LaurieB

I heard a chef once implore one of his employees: "Just try to be smarter than the food!" I loved that.

I would love to read it, hear your experiences on all aspects. I've not opened my own restaurant, but have been involved in the openings of several, so please do share! Laurie

I'm fortunate enough to shop at Cleveland's West Side Market once a week, so fresh herbs are almost always available. In addition to that, there is also a stand there called Urban Herbs -- they have a huge array of dried herbs, spices, some blends, pepper and specialty salts. Since they supply a lot of restaurants, their freshness is top notch.

" So, to ask the question, which method (mincing, slicing, using a press, etc.) would be (in general) best for which basic sauces/dishes? LaurieB

Arby's Breakfast Croissants were the ABSOLUTE best. I just remembered how much I miss them.

When designing your list (with by the bottle, and bottles), you need to also look at how guests are going to be ordering. IE: (a four top) Guest 1 and 2 would like a (by the glass) wine with their app Guest 3 and 4 elect to have another cocktail with their app Then wine(s) ie/are selected to match the entrees. I'm in a State that does not permit you to take unfinished wine in a bottle home, so how you order becomes part of your decision on your wine and food.

I've got lots of recipes for stuffed peppers. I'm looking for your Grandma's stuffed peppers. Let me have em'. Laurie

Just to add something-- depending on the law in your state -- it is is many places illegal to bring your own bottle if an establishment has a liquor license-- and if a restaurant allows you to do so, the corkage fee often times makes it "legal". Check before you go.

How do you plan your weeks meals? Do you a) wing part or all of it? or b) do you have a meal plan all mapped out, based on who you know will be around to eat and what you have on hand? Do you plan your menus based on leftovers? I'm just curious (a friend once jokingly likened me to a "food anthropoligist"), but because my husband's jobs fluctuate with the seasons, I need to change how I plan and prepare meals about 3 times each year. Advice? Thoughts? Laurie

We just sent one to my son, who was alone in DC over Christmas cuz his girlfriend went home to family. He does not cook and so was thrilled to have it. The directions were great. He would highly recommend it.

Let me think on this one -- I may need to do some "in the field research" for you. I know you're at Lola/Lolita, but do you live West or East Side? Laurie

Heh, heh. If it's not going to be "drug" out, it'll be "whined" out. The wedding is in a year, on -- WAIT FOR IT -- Sweetest Day. I am not making this up. Laurie

"OK, I can't help myself. I will ask what we all want to know. Who pays for the GROOM?" MottMott, that just cracked me up. I don't know. Perhaps I should plan to slip him 50 bills and whisper out of the side of my mouth "Here ya go, kid, I was thinking of youse. Buy yourself somethin' pretty" I'm still trying to figure out how we are to pay for my older stepson, who is a member of the wedding party. Will this become a case of "Let's just cut the baby in half?" As a side note: Please, someone, tell me this kind of small drama is normal for a family.

Mottmott -- you are one lucky guy or gal. Yes, the groom's mom and stepdad on the hook for their guests as well. I haven't had a discussion with his mom about her thoughts on this, although I know she had given them a cash gift (for the wedding) BEFORE she was made aware she would have to pay for her family/guests, so we'll see where that goes. ON A BIG SIDE NOTE: I don't want anyone to think I am whining, or looking for sympathy where none should be afforded. My original intent with my post was to make sure that we weren't missing a trend, and so to look like idiots. Apparently this is not a trend, so I feel better. Thanks to all, and I am enjoying your stories, and insights. Laurie

To further elucidate (as my dad would say), if we were to be told to invite whomever we wished (money no object), our list would probably not top 40. 20 is our immediate family (which is obviously quite small) and a couple of very close friends. I would understand fully if we were told that we needed to split the guest count 3 ways, based on how many the hall could hold, but to date, we have not heard a) how many we can invite or b) the cost. Just saying. So for now, my plan is: Sit back, relax and wait for some word from the bride's mom. Stay tuned for Days of Our Wedding Lives.

JGM- This is basically what we've decided to do. "Here is a lump sum of $______, and our guest list. What you do with the money that remains is up to you." Hopefully no hard feelings.

Thanks to all for your advice. We've decided to not host a rehearsal dinner and we will pay for our guests at the wedding. That being said, I know the players involved here, so if other bizarre situations arise (and I'm sure they will), I'll be back for more of your advice. Laurie

Here are some of the parameters I'm dealing with. When this "wedding" happens, the bride and groom will already have been married for nearly 2 years (they were married, just the 2 of them, just before my son was deployed). So, in effect, this is really a re-commitment ceremony; albeit that it is to take place in a church, complete with big white poufy satin gown, 14 attendants, etc. My husband's and my guest list (family and a couple of very close friends) does not top 20 people. The brides list is currently at 240. Our current thought is to a) suck it up and pay for our guests, but b) not to have a rehearsal dinner, since, as my husband says, "You don't rehearse a show that's been open that long".

I recently posted about hosting a rehearsal dinner (thanks to all who replied) -- but now we (husband and I) have been informed that we are on the financial hook for whomever we invite to the wedding rececption as well. Thoughts and comments, please. Is this now a common trend, that the Groom's parent's pay for their guests at the reception? My husband and I were anticipating paying for the rehearsal dinner, and splitting the bar with his ex-wife for the reception. We absolutly did not anticipate having to pay for any family or friends on our guest list, who would be invited to the the wedding reception, in addition to hosting the Rehearsal. Thanks in advance. Laurie

Does anyone have a recipe for a roasted squash bisque? Thanks, Laurie

All above are great suggestions. A couple of years ago, my MIL had to spend 6 months in an extended care facility. The food in this place was nutritious, so she needed nothing "extra" from us; however, what she loved having us bring her were goodies -- homemade fudge, cookies, gingerbread -- which she would pass out to her caregivers. It was her way, and ours, of saying thank you for their care and attention.

Thanks for all the replies! I've spent many years in an upscale catering industry, where I've seen lots of rehearsal dinners that were attempts to out-do the wedding. My own rehearsal dinner (22 years ago) was for the parents, bridal party and their guest/spouse, and the cleryman. What prompted my original question was this: my older son (not the groom) can't understand why we wouldn't have the rehearsal dinner at the hotel where most of the wedding party and out-of-town guests are staying. His reasoning: a) that, of course, any out-of-town guest is going to be invited to the rehearsal dinner; and so the rehearsal dinner will be one big pre-reception party, and so b) that way we (the parents) can keep the bar open all night and everyone will already be at the hotel. Other comments of his lead his father and me to believe that the past couple of weddings he has participated in have basically amounted to an all expenses paid weekend away (food and bar tabs picked up; all transportation furnished; discounted rooms & tux rentals, etc.) Again, please let me know your thoughts/experiences, etc. on this. I also realize that customs are different in different parts of the country. Thanks!

I'm looking for everyone's help/suggestions. My son is getting married a year from now, and it is falling to me to plan the rehearsal dinner. So I've begun looking for spots to host it, and to put together a budget. For years, I worked as an event planner for a couple of high-end catering firms, and have seen rehearsal dinners run the gamut from small, exclusive, intimate dinners to blow-outs calculated to out-do the wedding. My oldest son's suggestion that we have it at the hotel at which most of the guests would be staying "so everybody can come and not worry about how much they drink, and then have to drive" is out of the question, for a number of reasons. One, that's not really the idea of the "Rehearsal Dinner" and, two, we are not looking to put on a mini-reception prior to the actual one the next day. If anyone out there can give me some advice, or descriptions of what worked for your kids/self/family -- I'd be most appreciative. Thanks, Laurie

My advice may seem, on the surface, over-simplistic. And that is to know how to everything yourself. And I don't mean cooking, stocks, pastry. In random order: Can you bartend? Know how to stock a bar? Design and purchase for a wine and or other beverage list? Can you or have you waited tables? Can you do plumbing/electrical/heating and cooling repairs? Paint? Do you have at least a rudimentary sense of how to handle a payroll? Do you have good people skills -- from dealing with surly young prep cooks to surly patrons, and all the levels of folks in between? Do you have a good design sense, balanced with what is actually practical for a working restaurant? (Example: I once worked at a restaurant where the salt & pepper shakers had been selected solely for their very cool look --- completely in keeping with all the other design elements. They were so cool looking that customers where slipping them into purses and pockets at an alarming rate -- and a $40 a pair, that was a hit. They also had to be hand washed.) You get the picture. The advice to work for a while, in both front and back of the house, is excellent. Owning and operating a good restaurant is not merely about being a good cook. Extreme good luck to you. Laurie

Thank you all -- it was in Shirley Corriher's "Cookwise" that I saw the reference. The phrase had stuck in my mind because, to me, it implied that if you prepared food without respect for the products, and without care for the ones you were preparing it for, it would not turn out as well. Laurie