sockii
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Posts posted by sockii
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In my first college dorm, I shared a kitchen/living area with my roommate and three other folks. Two of them were guys who cooked a lot of Asian/Thai food. Complete with HEAVY use of fish sauce. Fish sauce, fish sauce, fish sauce. All through the suite, it would saturate into every room no matter how much you tried to air it out.
They also would eat my roommate's and my ice cream.
One night we got so pissed about it we took out a carton we knew they'd been raiding, softened it up a bit, and...dressed it up a bit with some spices. A LOT of spices 
Stuck it back in the freezer and laid low.They never touched our ice cream again.
In my second dorm, we only had one kitchen for about 12-15 folks...it got pretty messy because most folks were such slobs, they'd leave their dirty dishes in the sink for days/weeks until someone else got fed up and cleaned them. It was a 2-part sink and one part was ALWAYS loaded up with dishes and couldn't be used.
One night I just got so sick of it--and cleaning up after other people's messes so I could cook--that I started taking a big trash bag and putting any dirty dishes left more than a day or so in the bag. I wouldn't throw 'em out, but I'd just leave it sitting there in the corner of the kitchen. Eventually people started to get the message not to leave their crap sitting out like that.
I was SO glad to finally move into my own place and have a kitchen all to myself!
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Me think it's bad business. Especially if they don't tell you before you order or make a reservation.
Yep. At the very least it should be prominently displayed on the door/front window where other establishments put their v/mc/amex/etc stickers--and also on the menu or *somewhere* obvious that customers will notice before sitting down and/or ordering.
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At the same time, the restaurant business is all about service. And nowadays accepting credit cards is a service basic. Restaurants that don't take credit cards, like restaurants that don't accept reservations, aren't about hospitality.
That's exactly my feeling on the matter. To me it's a service basic that, yes, costs the business something, but I feel it costs the business more in the long run if they *don't* offer it.
It's like, I could say I won't give customers bags or boxes for their purchases because they cost me money (upwards of a few dollars a sale for a big fancy jewelry box). But someone buying a nice gold chain or fancy necklace isn't going to like me just shoving it in their hands because I'm too cheap to pay the expense of basic packaging supplies.
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I live in Philadelphia, which is a city with a pretty thriving restaurant boom these days. And fortunately a lot of corner ATM for dining "emergencies"...there are at least 3-4 places right around me that are quite happening/busy places that are cash-only and it just confuses me as to the "why?" I mean, for my little retail business I pay about $45/month in equipment/basic processing fees for my charge account, and maybe $50-70 a month more in transaction fees...considering how over a single weekend craft fair or something I could lose at least $500-600 if I didn't take charges, it seems like a perfectly justifiable expense to me. And I'm small potatoes compared to the kind of business these restaurants seem to do on a typical night.
But yeah, maybe I should be nosy and just try to get an answer out of these folks directly
Interesting question. Where do you live? I think that you simply couldn't do this in some communities (NYC springs to mind -- though perhaps you'll prove me wrong!).I urge research! As a customer interested in such matters, you're a good person to do it!
Why don't you pop down the street this weekend and ask the managers at the restaurants in question and post to the list?
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Forgive me if this has been discussed before, or I'm missing a really obvious answer here.
I just really don't understand the logic behind a moderate to high-end restaurant operating as "cash only".
A little pizza or hoagie place where most sales are $5-10? That I can see being cash only, sure.
But a restaurant--as there are several in my neighborhood--where a typical dinner for two can run $100 with tip...? At prices like that, I really don't want to hear the argument that the operators are somehow "keeping their prices down" by avoiding CC fees. Especially when their prices are equivalent to the restaurant across the street offering equally good food. *And* accepting credit cards.
I own a small business where for me, it's absolutely vital to be able to accept credit cards--50 to 75% of my sales are via charge, and I would lose a lot of sales if I couldn't accept them. Yeah, the fees are there, but they've never seen out of line in the scheme of my other operating expenses. But I don't run a restaurant, so maybe someone who does can explain how/why it's so disadvantageous to accept them? Because quite honestly, every time I dine somewhere that doesn't take ccs, the first reason that springs to my mind is that it's easier to play funky bookkeeping that way...
(Personally, I do try to pay cash as much as possible myself, but I've been in some somewhat embarassing situations where a dining companion/date didn't realize a place was cash only and then had to play "find the nearest ATM" to pay his or her part of the bill. And events like that are likely to put a damper on an evening no matter how good the food was...)
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Black Sheep does their brunch on Saturdays as well as Sundays. It's pretty nice and quiet if you get there early; doesn't seem to get crowded until more like 1pm.
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My 2 cents on this thread, from the shows I've watched more than once or twice...
Alton: Sometimes gets on my nerves, but overall my favorite as I've actually picked up some useful tips and tricks from him. Made his yummy steamed vegetable dumplings repeatedly and for that recipe alone I love him!
Rachel Ray: A friend of mine swears by her recipes, but I can't stand her. She's way too "peppy" for me and the one time I tried one of her recipes that sounded decent, it came out awful. I've been wary ever since.
Paula: I'll drool vicariously over that heart-attack-on-a-plate stuff, but you'll never see me cooking anything like that in my kitchen. I don't need to put back the 60 pounds I lost learning to cook healthy, no thanks!
Sandra Lee: Ugh ugh ugh! How does crap like that make it on the air and call itself cooking?!
Giada: Her recipes seem okay if incredibly simple (granted, Italian is what I largely cook at home, so nothing she does is any kind of revelation to me). Something about her just rubs me the wrong way, though. Is it that forced smile, or the odd way she has to try to pronunciate everything so very "Italian"?
Sara: Only caught one or two episodes but she seemed to at least know what she was doing and have good advice on food handling and preparation. Not a lot of "flash", just solid advice.
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I go there quite a bit--I live right in the neighborhood and it's one of my favorite last-minute dinner choices.
It's fairly small, very cute and rather romantic inside. Nice, not too expensive wines by the glass and bottle (lots of French and a few California choices). My favorite dishes are their curries, which they do very well, served with rice and some kind of cabbage side dish. I've also had the fish (swordfish?) in peppercorn sauce and liked it a lot. Very good soups and salads for starters.
The only dishes I've been less-than-thrilled with are some of their more adventurous ones. An orange roughy in tamarind sauce was too bland for my tastes, as was a vegetarian dish with lots of mushrooms but very little flavor.
Desserts are standard Americanized fare: cheesecake, chocolate cake, etc...quite good usually but nothing unusual.
Prices are all very reasonable, and I think most nights they have a three-course special from a limited selection of the menu.
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I love the Black Sheep, it's one of my favorite never-fail places to eat when I want some damn fine, no-nonsense food. The brunch is awesome and their whisky sours beat out all the competition I've sampled so far.
Darn, I'm feeling hungry now...
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Oooooh...a week late for my birthday but I will definitely use this as an excuse for a return visit...thank you!
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Hello,
Some friends and I are going to be in the Baltimore area this weekend and we're looking for somewhere nice (but not outrageously expensive) for a group dinner Saturday night. Basically, there are about 12 of us, would like to be able to get around a 7-7:30 seating, and have some decent vegetarian options for some folks in the group. Just about any style food/cuisine would be okay. The one place we thought we'd all agreed upon can't seat us until too late, so now we're scrambling for a new choice.
Anyone have any decent recs? It would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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I really love doing bruch at The Black Sheep on the weekends. It's both Saturday & Sunday, starts at 11:30, and never a wait (especially if you get there before noon). The Irish Breakfast plate is awesome (and HUGE!); good french toast, omeletts, salads, etc.
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Please post on this thread about your experiences. We really value the feedback.
I just wanted to post a follow-up now that I'm home and again thank everyone for the recommendations.
Friday night we ended up at Pico's--I was really craving good Mexican and this was exactly what I was hoping for! The place was jumping but we got a table within about 10 minutes (and had barely received our monstrous Margaritas at the bar). We had a great waiter who recommended we try a mixed seafood appetizer, I forget the name of it, which was sauted in oil, onion, and served with lime wedges--out of sight! The chips were good and so were the salsas. I ordered the achiote-seasoned snapper wrapped in banana leaves, which was incredibly delicious--flavorful and light (no typical greasefest here), which came with interesting pickled red onions and good Mexican rice. My boyfriend tried the Mancha manteles and enjoyed it a lot as well. The flour tortillas that came with the entrees were again excellent--I can't tell you how good it is to get a taste of how fresh tortillas are SUPPOSED to taste after suffering through so much second-rate stuff up in the Northeast!
I was too stuffed for anything more than coffee at that point, although the boyfriend somehow found room for Key Lime Pie.
Saturday we debated trying a barbeque place, but we were so impressed with Pico's we decided not to tempt fate and just go back to try some more things off the menu. This time we got the ceviche in tomato sauce with avocados to start (yum! But very very hot!) Boyfriend got the Snapper Veracruz; I had the chicken in black mole sauce, which I absolutely loved.
All in all it was definitely some of the best Mexican food I've had the pleasure of enjoying and I'm looking forward to coming back next year when I work the same convention in town for another round. And maybe that time I'll get to try some more places around town as well if I can stay for a few more days.
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Thanks everyone for the help! I'll be printing out the suggestions and am really glad for the pointers.
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Yeah, the food will do the talking. As it usually always does.
That is certainly the case, and as such, I'll make my first post to the Pennsylvania board (hello, people!) and share my experience.
My boyfriend and I decided to give Meritage a try last Wednesday, as in the blustery cold we didn't feel like walking more than a couple blocks from home and had been considering trying Meritage for some time. We were warmly greeted and promptly seated without reservation. Lots of things on the menu looked good, but our server strongly encouraged us to try the current Belgian tasting menu. Since we are both wine enthusiasts and the paired wines with 4 courses at $69/person seemed like a good deal, we decided to go for it. We were not disappointed.
The appetizer course--terrine of rabbit, foie gras, venison, and apple, with onion and raisin marmalade and endive salad--was huge, and perhaps my favorite dish of the evening. Very nice flavors set off well by the mustards, pickles, salads, etc it was served with. It was paired with a very nice, somewhat fruity white wine. The second course was cod braised in herbed green sauce, interestingly paired with a red wine that worked surprisingly well with the lemony fish. My boyfriend later declared this his favorite course of the night; I certainly enjoyed it, although it was very similar to a dish I make at home myself, so no big revelation to me.
The main course was roasted pork chop with onions and Chimay Cinq Cents-mustard sauce, gratin of brussel sprouts, and Flemish potatoes. The vegetables were excellent and so was the sauce on the pork chop. The pork was a little well done for my tastes, but then again, I only cook myself more-rare pork for myself when I've had the chance to freeze it first to be on the cautious side, so I'm not going to complain. Safety first!
The listed dessert was rhubarb and strawberry meringue tart, but apologetically we were instead served a Belgian chocolate mouse as they were out of the tart. No problems with the substitution on my account--I am a huge chocolate lover and this dessert was out of sight, especially when paired with a wonderful fruity dessert wine. As much as I loved it, I was actually so full by this point I couldn't finish mine off! I only had room for some French-press coffee to take the edge off the serious alcohol and good-food buzz I was feeling.
Overall my impression of Meritage was very high by the end of the night. The service was excellent, very friendly and comfortable. The somnelier did a great job of introducing each wine and I was glad to have chosen the tasting menu for the experience. I'll definitely keep an eye on their upcoming tasting menus and will be glad to go back as much as the budget will allow.
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I also was not impressed with the food at Nisbet, except when they did their seafood buffet dinner. That was out of this world. You might want to call them when you're there and find out if/when they're still doing that.
Sunshine's is good for basic beachbar food, and so is the beach bar that Golden Rock hotel used to operate on the other side of the Four Seasons Resort on Pinney's Beach...however I'm not sure if they ever rebuilt after the last big hurricane, it's been a number of years since I've been back to Nevis.
I wish I had more dining experiences to share on Nevis, but I tend to know its sister island St. Kitts a lot better and have mostly just gone on day trips to Nevis. However, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! It's a beautiful, quiet island, and I'd basically say try any of the local beach restaurants and food stands and you'll be sure to get some great Nevisian food.
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Hello folks, I come asking for your assistance.
In two weeks, my boyfriend and I will be in Houston for a weekend convention, and we're interested in some good restaurant recs. We'll have at least Friday and Saturday night to explore and sample some eats, and will have a rental car (we'll be staying near the Galleria, so somewhere in that reasonably close area would be good.)
Basically we're looking for something unique to the area--outstanding BBQ or killer Mexican/Tex-Mex (I'm seriously hankering for that as the pickings are so slim and mediocre here in Philadelphia.) Price is not a big issue, though we'd prefer a place that doesn't require reservations since our schedule could be a little tricky to predict.
Thanks in advance for any help!
"Cash only"--why?
in Restaurant Life
Posted
*You* get cash back, but the business taking that Discover card gets charged more per transaction for Discover than by Visa/MC/Amex. Which is why a lot of businesses won't take them. At least that was the case when I first opened up my charge processing account...I was discouraged (by the CC processing company, no less) not to sign up for accepting Discover unless I expected to be doing very high volume sales.