Synergy

So... somehow plans for a stagette for my girlfriend have lead us to 4 nights in Vegas mid-April. These girls are not all foodies, although they like food and drink, so I am the one who is in charge of finding a place for a "nice supper" the Sunday night. For a nice supper on my stagette, I would be hitting up somewhere like Alize, Daniel Bouloud Brasserie, or Le Cirque. The bride on the other hand, is a chicken fingers and fries aficionado, and would just like to go to a nice-ish steakhouse, where everyone in the group can get something they like. It has to have a decent wine list too. As I am a vegetarian, I don't have the downlow on the Vegas Steakhouses that are nice, but will still leave money left over for the blackjack table. Any recommendations? (I am especially looking for somewhere I can find something edible as well).

This is off topic, but you're not the only one. There are a few of us vegetarian foodies on here

It certainly seems the consensus is hot broths/soups or hot booze. Maybe next time, I'll try to make a super cure: A red wine based soup broth with garlic and ginger, and some citrus fruits squeezed in, finished with a shot of whiskey. If that doesn't cure what ails ya...

I wound up making my version of a hot toddy using Canadian Whiskey (Crown Royal), hot water, fresh lemon juice and a soft ginger candy (from the ginger people). I think I will make a second one just before bedtime.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really like the ones that involve booze. Maggiecat, do you think the Toddy would work using Canadian Whiskey instead of Bourbon?

The old adage says "feed a cold and starve a fever". Well, I have a cold, and I've been craving old comfort foods from my childhood, like mac'n'cheese (the real kind, not from the box), or grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. How do you feed your cold?

If you are going to be having hummus and babaganoush, you could also throw in some other dips like tatziki and my personal favorite: Muhhamara. It's a walnut, pomegranate, onion dip. Dips are fun! Spanikopita (phyllo pastry, spinach and feta) is also tasty and popular appetizer item.

I have many similar problems at our restaurant. Some people are just resistant to change. Even if the new menu is better, they will miss what they used to have. This is probably a bigger problem with regulars who have become accustomed to their routine. You can never please everyone, no matter how hard you try.

I don't think arguing with jackal10 is going to make a difference. He gets his rocks off by stiffing servers under the guise of a "statement against corruption". If he were truly concerned about exploitation he wouldn't be exploiting the system by having servers provide him with service for the least amount of money out of his pocket possible. Cheapness does not a political statement make.

Exactly. Credit card transaction fees are just part of the business expenses in North America.

So??? I use my credit card for almost everything. I pay it off every month and I get to take a free trip every year because of it. Credit cards with rewards on them can be very... rewarding, as long as you don't carry a balance.

I hope the Murrietta's Well story has some truth to it. That is one of my favorite Zins

I personally don't mind the term foodie, but if I had to choose an alternative label, I would go with gaustronaut or food geek. They both have a nerdy ring, which suits me just fine

I would recommend branching out from your old haunts. Calgary has so many wonderful restaurants. There is a new place in town called "Alloy" that I recommend you try. It's on 42nd Ave SE, just off of Mcleod Trail. California Fusion cuisine with great ambiance and a decent wine list. I also second the recommendation for Murrietta's, and for Rouge. They are both spectacular. At Murietta's I recommend saving room for the Baked Alaska with Banana's Foster dessert. Rouge, well... It's in a class by itself. If you feel like something a little different, you could head down to 17th ave and try The Coup (a very funky, incredibly popular vegetarian restaurant) or Jaro Blue, an interesting Tapas bar. If you want to delve into different ethnic foods, there are bazillions of choices. Let me know if you would like any particular recommendations. Have fun!

Not a visit, no. All restaurants are visited by health inspectors, several times a year. It's the findings that can make the visit a death sentence. Just one incident like this would probably not even shut down the restaurant.

I love nachos, and haven't had them for too long. For awhile, I took to making them fast and easy in the micro. I would just take some tortilla chips and lay them out on a plate. Then I would spoon a tiny bit of salsa onto each chip, and cover with grated cheese. Nuke till cheese melts, then add some diced green onions, and serve with salsa, sour cream, guac or all three. The salsa under the chip would soften the chip a little in the middle, which is oddly satisfying for me, somehow.

^^^ + 1 Plk, that was a very eloquent. Thank you! I am a vegetarian mostly for environmental reasons, and also because of the way the majority of food animals are treated. I don't think eating meat is inherently bad, but the way our culture goes about it is wrong on so many levels. There are ways of sourcing your meat in a much more environmentally friendly and humane way, but the majority of our meat is factory farmed. I just find it easier to avoid it all together.

Sorry, A bite of bacon would not convince me that my tastebuds are more important that my conscience, the environment, or the lives of the animals that would have to die to satisfy my gustatory cravings.

I just bought this the other day (my christmas present to myself). I read it in one sitting. Very well written, exactly the kind of non fiction I like. Food, relationships, there is even some travel in there!

I don't have any experience on the industrial cookings side, so I'll just speak to what I would love to see if I were eating there (and I'm a vegetarian, so my ideas are skewed towards the meat free). Lot's of bean dishes. They are high protein, and low in fat, as well as being tasty. Things like black bean soup, or lentil soup, black bean burritos, Indian lentil dishes, or mulligatawny soup. You could do lettuce wraps, or get little tiny hard corn tortilla mini bowls, to fill with a mix of lettuce, veggies and beans (like baby taco salads). Some stir fry dishes, with brown rice, loads of vegetables and they can choose their protein, tofu, chicken, seafood, whatever. Light pasta dishes, like angel hair pasta primavera, or whole wheat linguine with chunky tomato sauce. Flat bread pizzas, with little cheese, but loads of veggies (interesting ones, like artichoke hearts, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Polenta, with tomato sauce and some veggies. Fresh steamed veggies as sides. Good ones too, not just peas, corn or carrots. Things like asparagus, brussel sprouts, etc. Serve nutritional powerhouse greens like Kale, Collard greens, mustard greens and spinach. For Brunch, you could make scrambled tofu (with veggies) served with a tahini-miso sauce. Sushi??? Miso soup, edamame, seaweed salad??? All right. I just made myself drool.

I've just recently changed the system at our restaurant, where we present large groups with a bill that has a 15% and an 18% grat on them already, but the customer is free to leave whatever they would like. So far, we've had 100% of the customers choose the 18% grat. (This is in Canada, BTW, and our servers make $9.00/hr)

I wanted to add a few places to the list for Calgary: The Coup - a really funky, tiny, vegetarian place with locally grown organic food. It's healthy, but the flavors are out of this world. (on 17th ave SW) Red Door Bistro: Upscale casual, with a nice wine and cheese menu (on 11th ave SW) Murritta's - Fine dining, amazing deserts. The Bananas Foster with Baked Alaska dish made me actually see God. (on Stephen's ave) There are so many outstanding little ethic places too. Notables: Aida's- a Mediterranean bistro on 4th St SW, in Mission Chili Club Thai House- 11th Ave SW The Casbah- wonderful Morrocan Food on 11th ave as well. I also have to send it out to Divino Wine and Cheese, The Living Room, and Globefish (sushi).

I actually read that in a food and culture Anthro class. It was really good! You don't happen to teach at the U of C, do you?

I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and I have eaten many gourmet vegan meals. None have, unfortunately. been at restaurants. I spend a lot of time with vegans, both online and in real life, and most of them are obsessed with food. I moderate on veggieboards, which is the largest online message board for vegetarians and vegans. It's like egullet, but specifically for vegetarians and vegans. Most of them are all about the quality as well as the ethics of their food. All the vegans I am personally friends with, think of food in terms of abundance, not merely as nutrition. It's not just a fuel for the body, but also for the mind, senses and for the earth. Many also find they are much more at peace with themselves because the food they are eating has not caused harm to a living creature (as much as is possible, obviously bugs, etc get killed during harvests, etc.). Why have none of my gourmet vegan meals been in restaurants? I think most of it has to do with the fact that none of the restaurants themselves are gourmet. They were all casual dining places, with reasonable prices. The food was fantastic, but the presentation, service, etc was not gourmet. Can it be done? Of course. Would the market be there? Depends on the city. Would I like to go there? Damn straight.

Here is a youtube video with someone making a vegan soba noodle salad. I haven't seen the recipe, but hopefully it really is vegan.