ScoopKW

The last time I had a really bad case of food poisoning, I was living in Egypt. Foodborne illness isn't really an "annoyance." What sort of places are you going to where you expect to get sick from eating? I'd quit eating out entirely if this was the case.

Any chef worth his toque will be happy to talk to a local farmer. Call a few during slow times (before service on a slow day) and ask to set up a time to talk -- whether in person or by phone. You might not get to talk to a chef the first time you call -- because they're busy making sauces and doing prep. Even then, you should be able to get a "I can give you half-an-hour on Thursday at noon" commitment from him or her.

Are you SURE about that? Restaurants don't pay NEARLY what customers pay in grocery stores. At our place, we buy our greens by the bushel. (Literally, we buy one bushel at a time. And sometimes 2/3 bushel boxes. For things like frisee, mizuna and mesclune, we go through a few bushels a week. For things like micro-cilantro, maybe half a bushel a week. Basil, about a bushel. Thyme, at least a bushel. Much of our greens come from hydroponics outfits here in Las Vegas. We're already on board with hydroponics. We serve between 200 and 500 covers a day, high-end fine dining. I'd call a restaurant that I like on a slow day and ask for the chef who does the ordering. Ask him or her what they pay for the items you can provide. They should be very happy to help you with that. As long as it's a slow day (Mon-Thurs), long before service starts. (If they're dinner only, call them around noon. If they serve lunch, too, call in the morning.)

I'm not treated like a rock star because I tip well. I'm treated like a rock star, THEN I tip well. See the difference? They have no idea how I'm going to tip when I show up at a new restaurant. But I'm always treated very well. Mainly because I do my best to bring out the best in people. I had a boss once who always said, "It's easier to care about people than it is to pretend that you do." I've found that sincere enthusiasm is the key to every lock in the world.

I haven't tried Ramsay's new place at Paris casino because I haven't heard anyone (cooks, chefs, servers, guests, friends, critics, nobody) say a good word about it. Except for the food review at the local newspaper, who has never handed down a bad review, ever. (I suspect the paper disallows bad reviews about major advertisers.)

Have you considered that since you expect to have a miserable experience, you generally do? When I go out, I expect to have a great experience. And I generally do. (And I'm quite a cynic, so you can't accuse me of being a granola-crunching, "Earth energy" type.) But I have found that in general, attitude really IS everything. My good attitude rubs off on the server, who then asks the cooks to "VIP" my order. When I go out to eat, I usually end up getting freebies that I didn't order, just because I know how to compliment a chef. ("Please tell the chef that the horseradish and dijon cabbage was amazing. I never would have thought of that. I'm going to make that tomorrow at home." Whammo, free dessert, or a "here, try this" appetizer or side for the table to share. But I don't do it to get freebies. I do it because cooks and chefs get a lot of criticism from guests, and precious few compliments. I almost never compliment the execution of the steak or the seafood. After all, it's EASY to make a $100 hunk of beef taste good. I compliment the sauces and the side dishes and the appetizers -- nobody ever seems to do that.) I have a few places I return to often. The host knows where I like to sit, the servers have the drinks on the table 20 seconds after we sit down. They know what we're drinking, so we don't have to order. They bring out a super-sized amuse to nosh on while reading the menu. And then a sous chef will drop by to tell us what really good stuff came in today. "I test-fired a scallop, and it was the sweetest scallop I've had in months." Some of the best meals I've ever eaten were at restaurants where I couldn't speak the language. So I google, "Please make whatever you want. I just want to try your food." This international "omakase" works every time. Chefs who are usually sick of tourists either sell me their best dish (best by the chef's standards, not by the price tag), or they'll whip up a regional favorite handed down to them by mom. And since I don't have any food allergies, or even aversions, this works out great for me. The chefs and cooks don't get annoyed because I'm not really ordering off-menu, although it often works out that way. And, like I said, these have been some of the best meals I have ever eaten. And not once has it resulted in being served the most-expensive thing on the menu. Not once. And even if it did, I wouldn't care, because I wouldn't have "omakase'd" them if that mattered. PS -- I tip well, because I almost always get great service. Some times I over tip. Some times I've left tips of 100% or more -- they piled so many freebies on us, that it didn't seem right to only tip on what we ordered. Have a great attitude, get treated like a rock star. Works for me.

I think that many of them LOVE the confrontation. "I'm a vegetarian, and by God I'm going to make sure everyone knows about it. I'm going to go to a steak house, and make them serve me an off-menu vegan entree. And then I'm going to talk about how gross meat is so everyone gets to hear about my philosophy. I sure hope they serve foie so I can make a scene about that, too!" Based on the way some of these dingbats act, you have to imagine that's what's going through their head.

I'd go to Spain as well. It's not like Hawaii is going anywhere. You can take what you learn in Spain and be better off if you decide you want to become an islander.

That's fine. You shouldn't have to eat anything that would make you sick, or even uncomfortable. But the point I've been trying to make is that there are scads of people out there who are claiming allergy to onions when they aren't actually allergic, they just don't like onions. And there are so many of them ordering meals lately, with (perceived) false claims of medical necessity that it does no favors to the people who really cannot eat certain foods. I view these sorts of people the same way I view the people who insist on being pushed around airports in wheelchairs just so they can get through the lines quicker. It's the elevated sense of entitlement that drives me loopers. Once they're through the line, wow, it's a miracle! They can sprint through the airport gate like OJ Simpson.

You're amazed that I'm right on the money? Thanks for that vote of confidence. (I'm assuming you're "wowing" about the sleazy practices at this restaurant. I can't help but be snarky, though. It's just my nature.) Young_ -- I would suggest printing this thread and showing it to the owners. They are eventually going to kill someone -- an old guest with a weak immune system, or a young guest, or basically anyone with a weak immune system. Do you really want to be part of such an organization? Selling month-old food is unacceptable. There is no justification for it. The longer you continue to work there, the more likely you're going to eventually find yourself on a witness stand, testifying about the procedures. But if you print this thread and show it to the owners, you will likely be fired on the spot. Make plans accordingly. Allowing the status quo to continue is reckless. You are in an awful position. And I hope everything works out for you.

Yes. And a lot of them are awfully damned sanctimonious about it. And it's not just the vegans. It's the dingbats who have their incontinent little chihauhua annointed as a "service animal" so they can bring it into places where dogs normally aren't allowed. It's the "I'm deathly allergic to shellfish and most kinds of seafood" guy who goes to a sushi bar. It's the superiorly annoying group that comes to the restaurant and spends the entire meal yakking on their cell phone about their latest rectal exam so that all the rest of the guests can enjoy it, too. There are a lot of spoiled pampered princesses out there. And there seem to be more of them every year.

Here in Las Vegas, the low end of the pay scale is $15/hr. Most cooks make in the $20/range -- with "Cadillac" benefits. (We don't worry about getting sick, retirement, or anything of that nature.) And here, the "food quality" problem is on the opposite end of the scale -- you'll be shocked at how much gets thrown away (actually, it's sent to a pig farm) because it's more than a few hours old. The casinos don't futz around -- they don't want the bad reputation and lost revenue that comes with making a guest sick. Their philosophy is, "Food is cheap. Reputation is everything." Temperatures are constantly measured, logged, and filed. We get regular visits from the Health Department. And inspectors want to see cooks taking temperatures, logging them, and filing them. It's kind of a pain, actually. But it gets done. So that's how it goes where I work. This is probably one of the best cities to be a cook, from a salary and cost of living standpoint. I still can't stand it here. But I can't complain about my finances. I agree with the others who say that you don't owe that family anything. They're paying you $7.75/hr. How can anyone expect to live on that? That's a hand-to-mouth, paycheck-to-paycheck, life better not throw you a monkey-wrench at you kind of job. I don't recommend that you quit tomorrow. But I think you should refresh your resume and start looking -- but prepare for culture shock if you get in at a good restaurant. You've probably been taught all kinds of sleazy shortcuts that won't fly in a proper kitchen. Finally, does your local community college offer culinary classes? Don't bother with the for-profit schools that promise you a great job with an amazing salary the minute you graduate. That's a load of it. (Basically, if the school advertises on TV, radio, magazines, online or billboards, it's the wrong school for you.) But if you can get some solid instruction at community college prices, that's worth looking into.

I agree that it's not worth the risk. But WTF do you do for the guest who claims to be allergic to salt? Everything has some salt in it. What should we do? Walk across the street to the pharmacy and buy the guest a bottle of distilled water? I just find it odd that people say things like, "I'm deathly allergic to onions, please pass the ketchup." Or, "I have a horrible gluten allergy. Is the penne fresh?" And perhaps I'm cynical -- but I have a feeling that the majority of these requests are because the guests think they are special snowflakes and don't trust us to hold the onions just because they don't like onions. Guest doesn't like mushrooms? No problems. It will be a mushroom-free. No need to pull the allergy card. I'm not dismissive of claims of allergies, far from. My wife can't eat a kiwi fruit -- she'll stop breathing. But in the past six months, the "deathly allergic to" tickets have SKYROCKETED. They're deathly allergic to foie gras, salt, gluten, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms (lots of these), onions (raw, cooked, whatever), meat in all forms, all forms of alcohol, butter, you name it. Yes, I know there are people who are legitimately allergic to all of these things (well, except salt). But for the most part, I think they're whipping out the allergy card because it's easier than saying, "Look, I'm an observant Jew. I don't mix meat and dairy. Hold the maitre'd butter on my steak, please" or "I'm a devout Muslim. No alcohol, please. None at all. Not even if you boil it for an hour." Either way, they're getting what they want. They don't have to claim medical necessity. And I don't see why they feel they have to -- Perhaps they've been burned one too many times by a short-attention-span cook who didn't hold the mayo?

We had one come in tonight, claiming to be deathly allergic to onions. Then the moron asked for ketchup to go with his meal. I guess he never read the ingredient list on ketchup. Deathly allergic, my ass.

I'm probably too late to be of much help but here are some tricks. I've been through a bunch of hurricanes, living in the Caribbean for so long: 1) Fill bread pans with salt water and freeze them solid. Transfer the blocks to the top shelf of the refrigerator, preferably before the power goes out. The fridge will stay colder, longer that way. 2) Open your fridge once per day. Once. Take everything you'll need for the day out and place in a cooler (that has one of those blocks of salt ice in it). 3) My favorite tip is to buy a couple cases of beer in aluminum cans, and freeze them. Place those in the 'fridge before the power goes out. They'll help keep the 'fridge cold, and you'll be the last person in the area who still has cold beer after the storm clears. 4) If power is out long enough that the freezer is going to thaw (we were out for 17 days after Hurricane Georges), prioritize -- eat the expensive frozen seafood first, and go from there thinking about shelf-life, possibility of food-borne illness, and cost. As a last resort (when the freezer temp gets in the mid 30s), cook EVERYTHING and invite your neighbors over. We've done that more than a few times. When the salt ice blocks melt, use them to flush your toilet, if necessary.

I think a good liberal arts program is a must. Not just for the career, but for a well-rounded life. Learn Spanish. Seriously. Learn it. Other languages might be French and/or Chinese. You can't go wrong learning a bunch of languages. History courses are useful. Writing courses are similarly useful. My advice for education would be: 1) Go get a BA in something. History, English, journalism, communications, doesn't really matter. Go get a classic education. Then go to a culinary school. And work in kitchens to pay for it all the entire time. Maybe part-time work. But keep at it. My BA from a highly-regarded school has helped me in life so many times, I can't imagine what life might be without it. And while you're at it, take some finance courses, just because. This isn't a particularly lucrative field. Know how to manage your money. You might also want to consider getting an MBA. Most of the executive chefs where I work have MBAs in addition to culinary training. At the end of the day, a restaurant is a business, much like any other. That's why we call the restaurant "the store." As in, "We don't have any foie in the store, chef. Please order some." I agree with everyone who says that culinary school will show you how to do things properly, once. But kitchen work will teach you how to do things efficiently, often. It's a one-two punch. You need both.

And in the Las Vegas Review Journal.

I'm not going to bother debating vegetarian customers again. They'll come in and ask if there's a way to make a meatless, cruelty-free ossobuco. The customer is certainly NOT always right. We had a dingbat come in the other day and claim to be allergic to SALT. Slapping the stupidity out of them is not an option, unfortunately.

Here in Las Vegas, it's a health department issue. If an inspector pops in and sees cooks with earbuds deployed, that's a demerit.

I just wanted to add an update. I work at a high-end restaurant in Las Vegas. Our foie sales have tripled since the California ban. Californians are driving to Las Vegas and plunking down what we're charging just to try the stuff. It's great for our bottom line. But because of the ban, more people are eating foie gras than ever. Prohibition simply doesn't work. Now we buy our foie from New York, instead of Sonoma. (And I think the Sonoma foie was better, but that's just my opinion.) And we're raking in the cash from Californians who come here to eat the "forbidden fruit" that they think they can't have at home.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2205763/350-Kobe-steak-dinners-sellout-upscale-Manhattan-restaurant-listed-menu.html So, apparently real kobe is back on our menu. Here in Las Vegas, there are three places selling it. I'm wondering if it's really the real deal. There are still SO many places offering faux-be beef that I'm skeptical.

Where to begin? "Cooks have very little in benefits." We dropped my wife's "Cadillac Government Employee" insurance because mine is better. She had to pay $96 biweekly out of her salary. Mine benefits are better, and no cost whatsoever to me. "The drunk will be kicked out." This happened very recently. A cook came in too drunk to work. He was asked to sleep it off in a hotel, and then come back the next day. It's hard to find cooks who can handle the workload in this town. I have worked with cooks whose "smoke breaks" do not include tobacco. And I've worked with cooks who always seem to have a case of the sniffles. And if they can hold their own on the line, nothing ever happens to them. "Sex is pretty hard to complete in..." We've found 'em in storage closets, private dining rooms, the walk in, the wine locker, behind the building, you name it...

I make Buffalo wings for Monday Night Football. Always have. Always will. I'm thinking about adding onion rings to the mix, seeing as the oil is already hot. Buffalo wings and shoe-string onion rings. Works for me. I might just do the onion rings tomorrow. Just get into a habit of making something for a particular event, date, whatever. It will evolve into a tradition soon enough. And if you're smart, the "traditional dish" will be dead simple. For instance, my Buffalo wings, I've made them so many damned times that I can do it sleepwalking. What I can't understand is traditional dishes like Christmas Pudding. There's two months of your life you'll never get back. I did it once. And on Christmas Day, after the goose and trimmings, we had the pudding and I thought, "All that work, for THIS??!?!?"

Are we expected to believe that someone has worked decades in kitchens and not seen the drunken debauchery that everyone else has seen in kitchens? I don't get drunk at work. I don't have sex with half of my coworkers. But I've worked with people who do. And I daresay most of us "in the life" know exactly the kind of person I'm talking about. Why? Most of us have worked with that person at one time or another. We're probably working with that person RIGHT NOW. They have different names and appearances. But the personality is the same. Stereotypes can be unfair and cruel. But the stereotypes became stereotypes for a reason -- there are enough people who fit the pattern that the stereotype arose in the first place. Back of house didn't get the reputation of being a bunch of substance-abusing sex-fiends for nothing.

Baking soda. Not salt. It works. Naturally, it's best to use older eggs. But baking soda makes the eggs easier to peel no matter what their age. I have nothing to support this other than anecdotal evidence of hard boiling hundreds of eggs, though. If anyone has some solid chemistry as to why (or why not), I'd love to hear it.