docsconz

I'm sorry if my post caused confusion. My statement was meant to highlight that apparently at least some restaurants have figured out when PTT is calling to make reservations in the first place. If those reservations are denied at the time they are being made, PTT won't have reservations to sell and nobody needs to get turned away at the door.

Great thread, Therese. I'm sorry that i have come to it so late and that you didn't get to Ramiro, the seafood restaurant in Lisbon that was mentioned upthread. Then again, it doesn't look like you did too badly on your dining choices!

Karen Waltuck on Michael Harlan Turckell's The Gatekeepers on Eater.com

Varietal on Eater's Deathwatch

With "friends" like Farm Sanctuary, animals don't need enemies. If they weren't our food, most of these animals and species would not exist. Of course we could all raise pet pigs, cows, sheep and chickens as uneaten family pets! I am happy that Puck is taking an overall approach to ethical procurement of animals, I just wish he did it in a way that didn't feed into the propaganda of organizations like Farm Sanctuary.

I don' think it is alienating at all. The clients of PTT could still make their reservations personally if so inclined and if not and it is a busy restaurant, others will. Those others won't be alienated by the fact that all the reservations had been taken by PTT and unavailable to them.

It wouldn't seem rational for restaurants to refuse a table, since then they would lose that cover for the particular time. Of course, it might be possible to fill the table with people waiting in the wings, but if that is the typical practice, then there seems to be little justification for the other, albeit uncommon, practice of penalizing diners who don't show up (I'm referring to restaurants who take credit card numbers and charge a certain amount if the reservation is not honored). Just to be clear, I'm not saying that restaurants don't have the authority to refuse PTT reservations, I'm saying it would not be to their advantage. ← They don't lose that cover if they don't accept that reservation in the first place. If it is a busy restaurant such that PTT would even be a consideration for someone who wants a reservation, they would be able to afford to turn away reservations if they knew it was from PTT so no lost revenue.

A "true emergency" being defined as being hooked to dialysis or EKG machines or being in a full body cast in a hospital bed, I presume? That's what qualifies for me. A meltdown from an overtired toddler with parents that lack presence of forethought does not qualify as an "emergency" in my book. That qualifies as a predictable end to the day's events. The very doctors, dentists, lawyers and accountants that are appalled at the thought of having their credit cards charged for no-shows think nothing of charging you should you cancel or no-show for your scheduled appointment with them with less than 24 hours notice. What I can't understand is why they can't see how it's the same thing. Just because we all have to eat to survive doesn't make tying up the restaurant's resources (the free table at which another party might sit and pay) and cancelling without notice any less an egregiously rude thing to do. Try hunkering down for a nap in your doctor's exam room and see how they feel about you then. Try throwing a tea party in the one and only dressing room at your favorite high end boutique and see if you remain their favorite client. It's no different. The folks that "camp out" at restaurant tables are guilty of this as well but at least the restaurant got paid by them once. The no-shows are just selfish and rude. It's a business, not a charity. And folks wonder why restaurants go out of business with such regularity? There is no other industry that's expected to "suck it up" and take it when shafted by their clientele. Even other members of the "hospitality" industry like hotels will take a credit card number and charge you if you dont show up, and no one bats an eyelash. Why should restaurants have to bear the economic brunt of the collective rudeness of a clueless and entitled clientele? ← I certainly agree with your sentiments towards no-shows, but just to set the record straight not all doctors charge or are able to charge for no-shows. In my practice it happens and I am left high and dry. I also don't routinely collect anything on cancellations. While some of that is the nature of the kind of practice that I have, I know that I am not alone in that regard. It is not a pleasant situation and I can certainly relate to the restaurant owner's feelings. Just today I had a sort of reverse situation. My wife and I planned to get together with some friends at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and over a month ago each party made reservations. One set made the reservation for Friday night while I made it for a Saturday night as we weren't sure which would be better since we would have to work out travel logistics for the weekend we had planned. As soon as it seemed that we had a clear indication of what would work best, we decided to keep the Friday reservation, so I canceled the Saturday reservation. Well, situations change, and it now looks as if the Saturday night would have been the better alternative. I called the restaurant back to see if I could reclaim that reservation and of course, it had been rebooked with nothing available for that particular weekend. I wasn't surprised and I certainly can't blame them. The point is that I got burned for trying to do the right thing and release the reservation as soon as I thought we wouldn't need it. Had I simply decided to hold on to it until the last minute, it would have worked out for us even if it meant difficulty for the restaurant. If I had to do it over again though, I would still do it the way we did because it was the fair thing to do.

i apologize for my lack of posting gentelmen. i sent out my official press release today which explains my future plans, in order to put to bed any speculation as to my reasoning. i have resigned from varietal restaurant, and i am moving to california to put together my own project. i cannot disclose any further information at this time, but i will try to keep everyone up-to-date on any advancements or new developments. my reason for leaving varietal in no way had anything to do with any of the reviews. this is a decision which i've been contemplating for quite sometime, and the reviews just came out at a coincidental time. for the record, i really wasn't upset by bruni or platt's review. in fact, i was more confused than anything. he didn't really remark whether he like or disliked the desserts, he more so just explained what they were and didn't dissect the dishes like he normally does. if he didn't like them, i would be okay with that, but i would have appreciated some sort of explanation. in any event, thank any and all of you who have been very supportive of me over the last few months. and i really appreciate those of you who made it out to the restaurant to experience what we do. we were always excited to have egulleteers in the restaurant. though i am leaving new york, i will certainly miss it. there is a wealth of talent here, and those who live here are very fortunate. i am slipping under the radar for a while, but i can assure you that i will not fade away, and i will resurface in the future with something extraordinary. thank you, jordan kahn. ← Jordan, thanks for taking the time to reply. Your leaving for California is NY's loss and California's gain. Best wishes.

One of the reasons why I don't think that this restaurant is a stretch is that Sam has a lot of experience with savories and has blurred the distinctions between savory and dessert for some time and does so as well as anyone. What I stated above though is that it will be Bruni-proof so long as it satisfies its core constituency. Its location is ideal for that. The rest has to come from Sam and his crew. Frankly, I would be very surprised if they aren't able to satisfy their core even if it is difficult to extend beyond it at this point in time. I'm looking forward to it.

This is one restaurant opening that I am anxiously awaiting. I have confidence that Sam and his crew will pull off a full menu that is fun, interesting and delicious. I still feel that along with many others, that what created problems for Varietal was that it was not a unified restaurant. It tried to have something for everybody, but rather than pleasing everybody the perceived discordance created confusion and some level of dissatisfaction for most. Some liked the desserts and not the savories and others the opposite. If people are not crazy about part of a meal it will effect their perception of the whole meal. I do not see that happening at Tailor as I think the vision is pretty unified based upon what I know of the players and what I have read. The place hasn't opened yet. Whatever our levels of expectation though, we should wait until it does and try it before pre-judging it a success or a failure. That being said, I agree that Bruni's track record makes it unlikely that he will be very favorable towards the restaurant, but with this restaurant, I am not sure that it will even matter. I think that because of the people involved and the location that it might be able to withstand a Bruni pan so long as it satisfies its core constituency. OTOH, a rave from Bruni could send it over the top.

Caarina, any idea what she is currently doing and what she has planned for the future?

Toasting grains is not easy... my simpler solution is to simply dump them in hot oil.. I tried twice with quinoa and it worked ok although the result was probably a bit too crispy for breakfast cereals. ← I toasted amaranth on a comal in Mexico. You are right. It is not easy! I had some wonderful toasted quinoa for breakfast mixed with yoghurt most mornings while touring Peru. I loved it.

← Thanks for adding this to your post! It actually sounds pretty good. I like crunch!

Anyboday know how to make quinoa as a breakfast cereal? Is it simply a matter of toasting it?

Thanks, Rogelio for your report and photos. I will be dining at Ca Sento in May and looking forward to it. Any advice on how to order? I would be content to let Raul cook for us, but it sounds like I would very much want those fideu!

A few more photos from the Uros Island: Wheat growing on a patch the island. It doesn't grow in the altiplano. The altitude here is about 13,000ft. The guinea pig patch The pantry Close-up of drying fish. I won't be able to continue my story until the middle/end of next week as I'll be busy eating.

That's Casa Montaña, a nice tavern in a funky location but with a superb wine list and some good tapas, their anchoives are great. It's close to El Cabanyal Market, one of my favourites in Valencia along with the beatiful central market. So make sure to visit it if you're going to Casa Montaña. ← Yes, Rogelio, that's the one. Thanks for refreshing my memory! Is the El Cabanyal market open throughout the day and evening like the Boqueria? Are there days that it is closed or closes early? I'm planning on getting to Casa Montana on a Monday night or possibly Tuesday night (or if we love it, possibly both )

Michael, other than that reeds are generally moist, I don't really know. I'm sure that they have learned to be careful with fire over the centuries, especially during the dry season. My guess is that they build fire pits lined by stones and manage fires aggrssively.

When is your trip? We're going the last week in April. I would love to hear what you think about L'Esguard as I have a reservation as well. There isn't much that has been written about Sanchez Romera, but he will be in NY for a dinner at the Beard House in a few weeks. What other places are on your agenda? ← so far I have Aligue, L'Esguard, Levante (Valencia), El Poblet, Ca Sento, Monastrell and can Roca lined up. I'm hoping to also get to Inopia, a tapas place in Valencia favored by Quiqui Dacosta the name of which escapes me at the moment, La Sirena, El Bulli (if I get real lucky) or Can Jubany. I'll be there in May.

Me too, his chocolate 7 textures is a must. ← Oriol's chocolates are fantastic, but does he have someplace to sit down and enjoy them? I know that he has his workshop, but that is nothing like a cafe or little chocolate restaurant like there is at Cacao Sampaka. As much as I love Balaguer's chocolate, Sampaka is much more conducive to sitting down to relax and enjoy. Balaguer should certainly be experienced though. I will never forget the first time I tried his hazelnut chocolate with pop rocks.

Smart idea, I'd say. Also, I meant to ask if you or your family had any problem with the altitude in Cusco. It's my one big concern for our trip since we won't have a lot of time to acclimate. Once again, the photos are great. I love the perspective of the Uros island with the mountains in the background. ← The altitude certainly can be an issue and one should be careful if one is not in good shape. As far as altitude sickness, coca tea is wonderful. One or two cups/day really helped and I enjoyed the flavor as well.

Uros Islands The following morning after a hearty breakfast we met our guide, Javier, who brought us down to the dock to introduce us to our boat captain, Nestor and our own boat that would take us out on the Lake for a tour and ultimately to spend the night on Taquile Island. Our dirst stop would be the famous "Floating Islands" of the Uros people set amongst the tortora reed beds of the Bay of Puno. This ancient community was made somewhat famous in the 1970's by National Geographic. Extremely early inhabitants of the lake Titicaca area, they are particularly noteworthy for building islands out of the tortora reeds that float and which serve as the "land" for their homes and community. For the community that we visited, much of their livelihood is dependent on tourism and they cater to it. We visited one such island, the one in the photo above, which consists of several families living jointly on the island. Should their be disharmony the island is literally sawn apart with the disparate groups drifting off to their separate ways. With the assistance of several of the Uros people, Javier explained the Uros way of life to us including how the islands are made and of particular interest perhaps to this audience what they eat and how they procure it. Tortora reeds are multifaceted and not just used to live on or make boats with (actually, very few tortora boats are used anymore for purposes other than tourist excursions - at least on Lake Titicaca). Fresh tortora is also useful as a food item. Crisp and clean tasting, the tortora hearts reminded me a bit of the hearts of another plant - the palm. It was actually quite refreshing. Fishing is obviously important to these lake dwellers. Pictured are a small, bony native species whose name escapes me at the moment. These fish are particularly prized in soup making and are claimed to promote brain growth. Because of this, the soup is supposedly made particularly for growing children. The native fish species are much diminished since the introduction of several outside species such as trout and kingfish - two particularly good and popular eating fish. In addition to fish, the eggs from various waterfowl are noteworthy dietary items for the islanders. They also trap birds and other wildlife though they are forbidden to shoot them. Making the fish soup. We were offered some fried bread. Drying lake birds. The islanders are pretty self-sufficient. Because the lake climate is warmer than the surrounding altiplano the islanders are able to grow crops not available on the mainland. The build in little plots on the island on which they grow potatoes, quinoa and wheat amongst other items. They also had a separate little island for their pack of guinea pigs. The separate island was to preserve them from the cats they maintain on the islands to keep the population of other lake rodents down.

After our visit with the Altiplano family, we continued on to a late afternoon visit to the beautiful ruins of Sillustani. We learned a little bit about certain agricultural methods including the ancient practice of raised bed agriculture around lake shores and other seasonal water bodies called waru-waru. From Sillustani we proceeded to our hotel on a little isthmus in Puno arriving after a heavy rain storm and well after sunset. After settling into our rooms we headed to the hotel dining room for dinner, anything else being extremeley out of the way and inconvenient to these tired travelers. Its too bad, because this was probably the least enjoyable meal of our trip. I did not take photos. The food wasn't necessarily bad, I just simply didn't like it. I ordered roast suckling pig, normally a favorite of mine. As a bonus it came with chuno potatoes! These potatoes were as bland and insipid as food could be. That I didn't like the suckling pig either leads me to think that it might not have been the potatoes, but perhaps the restaurant or me. While I would not give the potatoes or anything else another chance at that restaurant, I would try them again elsewhere if the right opportunity presented itself. It did not on the remainder of our trip much to my releief! At least we did get to watch a Barcelona futbol match on tv that evening even though they lost at home to Arsenal. The next day we awoke to a beautiful sunrise overlooking Lake Titicaca!

Cochabamba... I was born there! In Bolivia, they know cochabambinos as the ones who really enjoy eating. There's typical food to be had at virtualy every hour of the day!. And the pacha mama stuff, I still do it, spilling a bit of my beer on the floor. Sorry, this was a bit off topic... ← godito, and I have a Cochabambino grandson. Born there but of American parents. So now Bolivia is kind of an adopted country of interest to me. We need to get Doc to tour Bolivia now. He would do it great justice. ← Right! Bolivia is a beautiful place to visit. And the food is well worth a trip! I wish I was going to Bolivia sometime soon, that way I can post my own pictures and show you all the wonderful food to be had in places like Cochabamba. John, this whole thread has been wonderful and inspiring. I'm really enjoying it! ← Thank you, Godito and Davydd and thank you for your added insights! While not in Bolivia the next few spots are pretty darn close!