KevV

... Or, I mean, did 'the GF' tip the kitchen? After all, she paid! (Just realised I missed that detail at first - good score.) Free asti and a free meal. Life is grand.

Sounds good. (Don't even know where Zucco is - have to check.) You tipped the kitchen, I presume?

Yes. Touché. Although overpriced plonk, at that.

You are exactly right. I remember studying this specifically in my "History of the English Language" course at school. You can tell a lot about our cultural history from the etymology of various words. ← I did the same sort of course too. Good topic.As far as I remember, before the Norman Conquest latin didn't have much effect on Old English. (Just a bit through terms related to the church.) The Normans didn't speak Old French per se, as they were 'Norse' and so had incorporated many Germanic elements into their brand of French. Nonetheless, from then on there was far more of a latinate/romantic influence on the development of English, often at the expense of English's 'humble' Germanic roots. The Normans came and the conquered Anglo-Saxons retained their language and tended to the 'cows' and 'sheep.' The new aristocrats ate their 'beef' and 'mutton' and continued speaking Norman French. The Normans became cut off from France, eventually, and the languages fused. However, the feeling was retained - and I think persists today - that latinate/romantic terms are more sophisticated (or aristocratic?) while Germanic terms are common and base, even crass. In a way, I suppose that is why your restaurant would lose customers listing 'cow flesh' over beef or 'fish eggs' over caviar on menus. A bit off topic here, but... I remember that Orwell, for example, disliked this habit in English. Generally, the Germanic words in English are shorter, clearer, more direct and economical, while latinate/romantic terms are longer and more vague. Orwell argued that Germanic terms were, in fact, more elegant. (Politics and the English Language.)

Yes! I like! So, you're saying the customers' savings on the bill therefore go directly into the waiters' pockets, huh? $500 is nice. But then there's $80 for the grill and $60 for the dishwasher, most likely, and after a busy night. No wonder the chefs have skipped off down to Cancun or wherever it is. Oh well... (sorry - context on 'tipping' debates found above)

... And me sick. God, you sound just like my wife! Well, at least the LCBO beats SAQ anyday. (Even though they don't deliver!)

Hmm.. I haven't been to Thuet, but it seems that shifting over to the 'bistro' category must just be better for business. Not enough truffle fiends out there, but plenty who go for 'beef bavette, shallot sauce with frites' (see 'Menu Bistro'). On the other hand, aren't there already quite a few other bistros to compete with? Or is there just a growing demand? Le Select has moved to Wellington - a bit closer to the KingW restaurant strip and Thuet, I guess - and it seems they've upgraded their nosh and recruited Chef Jean-Pierre C-something or other (sorry, I forget his last name). Both restaurants look like they're now in the same niche.

Jeez - well then things have definitely changed since 1995! Anyway, they're too far away for our thread-starter, I think, so the idea was meant more for inspiration than anything else.

Jerry - I don't know of a specific store, but I think there are quite a few 'Latin American' shops up Dufferin, in the Lawence to Wilson zone, or even extending out from there. Maybe someone else will know of one specifically? Mucha suerte

Strange topic for me, this. I don't order delivery as I'm a big home cook. However, I know that Bacchus Roti (haven't been there in a long time, but has a good rep in Now or Eye or whatever) delivers in the W.end. Probably not up to mid-town, but perhaps 'delivery rotis' can inspire you in new non-pizza/non-'chicken fried rice' directions? Is there a shop nearer your place?

Okay. I suppose if the report ends up being a bit rambling and contains a few spelling mistakes, then we will be able to assume you enjoyed it!

Yup, just farther south. I used to live around those parts.I'm not really a reader of R.Parker but I noticed on the net he's a fan of the Priorat especially - and no wonder because of the new world thing they're aiming for. I find it interesting that they're designing wines specifically for the N.American market. Lucky! It must have beaten the cheap "box o'wine" (as people called it) LCBO gutrot in Ontario. The jug stuff would have been good for sangria, I'm sure.

Don't know the wine but thanks for the recommendation.One geographical point - Tarragona is a couple hours southwest of Barcelona along the coast, but still in Catalunya and therefore northeast Spain, not the south. Incidentally, I also did a quick search. The wine's from Montsant - a new DO where lots of 'new world' style wines are being made. It's beside the DOC Priorat.

I didn't read the bit in Now, so thanks for that. (Although, with a name like Vientiane wouldn't it actually be Laotian?) But Laos... Thailand... close enough, I'm sure - except for the physical distance of the shop, as the location is pretty far out. (I checked on TorontoMaps.) Jeez, if you're going to head there from downtown it's almost as though you might as well stop at the airport too and board a flight to Bangkok! rgruby - I forget if you live in the west end, but I found a little convience/grocery shop in Parkdale run by a Vietnamese woman and she stocks some Thai stuff (I got shrimp paste there, raw peanuts...) along with Vietnamese (obviously) and Chinese. It's the north side of QueenW, between BrockAve and the train underpass - called Bahn something or other, I think. Ps - And I'm also carless (and proud) so, sorry, no rides to the outskirts from me.

Yes, that's the one. They've also got some nice drinks they make there, like their horchata, and another whose name I forget. The dishes which include chorizo are also nice. I'm assuming the shot you have of the different chilies on display is from one of the shops nearby, just down Augusta, same side? I also recognised the extremely tall and pointed building in the very first picture. I think it is famous.

Bad day? ... Forget the food, I would drink. No beer. Scotch or brandy straight up, or v.strong gin&tonics. Play some favourite songs - loud - depending on your mood (angry, depressed...). Play drums in the basement. Kick soccer balls against the wall.

Don't know what you pay down there, but from what I know nat.gas has always been pretty cheap in Cdn. Of course we've got plenty. I don't pay for mine, though - the landlord does. A bit more dangerous, but actually better than nat.gas. Well, regarding the final item - you're certainly not missing much.

Nice picts. Hey, I think I know that taco place! Augusta, right?

Hmm, we Canadians find some pretty strange things to feel proud about, don't we? Yes. Myself, I associate the bags with the 70s or 80s when I was a kid. Here in Ontario the bags are easy to spot, though usually in the large supermarkets. I never buy the bags. I'll get a 500ml or 1L cardboard carton. What are you supposed to do with 3 or 4 litres of milk? Of course, growing up my mom would give me a glass of milk at dinner, but now the thought of that seems a little gross!

I'm surprised because everyone in this discussion so far seems to have electric stoves & ovens. Ours is gas. Of course burning gas has its own problems, but it's also more effective, as you know, and heats quicker. It's also not something I worry about as we live in the city (Toronto) and have the advantage of being able to walk everwhere or just take a quick streetcar (don't own a car) for any grocery shopping. As I walk I sometimes fret about the gasoline being burnt by people driving to big supermarkets off in the suburbs; this is dirtier and far worse then burning a bit of natural gas to cook with. To lesson the 'ecological impact' of our purchasing, I also try to buy seasonal and local where possible. My impression is that running air conditioners really uses up electricity, more than ovens, and so I would try to reduce consumption there. Also people can hang-dry clothes instead of using a drier. (Can't help feeling guilty as I write this, however, because these gestures are only the tip of the iceberg.)

These are good points. A diner might not be able to figure out what went wrong and you get blamed and, for whatever reason, you lose money because of it. I guess what you've said is therefore another justification for having a service charge or 'gratuities' automatic on the bill to be shared amongst the staff, as at Per Se (discussed at length on another thread here), or as in France. Of course management could remove the charge to appease customers when things are botched.

Oh, and I should have provided a link to Tony A's article on Icewine, so have a look here.

Writing from Toronto ('Tarano') I just figured I should do my part... Yes, the Niagara area may be at the same latitude as Tuscany, but from what I know conditions will still favour colder weather varietals. My feeling is that, aside from Icewines, Rieslings may be the best buys - as with the Cave Springs mentioned above, which is a good one and well-regarded. I've been out of Canada for years, am recently returned, but am very far from being an expert. I've read more of Ontario wine than tasted - but this is also due to the fact that local vins still seem to be taxed at the same rates as imports. At the more affordable to mid- end of the price scale, they can hold their own alright. But, with no price advantages, I still tend to stick with what I know better, which is the imports. For more info you can might start with Canada's 'Wine Guru'.

Nope. But I think your 2nd idea - changing how tips are proportioned - would be good. At least one person has remarked above that when they've tipped in restaurants, they've thought that the money is somehow divided and not just pocketed by the waiter. We've seen it really depends on the restaurant, however, so how is a diner to know? Maybe all you can do is to give a tip and tell the waiter - 'this is for you,' or 'please give half of this to the kitchen' depending on the quality of service and service you experience. If the food has been great but the service has been of the 'leave a nickel' variety, then I would try and tip the kitchen through the manager or something. If both are bad, just leave a nickel. When it comes down to it, waiters make too much relative to the kitchen. When I was a cook there was little I could do to change this, and it upset me enough that I quit.

Yup! [chuckle ] Sounds like N.America again - circa '71.What I wonder is if, in a place like Bangladesh, if people generally advise pregnant women to minimise the risk of early labour by avoiding bland Western food! I spent 2 years in Sri Lanka and I wish I could say I heard something like that but, sadly, no.