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Everything posted by KatieLoeb
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Maybe a Monbazillac? A bit less floral than the Beaumes-de-Venise and a little less heavy handed (I assume the Tokaji is of sufficient puttonyos to require an insulin shot, yes?) than the Tokaji might be. Monbazillac is like Sauternes slutty sister. A little less classy and a lot easier, but still a really sweet girl That cheese sounds divine. I shall have to find some. The composition sounds even better. What inspired the combination of the various savory elements of the tuile?
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Why some restaurant customers should be shot
KatieLoeb replied to a topic in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining
Even Sally wasn't that bad. -
Sliced off the block or the individually wrapped slices?
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Cool! Another Kinsey to play with! Which one are you and how are you related to the other one? Welcome to the nether world of eGullet. In no time at all you'll start wondering where all your time went...
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Is it really OK to leave the bottle at room temp for a month or so? Won't it start to grow fungus or something? I'd be delighted to save mankind and invent the next great vaccine created from mold that can grow in 80-100 proof vodka. That could cure anything!
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Great idea. Perhaps I can singlehandedly prevent them from joining the ranks of failed restaurateurs. It's exactly that sort of idealism and sheer idiocy that creates the armies of failures. Would anyone attempt brain surgery without going to med school? Try a case before the Supreme Court without membership to the bar? OK - those are extreme examples that require academic credentials and specific state licensing, but the analogy remains valid. Every moron on the planet thinks they can open a restaurant and make boatloads of money. Obviously not so given the brutal statistics which include the seasoned professionals. It's not nearly as easy as it looks and the stuff you haven't even considered yet has picked your pocket before you can form your next thought. I've said this here before - simply "owning" a restaurant does not a restaurateur make. If that were true then every McDonald's franchisee could claim the title.
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Anyone know anything about Turi vodka from Estonia? Salesman dropped me a little sample bottle today and I haven't had the chance to try it yet. Damn, I hate being a resposnsible adult. When I get home tonight I think there's a martini awaiting me mixing it... I'll report back but would love to hear anyone else's experiences with this product.
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Something lighter in weight, fruity and red like a cru Beaujolais, or perhaps even a not-too-weighty red Burgundy. For a white, you'd be safest pairing with something regionally similar like a Chasselas if you could locate it, or dry riesling or something sparkling like a Blanquette de Limoux.
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Try a nice piece of aged Parmigiano Reggiano with some really high quality aged Balsamic vinegar (old enough to be really viscous and concentrated - I use a 20 year old) drizzled on it. :wub: This is truly one of the most delicious things EVER.
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NulloModo: I may have misunderstood your intent. I wasn't sure if you were looking for commercial cheese purveyors like for a restaurant, or just good retail cheese for "recreational" eating. Certainly there must be a decent cheese shop somewhere in Delaware or perhaps nearby in Chadds Ford or thereabouts. But Philly is a short drive and you should definitely go visit our own Lisa Alois, self-proclaimed Fromager to the Masses at DiBruno's some afternoon for a world tour of their astonishing inventory.
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Welcome Behemoth! Sorry you're so . Next time you make it back here to visit you should let us know. Perhaps we could plan a Pizza Club excursion in your honor.
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I like that the sour cream makes the marshmallows kind of melty and squishy. And yes - definitely nuts too. Usually toasted and slivered almonds. I always felt like company whenever there was Ambrosia for dessert.
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I can't believe NO ONE here has mentioned the most obvious use of canned fruit on earth: AMBROSIA!!! Canned fruit cocktail, sour cream, mandarin oranges, shredded coconut and mini marshmallows! Trailer Park Parfait! I LOVE this stuff every once in a while. It's like being a kid again.
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Ludja: I've met John Martin Taylor on a couple of occasions. He's good friends with the owners of a restaurant where I used to work and was a Book & the Cook guest for a few years. He's the first person I ever saw deep fry a turkey and I thought (initially) it was the craziest notion I'd ever heard of. Then I tasted it. He's an excellent proponent of Carolina style "Low Country" cooking and I was always very impressed with his knowledge of that region's cuisine and his writing style.
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Have you tried LocalHarvest.org to find producers nearby? If not in Delaware, perhaps someone in Maryland or NJ sells to Delaware markets. Where are you in Delaware? If you're close enough to Philadelphia there are several excellent cheese purveyors here (Lisa - are you listening?). There's also Gourm-e-Co, American Gourmet out of Washington, DC or even online farmers (search for the Bobolink Farm threads) that sell cheese and ship it.
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I just realized I didn't even mention the RENT in my RANT!
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Although this seems shamefully obvious, there's a reason that these are classics: Port & Stilton Sancerre and Chevre Rioja Crianza and Manchego Pinot Grigio and fresh Mozzarella Riesling and Muenster.
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Not to go off on a tangent (as I always do), but it never ceases to amaze me how little GM's in the restaurant industry know about the finances. I don't think this is the case in any other industry. I think the main issue is that owners don't encourage such involvement. I suppose the rationale is that most restaurants are comparatively small privately run operations and owners rightfully don't feel it necessary to share their private info. Also, GM's in the restaurant industry probably have less business training than in other industries having worked their way up from waiter or bartender for the most part. Glenn: I've worked for enough owners in the past that didn't know that stuff either. In fact I'm certain that's more than a fraction of the reason that so many restaurants fail. Nobody thinks about the day to day stuff. The assumption is (if the grasp is even firm enough to comprehend at the basic level) that you buy product (food, wine, liquor, beer) and mark it up to what is considered an "industry standard" of say 30-35% for food and 40% for wine and about 25% for liquor. Then the money comes in and you turn it around and use it to pay the vendors that sold you the food, wine, liquor, etc. Except that there's payroll, and payroll taxes, and sales taxes, and sometimes liquor taxes or "Use & Occupancy" taxes (depending on what state you're in), and repairs to equipment and the physical plant, and insurance - Worker's Comp AND Liability, and the day to day expenses of keeping the kitchen running like getting the hoods cleaned and the restaurant exterminated and getting the grease hauled away and the dishwasher chemicals and maintenance and the knives sharpened, and office supplies and menu paper and utilities and etc. etc. etc. Need I go on? Restaurants fail because they drown in OVERHEAD. And because no one thinks about what goes in to controlling the controllable expenses like labor cost, food cost, beverage costs, etc. This stuff doesn't take care of itself. It requires a firm grasp and serious teamwork and communication between the FOH management and the BOH management. It requires having the tools (the raw numbers from last week and last year, the projections, the daily cash position, the credit card "float") and pushing the rock uphill together. If the FOH is saving on payroll by staffing just enough to make sure the guests don't suffer and the BOH isn't watching their overtime or doing stupid shit like paying a $12.00/hr. Line Cook to peel grapes and frittering away whatever savings might have been realized then it's all for naught.
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After my initial exposure to restaurant bookkeeping I interviewed with another former employer who thought I was calling to refer someone else for the position of Office Manager with his company. "You know how to keep books?!?", he said incredulously. "Sure", I said, "Both sets!" I was hired on the spot!
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Yes, you're right. However, in reality and at least in my experience, the role of general manager is limited in financial matters at most to such things as food, liquor and payroll cost and other key elements. I have never worked with a general manager who had an understanding of financial statements, much less knew what they were. Edit after reading Katie's comment. Can you explain what your position is Katie? I stand by my comment. Of course there will be exceptions, but this is the rule of thumb. And I say this with enough experience to know. Glenn: It's in my sig line. I'm the Controller and Beverage Director of a small but very busy restaurant in Philadelphia. My point wasn't about what I know, just that one needn't have studied finance or accounting to understand or more importantly want to learn this stuff to improve their managerial skills and macro view of running a business, be it a restaurant, a retail store or whatever.
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He is the fucking General Manager! He should now how, when, why and what every penny in the operation is spent on. This show is terrible, but I am so addicted. He might not know what a P&L report is because he isn't a CPA, but as General Manager he sure as hell ought to know what food cost, beverage cost, weekly cost-of-goods expenses vs. "other" expenses are, etc. And for the record, I don't have a financial background at all. I've never taken an accounting class and I not only know what a P&L report is, but I produce them, analyze them and correct the imbalances in them before they go to the partners, outside accountants and legal representatives every month.
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White asapragus (if I were in Europe right now) Jersey tomatoes Local blueberries Soft shell crabs Canteloupe and honeydew melons that make the whole car smell perfumed for days afterward In the late summer and fall - North Star Orchards heirloom pears, apples and especially the varieties of Asian Pears. Food of the gods. There is no better fruit on earth. Period.
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Mo' Hotta, Mo' Betta is the source for all things hot and spicy. I really like the Jump Up and Kiss Me sauce. It's a bit curried and very fruity/flavorful as well as hot. My house sauce lately has been the Chouloula. Good stuff and also has some flavor instead of just heat. I found a pretty good sweet and hot sauce at Trader Joes that I like. I'll have to check the name of it and get back to you.
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I'd probably have to discreetly try to devein them myself on my plate. If anyone asked what I was doing I'd have to be honest and tell the same tale I just told all of you. Funny thing is, I really like head-on shrimp, but I always run a paring knife down their backs first and rinse the vein out under running water. Then I put them into the paella or whatever... You're so right about the "relationship" with the offending food. And we're talking violent projectile vomiting with agonizing stomach cramps in my case. I really thought I was going to die there for a day or so. Man was that nasty. Never, ever want to go there again.
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Bassett's Vanilla is pretty good too. I realize it sounds incredibly "beige" and boring, but good vanilla ice cream is hard to find and I think Bassett's is some of the best I've had. I haven't tried the peach. I'll definitely do that next time I'm at RTM. The ice cream that Fisher's dishes up is pretty good too. I really like the black raspberry!