andrewB

on this tangent, it has always left me laughing working in those schools or restaurants where all the cooks call eah other chef. there is only one chef in the kitchen unless you're doing a benefit...

keep you from being burned? wow, are they also making bullet proof ones these days??

as a foreigner, you need proof of insurance to travel i believe, so that covers you. i had to jump through numerous hoops and sign many waivers each time i staged in france...

Well that's simply absurd. I agree with the overall point that a smooth-running restaurant has well-delineated roles for both FOH and BOH. But, restaurant owners (like the ones who started this thread)...have to care about both in ensuring the bottom line....(I think this is where chef-owners often run into problems). ← as a chef/owner, i am curious how you would continue your statement and explain how chef/owners run into problems ensuring the bottom line...

and on top of it all, to have on the same plate each of those 4 mini portions. its not about being a fussy chef, its about having some integrity and not letting customers clammer for what ever they want. this IS the service industry, not indentured servitude or something of the sort...

here's one which goes into the 'split category' i believe... had a 4 top in for lunch today and they wanted 2 split salads for apps. my policy is not splits but the GM did it anyway. then the main courses, they ordered 4 but wanted a portion of each dish put on each plate and served as such. i refused and made the GM go out and do it tableside. then for dessert, they had the same sh^t and put cheeses on the plates with desserts. i would like to hear what people think about this one. personally i hold myself to a standard that doesn't include the poo-poo platter special or a super bowl sampler of my food. but that's just me... thanks

you can do what we do and charge a couvert for the people not ordering mains. its minumal, but it helps to pay for time, water, bread etc...

...the beautiful thing about newbies is they're not smart enough to realize... best one i ever received was one night after service the sous chef told me to cut and pre sear the foie for a private lunch the following morning. when the chef found the foie on the speedrack the next morning, he started to go ballistic on the sous chef and he just pointed to me. i got bitch slapped something fierce and had to pay for the foie gras. i gotta say though this taught me two extremely important lessons: first being to question everything you do in the kitchen, it will make you a smarter, better, and more conscious cook. the second and equally as important, never put 1T of cayenne in the sous chef's red bull....

you would be seen as a becon of light in the world of flight as far as chefs/cooks are concerned. very few, if any, cooks ever see tips and cutrsies of appreciation from patrons...

working as an Executive chef for an Ambassador, i can shed a little bit of light on the state departments view of it. State Department allocates wine based on need and consumption for formal entertaining. The Ambassador i worked under had an amazing private collection which was used for his personal consumption and for special occasions, like pulling out a '45 Haute Lafite for the President of Slovakia's birthday. The wines which the state department allocated were quite honestly bad wines, cheaply representing America. We had Kendell Jackson (not even reserve) and Woodbridge at our disposal and i think we did just that. The Ambassador in the end, donated numerous cases of Estancia and chateau st michelle to the cause.

so what do you call us that work both lunch/ dinner?

... saw the trailer in the cinema the other day. got a kick outta seeing the cooks using microplanes to grate orange zest in it...

it's always appreciated in the kitchen...

i agree with this statement. my stomach can't take tap water and ends badly with consumption.

to define something food related is very much what this site is about. i just don't understand the relevance of trying to define one's self and their capabilities in order to better understand food and cooking. i think its a bit self inflating is all...

...and what's the point of this?

i have seen the Dali cookbook in my old chef's collection and it was great. i then worked at Lascerres in Paris where the book was shot. where on earth did you find it??

bicarb will also make the caramel more brittle...

...my fiance eats crispy fish tails...

andrewB, you're going to have to explain this one to me. Virgin black butter? ← it is a mounded butter sauce with lemon juice, white pepper, browned butter and chilled butter, and cream... in poaching in this liquid you have to keep the heat very low and gentle for it not to break. it is typically i believe used as a sauce, but...

wine is part of FOH sales and % upsales benefit both the waiters and FOH if they pool tips and also helps the kitchen sales (we all like this) dishwasher is that grey zone which is covered in our BOH costs...

i poach my pike in a virgin black butter with very good results...

its a fundraiser for a vision disorder charity. don't worry i don't think people will see you anyway...

We had this problem too. Chef had us put out a buffet of sliced meat and cheese and the cheapest ass sliced bread. Mayo and mustard in portion packages. No lettuce, no tomatoes. When the servers asked about it, the chef said, "We've changed the staff meal to the STFU meal. And if you don't like it, you can shut the f--- up!" The whole kitchen was rolling on the floor laughing their asses off and when we were done, we had our steak dinners. Now, when one of the new servers complains about staff meal, the senior servers tell them to shut the hell up. ← At least they get something. The FOH doesn't get anything where I work. ← then you would work in the only restaurant where FOH doesn't cmplain about the staff meal they get!

i make a foie gras sauce with it in my restaurant which is reduced with stock and red wine, and rhubarb poaching liquid and is served with gingered rhubarb compote and pan perdu... in my experience, you have to reduce the saba very gently and strain it through cheesecloth when finished..