Carrot Top

Ooooooh. My heart pounds upon reading this...for it is not always true. The romance must be translated into really good-working operations procedures, really-good staffing, and as with any workplace, really-good team building, morale-maintenance and attention to detail both food-wise and human-wise. Just as it is important (vital) to create an atmosphere front-of-house for the guests through the theatre of attentions that are given (or that should be given if things are to be as good as they could) them, it is important and vital to create an atmosphere back-of-house through the attentions of whomever is running it at that moment, be it exec chef, chef, boh manager, expeditor, whomever. Granted, this is not often done. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. Romance, in this case, can be translated and remembered...then shown on the plate...through a good, consistent series of management theories and actions. It may feel 'routine' but it is still possible for the romance to be felt and tasted at table. I guess it comes down to...you may not remember that one plate that went out in the rush of things...but in the best of worlds....it will still remember and carry the intent of the chef who loved it before the rush began.

Beautiful post, Holly. Seriously. Couldn't think of a single thing to add (If indeed, the concept had even occured to me, but it didn't...things have gotten so far from that original truth). That post would rival the precision and care of an original McD's.

Absolutely the best Italian cookbook I've ever seen or owned. It is sitting right here next to me and each time I pick it up it totally inspires me. (Um, and generally I do not like cookbooks...sorry...) "Classical and Contemporary Italian Cooking for Professionals" by Bruno Ellmer. Just checked Amazon. There are 13 copies available. About $60. Worth every penny and more.

Thanks...had to log back on to clarify my last post... If you think of any other wine shops, please add them? amccomb...it will be fun to compare notes of our visit(s) afterwards!

We women always want explanations. Preferably lengthy and detailed ones. The only thing to do is show her, obviously. For actions speak louder than words, I've heard. (All this should be done under the aegis of furthering the art of gastronomy, of course. Education, is important.)

Duck fat. ← Better choice than schmaltz, I guess. But then it would have to be called 'Last Tango in Rouen', no?

Thanks, balex..some great suggestions there. Oh...don't worry about the shouting, my feeling is that a good shout once in a while adds a sort of joyous punctuation to almost any occasion. And I will follow your advice about the tourist areas. Wine? I 'used to be' into it...studied it for two years with Kevin Zraly when he was teaching his courses at Windows on the World. And then of course, I had the responsibility in my job for purchasing quite a bit of it...so neccesarily had to taste many many bottles of fine vintages. Just part of what one must suffer through for the job, you know. Unfortunately, after having two children 'right in a row' some time later, I discovered that even one glass of wine would put me right down for a nap much quicker than I could get them to go to sleep! So I am out of the loop with wine in many ways, today. Do you have some way for me to better myself, to find my way back into the loop...while in Rome? I hope so....it would be a kindness. Where shall I go for a good bottle of wine? Edited to clarify that it was me drinking the wine not tossing it down the gullets of babes...

The roti korma looked outrageously good, spagetttti...as did all else following! Are there a traditional number of dishes served during these celebrations...and do any of them have specific 'meanings'? (I know there is a better word for that but am rather dull-worded today... ) Oh, by the way, I think I have figured it out. The four t's.... t is for tempting t is for tastes t is for tremendously interesting, and t is for terrific. Now why would you have to kill someone for finding that out? I think everyone will agree with me about these four t's.

Would a freegan be considered kosher enough to eat?

Sorry. I promise to be quiet after this. Here it is, for me. In the best of circumstances...and forgetting about McDonald's or Ye Olde Scratchy Pants Ale House... I expect a chef to show me the inner soul and defining spirit of the food(s) they choose to work with.

When I think of dining at restaurants...and sort through memories to capture what has remained in my mind as representing the highest level of experience...the architectural creations on plate...no matter how stunning....and even (though these remain, stronger...) the novel flavor and texture combinations...that one has the chance to experience at three/four star restaurants...they all pale and disappear under the weight of three memories. These three memories of food at restaurants eclipse any others: The most beautiful and...mouthwatering...intensely naturally flavored vegetables I have ever tasted, prepared by Bradley Ogden. A steak that made me want to hide under the table and live there forever, nibbling on leftover bones...at Peter Lugers. And a piece of salmon that was the ultimate epitome in simplicity that made an operatic magnificence of a tiny perfect piece of pink fish...at Le Bernardin. Three simple offerings. Yet not quite so simple, for they each were the works of a master. Unadorned masterpieces. And no, it was not the accompanying wine that made them so.

Well...I'm not a sports fan, but that idea you had earlier of a bat knish has definitely stuck in my mind....

As usual, I have to admire what seems to me to be both clarity of thought and thorough coverage of the situation in Rogov's post. How could there be more to say? Expectations. But then, in thinking more, and in reading the part of Bux's post that you included in your question, GG, my mind wanders off a bit to a more global picture....and here is where it lands. Is it possible to separate the final perceived performance of the chef...from the performance of the service staff and management of the restaurant? Is it all about the chef? Or is the true and final experience of the meal actually a product of some sort of teamwork...each facet affecting the other...to reach the final culmination of how the guest enjoys (or not) the food at table...

I do wonder what the 'breakdown' would be...of people who if asked on a daily basis where they wanted to eat...whether more would say a place that offered the simpler basic things, perfectly prepared....or whether more would say a place that aimed higher in terms of creativity et al... That would be fun to find out.... What it would 'mean'? Who knows. Just fun to find out...

Mmm hmm. In terms of desiring creativity, or a higher technical level of artistic knowledge, yes...that could certainly be something that someone would wish to see in a chef. But...in a chef that chose to prepare the more simpler offerings of food, I would expect that they be able to do it with a better and clearer technical precision than the usual home cook...starting with taking the time and effort to procure the best ingredients available. This sort of time and effort for a simple meal is not generally taken by the home cook...and it might be that, as a chef spends ten or twelve hours a day doing just this job...and has focused a great deal of time in attaining technical precision...the final result should sing. Including equipment issues. Most home cooks do not have the access to the same quality equipment or pots/pans etc. that a professional kitchen would. But having said all this, if one can match say...what one might find in terms of taste and quality that a simpler offering from a well-considered fine dining restaurant might have...then by golly! Definitely eat at home. The chairs are more comfortable, always. Not to mention the price.

In total agreement with you. For all sorts of reasons it is important.

It doesn't sound too simple at all to me, arielle. It sounds like care was taken in thinking of taste combinations, attention was given to what the tummy and tongue are really in the mood for, and balance was considered in the overall scheme. Prepared with technical skill...that is a meal fit for any demanding hungry person that was interested. Sometimes (in my opinion often) simplicity can be the best.

Didn't this used to be called 'sophistry' in studies of rhetoric? And wasn't it considered...just plain wrong and inethical...to use sophistry in any rhetorical argument?

Thanks, JC. These walks sound fascinating and beautiful!

So tell me. How could 'Last Tango in Paris' have been made without butter? I ask you.

Thank you, Maggie. I look forward to the cookbooks and hope they have some good seafood recipes. By the way...have you ever heard the saying..."Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in old clothes" (Don Marquis)? A favorite of mine....

Do you think that a book should be written with okra as a magnificent, quiet, yet powerfully courageous symbol of family life in the South...sort of like 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' but instead of that weedy tree that grows everywhere...okra as the definitive symbol? ( ) No, sorry. Let's make that Okra. Capitalized, please.

Well, yes. There has been...but only in places where there is lots of sunshine, good olive oil and garlic. Other places, with rain and cold and just onions and turnips, need butter to make life worth living.

Difficult. And hard to define taken out of context...and each context is different. We were speaking 'great chefs' previously...my mind is stuck there, so... 1.Spark..something magical...indefineable. A vision...an approach...an offering that only that individual person can or does offer, translated into a meal through... 2. The amount of attention and care that is shown in the food through... 3. Technical capabilities and through... 4. Ability to instill the specific vision and technical capabilities in their staff for consistency. This is probably the most boring-looking list I've ever written, but I know you are anxious to get the talk going, Melissa...and I often feel that way, so here I will just offer up my boring list. There is a lot more, but let me go take a nap, for I've bored myself to sleep. Will try again later...

That is an understatement, or so I've been led to believe. Isn't okra one of those plants that can take over the garden if you give it half a chance? I would guess that in France, it simply is not a 'traditional' vegetable. I have heard that fresh corn (maize) is still thought of as cattle feed at best in parts of Europe...