onocoffee

I will eat more chilaquiles. 'nuff said!

I was in Las Vegas for the Dela Hoya fight and went to CraftSteak with some friends, one of whom my other friends had warned has been "unstable." Well, to make a long story short, we ordered the tasting menu and during the time while our server was off to place our order with the kitchen, our friends' stability went right off the chart. Crying, yelling and generally creating a difficult scene before storming off and out of the restaurant. Wow, unstable indeed. Much to their credit, our surprised server was more than accommodating about the departure of our friend - even though it was an extremely busy Saturday night. Needless to say, I'll be more than a little reluctant to dine with that friend ever again.

As much as I hate to admit it, I do find myself hankering for a Wegman's sub from time to time. In fact, I just had one last week. Even though it had been probably two years since my last one, something about that sub stuck in the recesses of my mind - and that is their bread. It's delicious. I don't know who supplies their meats but the bread is what makes it a standout. That said, I run a small espresso bar in Suburban Baltimore. We've been selling sandwiches as a complimentary item to our menu for two and a half years. About four years ago, we tried making sandwiches in-house and went ahead purchasing equipment and setting up contracts with local vendors to supply the inventory. What we discovered is that we really weren't a sandwich shop - it just wasn't our focus. This time around, we contracted our sandwiches out to a local gourmet grocery with a great reputation for quality foods. It's been a win-win combination for us. I think much of the thoughts shared here have been great. Consider them thoughtfully as you plan your business. Since you're two to three years away from a planned opening, I strongly suggest that you take the first year and go to work for someone else. Work at local independent sandwich shop with a great reputation for service and quality. Even working at places like Subway and Quizno's will be of great service to you later. A quality independent shop will help you learn and define your notions of quality and standards. The national chains will help you understand flow, design and systems - it's what they excel at doing. Work part time and combine the lessons of those experiences towards your concept and brand (ugh, such buzzwords!). I'm one of those who had to learn the hard way - and I don't recommend it. Learn your mistakes on someone else's dollar. It's cheaper. It helps if you can find a mentor in the sandwich business to help guide you. I was lucky enough to find one when I got into the coffee business and it's been a tremendous relationship. Best of luck!

As an espresso bar owner who sells baked products (both in-house and suppliers), I disagree with the others. While I certainly understand the point of "not discounting" your product, the alternative is to take a complete loss on the product you throw away or give to charities. Actually, in the case of the charity, you're losing even more since you have to freeze, store and deliver the product, which costs you. In our situation, we sell fresh product all day and then whatever is leftover is sold tomorrow as Day Old, Buy Two For The Price Of One. I designed it that way so we move whatever is left (the customer is essentially paying half but we're getting rid of two pieces). Now, there's the argument that your customers will wait for the cheaper product and we certainly have a segment of our customers that wait to buy the old product. However, as time has gone by and we've tightened our ordering and our understanding of volume, their window of opportunity has diminished while our profitability has increased. Let's say last year we averaged having six muffins left over for Day Olds tomorrow. Now we've got it down so that on most days all of our muffins are sold at full price and there's nothing left for Day Olds. We've tightened our operations and maximized profitability - and while we were learning our consumption, we got some cash for the Day Olds. Without a doubt, some weeks just swing differently and we end up with more Day Olds than usual. It happens. Our discount customers finally find the bargain they've been hunting for and it helps to keep them in the game. To my mind, the key is to differentiate between the offerings. You can have our FRESH PRODUCT or take your chances with the old stuff. The customer has some level of choice and the potential remains that they'll like or dislike the old stuff enough that they'll feel compelled to try the fresh stuff.

An update for you John on Troia. Still haven't eaten there and it's now likely that I won't. They recently built a new restaurant across the street from their old one. From the outside it looks quite nice. However, a friend who works in that immediate area was walking by the restaurant the other day, a friend who was inside the restaurant chatting with the owner spots him and calls him over. As his friend is introducing him to the owner, she ignores him and walks away. By his own estimation, my friend was dressed plain and casually and not one of the high-powered suits that populate Towson. She took a quick look at him and dismissed him outright. Not quite the attitude of business that I'm interested in supporting.

I'm not familiar with Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham. Can you describe it or provide any pics? Sounds interesting and might be something to do for this holiday season!

For a great taste of local ingredients, I think Woodberry Kitchen is hard to beat. From the Sheraton or stadiums, I would jump on the light rail at take it North to the Woodberry Stop. Get off the train, cross the tracks and the restaurant is in the Clipper Mill project adjacent to the light rail stop. Have a late dinner on Friday or Saturday night then ask them to call a cab to take you back downtown. Or you could take the light rail again. Depending on how late you actually go back, you might be riding with Woodberry's kitchen crew.

I've done that. One of my close friends is a chef and our trips to New York are always an eating frenzy. A rush to sample and taste the cuisines of different restaurants. In January, we did the full tasting menu at WD-50 at 6pm, then went to P*Ong for a couple of courses and ended the night at Momofuku Ssam Bar for another four courses plus soft serve ice cream. I laid in bed on the verge of misery til about 4am. Our next trip in April had us eat another early dinner at The Oyster Bar, then a couple of light dishes at Cendrillon and then the full tasting menu at Eleven Madison Park. That one we timed a little bit better and I didn't suffer like the January trip. The logic behind these tasting evenings is unique. If we consider that normal people would eat one meal a night then our romps would have taken six nights. At over $200 a night for hotels, the financial investment would be considerable. This way, we taste a variety of approaches and save money in the process. At least the logic works for us!

Good Lord, John. I think the casual reader is going to think that Baltimore's restaurant scene is absolutely atrocious judging by your most recent experiences! Any info on whether or not Aloha Sushi is related to Aloha Tokyo on Fort Avenue? I noticed the neon "Aloha Tokyo" sign in the window on Charles Street and decided to avoid. My experience at Aloha Tokyo in Fort Avenue back in April was less than exciting.

Give Roseda Beef a call: 410-329-3068 and speak with Nathan. www.rosedabeef.com Their beef is excellent and I've been using and eating it for over six months now. Great people and amazing product. They should be able to provide you with 1/2 or whole steer if you so desire.

I will be traveling to Mexico City at the beginning of September to judge a coffee competition and was thinking about staying on a few more days to see if I can join a cooking class in the city. I have some basic experience making simple Mexican fare such as guacamole, tacos, quesadillas, mole almendrado, but I would like to take a class that gets deeper into the cuisine and was hoping someone here might have some recommendations. Ideally, the class would run between 1 to 3 days and be taught in English (my Spanish comprehension is decent but by no means fluent). Group or individual instruction is fine. Thanks!

Don't take offense to this, but are you nuts??? What kind of circumstances are forcing this? (You needn't answer, it's more rhetorical) I mean really, if that's the constraints you better be in touch with your dept of health ASAP because there's a lot to deal with them. Get your floor plans and layout together. Meet with contractors. Do you have any restaurant experience? If you're a first-time restauranteur, this kind of approach is frought with disaster.

Host's note: Theses posts were moved from the "Bresse Chickens in Paris" thread, which was getting a bit off track. So far, I've dined at Chez Pierrot, Chez L'Ami Jean, Robert et Louise, Angelina, L'Arpege, Brasserie d'Ile St. Louis. I'm looking for places that have great food at not-to-expensive for this American Dollar spending traveler. Thoughts again? thanks!

At the end of the month, I will be swinging through Paris for a dinner at Robert et Louise and some baguettes at Stephane Secco but since I will probably be in town for two nights I was hoping someone would have a recommendation to try these Bresse chickens I've heard so much about. Any suggestions? Thanks!

"Voy atras" is something I've heard a lot of lately. "Voy atras, caliente" is another.

Over the last year and a half, I've had the opportunity to dine at some remarkable restaurants, including Alinea, WD-50, L'Arpege, Trotters, 11 Madison Park and per se. While I found the experience of eating at Alinea to be wonderful and intellectually stimulating, I found myself reflecting that it was an experience. That just like the National Restaurant Association trade show, it was something to experience every two or three years to see what "the cutting edge" is like and keep my horizons fresh and open. Before I started this tour, I thought that someday perhaps I too would like to pursue that kind of cuisine. Something thought-provoking, something amazing, something intellectual, something far out of this world. But as time and the tour progressed, I started feeling as thought the tasting menu felt a bit hollow. In the pursuit of hospitality, I wanted guests to feel whole. To feel satiated. To feel the food touching their soul. It was the soul that I found to be important and not the intellectual stimulation. Then I went to per se. Honestly, I had high hopes for the Thomas Keller experience and I have to admit that I was not disappointed. It was amazing. It was beautiful. It was thought-provoking. It was sexy. But, most importantly, it satisfied my soul. I remember sitting there, halfway through our $500 per person meal thinking: "gosh, I would happily do this again tomorrow." Not too long after, I was dining at L'Arpege by myself to the tune of $900 (with cheap wine). It was a good experience, but it still didn't stir my soul like per se. So, to my mind, this discussion is great. But the most important thing for me is whether or not the food touched my soul.

Actually John, I've never eaten at Troia here in Towson. I've always heard it was upscale and since I work in Towson and am a rather casual guy, I'm not usually in the mood to go home, dress up and then go back to Towson. But someday, I hope to make it there for dinner.

Went to Grano Pasta Bar in Hampden and left quite disappointed. First of all, you start out thinking that it's a small pasta joint so you figure that they're gonna take some time and pride in the food. I mean, there are only about seven menu items or so. The disappointing part was that everything was bland - almost as though it came from a can. Plain old DeCecco pasta. I had the bolognese and it didn't have the rich concentration of flavors I was hoping for. Instead it was thin and slightly watery. My friend had the lasagna special. Again, nothing to rave about. Left it half-eaten. I had high hopes for Grano and was expecting more of an artisanal experience instead of just run-of-the-mill.

Years ago, I was taking my niece out for the day and we ended up getting smoothies while strolling along the mall. After a while, we decided we were hungry and I took her to the restaurant Mariposa inside Neiman Marcus, with our smoothies in hand. I hadn't even thought about it but the staff welcomed us and asked if they could take our smoothies and transfer them to glassware. No muss, no fuss, no attitude - just hospitality. That was the best way to handle the situation. They kept their customers and I ended up spending freely after being so graciously accommodated. Now that I run my own place, I try to keep this in mind when accommodating our clientele.

I think this is the right time to introduce a "Baggage Charge" similar to a "Corkage Fee".

I'm just about to leave Paris this morning. I found Stephaine Secco last Tuesday and have been enjoying their baguettes quite a lot. While I don't think I went to Millet, I do know that Le Moulin de la Vierge, 64 rue St. Dominique has a table to sit. It's an elegant and dark setting and the pastries are very nice. If you have the chance, visit Pierre Herme in St. Germain (www.pierreherme.com). Went there yesterday and ended up spending quite a lot on stuff for myself and gifts for people back home who can appreciate. Pierre Herme did have the best macaron I've ever tasted. Also, as I'm writing this, there's a small bakery called Ste. Veronique on the parallel road just south of St. Dominique (can't remember the name), but it's just west of rue Amelie (where my hotel is located) and the almond croissant there is quite good - in fact, I'm eating one now as I type this.

These are interesting replies but the problem with the restaurant biz today is that tips are not commesurate with service. Perhaps you feel the service was sub-par. Perhaps it was. And to "penalize" this performance and "let them know" you decide to tip "appropriately." The problem here is that this poor tip doesn't address poor service or problems, it just labels you as a cheap tipper or a-hole by the server and the staff. What we need is a different system that actually rewards positive service and deals with the issues when things break down.

John- I believe there would be a lot of people in Baltimore who would argue with you that both Louis and Tatin are "good" French cafes. I, however, am not one of them. I continually wonder if its' the people of Baltimore, the critics (or lack thereof) or the chef/restauranteurs themselves that's the culprit of such low-brow cuisine in this city. Are the peoples' taste so innocuous that the chef decides to lower the flavor profile a couple of notches in order to meet the bland expectations of this city? Years ago, Mary Pat Clarke and her entourage walked into a friends' restaurant. The food was decidedly edgy but they didn't offer the "ubiquitous" Baltimore "crabcake" and out Mary Pat Clarke and her entourage went - because they went into a "edgy" restaurant expecting the same benign food you find at most low brow B-more joints. Perhaps this is indicative of our city. Everywhere I go, I see the same bland people in their same bland uniform of khakis, polo shirt, brown shoes and uniform haircut. Perhaps Baltimore is just a parochial town with decidedly parochial tastes. Unfortunately, the media isn't very demanding either. Today's Taste in The Sun has a long fluffy article about scallops, a taco piece from the Los Angeles Times, and complete puffery in Tabrizi's, Azure and the departure of Chef Kim. The City Paper isn't any better - a recent review I read by the "Omnivore" actually extolled the virtue of using the General Tso's Chicken atrocity as the barometer for rating a Chinese restaurant. Decidely low brow, decidedly parochial.

I also suggest visiting: www.stumptowncoffee.com Duane and Aleco spend most of the year traveling and visiting farms, and developing relationships with the growers. They source some of the best coffees available and any of their farms are sure to be good places to visit.

Some great suggestions above, like Thrasher's Fries and Bayside Skillet. You simply don't go to Ocean City for Citronelle-type food. If that's your expectation, then you'll be sorely disappointed. Go there with an eye toward what's good there (in context). I enjoy crabs at Higgin's Crab House on 135th (but the one downtown is good too). I like breakfast at the General's Kitchen or even at The Dough Roller. For late night snacking/ice cream, I enjoy Dumser's Dairyland. There's also a place right at the 65th Street bridge that's a white shack on the ocean side with the Grateful Dead bears as part of its' logo - they make pretty decent subs. Sometimes I bring my cousins who bring their families and we inevitably end up at one of those buffet places like Hall's - if it wasn't for them, I would avoid those buffet joints like the plague. It's just eating by trough.