Florida

In Racine, Wisconsin, one local chain takes the circle and cuts it into diamond shapes. It's actually a fairly good pie, with an exceedingly thin, almost cracker-like, crust. ← Diamonds? Blasphemy.

I really don't care what people put on their pizza (I am a minimalist myself), but what is the deal with people cutting pizzas into squares? It drives me nuts. I mean, its already a frigin circle, why the hell are you cutting it into squares? A little OT, but, I guess my point is that no matter what the toppings, a square pizza is automatically doomed.

1) Do you have a name, phone number or any other contact information for this person? You note you want to "hunt" him down. If you wanted to, could you actually hunt him down? I'm not suggesting you hunt the person down, but if you needed to have a court serve him with the lawsuit, could you do it? 2) I would agree with the comment about the implied contract. It's certainly not as strong (from a legal standpoint) as a signed contract, but the e-mails would likely be enough evidence to show that the two of you entered into a contract. 3) Small Claims would be the best place. The rules in small claims are far more relaxed than they are in other court divisions and would be best for your needs. Plus it tends to move quicker. Don't request a jury; you'll be better off with a judge deciding the case. However, you're going to need to have a name. Ensuring you have the name is the first step.

I'd take the knives. In the words of AB: "don't touch my d*ck, don't touch my knife" Knives are personal. Pots and pans aren't.

It's not a game, it's people's livelihoods, and sometimes it's the best to be had. Why punish a server for the status quo? That seems very misplaced. ← You're right, it's not a game. It's a metaphor. And I am not suggesting "punishing" anyone (other than a server who has the audacity to confront someone regarding a poor tip). What I am saying, and said quite clearly, is that the custom of tipping is quite well known to all of those involved in the process. If you don't want to earn your wages in the form of tips, get another job. Look at it this way, I lost about 30% in my 401k last year. I knew the risks involved with investing and I lost. I don't look at my losses as a form of "punishment" and I can ensure you my 401k is certainly part of my "livelihood." I knew the risks before investing, I still invested, and I lost. It sucks (it sucks a lot) but no one forced me to make the investments I made. And no one is being forced to work as a waiter/waitress. If you choose the occupation, you choose it with the full knowledge of the way the system works.

On the way down to Key West: Key Largo: Denny's Latin Cafe, right off of US1. Alabama Jack's is also good, plus is has a lot "character" though, as mentioned previously, you'll need to take Card Sound Rd to get to it. In Marathon: http://www.keysfisheries.com/ is worth the stop. BYOB. On Summerland Key (south of Marathon): Mangrove Momma's is a favorite of many, though I'll admit it can be hit or miss. However, it's popular with tourists and keys residents alike.

First of all, in response to the original question, confronting a customer is unacceptable under all circumstances. Second, restaurants are restaurants. They're not schools. It's not anyone's job, responsibility, or right to “educate” the customer. As a former BOH person, I couldn’t tell you how many times I would get complaints about over/under cooking a steak, when the steak was cooked exactly as requested. As a cook, it would never be acceptable for me to walk out of the kitchen and “educate” a customer that the medium-rare steak they ordered is 130-135 degrees, but what they really wanted is a medium steak which is 140-145 degrees. Third, if you’re a server, you know the how the system works when you take the job. 15% tip is customary. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don’t, but it’s not as if you didn’t know that before you took the job. And on the slight chance you really didn’t know it, I’m positive it’s fully explained to you at the time of hiring. Plus, let’s be realistic here, the vast majority of servers aren’t declaring 100% of their cash tips to Uncle Sam anyway, which turns out to be a nice little tax break at the end of the day. Simply put: If you want to play the game, you play by the rules, and you don’t cry when you lose.

I'll second B.O.'s for lunch, though BO sold out to the tourists a long, long time ago. Across the street from BO's is Pepe's. Good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Pepe's is popular with the locals, especially on Sunday, which is BBQ night. Square One on South Duval is good for dinner. Rusty Anchor on Stock Island for lunch or dinner. Again, popular with the locals, and by locals I mean the Stock Island crowd. 5Brothers Grocery for Cuban food, especially Cuban sandwiches. This is a sandwich shop, not really a restaurant. I don't recall them being open for dinner. Also, how are you getting to Key West? Flying or driving?

I just returned from the local Mexican market. While I was there I noticed something I've never seen before - Chorizo Seco. This sausage is darker (almost the color of blood sausage) and drier (hence the "seco") than your average Chorizo, but it is clearly still a fresh sausage. It is in a natural casing and was refrigerated. It does not appear to be cured. Can anyone give an explanation as to the difference? Is it a regional specialty? Do you cook it up the same as regular chorizo? Is it used in specific dishes?

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "chemical," but in general, no, the USDA grading does not mean the beef is chemical free.

USDA grading is based on two variables 1) degree of marbling of fat 2) age of the animal ("maturity" in USDA speak) There is no reference to chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, type of feed, or pasturing, though there is some referrence to the sex of the animal (beef produced from cows is not eligible for Prime grading)

There's definately a cost. I've been to a number of inexpensive ethnic restaurants where there seems to be absolutely no stigma attached to bringing a dish out when the dish is ready and not worrying about the rest of the table. Of course, these tend to be the literal "Mom and Pop" type places where "Mom" works the front of house and "Pop" works the back. But that just proves the point - you can keep labor costs down by not hiring anymore people than absolutely necessary. Not saying this is the way to run a restaurant, but I would agree there is a cost associated with it.

I just read the ICC post. Interesting stuff. Ironically, Moto has a 10 and a 20 course tasting menu and L20 has a tasting menu as well. While L20's tasting menu is listed as either 6 or 12 courses, it's well known there are many "surprise" courses throughout the meal. I had lunch at Blackbird earlier this week and got to talking about the show with our server. He noted remembered when TB was in town and he was looking forward to this episode. He mentioned it was "over the summer," but the ICC discourse was not until September. Really much more of a molehile than a mountain, but would still say Alinea is the surperior restaurant and is rightfully deserving of the additional coverage it receives. However, it's TB's show and I guess he can say what he wants.

I've also have to wonder why there was no Alinea, though I would say Moto seems more Tony's style than Alinea. While Achatz can be very playful with his dishes, Alinea does have a very formal feel to it. Though I'd imagine there wasn't enough airtime for another molecular gastronomy restaurant. Furthermore, it's not like he even went to Blackbird or Avec, but instead made Kahan cook him something in (what I will presume) is his own backyard. Personally, I enjoyed the show, though I was a little put off by the whole foie gras rant. Just seemed unnecessary to me, but Tony loves his soap box..... What's the general opinion regarding Burt's? I've wanted to try it ever since Savuer gave it a mention, but every time I speak with someone who has been there, I get the "it's really no better than anywhere else" answer.

I used to travel to Mobile for work. I'll qualify my recommendations by saying that there are no restaurants in Mobile that I would qualify as "not to miss." If you live your entire life missing Mobile's best restaurants, you're still not missing anything overly special. However, with that said, I usually ate at one of following two places: 1) The Original Oyster House http://www.originaloysterhouse.com/ or 2) Wintzell's http://www.wintzellsoysterhouse.com/ Wintzell's makes an interesting gumbo which is typical of the Mobile area. The Original Oyster House is basically fried seafood, but you're not really going to find any other kind of seafood in South Alabama. Both are good. Neither are great. The food is simple, but, for what it is, it is well prepared. I know these aren't glowing recommendations, but Mobile just isn't a culinary hot spot.

Look at this logically, 1) You don't have any counter space and 2) You're already not putting in a full hood. It just seems to me the best place for it would be above the range. And there is no reason why it needs to be ugly. It is only as ugly as you allow it to be. And, to me, it seems like the most practical use of space. As for kitchen grease? To a certain degree, kitchen grease gets everywhere. Considering most microwaves are large rectangular blocks of plastic, its not as if they are a difficult appliance to keep clean. And hitting your head on it? Really? Are you hovering over your range? I'm trying to imagine how it's even possible to hit your head on a microwave. I'm going to have to agree with your wife on this one.

Agreed

I think IPA goes with just about everything. Actually I'm drinking an IPA even while I'm typing this note!

Are organic foods "better?" Yes and no. In general organic foods result in less harm to the environment. Does this make your organic carrot "better?" Probably not, but it really depends on what you mean by "better" or "worth it" Personally, I'm of the belief organic has become little more than a marketing term, though I will admit there are some products, most notably milk, that I will only buy organic. Plus I do believe organic is generally "better," if for no other reason than the environmental impact. I think the future of farming is sustainability. Locally grown. Free range animals. Grass fed beef. Joing CFA's and getting to know your farmer. Accepting the fact that not all fruits and veggies are going to look like their starring in a TV commercial, but also accepting that some (and I stress some) pesticides or fertilizer is okay as well. If you are really interested in the subject, might I suggest Michael Pollan's Ominivore's Dilemma which is a very good book on the subject.

Moylan's Double IPA Resiny hopiness with a very pronounced bitterness. Huge foamy head.

Not to step on highchef's toes, but I would strongly recommend sauteeing, or at least sweating, your trinity first. Then add either your stock or pre-made roux, depending on your preference. Just note, its best to add either a cold stock to a hot roux or a cold roux to a hot stock, but not to add a hot stock to a hot roux.