docsconz

This is too, too funny. You've got to tell me what "B&T types" do to muck up your good time at your restaurants! Wear odd clothing, smell funny, stick you with the bill, chew with their mouths open, scratch their nether regions, what? And do you include Brooklyn, Queens and SI in this group? ← Bad haircuts give me gas. When I go someplace clubby or totally cool, especially in New York, I definitely expect the crowd to be hipper than I am, or I'm terribly disappointed. Last time I was in the meatpacking district, even though I tripped over a model (all black clothes, wafer thin - -they should have to wear flashers after dark!) the crowd was mostly just boring -- catalogue clothes, young professional haircuts and glasses that haven't been cutting edge since Seinfeld's third season. Blecch. I can get that at home. ← Isn't this what all the B&T's are looking for also in these places? Me? I'm simply not into scene places. I'll go someplace because I like the way they prepare food or a drink. i could care less who else is there unless they are personally with me. Maybe that makes me an old fuddy-duddy, but then it has been quite some time since I lived in NYC.

I am sorry to hear this. Although I hadn't yet been able to make it there, it was on my list to do so. Good luck Chef and keep us posted. I would love to try your work wherever you wind up.

Interesting thought Doc. A valid topic. However there is also a point where abuse justifies abuse. No one entity can have it all one way. But I must repeat. I was totally quite calm until the final comment. He just crossed the line. There must be a point where the customer's dignity does matter. I did nothing more than to ask for table (twice), ask the bartender if we could eat at the bar and ask for my property to be returned to me. Even my parting comment to the MD was say hello to John (not his real name) in an even, though sarcastic, tone of voice. Is there no point where the customer has the right to give within the same proportion as they get? Do we just take the insults and abuse, put our tail between out legs and slink out the door? Do we check our pride and dignity at the door of a restaurant? I'm all for handling problems quietly and without fanfare. But five distinct abuses within fifteen minutes is more than anyone should be expected to take. My wife had criticized me for not berating him and walking out after his first remark about "seeing if he could find us a table." She told me then and there to tell him what he could do with his table and walk out. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and remain cool. But four more insults just didn't cut it. ← Rich, my comments were not meant to question your specific situation. I don't think you needed to reiterate those points, but thanks anyway. My question is simply from a restaurant's perspective, how should they handle a problem customer. I do not mean to imply that you were the problem. My question is more rhetorical. ← I know that Doc. I was just trying to give a clearer picture of the events and at the same time ask what circumstances justify what responses. It could be a complex situation. ← Indeed.

Interesting thought Doc. A valid topic. However there is also a point where abuse justifies abuse. No one entity can have it all one way. But I must repeat. I was totally quite calm until the final comment. He just crossed the line. There must be a point where the customer's dignity does matter. I did nothing more than to ask for table (twice), ask the bartender if we could eat at the bar and ask for my property to be returned to me. Even my parting comment to the MD was say hello to John (not his real name) in an even, though sarcastic, tone of voice. Is there no point where the customer has the right to give within the same proportion as they get? Do we just take the insults and abuse, put our tail between out legs and slink out the door? Do we check our pride and dignity at the door of a restaurant? I'm all for handling problems quietly and without fanfare. But five distinct abuses within fifteen minutes is more than anyone should be expected to take. My wife had criticized me for not berating him and walking out after his first remark about "seeing if he could find us a table." She told me then and there to tell him what he could do with his table and walk out. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and remain cool. But four more insults just didn't cut it. ← Rich, my comments were not meant to question your specific situation. I don't think you needed to reiterate those points, but thanks anyway. My question is simply from a restaurant's perspective, how should they handle a problem customer. I do not mean to imply that you were the problem. My question is more rhetorical.

You raise an interesting discussion point. Because I have a sense of Rich from eGullet and a natural bias for his point of view I take it at face value and trust his story. Yet, I as I am sure everyone else here has seen abusive customers. I don't think it likely that Rich was offensive, abusive or deserving of the behavior he received, but how should a restaurant handle those customers who are? To go further with this not exclusive to Rich's particular situation at Gallagher's would be best on its own thread in General, but it is something to think about. If anybody wants to start that topic be my guest.

Nah, Rich. It sounds to me like you did the right thing. ← Yeah, I can't quite bring myself to think that physical violence is the way to solve anything involving getting a table in a restaurant. I think leaving and not giving them your business was the best thing you could have done. ← I agree Megan and Doc about physical violence for a silly thing as a table. I was referring to the bouncer. Don't forget, I was leaving before the the bouncer got involved. It just bothers me that he may do this to someone else who is not physically capable of responding. I've learned one thing over the years - even the best of us have only four cheeks to turn. At some point the bully must be taught a lesson. If for nothing else then to help the next person who may be in a disadvantageous and/or vulnerable position. I think if my friend wasn't there or if he wasn't armed, I would have been a bit more agressive. I was concerned that it could have turned into a major incident. ← It still could have turned into a major incident. It sounds as if you you stood up to him a much as you needed to. It's not worth it IMO.

Congrats! I think the Guigal should be on your list. I would also consider for reds - not much else given your price point. However, you should try a bottle yourself first to make sure you like it. Another possibility a bit above your range is the Montepulciano d"Abruzzo. These are generally very food friendly wines with a bit of fruit and body to them. Once agai, try before you buy any quantity especially at those prices. As for the whites the Gruner Veltliner and the Trimbach Pinot blanc are worthy of consideration. I suggest again buying some retail and trying them or else have the inn sample you with several choices.

Nah, Rich. It sounds to me like you did the right thing.

This can be applied to almost anything in life - nicely said, akwa.

Yes, they are made with pork. There's a whole spectrum of different types of pork sausage from dry-cured, semi-cured, smoked, raw... If you go to any sausage store/stall, they will have several different varieties of chorizo fresco (raw). Also other uncured sausages: morcilla, butifarra, longaniza, salchichas. ← I knew of the other Spanish raw sausages, but always thought that Spanish chorizo was cured. I also knew that they were made from pork. It was the "fresh" part that I am curious about. Why aren't different terms used for these very different styles of product or is "chorizo" simply a catch-all term like "sausage" in English?

Are these made with fresh pork? Are the differences regional?

That looks easy enough if one can get the right chorizo. As an aside Mexican and Spanish chorizo are two totally different products. Mexican is basically a fresh pork that needs to be cooked while Spanish is a cured product. I believe the spicing is very different as well.

The degustation menu this year is 170 EUR if I'm not mistaken. ← Still a bargain, especially compared to its peers.

Another welcome report, mukki! It is nice to see Jordi's evolution. The food looks better than ever. I agree, Amelia is a fabulous hostess. She is genuinely warm and has a knack for making one feel comfortable.

In my exprience at Alinea I always thought it was a seemless transition to dessert. It will be interesting to see how Chef Stupack integrates with Chef Dufresne and how a new pastry chef will integrate into Alinea. Somehow given the talent and creativity of all involved I think it will end up just fine.

At least you didn't attribute the appendicitis to the food! Seriously, I hope you are recovering well and can return soon to enjoy a meal there without that annoying ache!

Nice report, Mukki. Thank you. I was beginning to despair of seeing any reports on El Bulli this year. A number of the dishes you had, I had last summer, but the vast majority of yours were certainly new to me. I am surprised by your seafood experience though as I found the seafood dishes to be highlights last year. It is nice to see the presentation as interesting as ever.

2) Puttanesca: the women are prostitutes between tricks, not wives. ← I was trying to be discreet (i.e. "too busy doing other things"). A "putta" is not necessarily a prostitute selling her wares.

It is funny that there can be such disagreement on this topic. I would have thought before reading it that it was really a cut and dried situation. In my familial experience, the sauce, a staple, came from Italy with my grandparents and was a fast cooked whole tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic and basil. Shrimp or other seafood could be added to make, for example, "shrimp marinara", but were not necessary. One thing it clearly was not in my family at least was a slow and long-cooked sauce. Nor did it contain oregano. FWIW, the derivation I am used to is the same one that Sam mentioned that it was the fisherman's wife who made this quick sauce upon seeing the fishing boats return. That there should be some confusion with puttanesca should not really be a surprise as that is another quickly cooked sauce traditionally. The story behind that one is that it was a sauce made by wives who were too busy doing other things to make a complex, slow sauce. In some respects these sauces were the original "fast foods".

Like anything else, it is fine in moderation. As Irwin says, don't eat it if it comes from a red tide are, but then one is not likely to anyway. It is always a good idea to know the origens of one's food if one can.

marinara sauce in the US at least was not a product of non-Italian Anglos. While it may be an Italian-American invention, the origens are definitely southern Italian. In my Sicilian-Neapolitan family it denoted spaghetti with a simple pan-fried tomatoe, garlic and basil sauce made essentially "a la minute" and not a long-simmered "gravy".

While certainly not exhaustive, my thread of my trip has some MC dining with photos. I never really felt unsafe there. One needs to be careful like any big city. The taxi advice above is very good.

Indeed, although in this case I don't "read" the words "muddled flavors", "overcooked proteins" or "Underseasoned" in any of the photos, although you might have an argument about the butchering of the rouget. Other than the fact that there aren't large grains of sea salt, I really don't see how anyone can possibly judge the flavors or seasoning of these dishes based on the photos.

I'm curious about it as i have been considering doing a boot camp for awhile but haven't got around to actually doing it. It might give a better idea as to how worthwhile an experience it is. i have done one day courses as well, but I imagine it is not quite the same thing.

You may dislike the aesthetic element, but I certainly disagree about the food looking sloppy. If anything it looks very precisely plated to me.