gulfporter

In the US we tip 20% and in Mexico we tip 15% (most locals in MX tip 10%, some only 5%). We do have minimum tips in each country. It's $5 in the US and 50 pesos in MX...this applies to Cheap Eats places in either country where our tabs run 20 bucks or less in the US or 300 pesos or less in MX. We see no reason a server should be "punished" for working at an eatery that offers good food and low prices.

I'm at our new home in Mexico....new to us, anyway. It's an older home and we've been having updates made since we bought it, April 25. We moved in here June 1, after the worst was over. Still most everyday there are workman and NOISE!! Today they are finishing some petate doors and the generator for the staple gun is bone and brain shaking. I did get a combo gas and charcoal grill, so I can make lunch outside. My go to lunch is grilled green chorizo which I then stuff into a flour tortilla with goat cheese, and grill these quick quesadillas and serve with mango salsa (mangoes are super ripe and they are squished on every sidewalk of our town this time of year). We are lucky to have many great eateries for dinner we can walk to for dinner. Here are before and after photos of my new MXN kitchen.

I am proud to say that our niece, while enrolled at the CIA, did an internship at Eleven Madison, about 4 years ago. She said it was the best internship she could have gotten. The principals and staff there have continued to give her advice as she and her wife recently opened an eatery in downtown Baltimore.

Appreciate the input, especially from chefs. Still wondering if anyone on this board has actually asked for a half portion? What was the response?? I don't know that I'll work up the nerve to ask; I started the thread because I was curious if these request are common/expected in restaurants. Apparently they aren't.

How do restaurateurs (and their customers) feel about asking for a half-portion, when they aren’t offered on the menu? We eat out a lot; 5 to 7 times a week. And we also travel a lot. While doggie bags are sometimes an option, not all foods reheat well (eggs benedict comes to mind). And often we’re heading out somewhere else (not home) after lunch and storing leftovers in the car for a few hours in our summer heat (Florida) isn’t a good idea. Bringing home leftovers that need reheating when we’re on the road and staying at a hotel isn’t feasible. Then there’s the calorie count….yeah I know I can order the salmon, but sometimes I want fettuccine alfredo, simply not that big a serving. And I'm not going to leave half my meal uneaten on the plate...that's just too wasteful. I don’t want to bog down any restaurant kitchen; it’s a pet peeve when other diners want the chef to change every component of their dish, as if the kitchen is full of personal chefs at their disposal. We tend to frequent tapas and small plate eateries; at other restaurants I often order appetizers, but at a lot of eateries the appys are often fried (so they come out quickly) and I’m not a fan of fried foods. I found this article about half portions and can see both sides of this issue. http://nypost.com/2015/04/27/nycs-most-annoying-new-dining-trend-ordering-half-entrees/ I've never asked a server about getting a half portion because I don't know if that's 'fair' to the kitchen so I'm curious what other customers do and what restaurant owners think of this request.

Sounds like a case of a business owner who disagrees with the wage increase and is trying to make his/her 'point.' In business, all costs are passed on to the customer, whether it's the rent, the utilities, wages, cost of goods.

Have a friend who was a newspaper reporter for a mid-sized city back in the 1960s. The editor required every reporter to spend one day a month taking incoming phone calls from the public. My friend said without doubt most calls had to do with the newspaper's weekly recipe column (which were usually bought from a service). There were no food editors back in the 1960s in small city newsrooms and certainly no kitchen-testing was done. Errors like 1/2 cup of salt, instead of 1/2 teaspoon of salt were not uncommon and my friend presumes these same recipes were printed in newspapers all across America. When I lived in Mexico for five years, I wrote a recipe column for a monthly ex-pat magazine. Many of the recipes were ones I gleaned from local women at markets or at their homes (and my Spanish is not all that good). And while I kitchen-tested each recipe and (thought I was) being assiduous in my ingredient lists and directions, I was always amazed at the errors/omissions I caught before submitting to my editor. A few got past me; my editor (who had written this monthly column previous to my stint) caught those. Well, all but one. I have a great amount of respect for food writers, but I always try to make sense of a new recipe before I start assembling ingredients and cooking.

No shortage here on the west coast of FL, near St. Petersburg. Though the store-brand which was on sale, was sold out (I don't think that was unusual). Plenty of Reddi Whip in all sizes and lite, creamy, extra creamy, etc. When we heard the 'bulletin' we rushed out to grab a few cans....my DH uses it daily on his morning coffee and has for the last 10+ years.

I was able to register at their site earlier this AM...it timed out on my first few attempts, then went through (got a confirmation email).

Well, mark me down, too. I've never heard of using a crepe and have had excellent results without it. I use store-bought frozen puff pastry and my only "trick" when using puff is to always well chill the dish before putting it into a really hot oven (that's what I think gives the best puffiness).

I've done the full-sized standard beef wellingtons in the past. I also made individual chicken wellingtons (chicken pate' and standard mushroom duxelles) and the individual ones were easier, faster and quite nice looking and tasting. For Christmas, I've decided on individual lamb wellingtons (just us two this year). I plan to remove the tenderloin off of a lamb rack, then cut in half for each of the 2 servings. Trying to decide what to put in with the lamb, whether to go traditional or do something more interesting.

Never heard of it, but came up with an easy photo lesson on it. The site this is from is more dedicated to smoking meats,but I don't see why it wouldn't work for roasting or grilling (I grilled a spatchcocked turkey last T'Day). I like the idea of saving the meat, even that around the backbone as they would be tasty in making broth as basis for a leftover turkey soup, stew or broth. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/80099/leaping-frog-turkey-instead-of-spatchcock-a-moderate-success-with-qview

I goofed...I meant old vine zinfandel (not tempranillo). Though we also enjoy tempranillo with dark chocolate. For sherry with dessert or snacks, I prefer a dry with a sweet treat, but something sweet if the treat is salty. And while we love port (especially in cooler weather), we don't find that it complements chocolate and usually serve port with cheeses.

For me, any dark chocolate pairs well with an old vine tempranillo. I only buy dark chocolate as a rule, though we enjoy variations such as: salt; orange; chili. I will try to expand my horizons based on your original post, though the few times I paired a port or sherry with dark chocolate, I didn't care for it. Though with chocolate desserts such as cookies or cheescakes, I prefer them with port or sherry. Maybe it has to do with the added sweetness of the baked good.

On 9/11/2001, after the plane hit the Pentagon, the nearby Costco opened its doors to First Responders, letting them take whatever they needed to assist in the search/rescue and dealing with the fire which smoldered for over a week. The store was closed to the public (as were all businesses in that immediate area), but Costco kept their kitchen open and fed the emergency workers for free for weeks. Few people other than those connected with local government, knew of Costco's generosity during this tragedy as they never publicized it. On the membership price and whether it's worth it....we travel a lot by air and need to rent cars at our destinations. Costco's online car rental prices routinely beat any other discounts we compare them to (frequent flyer accounts; AARP, etc.). And I never leave a Costco without at least one rotisserie chicken!

Here is link to it in English: http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/09/04/4201s939366.htm Not what I expected....kind of plain. Or maybe it loses something in translation

Glad to hear that too. I am in San Miguel de Allende this month and have seen many restaurant menus with a printed message at the bottom asking that you tell your server about any food allergies. Since this is an area with a number of English-speaking expats and visitors, the warning is on both the Spanish and English menus.

If the part of the story about the waiter doing shots when this incident happened is true and can be proven, I can see the restaurant being liable for civil damages as well as the waiter being criminally liable. Accidents happen, but if the waiter was drinking on the job in view of customers (that's what the diner alleges) one assumes there was a restaurant manager who also witnessed his drinking.

In this article, the diner alleges the waiter was drinking shots with people at another table while waiting on him and his partner. There are always (at least) two sides to any story. And the diner has already begun a civil suit against the waiter and the restaurant. http://news.nationalpost.com/life/food-drink/waiter-could-face-criminal-charges-after-serving-salmon-to-customer-with-seafood-allergy

Police are investigating the case and have not charged the waiter. Should the waiter be held criminally responsible? http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/who-s-to-blame-for-allergic-reaction-after-waiter-serves-wrong-food-1.3016238

New (to us), TJ brand frozen Chicken Chili Lime burgers. 4 burgers, each 4 oz. We eat small plates, so I reshaped 1 burger into 2 to fit onto slider rolls. We put on toasted rolls with chipotle mayo and enjoyed them.

My partner brought home a bag of the Tikka Masala chips. Wish they were spicier (I say that about most mass-produced foods). But a nice treat and will serve with lamb sliders that I will season with Indian spices.

We bought the Cocktail Cookies today and enjoyed a few with a glass of sherry, quite nice.

You are washing them by hand, because ??? If you have a d/w, throw them in there to disinfect (high heat setting).

During our careers in DC-Metro, I worked 9 to 10 hour days, plus a 1 hour commute. My husband was self-employed and his clients were spread out over a very wide area throughout DC, VA and MD. If we were still in that situation (we retired in 2003), I'd certainly have tried these food options.