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Everything posted by Suzanne F
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Sorry, Wilfrid, you snuck in while I was writing. Of course it's not: what you described is caring and good manners.
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If you have to ask for VIP treatment, if it is not automatically accorded you, then you have demonstrated that you don't deserve it. That is something quite different from trying to obtain the "best possible meal," however one defines that phrase.
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Thank you. Really? Who? When? Or do you mean the general level of service? Or the wine? What are you trying to say here? Would you mind putting that into standard American English, please, so that I can understand it? No one asked you to care. But remember, you are at the mercy of such professionals unless, like Carol Channing, you bring all your own food and drink. Oh, Steve, sweetie, of course we want you to have the best possible meal available. Just please stop telling us that we are wrong if we disagree with whatever else you say.
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Well, Rao's for sure. But that's not in the same class, is it?
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As a diner, I do not dissociate from a process that will get me what I subjectively consider to be the best possible meal at that time and place. The simple point is that my parameters for what constitutes the "best possible meal" are very different from yours. Mine include testing how the restaurant does what it normally does; that is, what seems to be their standard of cooking? Do they routinely add more or less salt than I like? Do they take luxury ingredients and ruin them with too much futzing around, or turn sows ears into beggar's purses? Do they take an overworked dish and turn it into something that astonishes me, or is it as boring there as everywhere else? Service is not immune: early on, I establish that I am serious about food and highly interested in theirs -- usually by asking questions, or making comparisons to other, similar establishments. I'm fortunate that I don't have the severe dietary restrictions that you do, Steve. But I will quiz the staff on what is in a dish and how it is prepared, if I need that information to decide what to order (see paragraph above). But I do not start with the attitude of "the staff is going to be clueless and rude" -- no, I take that back; I assume they MAY be clueless (yes, even at Jean Georges or ADNY) and that it is incumbent upon me to make my wishes clear in the least adversarial way I can. I daresay that you, Steve, would be surprised at how often something special is offered to me. Simply because I show that I care about what they're doing. But if not, if they "hold something back" for more regular or higher-spending customers? So what? I'm not there to prove how clever I am at outwitting their presumed schemes. I'm there to eat the best meal I can get in MY way. Which may be "less well" than you, by your standards. Again, so what? Of course you are "entitled" to getting YOUR best possible meal, your way. Why do you not accept that your way is not everyone else's? Edit: I apologize if this reignites the personal heat. But damn, it's really cold in my apartment today.
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Or they would develop a lot of regulars, more than they could handle, because people felt they were being treated fairly and honestly. And then they would have to expand.
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Oh, Wilfrid, you can always come sit with us. It'll be a little tight, but then so will we all.
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The whole idea is to make a profit. Small tables mean you can seat more people. My guess is that there is rarely a thought connecting the style of food and service with that part of the reality of maximizing profit for the restaurant. (Just as there is often no understanding of the demands of the menu by the people who design and outfit kitchens.)
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Kristin -- very nice interweaving of flavors from dish to dish. I remember drooling over that cornish hen recipe. Helena -- I am so jealous! You've got Wegman's (and Trader Joe's too?), and all I've got is the lousy Food Emporium and Pathmark. It's a good thing NYC has so many restaurants; we have such terrible supermarkets.
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Cooking a boiled egg at too-high heat, for too long, can cause the yolk to take on a green cast where it meets the white. Is that perhaps what you're thinking of? BTW: So what was it that lived under the grill? (I ask since you changed your mind, and your signature )
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Ditto of What Ron Said. Several restaurants. And I mentioned very early in the thread that once the requester became a regular, we were far more willing to put up with his request. What I don't understand, Steve, is your conjecture that all those places love acceding to your wishes. Surely they would try to give you that impression even as they were cursing you out back-of-house. After all, as you yourself stated, they have to do this for you because they are "service establishments." By the way, you gave me a great big laugh when you said that you would just as soon pay less, not more. Who wouldn't? Thank you, Holly, for also saying what I said long ago and far away.
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Ron -- and that's why you're an Ombuddy and I'm not!
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No, actually, money IS the issue: Steve said (emphasis added)He who has the most money is entitled to whatever he wants simply because he can afford it. He has no compunction about causing the establishment to (possibly) alienate a "special customer" (which presumably the moneyman is not). I have no doubt that in an emergency situation, moneyman would have no compunction buying up all life-sustaining supplies, just because he can. And because he presumes that others have not worked hard enough to earn enough money to be able to outbid him. This is very dangerous "code word" territory, so I won't venture any further onto it. I simply find other ways to enjoy my own money, such as trying to ensure that other people's quality of life is improved. I don't need special treatment in expensive restaurants to feel valued.
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Steve: Your personal comments to me were quite unnecessary, not to mention presumptuous. Yes, you make that abundantly clear. I see nothing wrong with treating all customers to the same high level of service. If I did happen to run a place, and someone asked for "something delicious" because nothing on MY menu was "good enough to satisfy [his] level of expertise," I might serve that person a plain baked potato. Period. That can be the most delicious food in the world, that takes a greater level of concentration to appreciate. Or maybe a perfectly cooked hard-cooked egg. So you're saying that you want to be considered special? And that by indicating that nothing on the menu is good enough for you, you are showing how special you are? Why order anything? Why even go to a restaurant that may not be able to satisfy your special, unique palate? Why not just hire yourself a private chef and have him or her cook for you all the time?
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Well, I'm surprised that some people think that one must make exceptional demands in order to get get the best out of a restaurait. Yes, of course places, like people, have off-days. But a restaurant that does not at least TRY to do its best all the time, for all its patrons, should not be in business.
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Please do not confuse service with servant. I don't suppose you realize -- or care -- how insulting you are being to restaurants in general: you seem to be saying that one must push them to get a high(er) level of service -- they won't do it otherwise. And you're talking about the sort of place YOU frequent; think what that says about "lesser" venues. Staff dinner? Unlikely. But they surely were in the house for a reason, as part of a plan. Which you upset because you expected that nothing on the menu would be delicious enough for you. Proving your status as rich, spoiled Americans (not that nationality matters) is EXACTLY what you did.
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At one place where I was a line cook, a guy used to come in regularly and ask for plain steamed salmon with plain steamed vegetables -- needless to say, not on the menu. Whoever was with him would always order regular menu items. We grumbled at first, but we did what he wanted. We stopped grumbling because he became a regular -- that was all that mattered. That, and the fact that he wasn't trying to play "creative chef" for himself and mess up OUR chef's food.
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Steve, you should have read what I wrote about rm. Would have saved you the trouble. Here it is. BTW: last night after the Orpheus concert at Carnegie Hall, we were at Trattoria dell' Arte, sitting at the antipasto bar (yeah, I know, but He Who Only Eats loves it), and Rick Moonen came in with a woman oviously very close to him. They were seated at a regular table; I couldn't see what they ordered. Only entrees, as far as I could tell.
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Thanks for the heads-up. Since I do much of my shopping at Food Emporium (which can have some good meat) and Pathmark (not), I'll be on the lookout. Finally a strong reason to get off my duff and walk to real butcher shops in Chinatown and further uptown.
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Thanks, Jinmyo. I'm honored. That's just the way my mother made them, and I used to, before I got a cast-iron grill pan and before He Who Only Eats starting complaining about "too much salt." I suspect she did it in homage to the process of koshering, since meats to be grilled/broiled (even only in theory) don't go through it. But in any case, it gives a lovely, salty crust to the meat.
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I've been told by a relative in LA that the scene in "Get Shorty" with the Danny DeVito character placing his order at The Ivy (which he never eats anyway) is all true.
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Re: pan-cooking burgers: No one has yet mentioned this method: First, bring burgers up to room temperature, so that they can be raw but not cold in the middle (we like ours black-and-blue) Open all windows, turn on exhaust fan, disarm smoke alarm (you get the idea) Spronkle kosher salt over the bottom of a plain old boring cheap frying pan (NOT non-stick, NOT cast iron), enough so there is good coverage but not so much that you can't see the metal underneath. Yes, spronkling DOES take practice to develop the skill. Place pan on burner Turn on heat to medium-high When pan is hot enough (= very hot but not bursting into flame), place burger on top of salt Leave alone until your desired crust forms on the bottom Scoop up burger with spatula; flip over and replace burger on another spot covered with salt Leave alone again until done (use finger-press method to determine doneness) Remove burger from pan Place cover on pan to contain smoke Place burger on roll or bun; add preferred garnishes and condiments, if any. I choose not to dictate what I consider to be the "proper" accoutrements.
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Best way: blowtorch.
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She was at La Tulipe?!?!? Oh, their apricot soufflé!!
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Didn't Diana Vreeland pronounce, "Pink is the navy blue of India"? Back on topic: Fried Chicken (oh, goody, lots of leftovers in the fridge ) Baked potatoes Gravy of leftover roast chix jus plus the fond left in the frying pan* Blanched broccoli rabe with garlic sauce Endive and radicchio salad with vinaigrette Dr. K. Frank Rielsing * gotta keep seasoning that cast-iron, ya know.