-6E sizes anywhere else.)
New Balance also makes a # of styles in 6E. You can find them at places other than Hitchcock, sometimes for less $$, if you look around.