KatieLoeb

It's possible you would have gotten the apology and the offer of the gift certificate right on the spot. You'd have left the establishment happy and it would have saved you the trouble of writing the letter and stewing about the bad experience for however much time lapsed in between the incident and the letter writing. And you would have left with the impression that the restaurant cared enough to try and keep your business. Would that not have been better, somehow?

And if you're at a hotel and get a bad/dirty room, do you sleep in it and then never return? If you're at a spa and kept waiting for a scheduled treatment and shorted on your full hour massage, do you say nothing? It's a SERVICE INDUSTRY. We exist to serve the clientele. No one expect the customers to become "unpaid consultants" or tell the chef how to improve the food. I'm simply suggesting a little TWO WAY COMMUNICATION if there's a problem. If a diner has left half their food and not told the waiter "it was cold/overcooked/undercooked" or whatever, it's perfectly appropriate for the server to ask "was everything OK?" "Can I wrap that up for you?" or something similar. A customer that is displeased and says nothing is doing neither themselves, the restaurant or any future customers a favor by remaining silent. But of course they'll be happy to tell anyone that will sit still long enough to listen just how badly Restaurant X sucks. That's just not fair. Most restaurants will bend over backward to make sure you walk out of there happy. But they have to know you're unhappy first.

Chris: I agree that you handled that particular situation well, but really a professional manager shouldn't be dressing down a waiter within your earshot anyway, no matter how clueless or deserving. I'd actually hold that more against the restaurant than having an inexperienced/unprofessional lower level employee like a server. And that's not just because I'm "in the bizness". I wouldn't want to see a sales clerk reamed out by their manager at a department store either. It's just unprofessional to humiliate someone that way.

And Fressing - welcome and do introduce yourself!

Restaurants are NOT clairvoyant. If you don't bring your problem to the attention of your server or a manager and simply nod and say "Oh yes - everything is fine, thanks!" when the server comes back to check on you, you are denying the restaurant the opportunity to fix the problem at the time. Of course, if someone didn't eat half their entree, then they should be asked if there's a problem or the manager fetched by an inexperienced server to inquire. But if you don't let someone know, then the eloquent three page nasty letter you write and send a week later SERVES NO PURPOSE. It's too late, the relationship is poisoned, and the restaurant can't possibly make it up to you at that point. What - should we send you a gift certificate to a place you've sworn you wouldn't eat at ever again even if it were the only thing left standing after a nuclear Holcaust? Think about it. Address the problem calmly and civilly AT THE TIME and the results will be astounding.

I just had the pleasure of tasting today, at a luncheon sponsored by Chalk Hill winery, their Semillon Botrytis 1997. It was absolutely luscious, well balanced with acidity and was served with a pear poached in Moscato and "autumn" spices stuffed with Hazelnut flavored whipped mascarpone. It was the most glorious pairing of the day (and there were several excellent ones in courses prior to dessert) and definitely made me understand why dessert wines really compliment certain dishes more than others. The wine itself is pretty expensive, about $110 in PA for a 375, but certainly as delicious as a fine Tokaji or Sauterne in a similar price range. It was really really delicious This explains why I'm going home early today and taking a nap...

Please note that of course the customer acted as though we'd ruined only the bottom half of his $4000 Armani tuxedo rendering it useless, however in actuality it was a $70 pair of Banana Republic khakis. Nonetheless, it was our bad. This has also gone the other way and our magnanimous response to this has come back around to bite us on the ass. We've replaced a lost/stolen umbrella with a brand new designer umbrella that I'm certain the customer spent hours shopping for the most expensive one they could find.

Certainly my restaurant has reimbursed customers for problems of this nature. Just recently had a customer lean up against a bathroom sink that had been cleaned with a bleach solution but not wiped effectively enough. Left a bleached line right across his crotch on his brand new trousers. Customer brought us the damaged trousers so we could see how badly damaged they were. We agreed. He purchased another pair, provided us with the receipt and a check was cut to the customer as a reimbursement. This doesn't happen often (mercifully), but certainly if someone snags or rips their clothing on improperly maintained furnishing, or ruins their clothing due to our negligence, it is the restaurant's responsibility.

This is also true of Kosher wine. As I discovered in my research for my article on kosher wines last Passover, for wine to be kosher it must be produced and handled only by Sabbath observant Jews. Since it's Rosh Hashannah and apples are symbolic of a sweet New Year, perhaps a lovely basket of heirloom apples would be a well received gift? If there's a Farmer's market near you it should be a simple thing to buy several varieties of apples and/or other fruit and place it in a lovely basket purchased at a craft store.

[shameless shill] The frites at Rouge are pretty damned tasty. I eat them often enough and should know. And they come with Sambal mayonnaise for dipping. What could be bad? [/shameless shill]

And I agree with you on both counts.

James: Is it possible you're just not a fan of Grenache? I mean - I love the stuff but maybe it's too lightweight and "strawberry-y" for your palate. Are there other Grenache that you normally like? Grenache tends to ripen with pretty high sugar levels so it ferments into wine that's slightly sweet, fruity, high in alcohol and low in tannins. Maybe it's just not your favorite grape/wine style? Not to worry. There's many others to explore and make friends with. Herb. Dude. We gotta get you outta the house more often. Mike: My thanks for the heads up. We obviously have similar taste and I'd love to raise a glass with you in person sometime soon. We do hang out and eat and drink with some frequency so keep your eyes peeled on this forum for news of upcoming Philly Pholk get togethers. Pizza Club is always good for some laughs and good eats and drinks and DDC gets together as often as someone can plan and execute a dinner. I'm working on something for early-mid October in that regard, so hopefully you'll be able to make it then. And of course you are always welcome to stop by Rouge and introduce yourself if in the neighborhood. I'm there most of the time...

My bad. It's the Livio Fellugo ESPERTO Pinot Grigio that $9.99 at Total Wine in Cherry Hill, NJ. Should have been more specific. I still think it's better than the Santa Margherita though... Santa Margherita is mass produced refinery jug wine that comes in 750 ml bottles instead of jugs IMO. Crap that has the hell marketed out of it and not much else to recommend it. Feh!

Oystergal: Rather than a "formal" certificate based study of wine, I suggest starting with some classes geared to consumers. Get your feet wet there and see if it's something you really wish to pursue before committing the time and monetary resources to a "wine degree". You can find local (to you) events at LocalWineEvents.com and should be able to find everything from tastings, to dinners to formal classes in your area. That ought to keep you busy for a little while at least, and give you a much better platform from which to make a decision. I might also suggest getting a part time or full time job in a good wine shop as being an avenue where much learning can take place. It certainly worked for me!

Really? Then I must have a fairly accurate non-instant read meat thermometer, 'cuz when it says MED-RARE, it is.

Chicken Pot Pie filling type stew and buttery mashed potatoes. Yummy!

A friend of mine bought a bottle of this for me as a gag gift. The wine was certainly drinkable, but I've had better SB from that part of the world. I prefer to refer to that aroma as "Eau de Litterbox" myself.

I got news for you - I'm not swilling $25 bottles of wine every night either. But I will certainly pick up a good selection of them when they're on sale and save them for BYO dinners and such. The everyday wine is exactly that. And usually in the $8-13 range. While I don't work for a non-profit, it feels that way when I look at my paycheck. The Trilogy was delicious. Big fat juicy Bordeaux blend. Lots of fruit and very silky. As soon as I read the back label I knew it needed Neanderthal meat with it. As soon as it was opened and I tasted it, I knew that ordering the lamb chops was a good thing. Big fat juicy Bordeaux blend. Lots of fruit and very silky. A lot of those "darker" notes like cocoa, leather and tobacco as well as bright notes of dark fruits like black cherries and plums. Delicious wine and I'd recommend picking up a bottle or two whilst it's still a bargain. My thanks to Mike for the recommendation. Good call.

I make a pretty mean roast beast if I do say so myself. My trick is to give it a rub with some roast pork seasoning and meat tenderizer, and place it on a rack in a roasting pan with a can of beef broth and 1 can of water below. I put the meat thermometer into the dead center of the thickest part of the roast. I put it into a blazing hot oven (about 475 or so) for about 15 minutes to sear the outside. Then I turn down the oven to 375 and leave it be until the thermometer registers RARE, basting occasionally with the pan juices below, and adding more water if necessary as the pan juices concentrate. Then I pull it out and let it rest while it gets to MED-RARE temperature and make gravy with the pan drippings in the meanwhile. Foolproof and works like a charm. Always juicy, always perfectly cooked.

James: You'll know it's ready when all of the color has leeched out of the little shreds of peel and the vodka doesn't seem to be getting any more visibly yellow. When you shake it and the little shreds are dead white, then it's done. Usually takes anywhere from 2-3.5 weeks. Strain it through cheesecloth or a coffee filter and squeeze the hell out of it to get the last of the oils out of the peels. It might cloud up the end result a little bit, but a lot of flavor is in those last few wringings out of the peels. Let me know how it turned out!!

Please see this post HERE for information on the Philadelphia Whiskey Festival. For anyone that might be travelling to attend, please let those of us in the PA forum know you're coming so we can roll out the eG red carpet for visiting dignitaries and fellow drinkers!

Andrea Immer's Great Wine Made Simple.

Little experience with "regular" wines, no less dessert wines. Bad memories of Boone's Farm Apple Wine? This is an excellent idea...

To "train" oneself to recognize tannin and it's effect on your taste and your mouth, oversteep some tea and let it sit out at room temperature for several hours. Then taste it. That "leathery, woody, seedy" thing that DoverCanyon speaks of will be forever etched in your mind and on your palate. The astringent effect on your palate will be very clear. When training staff, I speak about the "drag factor" of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. The higher the "drag quotient" the more tannic the wine is. When your saliva is in it's usual state your tongue will slide across the roof of your mouth easily since your saliva is slick. When drinking tannic substances, your tongue will skip or "drag" across the roof of your mouth as your saliva is denatured into those nasty strings that you see in the spit buckets at wine tastings. :retch: That drying and puckering sensation that's a bit different than an acidic one (like sucking a lemon) is what the tannins do. The upside to all this is that tannins and fats counterbalance one another, so a big paint stripping tannic red wine with a honking slab of glistening juicy steak is a beautiful thing.

Well that's a damned shame! I really liked Mambo's and thought the proprietors were doing a good job. Bummer!