NulloModo

It depends how bad the bad is, and what the nature of the badness is. If I don't find anything appealing on the menu, or what items I do choose are just outright dissapointing, I am not likely to return. If I order something new, and just don't care for the dish itself, I will write it off as the price of adventurous eating, and not hold it against the restaurant (unless on subsequent visits other new things I try leave me feeling the same way). I also let myself be swayed by friends just in case I really do keep ordering the wrong things. On Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario there used to be this restaurant called the 'Zing Noodlery'. First time we went in it was because we thought it had an odd name, and were hungry. I absolutely hated the food, but both of my friends loved it, so I just assumed I had ordered something bad, and the next time up, we went again. Same results, they loved it, I hated it. Then again, we felt the opposite way about my favorite place up there, Chez Piggie, where I have adored every meal I have experienced, and they have been less than impressed. So, in some ways I have a feeling a lot of a restaurants suckiness or lack thereof is relative and based on personal taste, and to keep going back when what they serve just doesn't jive with your tastes might be a bit futile. If the badness is serivce related I usually wont hold it against the restaurant (just that particular server, and relfect it in the tip), and will not hesitate to go back again. If the service is constantly bad across several servers, then I will begin to write the place off.

Oooh, the saffron idea sounds quite good, I will have to try that.

Midas Touch by DogFishHead Breweries. It is one of the only microbrew malt liquors I know of, but it is good stuff.

I'd second the tea idea, I like mint myself on an upset stomach. I actually tend to like very spicey flavors when my stomach is upset, it seems to clear out the head and distract from the pain in the stomach with a pain in the mouth ;) Somehow it numbs everything once it goes down though, and I do feel better afterwards.

My roomate swears he hates mushrooms. He refuses to eat anything which contains whole mushrooms, or identifiable bits. However, he loves my gravey, my red sauce, and certain other dishes I make, one of the main components of which is pureed mushrooms. When telling him what is in it I always just conveniently lump the mushrooms in with 'and a bunch of herbs' ;).

Time to resurrect this thread. Tonight dinner was: Venison roast, browned in some EVOO along with an onion, then slow-cooked in Trader Joe's Organic Chicken Stock with rosemary, majoram, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt, oh, and several slices of chopped bacon. Alongside was simple steamed broccoli with some plugra melted on top. Both were very nice with a sauce of sour cream, horseradish, and the tiniest bit of black truffle oil (I think the hardest part of cooking with that stuff is to use minute amounts, or else it overpowers).

Hmmm, this is the first time I have ever seen Chicken Parm (or anything Parm for that matter) that hasn't been drenched in Marinara (or generic red sauce) in addition to the cheese. Looks like an interesting variation.

I am not much of a rum drinker. Well, I enjoy rum sometimes, but then I will go through a spell where I don't want it at all, then I will want it in large quantities again. In the meantime I busy myself with other liquor, usually Bourbon. I am a disaster in a well-stocked liquor store (such as Elkton, MD's State-Line Liquors, coolest US liquor store I have ever been inside of, awesome beer and good wine selections as well). If I am buying a high-end bottle of something, high-end bottles of several other things come along as well, and then a couple bottles of main-line stuff so that I don't waste the good stuff after the first couple drinks when I Won't be able to tell the difference anymore. Unfortunately the liquor stash is running a bit low now (evident by the fact that I was reduced to drinking Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey last weekend). I will have to invest some cash into returning the bar to its former glory. Then again, I am trying to lose weight, so I can't drink every night anyway. Apparently drinking at eating at the same time is horrible for weight-loss, so I hold off for weekends and make sure I eat light around the time when I will be drinking.

Hmmm, I enjoy hot buttered rum, but the addition of water always turned me off. I have found I prefer the taste much more when it is just rum filled halfway up a much, a stick of cinnamon, a bit of splenda, and then simmering cream poured in and stirred till it blends together. Oh, and of course the requisite pat of butter melted into the top.

Hmmm, the last bowl I made lasted around a week in the fridge before mold showed up on top, but then again, it was just in a mixing bowl with saran wrap on top, not in a jar. I am coming to discover I really dislike the taste of thyme, and that I am not that big on sherry either, both of which were ingredients my last go around. I am going to try a really basic just onion, salt, pepper, and olive oil or butter route. After that I might try my Italian oregano/rosemary/tomato idea too.

Commercial Gyro meat often contains a good bit of bread filler as well. Personally, I think that it is far better without that junk mixed in, but if you want it to taste like a Gyro that comes off of a cart or out of a street stall somewhere, grind some in.

Wow, I am blown away by how well organized this all seems to be. Thanksgiving (really, any holiday, or actually, any occasion at all) just wouldn't be the same around my family without tons of last minute panicks, misplans, and an air of general confusion ;). Still, sounds like you are setting up for quite a spectacular evening.

Walt - That wouldn't surprise me at all, when there is a market for something, you can bet someone is going to capitalize on it. I haven't been to a McDonalds in ages, do they actually really not carry the supersized stuff anymore? If they actually got rid of it, that was one dumb move by McDonalds, when I did used to go that is the quanitity that I saw most people going with, and I am sure it upped the profit margins. I just don't get the whole 'fast food is evil, they want to make a buck by putting us in the grave' outlook on this. Sure huge greasy sugary starchy fast food meals are horrible for you, but it is your choice to eat it or not. McDonalds and Hardees don't have storm troopers ramming burgers down your throat. There are plenty of products (on both the legitimate and illegitimate markets) out there that will lead to an early death, but most of them are pretty darn enjoyable. Make your choices and live with the consequences, that is all it boils down to.

From what I have heard from turkey-frying afficianados there is no problem doing several birds one after another in the same oil. In fact, it seems that some make a point to do just this, so they don't have to heat up that big pot of oil for just one bird.

Here is a new spin: since such puddings are synonymous with alcohol content, why not just turn it into an after dinner cocktail? Don't call it a 'Christmas Pudding Martini' or anything daft like that, but serve it up in a large pretty cocktail glass, lots of warm cognac or brandy, some candied fruits, perhaps a stick of sugar-encrusted pastry as a stirrer.

Isn't that what everyone uses Country Crock containers for anyway? Storing old leftovers that won't neccessarily ever get eaten?

Or even cheaper for you: just set up a deal wherebye he/she gets free food from your restaurant in exchange for services. You pay out a lot less than you would in cash, and he/she can have a place to grab some chow without cash from time to time. I know when I was a comp sci student I was more than willing to work for food (or liquor... but that is another story).

I need to give Fennel another go. I got quite into it around nine month s ago, then managed to chop off the tip of my finger while dicing some for a dish of tripe. Since then I can't look at a bulb without cringing... still, I know it wasn't really the Fennel's fault...

Chili-dogs, ooh, such a great dinner choice. I prefer mine with Cincinatti style chili (ala Skyline) but basic Texas or Southwestern style chili works well too. As for what else goes on? Pretty much whatever else I can fit on the bun, these chili dogs are definately knife and fork specials, too messey/big/overstuffed to be eaten with hands, but include: The Dog (big thick and grilled is best), loads of chili (at least half a full bowl's worth per dog), sauerkraut (and lots of it), yellow mustard (spicey brown will work too), chopped white onions, pickled jalepenos, hot hoagie spread, cheddar cheese (melted), and well, whatever else I can find. Only things that I keep off are ketchup and sweet pickle relish (hot relishes and sweet onion relish are welcome additions however).

Ruby Tuesdays already posts all of their nutritional info on the menu, some of it is very eye-opening. However, I know at least one guy who refuses to eat there now because he finds the information depressing, he would much rather dine in the bliss of ignorance. To a point, I completely agree with him. All restuarants/fast food joints should be required to post full detailed nutritional info on everything they serve, or at least have it on hand in a phamplet for someone to peruse if they want, but there is no reason to make it part of the advertising or throw it in one's face. Anyone who really believes that fast food is healthy deserves what'll end up coming to them.

I am not positive about the laws relating to this stuff, but I am fairly sure that the provider of the connection (ISP, which I am assuming you would be thrown into the role of here) is not responsible for things unknown to him going on on his network, i.e., if someone spams from your domain or uses an IP from your network to conduct unsavory business, I don't think that it can fall back on you, you just need to be able to provide records if the police want to get involved in an investigation, however, I am not an expert in this field. I think it is also possible with some router software/firmware to bandwidth limit individual connections, such that you would give everyone enough flow to surf the web, do basic e-mail, etc, but not to start massive spamming campaigns.

Lexy - Do you have access to a Trader Joe's? Their cheese selection is top notch for a grocery store. I am still a cheese newbie, but some stuff I picked up last time that was very good: Morbier (a little stinky, but mild full flavor, excellent softish cheese). Dubliner (a sharp Irish cheddar with an interesting tang to it) Parrano (supposedly an aged gouda/parmesan blend, has hints of both, plus almost a smokey flavor underneath).

I would reccommend a non-secure connection. You will save some money, it will be easier on your patrons, and really, in a cafe, a secure connection is overkill. You will end up with random other people in the area leaching bandwidth perhaps, but if you limit the pipe size you can make sure they don't run up the bill that way. As for charging: yes, I am drawn to places with wi-fi, but only if it is free. I am not going to pay for access somewhere when I could just as easily do whatever I need to do later on at home for free.

I see the problem with these places being that they operate in a very small niche in the market. If you want cheap food fast, you have McDonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc all ready to serve you. If you want good food fast, and are willing to pay a little more, you have almost any ethnic take-out joint, any local sub/steak shop, and etc. If you want good food cheap and can wait a bit, you have a number of decent diners still laying about the country. This Panera Bread seems to be more expensive than your typical diner, where you can usually get a 'lunch special' or an 'early bird dinner special' that includes a soup or salad, veggie, entree, and dessert all for $7 or $8, throw in a couple bucks for tip and you are just below or right at the price of Panera, and you don't have to serve yourself (if just two sandwiches and two bowls of soup was $20, this also seems much higher than your averge sub/steak shop, some of which build absolutely incredible sandwiches). I just don't see the draw in expensive fast food.

They don't sell American Cheese in Canada? In it's most vile form American Cheese is Kraft Singles, but you can also buy a (minimally) nicer version in brick form from the deli counter, at least in the states. It is like cheddar but without flavor and a more rubbery texture.