Risi e Bisi

I had a good meal at the West County Grill (Sebastapol), last night. Tasty small tapas size fried appetizers, like Arancini and Fried Brandade cakes (like a Bajan fishcake). The entree portions sizes are a bit confusing. My massive sized half chicken vs. my partners 4 oz halibut filet. Next time we know to split the chicken. Otherwise a great addition to Sonoma County.

There are alot of valuable career/life lessons to be learned from a failing restaurant. Just feel fortunate, all you loss was just the job.

I have always reconized the kitchen labor as a percentage of total F&B sales, including all salary kitchen staff. Excluding Taxes, Benefits ETC. Every operations budget is different, based on style, history, labor pool, and volumn. Seasonal restaurants are generally more chalenged than others. I am fortunate to be able to push my staff out on paid vacations during the off season, which is not reflected in my labor report. Otherwise I am in the same boat as you. That's why we get paid the big bucks. Good luck

Just a few off the top of my head, in the Santa Rosa area getways. Fine Dining- Farm House Inn(River Road) Expensive in recent years. Casual Dining-Village Inn (Monte Rio) Food is a bit 1970s but always good,and a good value, the deck over the river is awsome. Great after a canoe trip. Bistro des Copaine(Occidental)- Good value on wine and food, the food is real good. Great town to visit. Even if I am local, when I go to these places, it feels like I am on vacation as well.

I would like make my own Lardo, like I had in Liguria and Tuscany last year. Also, I hear that Salumi Cured Meats in Seattle makes it but does't ship it. Who makes it? I would like to give it a try. Are there any experience lardo makers that can help me? I hear that Restorante Venanzio in Carrara actually marinates their meats in the Lardo brine before roasting, for amazing results. Thank You Lardo lovers for your help!

Mike, I hear where you are comming from, and it's not the same industry as it was 10 years ago. You need a couple of good sous chefs at the beginning for support, and start training the staff from scratch. English is a second language in my kitchen and these guys have been carrying my ass for several years. There are other factors involved in keeping people around for the long haul, and it's not all pay. Schedule so they can pick up other work after or before their shift, provide good staff food,(we do menudo on sunday morning), make the job enjoyable and have fun yourself. Good Luck

I have always enjoy A16, on Chestnut st. in S.F. Its easy access for me, living in the north bay. The food is consistently good. You can go the pizza antipasto route or order dinners. You can't go wrong with their large Italian wine selection, especially by the half caraft and glasses. I am always amazed in how fast the food comes out of the kitchen, allowing you to make your menu selections at will, thru out the meal. Overall an enjoyable experience. www.a16sf.com

The first time I did a live cooking demo, it was on the noon news in a Sacramento television station at the end of the hour following the weather. I really prepared hard to keep it to a 4 minute segment. It was the hottest day of the year and when the weather came on "How hot is it". They went thru all the local temperatures and left me with a couple of minutes. At the end of the day, the staff were real pros and helped me wing it just fine. I ended up comming back several more times and loved the fact I could get in and out of there very fast and easy. Just get your copy points together and get the word out.

I always make a point to go to Trattoria dei Quattro Leoni,on via dei vellutini. Last October I went for lunch and made dinner reservations on the way out the door, for an equally great experience.

I always make a point to visit El Jibarito, on Calle de Sol in Old San Juan. Especially when I need that bean (w/ sofrito) and rice fix. Mainly traditional Puerto Rican food with a twist. Very local and inexpensive. If you go for lunch, try around noon, to beat the 1:00 lunch rush.