Busboy

I was discussing this with the family last night and was treated to a list of other offenses, as well -- no one asked my daughter how she wanted her steak cooked, and it came out overdone (though not inedible), the waiter could never seem to get the right plate in front of the right person, unfortunate wine service, etc.... They are filled with righteous anger and pressing for a do-over.

Pack your own knives (not in carry-on, of course). This is the single most important thing. We've been known to bring good bread with us, and freeze some of it for later in the week. Something about not having good bread (admittedly, this may not be a priority for everyone) makes it less of a vacation. And cheese, too. I don't worry about too much, though, since we tend to cook simply (though well) on vacation. You might get on the Florida board and see what Orlando offers in the way of decent sources for produce, meat fish etc. are. Might be worth it to drop the kids off at Disney's front gate and spend a day doing a serious food round-up. A nice break from the challenges of children and amusement parks.

You ate kitfo with cutlery? I've always thought that one of the great advantages of Ethiopian food is that you didn't have to figure out which fork to use.

Briefly: After a lunch for six marked by pretty decent food but marred by service glitches (below) I dashed off a polite e-mail to the manager. The manager responded, graciously, and threw in an offer of a repeat lunch for the gang, as well. My complaints were: 1) Wrong "special" menu on the website. This was actually an old-ish complaint, (but I was on a roll) as I had been pissed off a month ago when I called to confirm that the previous special was available and they said that it had ended weeks ago. The current special menu still is not posted, but I have my sources, and I was eager to enjoy the new special with friends and family. 2) They lost the reservation. They lost the lady's in line in front of me, as well. They had a seat, but one doesn't gamble with a six-top during Cherry Blossom season in Washington, especially at a hotel restaurant. And it's bad beginning a meal as hostesses look at you like you're stupid and staffs scramble to set the table. 3) After confirming twice that the special menu -- 3 courses for $34.95 -- was available for Sunday Lunch, (as was suggested in the restaurant's press release announcing the menu, I found out afterwards) I was told -- at dessert time -- that the prix fixe was "dinner only" and I would have to pay (noticeably) higher a la carte prices. The manager was summoned, and she capitulated fairly quickly (and a couple of glasses of wine mysteriously appeared) but I remain put out that I was not offered my "regional specialty" dessert and had to settle for a rather ordinary lemon tart. Not to mention having to fuss with management in the first place. To be clear, nothing was particularly traumatic and, had I not gotten a call two days after I ate there asking if my party of six would be arriving soon, I might have forgotten the accumulation of second-tier irritants and not even bothered to e-mail the manager. I like the restaurant, management has responded graciously, and I honestly think that a whole free lunch for six is a little much, especially given our wine tab. (hmmmm, maybe that's why they're so nice). I don't want to be one of those schnorrers who tries to parlay a minor complaint into a big payoff. I've met them, and I dislike them. On the other hand -- we dropped $400 and the prospect of another $400 meal for free is quite tempting. Maybe we should compromise -- just my wife and I for $200. Anyway, what's the "right" thing to do. And, regardless of that, what should I do? The manager's note: I apologize for the inconveniences during your dining experience.... I also appreciate all the details that you took the time to provide us. We take the feedback very seriously.Chef... and I would like to welcome you and your guests back... to enjoy a complimentary meal at anytime this season whereby we can turn around all these miscommunications. If you would allow me, I would like to speak with you personally at your convenience. My phone number is.... I assure you we are working to resolve all the issues you brought to our attention as soon as possible. Thank you again for you feedback.

In fact, frozen wine can actually be quite drinkable once thawed, in addition to being cooking-worthy. Certainly it tastes better than wine that's been opened and then stuck in the fridge for two or three days.

And kids, remember. When dining with a larger group, always check to see if the tip has been included. While I'm a little surprised that a high-end spot would do this, it is a sufficiently common practice that one should check routinely.

YOu may have better access to great seafood than I, but if I were in Nice I might enjoy stopping by one of the shellfish restaurants near on the edge of the old city(on?) the Gare Routiere for wonderful fresh shellfish including sea urchin and violettes (sp?). A nice break from heavier Nicoise fare.

By the way, shjould anyone need a primer in nouvelle cuisine, see if you can track down a cookbook I just remembered I had from years ago: Dining in France by Gault-Millau "based on the public television series." Recipes (lovingly illustrated) from, anmong others, Blanc, Chapel, Gagnaire, Rostang, Loiseau. Glancing through it, it's not so much that it's dated, it's that everyone else seems to have caught up. [Holly -- I have nothing but respect for your palate and assume a Philly kid can takes his chops being busted every now and again. If my kid gets into Temple, I hope to buy you a few beers.]

But you think a cheesesteak is the height of culinary genius! You probably hate Rothko, too. Sure -- as with new food fashion there were some idiots out there screwing things up and a fair amount of excess, and part of the thrill of the movement was that you could try anything (not that all of it worked). But reduction sauces? Bright fruit and vegetable flavors? Respectful updates of peasant classics? Meals that you could walk away from without gout? There was a lot of good stuff going on back then, and there are few high-end French-style (for lack of a better term) places today that don't build on the foundations NC poured.

It would be interesting to do an adjusted-dollar analysis that compares the earning power of a restaurant waiter relative to cost-of-living today and in 1958. I'd be willing to bet that standard of living based on an assumption of a 10% "standard tip" in 1958 would be about equal to a standard of living based on an assumption of a 20% "standard tip" today. * * * before you are served. ← I've pondered this before, as well, I'm not sure I agree, given that restaurant dining inflation has, in general outstripped the CPI, at least in the fine dining area.

Slightly confusing question as I find steakhouses with pretension and small town hotel restaurants to be in entirely different classes of quality and expense. In addition, vis a vis this discussion, much of what you describe has nothing to do with the server (winne markeup, the steak's tenderness, the garnish etc) and should not affect the tip. So, pick two things to mention to the manager -- "I thought the service was a little slow and the steak might have been more tender " -- tip towards the low end of your range (What was it Elvis said? "Less than Zero" for you, Jackal10) and leave, vowing never to come back. Or just say "everything was fine," tip lower than usual and leave, vowing never to come back. It's not that hard.

I think if you were really serious about this you would only frequent places that include a service charge. If enough people did this it would pressure restaurants to change. Stiffing the service staff doesn't offer any incentive for the restaurant to change their business practices. You're just saving 15-20% on your meals, paid for by the people serving you. ← First, I am serious about this or I wouldn't have put myself on the line here. Hey your way might work too, and maybe if I owned a restaurant I would include service in the prices. But since I am just a customer, I feel that the change has to come from me, as a customer. When enough people start stiffing to protest the system, believe me, those servers can put their low-grade grumbling to good use-by demanding the same thing the customer wants. Namely, elimination of the humiliating 'Tipping Game'. I think my way is more radical, more dramatic, and certainly more dangerous. Therefore, in the long run, more effective. ← You're not making a statement. You're just taking advantage of a power imbalance to cut your tab by 20%. You can stiff with impunity; if the bartender spits in your beer and tells you to get the fuck out of the place, he gets fired. If you had any balls, you'd walk into a bar on a busy night, announce in advance that you don't tip and then stay for more than one drink to see how the evening wears down although, arguably a large percentage of people in the service industry have enough professionalism are sufficiently professional that you'd get decent service anyway -- which would prove you even more of a pratt. And what's so humiliating about tipping? Were you shy as a child?

But the restaurant as we know it today wasn't even invented until after your first 40+ decades...

Most of the things that made the cusine "nouvelle" are pretty standard in high-end restaurants today -- new techniques, lighter sauces, brighter composition, seasonal and neo-traditional ingredients. But I doubt there any true "nouvelle cuisine" restaurants left in the U.S. of note, and certainly not enough in any one place to devote a category in a "best of" issue. We used to have two in DC, I used to work at one, I haven't seen anything like either of them in a long time. Wikipedia here. Larousse Gastronomique here.

It would no longer officially be a "Cubano" but it would likely be delicious. FWIW, I like a little extra fat on my Cubanos and usually smear them with an inauthentic but tasty homemade lime/cumin/coriander mayo.

I think it's a "class" thing -- a bit of showmanship to differentiate the guy in the suit or silk tie from the diner waitress pulling the pen from behind her ear and scribbling onto the tattered pad. Kind of like serving all the plates at once or pouring icewater with flair. To FGs point, I think I'd find someone entering my order on a handheld aesthetically jarring and, when people have a "device" in hand, the device always gets more of their attention than you do. On the other hand, pretty much everyone can scratch down an order and still look you in the eye, which is much more pleasant. Back in the Stone Age, when I worked at a couple of high-end places, we wrote things down and then retreated to a discreet spot to re-write them in handriting that the kitchen could actually read. I never actually wrote an order on a check and turned that directly into the kitchen in any place that had more than ten bottles of wine on their list.

I confess I missed the more low-brow screaming and the intermural bitchiness that Hell's Kitchen brings into my kitchen every week (or whenever I can't find anything better to do). Marco's pretense is far less endearing than Gordon's psychosis -- which is even more interesting now that I am assured by a former employee that it is not only genuine but actually toned down for TV. And the contestants seem far too normal -- down to the couple (he from a great local restaurant here in DC, Vidalia) who opted out rather than sell themselves to ego and commerce. A calmer but less likeable chef and a competitve but more likeable cast throws the balance off. A guilty pleasure, still, but the guilt remains high while the pleasure diminishes. And my teenage daughter dismissed the suit-with-Vans look as hopelessly geezerish. Though I do have a weekness for that Thatcher/Reagan era white cuffs and collar look (though, again, it just makes Marco look like a capitalist prick exploiting the eager proles). I'm going back to trashy novels.

Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic Tom Shales pretty much loathed it: But he loathed in in such a way as to suggest that a shallow fellow like myself, fortified with pizza and a half-bottle of cheap plonk might find the show quite watchable. I'm quite used to feeling bad about myself in the morning; watching this would be a rather minor transgression. Tony Bourdain seems to like it, though.

My photography skills are so poor compared to others who post here -- this means you, Abra -- that I'm too discouraged tto post. Turns out, by the way, that the mystery ingredient was "Thick Soy Sauce" which, according to the ingredients list on the side of the jar, is molasses. salt and "soya bean extract" -- possibly not available as such in some locations but, I think, relatively easily duplicated.

Holy shit, my wife and I conspired to turn that hog jowl into some serious dinner. You should eat this stuff. The recipe is vague, as it was mostly executed while drinking and arguing and the rub was applied after a late night with two of DC's finest sommelieres, but basically, we made a rub based on this recipe, only we substituted a great deal of five spice powder for the oregano, and smooshed it into the jowl. After letting the pork rest overnight, we broiled it crisp on both sides and then threw it in a brazing pot on top of onions, apples, pork stock (we bought some neck bones and did a quick and dirty dirty stock) cider and Gewurtztraminer. Stephanie added a little brew of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and some mystery ingredient that looks like plum sauce but isn't to the braise and we shoved a covered pot in a 285 degree oven for three-ish hours. Meanwhile, we threw some of the wine, lots of the pork stock, a gang of roasted garlic and some caramelized shallots into a pot and made a batch of lentils. After about three hours, we pulled the jowl, chilled the braising liquid until we could skim the fat, and then re-warmed the meat in the resulting pot liquor. Served over the lentils, it was freakin' unbelievable. One of the best thing we've cooked in a long time. And, though there's an intimidating amount of fat in the raw materials, it renders out nicely. Jowl makes pork belly taste like health food.

La Fourchette is one of those places where every time you eat there, you think you should eat there more often. If one were fortunate enough to live in Mt. Pleasant and work in Dupont Circle, you might chance upon Madam sprucing up the sidewalk cage, while Monsieur walks their extremely French (small) dog. A charm supported by their food. One of the best spots in A-M indeed.

how are you cooking it? In my experiences with belly, it isn't something that you cook until it reaches some desired internal temperature, like a roast, it's something you get warm (through braising or roasting) and keep it that way for a long-ish time, while it tenderizes itself. Which is to say that I suspect the size is less important than with other cuts, and OliverB is likely on the right track.

Though, a decent Alsatian can be a fine match for Vietnamese curry....

For the curious: The review. The editor's note. For the record, I think Tom does a pretty decent job, though I rarely read his -- or anyone's -- reviews past the first couple of paragraphs these days.

Coincidentally, we have guanciale in the fridge, courtesy of a friend who hits Arthur Avenue in the Bronx when he visits his daughter at Fordham. Probably more interested in cooking as is than curing anything. [How's Uzes? A friend of mine who turns out to be a secret artist just gave me an immense watercolor of a turret on the Duchy based on a picture I took (and that my wife smuggled to him). It's extraordinary and I almost bought a one-way to Nice-Cote d'Azure the instant I unwrapped it.]