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Much of the real money used to also be made in the "skim". Which in this day and age of electronic transactions is fast disappearing. Not trying to be contentious here. Just pointing out what was once a major fact of restaurant business life. Using the skim to pay illegal help and vendors in cash used also to be far more common (and helped contribute to the financial success of the principals). It's still done, but not on the scale it once was, say 15 years ago. The 'skim' is the pocketing of cash receipts from the till before the tax-man cometh. Nick

Steve Plotnicki said: Steve, Without fully understanding the cuisines as well as the participants on this thread do, the most I'll say on either side is that I see the point you are trying to make. It is a pretty complex one, but it is also an arguable one IMO. Which is why people are arguing with you . Culinary cultural relativism . Oh man! I'm not sure I want to go down this path. Nick

Well I've been to the site and it has some extraordinarily nice things to say about eGullet.com. So I'm not going to be so quick on the shill trigger. Nick

Lou and others. If you want to help. Sure!! I need runners and people assigned to the chefs as gophers. We can also use general volunteers. Maybe next year American Grill would like to participate. The event committee is always looking for a few good men and women. It's a very cool feel good thing, but I warn you, you'll work your ass off. Otherwise. Buy tickets. It's a great cause. I think our expense ratio is less than 10%. The rest goes to pay drivers, gas trucks, etc... I'm working on a bit of a surprise for the Alpine event. Going to be a few more celebrity chefs, in addition to Charlie Palmer. These are also pretty cool social scenes. This is Bergen/Hudson/Passaic's version of City Harvest. I think we pick up food in Rockland also. I'll be attending the Hackensack Golf Club event as a guest. All tricked out in a monkey suit and pompodour. C'mon; All that great food and Eric Ripert to boot! Nick

emhahn, are you affiliated with Restaurant Edge? Nick

OK, 7pm Monday. Anyone else ? ... and oh LOL, punster extraordinaire ... hacking ... Internet site ... very good, very funny. Obviously an accident To para Deborah Kerr. Martin, Years from now...When you speak of this...(and you will)...be kind. Nick

Hi Vanessa, It's the Chef's responsibility. Full stop. Not the dishwasher's, not the line cook's (though this duty can be delegated). I really don't see the difficulty with the Chef or sous walking the line at the end of service and checking the knobs on the equipment. Shutting off the gas at the main would neccesitate relighting the pilots in the morning. A real PIA on some equipment. If the chef or sous leave early then the duty should be delegated and followed up on. I'm not familiar with your particular constraints, but this is considered a sacking offence (after the first or second warning). Not doing this is laziness, plain and simple. There is no excuse. If the chef can't see this then perhaps he's in the wrong business and perhaps someone might wish to show him the error of his career choice. Nick

The Bastids probably got it off eGullet too. NRN never cease to annoy me. Nick

This just off the NRN subsciber mail: "Rocco to roll: Chef, 'Survivor' creator cook up reality-TV show" A new television series called "The Restaurant" is supposed to debut on NBC next July. NRN reports that six-episodes of a reality based docudrama is going to follow Rocco DiSpirito opening a new restaurant here in NYC. Nick

Great Grill and Pig-Out My favorite charity. I'm the restaurant coordinator for these events. It's always a great couple of nights with much food and drink. The resto lineups are a varied and select bunch. The auction items are also excellent. Thanks eGullet Nick

Nice review Nick

Thanks again guys. Just finished service. Busiest Satuday ala carte in the 9 years I've been working here. I'll see if I can get a link up tomorrow. Thank you all for your warm wishes. I areally appreciate you all noticing. Nick

Wow! separated at birth! thanks again all Nick

Aww shucks... Thanks for noticing guys. Nick

Yeah, It's out of business

Nick

edit: I would truly hate to read this guy on a day when he was feeling mean. Nick

don't some places (and i suppose they aren't in that states) do that, and charge you for what you drink? i rather like that approach. Reminds of a lunch in Florence. Me (alone) a big bowl of tripe with tomaotes a copy of the trib and a large bottle of chianti with a tumbler. The waiter in broken English: "you drink, you pay." Nick

It would make agreat thread all of its own. Does anyone else detect a growing arrogance re and directed at older employees and career switchers. I remember a recent NRN article (not linkable) where fashionable resto owners were quite forthright about their views towards older restaurant emplyees, and, I thought, foolishly frank, with their opinions regarding the place of older (mostly front of the house) restaurant employees. IE: they have no place. I picked some of this up on the Trio Q&A also. Though more subtle and more institutionalized, which IMO makes it more dangerous. Nick

Excellent. As Amanda's and The Dining Room are participants in my fave charity... Nick

Lemme guess..."The Dining Room etc..." Nick

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Loved the kitchen scenes. Nick

i see many individual steaks at steakhouses in cases and i presume they're in the aging process. am i wrong? gallaghers in NYC comes to mind. Are those individual Tommy? I think the chef meant sub-primal. Which is what I recall viewing in the Gallagher's display window. Mostly 109's and 179's (NAMP codes for whole prime ribs and whole, on the bone, sirloins). Individual steaks are probably cut for service and are expected to be used rather than ageing further. edit: "whole" Nick

Onglette: After this shot was taken I removed it from the cow. I butched it added S&P and seared it to medium rare - medium in a hot cast iron pan, that had been greased with rendered amish bacon. Tender and delicious, with very little strong taste. Nick