Miami Danny

Not to belabor the point (too late?), but someone cloned my business Visa Check card, and sucked out over $5K in 4 hours. In Miami, almost everywhere you go you are asked for ID along with your card (even if your pic is ON the card!) Yet there are also places where anything goes. Maybe this problem is not as acute in other areas. Anyway, after my next 7 transactions were denied and the argument with my wife died down (what are you spending our money on?, etc.), it took me quite a while to get it straightened out. The bank was very courteous, like the airlines are courteous, when they want to be. Yes, it was all straightened out eventually, but now I pay cash when I can. You still get a receipt. Of course there was that time when a chef added a $10,000 tip to a CC. So you could look at cash only as a plus! Also, last time I looked, tap water is still free.

Credit/Debit transactions are charged the same, even though there is obviously less risk for the payment services company on a Debit transaction. There was a lawsuit over this, and right now some payment services companies rebate some of that overcharge to the business. There are also set monthly fees as well as per transaction fees-also extras for non-swipes, etc. On the matter of cash-do you think that every cash transaction (even if the restaurant takes CC's)is simply an opportunity for the business to steal? If so, perhaps you are a little too cynical for your own good. Not everyone is a thief, just because they have cash in their hands. Except bartenders, of course. (Just kidding)

Of course, every expense is built into the price. But if you want to save your restaurant-owning friends an expense that might go to better serving YOU than the banks, pay cash. People stopped carrying cash because with cards you can't get robbed of your cash. Guess what? ID theft and cloning of credit cards is a thousand times more likely to hurt you than losing some cash. If you wallet is stolen, you might lose a couple of dollars. If your CC #'s are stolen, it could be thousands. BTW, the most common way for your CC #'s to get cloned is at a restaurant. Cash is King!

Margins, people. They are thin. Credit card fees are EXORBITANT! Why? Because people are bombarded every day, exhorted, really, by the banks to use their ATM/Credit cards for everything. Therefore, it's very hard to NOT take credit cards, and can only be done by a very small business or a known quantity (e.g., Peter Luger's). Pay with cash when you can and help out the small businessperson!

← I think the discussion of whether or not a chef should alter their menu for a sponsor is a good one-or whether one should feature mostly wines that are subsidized by the distributor. (Like at a wine pairing-type thing where the wines may be heavily discounted by the distributor (gotta move some product!)). The margins can be pretty thin, and sometimes it makes sense to meld a promotion with something that would have made sense anyway. I'm sure in most cases a chef's good taste would override any concerns. But maybe the Raisin Council might get to the chef's partners, who are running the business, and are more focused on the bottom line. How about a RaisinTini to go with the Duck with Raisin Sauce? However, this was apparently not the case with JA. Thank you for your gracious response, chef.

You missed my point. I was responding to your statement that Jose doesn't need the money because he has all these restaurants. My point with the Shaq analogy was that even multi-millionaires always seem to want more money. On the other hand, what if all of Jose's avocado dishes are wonderful? What if his menu is BETTER with more avocado dishes. What if he was planning on using more avocados anyway, mentioned it to the dude from the Avocado Board, and the dude says, Great! We'll give you free avocados and $10,000? I stand by my statement-money is money-whether it comes in the front door, or the back door.

And Shaq makes $15 Million a year and does Icy-Hot commercials. Money is money.

(I posted most of this on March 29, when it was moved to a general topic thread (Is tipping big the new black?) I wanted to re-post just about the food and service to offset my previous post on Ceiba.) I had lunch at Ceiba (in Washington, DC) today, and for the second time in a row, the service was just incredible. For starters, the gentleman who sat me remembered me from my last visit in January(!), even remembered where I sat! The waiter, Ronnie, was by turns knowledgable, funny, patient, engaging, and, best of all, discreet. He even twisted the foil around the leftover fish taco into a mad shape just for grins. The food, not incidentally, was vastly superior to my last visit, the fish tacos sublime, the pepita-crusted tilapia crunchy and moist on its bed of corn and bacon spiked mashed plantains, and the nice portion of crab fritters were also perfectly fried, and served with a searingly hot Scotch Bonnet sauce. The huge chips and tapenade accompaniments were refreshed over and over. The sopapillas for dessert brought me back to Santa Fe, and the little box of homemade caramel corn (on the house) is like God's Cracker Jacks. I was also presented with six small dessert bites, two each of cookies stuffed with dulce de leche, Mexican Butter Cookies, and fruit square-on the house. All were just amazing. The service brought me back to Ceiba, and the food made me a convert. Great Pisco Sour, also. Perfect tang!

As long as we call a spade a spade. We're not innocent, we know everyone likes money, the more the better. But when you become a shill for the Egg Council, or whatever, you lose credibility in anything you say-not only about eggs. Doubt has been cast on one's motivation. Is this a true manifestation of the chef's (doctor's, athlete's, etc.) thoughts and ideas, or is it just the money talking? I'm not just talking about Jose or Roberto. But if the Avocado Board is paying me a lot of money to shill for them, and my avocados are free, hey, it's 'Avocado Week' at Jaleo.

The Washington Post. The Washington Post. The Washington Post. I agree with the person who started this thread that if Sietsema wants to promote/review a restaurant in Baltimore, it probably belongs in the Weekly Dish column. We get one review a week in the Post, NOT like the NY Times, and we certainly don't get the something like the extaordinary Counter Culture from the Village Voice, which reviews all kinds of far-flung/ethnic restaurants in the outer boroughs of NYC. I don't read Tom's Travel columns unless I'm planning to visit that city, because his reviews are not that interesting. Whether one goes to Baltimore or not isn't the issue. If I want to eat in Baltimore, I'll pick up the Sun, or the Baltimore CP, becaise at least the reviewer will have a hometown perspective. Or maybe the Post Food section could do a roundup of Baltimore. Joe H, we've been down this road before many times. The city/suburbs argument is never ending and I'm NOT trying to start another one! There is nothing wrong with reviewing restaurants in the far-flung suburbs, or even another city, but the place for it isn't the ONE featured review in the Post, and I think that is what the original poster was saying. There are plenty of DC restaurants that people crowd into that ought to be reviewed in the Post. Incidentally, just to give you an idea of where Mr. Sietsema thinks his demographic lies, the Ask Tom question about what to do with a wine cork should make that obvious. What's next, what to do with the little fork? C'mon!

So, is Tramonto fat, or was Trotter trying to say Rick's an alkie? Another point-do all chefs have to like all other chefs? Or play nice with them? For example, part of the charm of Mr. Bourdain's writing is his disdain for celebrity chefs, i.e., his peers. And he's the most popular food writer today!

Exactly right. This is indeed very close to the current practise in many countries in Europe and Asia, and it works just fine. In Switzerland, where we lived most recently, people only tip for exceptional service and then only by "rounding up" the bill from say, 92 to 100. Many people from those countries simply do not understand the concept of directly transferring personnel costs to the diner through a tipping mechanism. Why not just raise the menu prices and dispense with this subjective and arbitrary personnel-cost subsidy? I am curious how this culture of laying off personnel costs in the restuarnt industry originated in the US? Why, in the US, do gas station attendants, receptionists, store clerks, stewardesses etc. etc. not have to rely on tips? ← First of all, it is not whether we agree with the practice of tipping or not, but that it is the custom in this land. If you try to tip a bartender in England, they might not speak to you for the rest of the night. But here, "I don't believe in tipping" is just another way of saying "I'm gonna stiff the waitress." When I was in Paris some time ago, the service was always included. Yet somehow, several waiters were very coy in answering the question, "Is the service included?", asked in my rudimentary French. They wanted me to 'round up' the bill also, which is sometimes customary. (Is that round up from $18.75 to $19, or to $20?) Service either IS included, in which case you can usually give more, but not less, or you must add it. Very often, in a cash situation, (bartenders, gas station attendant , etc.), you can get away without tipping them, but why would you? I'm not saying everyone should tip big, and every server deserves a big tip, it's just that SOME do. As far as how owners should pay their staff goes, part of your meal being comped, or free drinks from the bartender, don't come out of the server's or bartender's pockets, but out of the owner's. Do you think the owner doesn't know that comped food or free drinks are going out at his expense, to be converted into tips for the servers/bartenders? It's part of taking care of your customers so they come back. I also think that Europeans understand very well the concept of tipping, they just choose not to when they're in the states (see above, "I don't believe in tipping"). I'm not gonna touch the 'If you don't like your job, go work in a shoestore' argument.

Hey, some servers and bartenders I know make $200-300/nt. On some other nights, though, they might only make $40. Or they might be working the Sunday brunch shift and making almost nothing. Also, don't forget that servers have to tip out busboys, bartenders have to tip out barbacks, etc. And those people are benefiting from your tips. Late's face it, serving customers face-to-face in any profession can be brutal. And sometimes the customers who barely registered are the ones who are the best tippers! And the ones for whom you went the extra mile don't leave squat. My favorite waiter makes $800/wk in a small trattoria. I think that's a pretty reasonable salary.

Hey ju12, thanks for the info! I'm a BIG fan of Marcus Samuelsson, and it sounds like Oya is a great new addition to downtown. I'd also like to thank the other posters for PR-ing THEIR favorite restaurants downtown after slamming ju12. Let us know how your dinner goes!

I know people mostly like to complain about BAD service, and why they undertip, etc., and that is much more fun, I admit it. But with sites like bitterwairess, etc., bad tippers are getting enough play. I'd like to hear from people who love their servers and compensate them accordingly. I bring this up because I had lunch at Ceiba (in Washington, DC) today, and for the second time in a row, the service was just incredible. For starters, the gentleman who sat me remembered me from my last visit in January(!), even remembered where I sat! The waiter, Ronnie, was by turns knowledgable, funny, patient, engaging, and, best of all, discreet. He even twisted the foil around the leftover fish taco into a mad shape just for grins. The food, not incidentally, was vastly superior to my last visit, the fish tacos sublime, the pepita-crusted tilapia crunchy and moist on its bed of corn and bacon spiked mashed plantains, and the nice portion of crab fritters were also perfectly fried, and served with a searingly hot Scotch Bonnet sauce. The huge chips and tapenade accompaniments were refreshed over and over. The sopapillas for dessert brought me back to Santa Fe, and the little box of homemade caramel corn (on the house) is like God's Cracker Jacks. I was also presented with six small dessert bites, two each of cookies stuffed with dulce de leche, Mexican Butter Cookies, and fruit square-on the house. All were just amazing. My point is that the service on my last visit brought me back to Ceiba. It gave me another chance to try the food, and I was grateful that I did. With three drinks, the bill came to $75 including tax, for two. TIP-$25! Well deserved for a one hour and forty-five minute lunch. Any other big tippers out there?

Hope I'm not too late-but that hand-pulled noodle joint on 6th(?) off H St is amazing-I think that's Green Line though

That's why you should never marry a waitress. (That's a joke) (Laugh)

But enough about Dr. Hall, (and for the record, I think he sounds lovely!) let's talk about Marcel's and their incredible service. Is this the only example of the lengths to which a Washington restaurant will to go keep regular customers happy? ← Eating out in the same restaurant for dinner every night is a tad bizarre. That being said, where does it say in the column that anyone other than the good doctor got good service? The real estate agents? The first-timers who have to go hail their own cab? Or any other regulars? I'm sorry, but if I have some regulars who don't return because I didn't have Stoli, that says something about my customers AND my follow-up. Maybe I should have someone on my staff give them a call? Drop them a note? Or maybe they weren't dropping the $50-60K per annum like the doctor. C'mon, for that kind of scratch, I'd ...well, you know what I mean.

I believe it is not illegal to possess Cuban products, only to import them. That being said, forgive my ignorance, but isn't there a Havana Club Rum that is imported to the US that isn't made in Cuba?

My neighbor, Mildred Ashkenazy, used to make this and it was called (in Yiddish), a 'maichel'- which means 'treat'. It's very simple to make with well-sauteed (in pareve margarine, of course) string beans and onions, hard boiled eggs, and hand chopped walnuts. If you have a hand cranked meat grinder, that will give you the best consistency-otherwise mash it with a fork(include the margarine!). Chopped liver is quite easy to make, containing nothing more than sauteed liver and onions,(in chicken fat-a must!), and hard-boiled eggs. Perfect with 'gribines'-that is, chicken cracklings, and more melted chicken fat served on top. Chicken livers will yield a silkier chopped liver, but beef's gamier flavor and texture are also interesting.

I cracked up when I saw that quote. Of course I wish Ms. Leeds, and especially her sous chef the lovely Tess Moseley (a local legend) the best of luck. But you could not have a more neighborhood restaurant than Trio's Subs. They've been there for like a hundred years! And there aren't too many places where those who put together their change for a steak and cheese; drag queens from across the street, college students and drunk/hungover locals mixed in a fun (but admittedly shabby) hole-in-the-wall. Their neon sign is a classic. But as long as Trio's coffee shop is still there, along with Fox and Hounds for happy hour, I guess we'll be all right.

Please don't forget La Fourchette on 18th St in Adams Morgan. Very good eggs, crepes, and great people watching from the sidewalk cafe. It's nice inside too, very homey. The French couple who own it are an Adams Morgan institution. Do NOT be tempted by Bardia's across the street. Food is terrible!