Rebecca263

I adore their soups. Salads are best avoided, though.

I asked my Kiddle, lover of all foods wrapped in nori, what she thinks is inedible as sushi, she said potatoes without hesitation. Kiddle reminded me that she has eaten peanut butter on nori, in the past (please, someone, remove the memory of her green stained teeth, from eating 6 ounces of nori at one go, from my brain), and also salad. So, I must give her the respect as a bonafide nori fiend, if she says potatoes, potatoes it MUST be.

There is an Applegate Farm ice cream place near us in Freehold. We tried it the last time I was at Centra State. I'm sorry to report, it was terrible. The soft serve was incredibly chemical, but the hard serve was so disappointing that we were floored by the poor quality! I don't like my ice cream very rich, but this stuff was almost like gummy ice milk. The sweetness was the main flavor profile, other than a chemical offtaste, in both the vanilla and the cookies'n'cream that daughter HAD to try. We saw a good number of people not finishing their orders, so it's probably a great place to go if you are on a diet. Which, I SHOULD be!

Home again form hospital, in time for Shabbat! My daughter has made a roast chicken, and a new bakery opened at the foot of the hill- Italians from Brooklyn! They buy breads from a kosher baker in Brookyln, and my daughter walked down the hill today for our challah. A local bakery, in our tiny town! So, we will have a beautiful Shabbat, and I wish the same for all of you. Although many things are not well in our lives right now, I am in partial remission with the main cancer, this is the pinnacle for my stage, and I am very grateful to be having such aggressive and diligent treatments! We have a lot to be thank ful for, and that is what we must focus on. Shabbat Shalom!!!!!

There hasn't been a dish mentioned that I wouldn't adore. I can't choose three. But, here is my addition to add to the droolworthiness of this thread... Large round red potatoes sliced in rounds and baked in cream and butter, then removed with a slotted spoon, sprinkled with fresh cracked peppercorns, broiled lightly, and at service the rounds are topped with a dollop of sour cream and another dollop of caviar. Sprinkled with snipped chives. Eaten before your boyfriend gets to the table, unless he was detained opening the champagne. Then, he's allowed to partake. Fiddling with the stereo is not an acceptable reason for being late to table for potatoes. He gets an extra slice if he comes to table in a silly hat. The rules at your table may vary. Mine certainly do, at whim.

Rum in a watermelon is much better. Throw some mint leaves in the glasses, it's delicious that way, very refreshing! I'm not much for vodka, though, unless it's for infusions.

You can make oatmeal in your microwave?!

I think that 'variety is the spice of life' holds true here. We eat our meals together almost all of the time. If people are here at mealtime, the person who is in the kitchen first calls out "Breakfast/lunch in [insert time frame here]!" and someone else sets the table and we all eat together. Dinner is usually a more planned meal that we really like to make a mess over. My daughter likes to make centerpieces for the table to this day, and she also enjoys 'cocktail hour' with juice and some small appetizer. Seriously, we're very casual, but we eat appetizers almost every night! I certainly don't believe that our eating meals together does anything but assist us in our obsession with all things edible, and the fun in sharing. The rest of the societal mumbo jumbo is just that, in my book.

My learning disabled step son has been making huge messes in his grandmother's pots for months now, attempting poached eggs. We looked in the vast clutter of their kitchen when I was visiting a few weeks ago, and I found one of those old 1970's microwave egg poachers, MIB! I showed him STEP BY EXCRUCIATINGLY DETAILED STEP how to achieve a poached egg in the microwave- et voila! He has been happily making poached eggs for a week now, no more messy kitchen, either! My #1Boy's mother told me that she couldn't have stood the messy pots and the smell of his stove top tries much longer. I could go home with a clear conscious, my work there was 'done'. Two points to make- if the poacher doesn't have a cover, slip some plastic wrap over the egg; if you grease the cup, including the edges, the egg will slip right out 100% of the time, perfectly. I tried one of these eggs, it tasted just as good as a stove top poached egg. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference, other than the shape.

I wrote this poem awhile back on eGullet, when we were discussing cereals... I have been forbidden my favorite sugar rush by my daughter, who can not fathom why I would profess love for both Grape Nuts AND Cap'n Crunch.. Ode to the Cap'n Cap'n, O my Cap'n! Why can you not be Full of fiber So as to sustain my being, My sweet Cap'n! O my Cap'n! 4 grams is the minimum allowed And your sweet nature Would serve to dispense Such measure In pleasure Each day. ;0( How you've teased me with your empty sugar loving Cap'n Crunch.

No one can truly succeed in life when they look at even the worst customers as plainly a stream of income vs. expense. I see BOH complaining when the FOH hasn't done their job, frankly. FOH has the onus to be uber nice to EVERYONE, in the kitchen and on the floor, and to smooth out frictions. Cooks should be allowed to cook! GMs and servers should be allowed to serve and manage! Anyone with sour grapes about giving service should work smart, and carefully hire the proper FOH to buffer their negative attitudes about service. Look at how easily the GM or server could and DID put the service issue to rights... I say, be what you are! Are you a chef? Cook! Are you interested in giving people the best service in a restaurant? Be FOH. No one can be all things... set yourself up for success and happiness by doing what you do best, and delegating the rest properly. Then we won't have so many of these unhappy threads, and we can get back to enjoying our interests in all things culinary. Let's all remain friendly and compassionate, and not attack people over this issue. Everyone has their own outlook, and these differing outlooks are all valid, based on our own personalities. The success happens when we are each working in the proper place, and we are all working as a team.

...legitimate medical reasons, advanced seniority, that sort of thing...all good. while faux food allergies and vegetarians should never be accomodated. ←

Mixers to the rescue, if you must, I suppose. I would skip the 'wine' though, in this case. If I was really in the mood, I might even skip most of the menu, just get enough to sate my needs, and move on... I mean, french fries are usually edible in those kinds of places... and I hope to eat again someday... I shudder to think what their idea of iced tea is... I might even order hot tea, a cup of ice, some juice, some rum... make my own drink if I was plonked down with a group and couldn't leave...

This post is spot on. You are going to expand once the casino is established. Get ready. I would definitely cultivate the concierges/FOH at the casinos. I would also place larger ads in the local telephone books- the majority of the out of towners in the casino hotels will be using the telephoone books to see what's available in your area. I would also advertise in the sports section of the local paper, during busy casino times. Casino-goers are known generally to read the financial and sports sections... sports in #1. Putting coupons for anything into your asvertisements will help you to gauge who you are reaching, but with that large an influx of potential clientele, well, even the slightest effort should pay off satisfactorily for you. Now is the time to redo your advertising- you want a theme that shows your focus, so that any clientele you get are looking for what you particularly offer, and you want your unique attributes played up, to distinguish yourself from the pack. This does not mean you have to be fancy, heck, if I was making an advertisement theme for a scrambled egg specialist, I would tout that and the customers would flock and be happy, and the chef would be doing what she likes best, everyone wins! Don't change the focus of your food- that is the kiss of insincerity, and you hould stick with your own passion. That passion will translate to the fod and the customers will return, over and over, as they do now. What I mean is, STAY TRUE TO YOUR OWN PASSION, ADD A FEW SMALL COMPONENTS TO GET THE WORD OUT, AND GET READY TO USE A LOT MORE FOOD AND LINENS DURING SERVICE TIME! Oh, and you might want to buy new door mats. I think you're going to wear the old ones out, quickly. Best wishes! PS: If you do not have a knack for advertising copy yourself, find someone to do it for you, the copy in your advertisement sets the tone for your identity. I can not stress enough how important this can be in your future. edited by me teme/theme... now I want some thyme roasted salmon for diner!

I think that is a good thing that you have a GM. You'd do well to stay in the kitchen and let others handle the FOH. I don't mean this to be negative, I simply believe that you are in the correct place, and the GM is obviously also in the correct place. You cook, and do it well. Let others serve, and make sure that they do their part well, and you will have content clients, as a rule. Why try to be a duck when you are a chicken? Especially when there is no shortage of ducks.

That looks like a cake that Barbie would appreciate! How about showing us a slice?

Shabbat Shalom Y'All! I am home from, well, difficult travels- these are difficult times. I have chicken in the freezer, so that is what we have in for Shabbat. Since I am too exhausted, we will probably not have challah, dessert or grape juice/wine, but some frozen vegetables will definitely make an appearance. I am going to rest now, so hopefully I WILL think of some easy yet interesting thing to do with what is in the pantry. To spite these difficult times, we will have the most happy Shabbat of anyone... me and Kidd-le (trying to foil those pasky off topic links- my poor eGullet!)

Just remember, that's not the Sage Deli! (Rebecca, who is presently in Miami, NOT eating. )

Corn souffle with maple syrup drizzled atop it is a great unusual dessert. Everyone raves about this one.

Marlene, it's what in your heart that counts, not what's in the driveway! New memories will interleave with the earlier ones, and your heart will get bigger and fuller, all summer, I'll wager! Your son is a real joy, lucky you! Have a wonderful summer!

Yes, my Kiddle has warmed her hands many a morning here in New Jersey with her microwaved sweet potato for breakfast.

WoW. Best family trip EVER. I have a dear old friend who has just returned from China, with his new wife and his newfound appreciation for Chinese medicine. I just may try to get a vist to an herbalist here in the States! Please tell Serena that I envy her Hello Kitty spoils and tell Scud that we're also on a constant search for anime on YouTube, but not at the expense of missing sightseeing! Seriously, Yoonhi and you have a wonderful life, your family, your marriage, your travels, I'm a big fan. Be well, and I certainly hope there is no more kid vomit now that you're home!

We eat corn on the cob for breakfast when it's in season, does that starchy vegetable count? Corn is a great breakfast. Also, we do a breakfast saute, usually of summer squashes with onions, tomatoes and potatoes---- sometimes I just dump some frozen vegetables in the pan, if we're low on fresh stuff, and go from there. Cauliflower is VERY popular, especially if I leave it on the stove until it begins to carmelize in bits. It's a great filling meal. I suppose if you are a big eater that you could serve it with an egg. My daughter likes to shave some cheese on hers. Or cover it in ketchup... she's on her yearly "spring to summer" ketchup kick right now.

Sounds like a good way to get friendlier with your neighbors, too. Lucky you, and them!

In my case, well, the age of my oldest tote was, I hate to admit this, because I AM the original owner, 29 years- until a few weeks ago, when it was stolen from my car. I got it at a fund raiser in school! Most of my other totes were from 1987, 1989, 0r the early 90's. I have only ruined one tote over the years, it got overbleached and the fibers weakened. YRMV!