Maitre D'Hell

Tried a riff on a Corpse Reviver last night that came out pretty well. I give you the... Holiday Inn 1 oz. Citadelle gin 1 oz Luxardo maraschino 1 oz Lillet Blanc Peychaud's bitters orange twist Stir first three ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Coat the inside of a chilled cocktail glass with 3 dashes bitters. Strain liquors into glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist.

At the restaurants I've worked at, any additional gratuity on an auto-grat table must be initialed on the credit slip by the customer. Otherwise, management wouldn't allow the server to accept it. The exception being if a table added, say, an additional few dollars to make the tip 20%, rather than the 18% added to the pre tax total. That said, any respectable restaurant should give you a chargeback for the amount; it's better for a server to lose a few dollars than for the restaurant to lose a guest.

Once (my first 'real' serving job) I followed a guest--one who had been quite demanding, changing each side on every entree, letting her children play with the bread basket [and subsequently asking for more bread after they had molded toys from the first], sending wine back to the bar several times--after she had left the coins left from her paying the bill as my tip. There had been four guests, not including the children, and I received less than a dollar for my time. At the time, was considered one of the best waiters in the house (I can still make this claim 12 years later) and asked if the service or food was bad. "Not at all," was the reply, "we had a great time." Well, I told them, if they were going to be demanding, have a good time, and leave a terrible tip, they should never come back, since no one would wait on them. It didn't help that several off-duty servers, out of uniform and drinking on our patio, yelled at her, "He said don't come the f*** back!" The next morning, I found out that she was the local paper's restaurant reviewer, and a friend of our owners (twin brothers, I'll mention). Last shift I worked there. No matter how bad they were, though, I still know that I was wrong. Felt really good, though.

I'm with you, FG. As the "flagship" restaurant of a local owners empire--we do asian-fusion--our business has fallen way off (10 covers last night). However, the owner's cheap, simple, Chinese joints are actually UP from last year.

While I agree that this would be easier on the kitchen, common table etiquette would require you to wait until all persons are served--guests of honor, if any, last--before you begin eating. That being said, a local ninja-themed sushi joint that I dig will sometimes have 20-30 minute waits between entrees to one table.

I like the flavorful cuts of beef that you don't always see...hanger, flank, even beef heart has alot of flavor. Braised anything is nice--we do duck legs, short ribs, and veal shank--as it imparts taste and great texture. Our chef usually saves scraps from our filet chains and turns them into ravioli when he's got enough. Money, baby.

I like to switch to darker, more complex spirits when the weather gets cold out. A good dram of smoky scotch or mezcal does wonders to warm cold bones. Of course, a nice Grand Marnier or Sambuca with a strong, dark roast black coffee also does the trick! As mixed drinks go, we serve a version of the White Russian made with coconut cream...tastes like a toasted marshmallow!

Thanks for all the responses! KatieLoeb, we love the Lychee Mojito idea...I think I've convinced the owner to get rid of the Lychee Martini (it is, admittedly, kinda tired). Mayur, I've been experimenting with the "Tokyo 75"...a great twist on a classic. Doing an upscale Singapore Sling and a real Mai Tai (orgeat, curacao, and rock candy) seems so simple I'm not sure how I overlooked it. I'll post again when we've finalized the new menu!

Well...as someone who's bought advertising in a magazine which gave us a glowing review, I find it to be a little fake. I think guests can sense if a review was "paid" for (honestly, we had no idea that the review was going to be so brown-nosing"), and such a review might even hurt the integrity of a restaurant. For example, the owner was noted for his "confidence, charisma, and class" while the food "reminded you of your first love" - the only thing missing was the "sublime" nature of our cuisine. A review should be unbiased. Nothing more.

I recently had a roasted beet salad with asian pears and micro greens topped with a Manchego foam...the slight saltiness from the cheese paired beautifully with the sweetness of the roasted beets!

So we're trying to update our (Asian fusion) specialty & signature cocktail menu, and I'm low on ideas (you can check the current menu at our website, dd33va.com). I want to get away from our current naming conventions - a "insert description" martini, a "insert Asian city" classic cocktail - but also realize that we have to cater to the palate of our guests who very much like traditional tastes. We do want to keep things interesting - I want to do a guava-based cocktail for sure, and I'd like to work with Qi tea liqueur, but beyond that...so I'm reaching out to you guys here. What are the hot new trends in cocktails?

Couldn't agree more on the abhorrent practice of naming any drink in a cocktail glass a "martini." My local "martini" bar is guilty of this; most of their drinks are just shooters in glasses :rolls eyes: On the other hand, my restaurant (an Asian fusion joint) just adds the name of an Asian city to a classic cocktail...so we have the "Tokyo Margartia" and the "Shanghai Sangria." I'm no help here.

At my restaurant (an "upscale casual bistro"), there is a good amount of coarse language...but only before and after service. Our chef leads by example - it's weird (for me, at least) to curse and swear around someone who doesn't. Of course, we have an open kitchen, but that's another story...

At my restaurant, we carry nine teas (granted, they're all Tazo, but it's better than just the old Lipton), and I would feel offended if a guest brought his or her own--especially since our tea service gets you a hot Tetsubin full of boiling water, honey/sugar/splenda, lemon, and cream...all brought with your tea cup on a platter. On the other hand, when guests try to walk in with Starbucks (or any other outside food/drink) I inform them that it's a "health code violation" (years ago, my manager at *big, tacky chain* told me to tell a guest this, and that it was true. Any one in the know with Virginia health code?).

No towel allowed on your apron strap, trekflyer? When I was in this situation, I used to have a towel, dry and folded into thirds, under my apron tucked into my pants or belt. Ghetto, but it works.

I've worked in country clubs (Newport News Golf Course), chains (Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesday's, TGI Fridays), and privately owned restaurants (The Tobacco Company, 1421, Dd33). The guys on line in the chains (normally) are just working a grind; the exec of the country club could cook, but when petit filets en croute with bernaise sit in a chafer for hours, the point is moot; but in the privately owned (fine dining more so) places i've worked, there's usually more of a passion for food, from presentation, to creativity, and, of course, taste. Right now I work as maitre d' and expo, and the guys on line always speak of diner cooks with a reverence. My saute guy loves to mention the episode of Reading Rainbow where Levar Burton goes to work in a diner and uses diner slang - like "ice on rice" for rice pudding with ice cream. Mad props to short order cooks; I couldn't work without my dupes.

Heh, this reminds me of a Chef Phillippe, a classically trained French chef who was the exec of a small Italian bistro, 1421. I remember coming into the kitchen on the first day of menu tasting, and Phillippe was behind the line, yelling at cooks, gesturing *into* pans with his cigarette. All I could think of was ash when we got around to tasting the food On another note, the exec I currently work with smokes (been one since he was 14, he says) and his food is impeccable. Then again, I myself have the occasional cigarette

Pax, you were more than admirable in your actions. As a maitre d', I have firsthand experience in this: all too often bookings will show up an hour late and still expect their table to be held, or a party of eight will arrive with only four and tell me "since it's only four now we'll have a booth." If my bookings call and tell me they'll be late, I will save that last booth for them. It's the ones that inconvenience me and expect good seatings that are the "bad" guests.

I agree that modern menu language may have become...over-zealous? However, when I dine I do like to know what types of fungus are in the Wild Mushroom Risotto; I also see the waiter's eyes glaze after I ask him for the ingredients of yet another dish. I have heard that professional menu consultants (I can't believe people get paid for that!) say that listing a dish's components gives guests the understanding of an item's value; that is, you may be more inclined to pay $15 for that risotto once you know that it contains black trumpets, fresh porcinis, and is finished with truffle oil. Granted, a favorite of mine is "day-boat diver scallops" as if the scallops were hand-harvested that morning. Still, the lack of proper vocabulary to describe our food does come into play; "eggs benedict" is the only one I think the average American would understand.