Andrew Morrison

I'm rushing to the lexicon...

with full knowledge of the 15%, just add another 5% to the charge.

And there it is. Deborah, I think if you go knowing all that DOV entails your experience will be better (and you know, so don't worry ). There's a lot of talk about whether a DOV experience is representative of a restaurants calibre the other 330-odd days a year. It's regrettably impossible to gauge a restaurants' soul this month. We've all discovered this. Especially on a Friday night. West has been the universal exception. But they knew we were coming. So really, it boils down to the enjoyment of less expensive food at excellent restaurants for the duration and judgement calls of the serious kind remain moot until the shitstorm stops (profanity for superfluous emphasis). To package it methphorically: imagine driving to an amusement park in a Jag, and then imagine climbing into a cage full of bumper cars driven by pre-pubescents. You bang around for a while, have some fun, and then get back in the Jag and turn up the Brahms. We'll all be back in the Jag soon.

I may not be a restauraneur, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. I think the most obvious answer (and there are others) is: January is the place where restaurants go to die.

great idea chef koo! over: Feenie's. David Hepworth's room is Coupland-esque swank. I love it. The food is down home Canuck prepped with the expertise of professional eccentricity. I can go for that. But too much hype can be a bad thing. Don't get me wrong, Feenie's is awesome for what it is, but it's been hitched to a soaring reputation that often is not met because even though it easily meets the quality criteria it sets for itself, it's nearly impossible to consistently meet such high expectations. And the regulars! Plenty too much glitterati can take the focus off a meal. The FBI would have trouble triangulating a cellphone call here methinks. When you remember the shishi more than the meal, a grown-up would click their Manolo Blahnik's elsewhere. under: it's a TIE! Fiction Wine Bar and Brix. My current faves. In my borderline useless opinion, I think Sean Sherwood and Patrick Mercer have their fingers on the pulse of Vancouver. Consistent with their vision, equally excellent hosts, these two are tops in my book but seem to have dodged the accolades. PS. Can Chambar be both?

Arne, I agree with one or two reservations (and I say this both as a frequent diner and not as an industroid). I think keeping the DOV menus focused on what the restaurant traditionally showcases rather than passable, thoroughly food-costed dishes that will never be served again is a logical and excellent idea...but costing might be a problem (Neil?). Other than that, most of us commit to memory five specials per night, so "learning" a DOV menu is a no-brainer. I tell you this, when our prix fixe menu goes the way of the dodo in March, there will be much rejoicing.

I'm glad someone said it, and I'm not surprised it was Neil. My suggestion regards the maintenance of staff morale in what usually proves to be a fiscally brutal time: add a 15% before tax grat to each bill automatically.

A note on the service at Gotham. Servers are typically hired on the spot after a thorough perusal and discussion of a resume. On the contrary at Gotham, from what I've heard just recently from a new hire, there is a rather rigorous interview process (read: more than one) that really separates it from the rest of the madding crowd. And once you get a spot at Gotham, the money is so good you just don't give it up. It's a home for lifers.

really depends what you're looking for and price range but, in a nutshell... apres bearfoot bistro quattro fifty-two 80 araxi have fun...book ahead...tip well...

Allergies are a fact of life. Believe it or not, most servers worth a damn find it a welcome challenge to accomodate special requests. It makes us feel less like automatons, doing the same thing over and over. It makes us feel like we're providing a special service. Tipping aside, going that extra mile is it's own reward. That being said, Vancity is awash with picky eaters who claim allergic status. They outright lie. They're often referred to as a bullshit allergies. With modern POS systems, servers will even type in on their bill to the kitchen, "no garlic - bullshit allergy". These folks are usually easy to spot and should be drawn and quartered, slapped on a rack and served as a special. (waiterblog does not advocate violence, only poor metaphors, similes, and hyperboles ).

Sheesh, we have made our beds and we must sleep in them...but it's true, this town is ripe with a wide variety of anti-diners. I agree that Yaletown stands out like a church spire in representing the symptoms of a city that has grown up too quickly. The self-styled urban sophisticates haven't completed the self-image they yearn for just yet. There is much to learn, as Yoda would say (he would have been an awesome hostess). Though the mini driving lulu-losers (as they are often known) may spa as much as they tan and their iPods may brim with the same downtempo thump-thump-thumps as the yupsters of midtown Manhattan, they are still a view Pradas short of graduation in my opinion. Though they claim the high ground as ambassadors of west coast uber-hip, as the urban pioneers of our city's future, they sure as hell don't know how to go out and eat. Figure that one out, shaguars, and i'll turn you off cosmos and kirs at no extra charge. Sex and the City was just a show...and those gals knew how to tip (Samantha! ) To be sure, we have our fair share of real diners, the guys and dolls who know what they're doing, who make reservations and show up for them and who have enough self-assuredness to ask for help with a wine list (rather than ordering shiraz with their halibut only to complain their fish was tasteless), but there is a glaring deficit apparent to those on the front lines. They are still a few skyscrapers short of being what they want to be, but knowing how to behave in the realm of restaurants is just another brick in the wall.

Yeah btw Neil, I'm one of the vegans going to the party and I'm wondering...can i get my check separately? Ian's usually pretty cool about that sort of thing. He owes me big time.

They were shaguars (and I mean that with all the respect and non-mysoginistic sincerety I can muster to convey to a fellow industroid for immediate empathy). No letters, please...

Last night I had my first and (hopefully last) DOV campers. We weren't fully booked, there was no crowd in the lounge waiting for their table, so I didn't have to rush them out. No big deal. They were actually kinda nice. Two ladies, three courses, two coffees, no wine. Bill: $55.00 Duration of stay: 6pm to 11:00pm, 5 freakin' hours, the last three and a half of which were filled by idle chit chat and two pots of free coffee. Tip? $5. It's their right, I know. But several things are wrong with this on a manners front...and to do this during DOV should be a five minute major. Right now, the summer couldn't come fast enough...bloom baby bloom.

What's the labour pool like up there? For the higher end places is it difficult finding managers and servers who know wines well and have lots of experience?

No Arne. i simply meant i'd miss the discussion and the planning of events on eGullet. because the West dinner was the last one that got in under the radar. It was how I was introduced to the whole thing and for a while really enriched my day to day, is all. Now, with the dust settled, it's a different kettle of fish. BTW, when is the ISO operational?

Andy, Yup, it was as good as it sounds. It was a phenomenal event. 5 courses. Paired wines. One of the top restaurants in Canada. All eGulleters (i think 40). Service (and I never say this lightly), was absolutely first rate. Price: $35 a head (without wine, taxes, grats). We all sat at different tables in groups of four and ordered separately so we were delivered our courses separately. We were served in different sections by different servers. Lots of mingling, plate sharing, and table hopping. I guess we will never plan an event like it again here * sigh * which in light of this particular evening seems to border on the criminal! But geez, out with a bang!

are you going with a white, too?

Yeah, totally agree Keith. IMHO, i think that deserves a "Maitre'd or Hostess? Which is Better?" thread. Many restauranteurs overbook on purpose. I've written about it before. At a swank place i used to work at we'd compensate for 5 no-shows a night by overbooking 5 tables. If 3 or four have to wait at the bar for half an hour, they were treated like royalty and had part of their meals comped. They got complimentary champagne and were over-served when they finally got to the table. To save you the trip, I think the quote I was looking for from the story i linked to was: "this was his plan: he’d be forced to turn away or make wait people who made reservations weeks, sometimes months in advance and then test himself and his abilities by seducing the customer back to their original respect and love for the establishment with a bite of cheese and tomato with basil, balsamic and oil, a 2 ounce pour of fortified quaff, and all the rustic grins he could muster. All the while he’d be promoting the restaurant by handshake, passing around cohibas, and ensuring good press with tons of buzz. He stood at the door and fleeced a line-up full of the city’s starstruck glitterati and stroked the gaggle of agents and handlers with cellphones stuck to their cheeks doing last minute arrangements for their progeny. franco was immensely successful." Overbooking by design is an unfortunate fact of the restaurant biz, sort of like Congress. It's all about checks and balances. Usually there are no ruffled feathers if things are handled right. That being said, some resos get lost in translation or just simply lost...regardless of how tight a front door you run.

The cup passeth... to Keith Talent who, I believe, was next. Hope you all enjoyed the Yalumbas. Chef Metcalf, i'm sure you can find the grenache in most of the liqour, cbw's, and specialty wine stores on the north shore. All yours, Keith.

Hmmm, at my place it's only about 35% walk-ins. I guess you've got Yaletown pedestrian traffic and aimless walkabouts to contend with. My place, neither.

Alternatively, you could go the Wild Rice and Vij's route, but with a twist. You could take no reservations at all, except for parties of six or more, and in that case you take a cc number with a $25 deposit per head. Just a thought, lay waste to it at your leisure. Keith is right. If they pay a depo for a reso and their table isn't ready, that's a five minute major...

Neil, You're not the only one who derives pleasure from the odd bit of abuse thrown at no shows. After all, they leave their name and number. If you ever get calls in the middle of the night from someone screaming incoherently in tongues, it's probably a drunken maitre'd and a hostess entertaining themselves at the end of their shift. Ask yourself this: "Did I cancel that reservation tonight?" How else are they going to learn this little urban nicety? The Godfather-esque horse head in the duvet is getting old. Perhaps we could devise a system along the lines of Homeland Security's. We could red-flag suspected no-shows on a database so that whenever a chronic no-show makes a reso they are taken down by a team of bussers and shipped to G-bay, Cuba for a bit of caged fine dining... Just a thought, ten minutes after signing out on a doozy of a Monday.

Truly the best dining experience I've had in a while. My dining companions were wonderful, very well educated on wine and food, and a real pleasure to talk to . Mr. Hawksworth's dishes were outstanding. I had the pork and fioe gras terrine with a glass of Lincourt pinot noir followed by the braised veal breast with a glass of Cline syrah. fabulous. The two amuse bouche courses were a surprising and delicious touch. The chocolate and bavaroise at the end was superb, and had me feeling like i should glide around like fred astaire (minus the grace). Service? Absolutely top notch. Not a glitch. I was very impressed by David (the foodrunner). He was without question the most eloquent and professional guy who has ever put a plate in front of me. Everything on the service end was the best I've seen in the city. I should be so lucky to be that good. Altogether it was a memorable evening and it's always nice to see everyone and meet new people. Special thanks to peppyre for putting it all together and being such a wonderful hostess. Where to next?

The logic could then flow thus: price the whole menu as DOV so your non-DOV stock doesn't spoil. Glad to hear Chambar is doing well and the balloon hasn't popped . Anyone seen Josiane, the lady Andre (Lumiere) replaced? I wonder if she has found a new restaurant to bless.