gfron1

And I will repeat one more time to Miami Danny's litany of things that you pose as other surcharges are not relavent because they are part of current daily operating procedures. The restaurants that have added this surcharge are doing so against the grain of the industry. Ten years from now this may no longer be the case, but today it is. I think we will mostly agree that the back of house staff should be paid a living wage, and we can therefore assume that it will show up on our tab in one form or another. But we are talking about a shift in CW at this point, and so it might be deemed savvy for an owner/chef to embrace the change and use it to draw more goodwill. And others will baulk and go somewhere else.

I shared your recs with my mom who is a frequent visitor. She offered this

It would be "sticking it to the customer" if the customer had no choice or didn't know - neither is the case here. I'm assuming Mr. Cosentino's restaurant is not the only one in town, nor have I heard about them putting a gun to our heads to show up and eat. And yes a sucker is born every minute, that's why the diet industry makes so much money; the herbal viagra peddlers are rich; people pay hundreds of dollars for clothes; people buy monsterous SUVs when they live in the plains; along with countless other consumer choices that each of us makes on a daily basis. Or how about those who shell out all of that money for cable or satellite - to me they're suckers - its about our personal values, morals...paradigms. With full disclosure, I am able to take my responsibility as an educated consumer.

Fantastic explanation - thank you so much for taking the time to share it. I guess the only thing that's not sinking in is - How do you know how much criollo is in a pod (purposely poorly stated)? For example, do you just crack open a pod and see little "c"s and little "f"s on each bean, or is it more like knowing the heredity of a human (3 parts German, 1 part Italian)? I assume the latter based on your explanation. So how do you know this when you open your bag of beans:

For sake of argument I could go on forever based on principles. And I am more than happy to continue a pollyanna approach to life - I happily choose that over skepticism and cynicism - I just can't imagine waking up like that each day. However, I do think FG's approach is logical, but then let me answer this I would not because its not part of my industry's model. Cosentino is operating within the model within which he has been set. He is using the tools that are easily available to him. Have you ever walked out of a grocery with a surcharge placed on your purchase? The closest comparison would be the bottle deposits of the 70s and 80s. But in the restaurant/hospitality industry I've paid gratuity (mandatory and choice). I've paid corkage fees. I've paid those stupid tourist fees that some cities tack on to every charge in the hospitality field. From the outside it may not seem novel, but from the inside the novelty comes from how the existing system is used.

But if they/I get screwed over that's their/my business, not yours. As I've said, 50% of people will appreciate these efforts. 50% won't or will distrust. So what I am saying is there is nothing that you or I could say that could get us to agree on this - we have very different paradigms. As a consumer then you make your choice to go somewhere else. I would be more inclined to support them for making this commitment - even if it is a commitment to my expense.

Wouldn't I expect them to back it up - no. Why would I? Again, I can't imagine going through life living with the assumption that everyone is out to screw me over - that would be a very tiring life. Maybe I've lived in a small town too long. When I lived in New Orleans, I was screwed over on the shell game once, but you know what - I'm still alive and happy, and not missing my $5. They've made the public statement of what the money is for. Good enough for me. If it turns out that the bean wasn't under any of the shells, I wouldn't support them anymore...but that's life isn't it?

I don't need them to open the books, nor would I want them to. I can't go through life distrusting everyone all the time. I would happily offer my 5% and trust that the employee will get it in one for or another. If its not insurance, then cash. The employee can then decide how to spend the money. And the outcome is an HR function (pay or insurance), but this is about corporate philosophy and marketing in my opinion. I didn't say it was bull. To me 'printed on recycled paper' is important - not important enough for me to pick a restaurant or not, but again it gets to corporate philosophy. Half of the country is going to jive with that philosophy, half isn't.

And you would feel better if they added the 5% on and didn't tell us where it was going? How does that make it better? I at least now know that this is a business that is trying to make a difference in how its employees are handled. If they didn't tell me then I could assume they treat their back of house like crap like everyone else and raised the 5% to pad their own pockets. And as for the use of small print - its the same as "printed on recycled paper."

Okay - time to up my education on the topic. I thought criollo was a varietal. And so what do you mean by a high criollo content within a pod - I thought it either was or wasn't. Thanks.

Do any of you shop at a store that promotes its green-ness? Do any of you shops at a store that supports social causes/charities. Do any NPR listeners shop at a store because it supports NPR? If you answered no to these then you won't understand the point. At best its letting your customer know your business philosophy and hoping they'll return the thought. At worst its marketing. Either way, those of us who say yes to the above questions are fine adding a few bucks on knowing the low pay of the back of house staff, and being willing to support them.

But I don't think of it as a cost of doing business. To me this is social consciousness. And again, I appreciate them taking that stance.

Interesting. When I read your title I thought, "If they pulled that crap with me I would just walk out and never return." But, now that I see the rationale and the explanation, it would move me to be even more loyal. If they just tucked it in and I didn't know it was there, it may benefit their employees, but it would not generate good will. I wholeheartedly support this practice...but then again, I'm a socialist at heart.

Alinea's 12 course tasting is $135, so you're putting yourself head-to-head. As someone who has had Alinea, if you are comparable then go for it! I would be making my reservation on my next trip. If you're not comparable, then... But your question wasn't about pricing was it? Part of Alinea's alure is its hype and legend. Seeing your menu - just as theirs, you use flavor components to describe the meal instead of detailed descriptions. That's fine, but I don't know that I would have gone to Alinea without ample hype to justify the cost based on their menu either. (Seriously, just trying to be helpful).

Same here - I would need more description (or a mouthful) to know. They all look great, but depending on size, composition, etc., I would have no way of assessing this progression beyond hypothetical taste linkages. But overall impression...sounds interesting, but not 'out there.' My guess is that this would be a $75 tasting menu. Hope that helps.

If she lives in the middle of the desert in New Mexico, then my store! But since she probably doesn't, just a reminder of the obvious - no spicy foods, no liquor, nothing hard on the gut. I would suggest (depending on how much you're willing to spend) a basket of restaurant gift certificates that deliver. In our town (small town folk) we organize feeding groups so new moms get meals made for them for about 2 weeks or more. We always say no to casseroles! But I think it would be great to get a basket with certificates for pizza, Chinese, ice cream, etc...all from places that deliver. Or, our local cab company delivers from stores and restaurants. Anyway, I may have just made your $25 gift a $250 gift, but how great would it be to get that gift!?

I'll be spending a week in early March at the Wilshire Grand. I know nothing of LA, so any recommendations are appreciated. I might have a rental car, but prefer to stay close (I don't leave my little town much so I'm a scaredy cat). My standard hit list: - Any great pastry shops - Any really fun or unique chocolate shops - One $50-$75 meal (entree price) - A couple of $20 entree meals - A slew of cheap ethnic dives

Well that stinks. But thanks for dispelling the myth.

Flavor loss is my biggest issue. I love a jasmine pearl or lychee black, both of which are very sweet, but when I do a pour off, the sweetness is virtually gone - and I only do an immediate pour off not a 30 second on. I add agave back in, but its not the same. And 80% v. 98% is a big difference, but that's not a deal killer for me.

I few years back, Kevin Knox, the author of Coffee Basics, but who secretly is more into teas, told me that you can decaf tea by pouring on the hot water, immediately draining it, then pour the water on again to steep. His claim was that a chemically processed tea was 92% caffeine free, while this method made it nearly 98%. For sake of his reputation, I'll admit that my memory can veer after a few years, so this may not be what he said at all. But, I've spread the info as gospel ever since. Is this true?

There's been quite a bit of discussion of those products in the various ice cream topics, and if memory serves me, they are used to improve mouthfeel. I would encourage you to check on Martin Lersch's book HERE. Martin has taken all of the readily available info and recipes for such products and put them in one place - an invaluable resource.

Is this a creation from your internship or just good home cooking?

Meredith - I really like that picture. The cookie on the bottom is saying, "I'll love you for a long time if you get me out from under this stack."

Brioche Domes with Fruit Using a process I discussed HERE, these are brioche cups filled with pastry cream and rum soaked raisins and cranberries. My spouse and his merry band of non-sweet eaters loved these. I liked them but wanted much more sugar involved. I do have to say that the texture of this brioche was the best I've ever had. The filling is much better than the picture would lead you to believe.

I spent most of my time in a recent Santa Fe trip checking out chocolate. Nothing new to this group, but I'll add my two cents. I went to Todos Santos and got a box of chocolate. He had Cluizel, Neuhaus and a few others mixed in with his own. His are Valrhona solid chocolates covered in gold or silver leaf. I found them okay, but solid chocolates in a bon bon box don't excite me. Beautiful packaging however: I also bought his bar which had a nice taste but was too thick for my liking. If you are ever in Santa Fe, don't miss his shop. Extremely nice and generous person, and a marvel of a shop (and I don't say cheesy things like that too freely!). Over at Kakawa I bought an Askinosie bar (San Jose del Tambo with nibs). I really liked this bar - the taste, the texture, the packaging. Its a great set-up.