Busboy

From the New Yorker article on Gordon Ramsay's New York opening (emphasis added): "But it wasn’t just staffing. At three in the morning, Ramsay (in his fiftieth hour without sleep) went through the fridges and found them filled with lobster and foie gras that had been prepared but weren’t being used: no one knew they were there. (“I could have pissed myself. Neil, I wanted to phone you, even at that hour.” Neil was looking beaten. “I wish you had, Gordon.”) Ramsay examined Gregory’s wine cellar—bottles everywhere, no locks (“Don’t think for a moment he’s the only one who stole something”). He went through the reservations. The restaurant was losing twenty thousand a week in no-shows (fourteen on New Year’s Eve), and every Monday Ramsay was ordering a hundred thousand dollars from the U.K. He called a meeting." To a certain extent I don't lose any sleep over a restaurant's profits, just like I don't worry about a liquor store or car dealership's profit: it's not my problem (and Katie, I camp like a Boy Scout ) but reflecting for a moment on the consequences one's actions have on other people is never a bad thing, especially given that the restaurants most hurt by no-shows are often small businesses owned by real people operating on narrow margins.

I live in Washington DC, just up the street from the Prez. I never though of us a particularly polite city; I wonder if the prevailing yuppie ethos here, where one's children must be practically perfect (and even though many of my friends are far from stereotypical yuppies, and lived in "interesting" parts of the city long before it was popular to do so, rather than the more monied wards, we all swim in the same pond), means that our crew is a little more strict with the manners than in areas where people don't sit around discussing what private/elite public schools their kids got into. Here, while parents are enthralled with their children and brag on them whenever they're not complaining about them (as everywhere) little Madison is expected to act like a grown-up roughly from birth. What has happened to the Irish? You guys are getting as bad as we Americans. My father's side of the family is distinctly Irish (County Mayo) and just a couple of generations over here. I'm pretty sure if I or any of my extended family had been whining in the way your restaurant-mates were, our rebuke would have been swift, sure and painful.

This is simply wrong, a grossly inflated stereotype. I am myself soemthing of a proto-yuppie -- though not of the excessively affluent variety -- and the vast majority of my friends and acquaintences fall under that demographic as well. I cannot think of a single one with that attitude; if anything it's the reverse, with people hypersensitive about their kids' behavior. I know that there are "not my precious little Madison"-type parents around, but they are a distinct minority.

Do you have a distributor in DC/VA? Or do I have to break down and order on-line? I'm always suspicious of a wine whose packaging is too cute -- all those good Burgundies and Bordeaux seem to get along with pretty boring labels -- but Four Vines pulls off both the package and the wine (I liked the Anarchy Red). I almost suggested that the gentleman pouring change out of his rather elegant attire and I'd lend him something black and ripped from my lost youth. On the other hand, the his tie went well with their less anrachic Sonoma County offerings (which they snuck in, I suppose; I like the PR stuff better). I'm t-shirt size XXL.

It's included in the new edition, but the whole blood thing is a little vague. Apparently you include the blood and liver that come out of the hare (rabbit, as I recall on re-reading, is too wussy for the full treatment), however much that may be. I can't post the recipe out of copyright consideration (especially for a fellow eGullet host) but I can give you more details via PM.

It's not that uncommon. Practices vary a lot. I've booked at some in resort areas that want 7 days in advance and I've stayed at many that are 6PM night of. ← The important part of this for me as a customer is that I know what the policy is. When my hairdresser (who owns the salon) instituted a 24-hour cancellation policy, the staff told customers when they made the appointment. That, to my mind, was what made it fair. It's her business and her decision. I'd feel the same about a restaurant. However, this is not what caught my attention about this thread. It was the restaurant's scolding the customer after failing (apparently, I may be wrong on this point) to state their cancellation policy. Right now there is no consensus or common practice on what a customer is supposed to do. Or be accountable for. So I encourage restaurant owners to take as much guesswork out of it as possible; at some point, maybe we'll get to the point where most people "just know" what will happen when they don't give sufficient notice that they're canceling. ← "Customers canceling with less than 24 hours notice will be yelled at over the phone and talked about in vile terms for the rest of the night."

Theoretically, you should use the blood of the animal you're stewing, but I believe even Paula Wolfert allows substituting pig's blood in her recipe for civet, a traditional French stew, often made with rabbit, in which the broth is thickened with blood. ETA: Of course, if you can find pig's blood, you may even be able to find wild boar -- any game will do in a civet, venison works, too. And then you'd have matching blood types and your civet would be totally....not Kosher, but you get my drift.

I'd say the tart is more of a pissaladiere-type thing. The gougeres are different from yours (and mine) (do we both use Zuni Cafe?) in that they are not hollow. They're almost like little (about the same circumference as a nickel) cheesy biscuits, but incredibly lighter than the lightest biscuit you've ever had.

Duh! That's what the kids are for. ← Yeah babe. And that's what *you* are there for, to wash the dishes. With a winning smile tossed over your shoulder while doing so. ← A task I have been known to undertake without complaint.

Duh! That's what the kids are for.

We were lucky: our kids hated fancy food so we never had to fight with them to get all dressed up and spend money on $30 entrees at four-star joints. Of course, now that they're teenagers, their palates are broadening significantly, much to my chagrin and expense. Of course, we made them use their manners at home and at the diners, steakhouses and Ethiopian (who knew?) places they preferred, and it seems to have worked. Last night, over dinner at a local Italian place, my 14-year-old who has developed a passion for pesto told us that she has to play Miss Manners with her friends when they go out, and has taught them how to tip. I was quite pleased.

I think we're focusing on Niman's philosophy (and Chipotle's ability to market that philosophy and make a profit doing so), rather than the flavor of their meat, which is a possible topic for another thread, definitely. The question is, can Puck do something along those same lines? ← I think that is a very real part of the issue. Not that ethical treatment and flavor are neccessarily mutually exclusive but.... Somewhere flavor and quality needs to come into play. ← Of course - but since I was replying to a comment about the business end of things ("Is this really a feasible model?"), I do think Chipotle is a good example of a phenomenally successful business that not only sourced ethically, but parlayed that sourcing into marketing and business - their pork is loudly and proudly touted as Niman Ranch product, and it sells well, from what I know (will try to find some actual sources on that). Why can't Puck do the same? ← Two things: 1) this veering towards a second topic on ethical sourcing, which would be a great topic, but should be treated separately. 2) Regarding foie gras, I'd guess that Wolfgang and the ant-foie gras crowd would argue that there is no such thing as ethical foie gras sourcing -- it's like trying to find ethical cruelty. A farmer can free his chickens, but there's no way to make foie gras without driving that pipe down ducks' throats.

I had the pleasure of visiting Central the other evening and enjoyed it quite a bit. Good onion soup, superb mussel soup. I continue to crave the onion tart with bacon; it's tempting to order eight or ten for carry-out and put them in the freezer, like frozen pizzas but much better, and warm one up every morning for breakfast. Maybe warm up two. The gougeres are, as everyone says, addictive. The Mrs. had what was for my money the best burger in recent memory; I had the 72 hour short ribes and they werre spectacular. Though I was pre-disposed to be unimpressed, the Kit-Kat bar dessert was a keeper as well. Possibly more impressive than the food was they way the staff flawlessly handled being the hottest restaurant in town, on a Saturday night, the weekend a three-star review appeared, with the owner and assorted VIPs in the joint. I am eager to go back, and perhaps even try the (made frozen, he claims) Brussels sprouts. I wonder if they go well with a lobster burger....

I don't think the Chinatown scene is quite as grim as Gastro 888 has it -- I like Full Key and there are a couple of other spots that ain't bad. You may just want to walk around the corner to the Old Ebbitt Grill, which is where I take non-foodies and which actually a pretty cool spot. Weekends are busy; get a reservation if you're trying to eat during prime time. Old Ebbitt is under the management of Clyde's, which isn't bad if you're in Georgetown, but avoid the Chinatown/Gallery Place Clyde's at all costs. You can always catch the 16th Street bus up to my neighborhood (Mt. Pleasant) and eat at the Salvadoran chicken places. Excellent chicken, dirt cheap, a little ethnic experience complete with formica and flourescent lighting. What about roast chicken and fries at a french Bistro? We're lousy with Bistros these days and I kinda like all of them. He gets the boring stuff, you go crazy with the snails and the onglet, everyone's happy. 10 minute walk: between the White House and the Capital, Tony Bourdaine's haunt when in DC Les Halles. 12 minute walk: The hottest spot in town and best of the three, Michel Richard's Central (no website). 1001 Pennsylvania. 20 minute walk (in lovely Dupont Circle) my home court, Bistrot du Coin. Again, try your best to eat early or late at any of these places, as they can be quite jammed.

For years, Bobby P. and any number of other critics pitched Rhone wines as the best values in France, offering world-class wines at "bargain" prices -- and not without reason. And I checked some out and developed quite a tatse for what one friend refers to as "chatty neufs" and especially for their off-beat whites. Yesterday I had a chance to crash what appeared to be an industry lecture/public tasting being put on by a group of Paso Robles vintners and heard a lot of the same kind of talk -- the same quality as more celebrated California appellations but at a more affordable "price point." Other similarities: use of 83 different grape varieties and a lot of Roussanne (Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastle: mmmmmmm) , Marsanne and Viognier, all of which start to taste so good this time of year. So my questions: Should I be spending more time hunting up obscure PR vineyards (as well as Dover Canyon ) in order to stretch my wine dollar and, besides the Zins (Eberle; Four Vines for having both high-and low-end that caught my palate), and the aforementioned whites, anything in particular to keep my eye out for? I had everything from Tempranillo to Pino Noir (surprisingly good: Orchid Hill) mostly mixed with everything else, so it seems to be a difficult region to master, but well worth spending some quality time with Thanks for any tips.

In case anyone else is looking through this list in search of modestly-priced Merlots, turns out the bistro just down the street from my office has a Fronsac called Vieille Cure on special for $35 a bottle. It would be a worthy bottle at that price off the shelves, it's an extraordinary wine for the price at the table (plus they bring out the nice glasses, which I can't help but like) . Fronsac: another day, another lesson. Or, two lessons last Friday night.

Does a joint and a bottle of Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon (as it was then called) count? I guess the first meal with food was when she took me to small French place then much-liked in DC called Le Gaulois. So I guess we had something French. Can't remember the meal but I do recall us drinking more, or more expensive wine than we had planned/probably should have and she had to leave the restaurant to get more cash (me being broke), a pattern that persists to this day, 25 years later. Dear girl was only 18.

Let me first say to Mr. Connelly (and others) that I have indeed walked a mile in your shoes. OK, maybe a block, having dished out a few reviews at a dime a word for a local free paper that stopped giving me assignments when I complained about my check bouncing, and edited out all negative comments about potential advertisers, I have a modest idea what the life of a good critic entails. Very modest. But more to the point, in no way meant to attack food critics as a group. As a matter of fact, my original post is a call for your liberation, to free you from the hours spent following the roughly the same formula week after week until gout sets in. Crtics have an important job. Or could have an important job if they had more freedom to "criticize" and less pressure to "review." Without getting all pedantic (as though I can help myself) the former involves educating the masses, analyzing trends for brilliance or absurdity, identifying new talent and giving it the recognition it deserves; capturing the broader sweep of the culinary world, if you will and bringing it to us in ways that educate and delight us. The latter tends to involve a lot of grocery-list type analyses: the pasta was...; the beef was...; the desserts were. Reviews are helpful. If I go to a strange town it's nice to have a go-to list like the Michelin Guide or the New York Times's search engine. And maybe the Michelin descriptions border on the overly-terse, as FG pointed out up thread, but I've never understood the people who post here in search of every conceivable detail about what to eat and what to avoid. Where's the adventure in that? So, in my perfect world, talented reviewers are freed from the humdrum fromat of a regular review to look deeper into the world of food, and meld their reviews more intriging and informative essays. IF there is a brilliant young Tuscan who's moved into the neighborhood; an overview of truffles or Tuscan food or Barolo or whatever, with a picture of the chef next to it and enough written about him and his place to give diners an amuse bouche even as they accedentally learn more about food itself. For the star collectors, be sure and put three stars next to the address, number and hours at the bottom of the article. More fun for all of us.

So, I'm the only one who pours Frank's Steakhouse Bleu Cheese dressing into a bowl, add's enough Pirate's Cove pre-crumble Blue Cheese to get the chunk-factor high enough, and calls it a day?

Come join us on the dark side!

I agree but ya see, they didn't eat anything so the only thing they can say is "We never got our food and our server abandoned us so we left. ps the soda's were good". If the reader is going to think the whole place sucks based on the "debaucle" then that's being unreasonable IMHO. I take reviews of places with a grain of salt because it's based on personal opinion and what may be good/bad service/food/whatever may not be good/bad for the other. Moods at the time of visit can alter ones experience so if the reviewer just got in a fight with his/her spouse or they just got fired or they experienced road rage trying to find a parking spot could all drastically affect any review of any place at any time. Darin and his wife had bad service resulting in never getting their food. Should it stop anyone from going because of one stupid server? Things have to be put into perspective. I'm not minimizing their experience I'm just saying the place should not be trashed. If you're going to trash a place do it in person to the manager and not behind a computer where the people involved can't talk back in defense or agreement. Specially if they were never given the chance to rectify. They never ate nor paid for food so their money is intact. Since they never ate there it's most certainly still a choice to try. It's not like they got their food, it was prepared bad, returned it 4x for correction and they still never got it right. I see nothing wrong with trying again. They sat at the wrong table at the wrong time. Go back and try again. Life is short but how short is it that you can't visit the same restaurant twice? ← Darin, by the way, showed great restraint in not naming the restaurant. I would have, in a heartbeat. And my savagery would have given the owners, the chef and any of the restaurants defenders a chance to speak up. And -- call me a fool -- I think most people smart enough to find a food site are smart enough to weigh the various views expressed on the topic and come to a reasonavble conclusion. The Joe Beef thread is a good example. And, for what it's worth, after reading they they didn't get food for an hour, my first thought isn't "I wonder how good the food would have been had it arrived," it's "this restaurant is not competent to be open for business." The "give it another chance" because he never actually got to taste the food suggestion is borderline surreal. If you had a date and they stood you up (for no good reason) would you accept a second date because you never found out whether or not they were a great conversationalist? No, you'd hunt for someone who didn't treat you like unworthy peasant. Darin apparently lives in Savannah, GA; not a place I've been to but one I hear is wonderful and likely offers a variety of decent places to eat. Barring some insatiable curiosity about this particular spot (please, Darin, dish! we need names) or a compelling uniqueness (only Mongolian in the state; Beard Foundation Best New Chef in the Southeast; astounding fish) I can't imagine him waking up with specatcular desire to return to a place that treated him so shabbily. Even in those cases I would be hard pressed to to return. Let someone who appreciates his business and bothers to serve him food get his money.

I think paying for the drinks was a good tactical move. For four bucks you keep firm hold on the smaller, less morally clear argument over whether or not you should pay for what you actually did consume and -- on a purely PR level -- you make yourself not look like a whiny cheapskate. I'm always skeptical of the whole "tell a manager" thing after a meal has been utterly ruined. Sure, if there's a modest error that can be rectified, it may be worth the hassle of hunting up the manager (or ensuring that the server is at least mentally spitting in your soup by asking him or her to send the manager over). But once you get to the point that the meal is irredeamably ruined, screw it. It's just one more burden that that customer doesn't need. As for trashing after one bad experience: I say count to 100 slow; don't post while drinking; admit up front that this was just one experience -- and trash away. I've seen people here and on other boards gush shamelessly before they've even stepped foot in the place they're tongue-kissing. (Just got my first rezzie at Chez Grenouille! CAn't wait!") I've seen people damn near perform oral sex on a place after a single meal. People who want to take a swing at a place after a bad experience should have the same right to respond passionatley and immediately (after counting to 100 slow, etc.). And finally, I assume that the people who say "give it another chance" after a debacle like the one described upthread either have a lot more money or many fewer restaurant choices than most people have. Life is too short and dinners out too few. Walk out and walk on to another place.

I can't speak to your esperience in Baltimore, but I'll wager that it having been one of the first temperate Friday nights in many weeks had a great deal to do with it. Down here in DC, the streets were jammed and favorite Bistro of mine, usually 2/3 empty by 10:30 (when we arrived) had only two tables open. Also, more generally, if you're going to a popular restaurant that doesn't accept reservations, 7:30 is the wrongest possible time to show up. Before seven or after nine, or expect a wait.

Hey, this works out if one is doing the Durango-Ouray-Telluride-Dolores loop or if one is visiting Mesa Verde. Thanks for mentioning this! Old Germany Restaurant Lounge & Beer Garden P.O. Box 1215 • 200 S. 8th St. • Dolores, CO 81323 970-882-7549 Family owned and operated since 1986, our customers have said "this is the finest German Restaurant and Beer Garden in the Country". Open Tuesday thru Saturday 4 - 9 PM, Beer Garden open at 2 PM Tuesday thru Saturday. click Note: Not open on Sunday and Monday ← And one thing that Rosie not know, if she hasn't been to Colorado before, is that the kind of microwave warming effect you get from depleted ozone and the thinner atmosphere at higher altitudes means that there are actually many more good days for relaxing outside with a beer and the (best sort of) wurst at this time of year, than there are on the east coast. Of course, you might get eight inches of snow the day after you were tanning in the beergarden (well into May, as I recall), but that has its charms, too.

Yes, slightly pink.