dfunghi
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Posts posted by dfunghi
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I would like to weigh in on this. I have been working at the markets in So Cal since 1992 and before that I was a biweekly shopper in Union square going back to 1982 or so. So I have over 20 years in the markets. I can tell you with absolute certainty that those that haggle or try to "offer" you a lower price than the one you are asking for are looked down on and almost never rewarded with a discount. Regular customers are always rewarded with discounts or a little extra "lanyap" if you will. Never does anyone ask for this before they receive it. They have earned it the same way that stand has earned your business. Through fair pricing and high quality. In my personal situation if someone "offers" me a lower price I ask them right away if they are poor and do they need the discount and perhaps they would do better to look for lower quality produce at much lower prices. I further ask them why would I reward their rudeness and charge my long time regular customer full price while giving them a discount. Rarely if ever is the "offer" made politely. It is more along the lines of a bark than a request. Every now and then someone (I have a few customers like this) is truly in need of a discount and it is obvious they are on a fixed income or have some limitations. They show up every week for the same $1 of shiitake and I always give them about $3 and have done so for years. I am sure every farmer has the same story about a handful of regulars they help support. Loyalty is what will EARN someone a discount. Not demanding or demeaning the product. One of the number one things we talk about with each other (farmers) is the obnoxious people that try to offer you a dollar for everything.
In relation to the green market not being a "bargain". It is not supposed to be. It was never set up to be a bargain. You want bargains go to a large grocery chain that buys fruit and veggies from all over the globe and sells apples at 5 pounds for a dollar as a loss leader. If you want to have interaction with the person that grew, foraged, encouraged the production of your food go to the market. But please do us all a favor and if it is just a bargain you are looking for do not try to find high quality on the cheap. They are not compatible. We all work too hard , too long, and make too little to be giving discounts to people that somehow believe they are entitled to one by simply asking for it. I have seen people complain about the quality of the peaches that are thrown away by the farmer and put in a box marked "FREE" behind the truck. Those are the same type of people that ask for a discount before earning one. I am sure most of my customers would agree with that assessment.
I was planning a trip to Italy a few years ago and I even had someone tell me I was charging too much for my items if I could afford to go to Europe. I suppose my 1993 truck with 205K miles should be kept running forever as well after all why should I or anyone be driving a new car. We must be overcharging people if we make a decent living.
I will leave you all with my favorite farmer joke:
Farmer wins 1 million dollars in the lottery and is asked what he plans to do with the money. He says " I will keep farming until the money runs out"
Please visit your local farmers market and buy some fruit and veggies that are super fresh, hopefully organic (even if not certified) and priced for the farmer to make a nice living and reward all their hard work as well as all the hard work of the many people they employ. And if you want to haggle at least bring something to the table. have some type of positive exchange beyond "what can you do for me ".
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cst, No Julian was not the guy. He was the A-1 seltzer guy and they did close. There is some talk of reopening by others but as of yet no. As to the SF seltzer that is Seltzer sisters they are all over the bay area. She gave me a few leads to follow down here but so far no one has replied to my calls.
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Lars there are numerous web sites with aged Balsamic and beyond that there are tons of shops without websites located in other cities that just a little web surfing can turn up a phone number for. Furthermore try Guidi Marcelo for older balsamic or better yet order directly from Modena with relative ease. Now bear in mind Balsamic quality is all over the place so you may wish to consult the Italy forum for some opinions. I am not saying do not use Surfas. I am saying that calling themselves "wholesale to the public" is untrue. On cookware they are not even close to wholesale or even close to what can be found downtown or San Gabriel valley. On food they are good on some things and high on others. For instance Epoisse is actually cheaper at Whole Foods. Callebaut chocolate is much cheaper on line through bakery supply houses. Their tuscan oils are sometimes less than fresh and way over priced for the level of quality. When TJ's sold Grimaud farms duck products they were about 30% cheaper than surfas. And TJ's rotated the stock much faster.
Happy hunting
David
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Well the sad truth is there is no longer any local seltzer companies left in So Cal according to a reliable source. Julian Diamond retired very recently and he was the last. They lost their warehouse location and decided to retire. How sad! So now I will have to use soda king isa soda makers at home and settle for a less fizzy product. I did find a source for imported hungarian NATURAL CO2 so at least that is good. Oh well if anyone hears of any type of old time seltzer in LA please post it.
David (thirsty and sad)
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There is nothing available at surfas that can not be found elsewhere cheaper and sometimes fresher. Compared to Sur La Table it is great but compared to REAL chefs supply they are weak and quite expensive even though they claim to be selling wholesale to the public. The forerunner was Flying Foods and they were the real deal. Many years ago. Having said that I think the situation sucks that they are in. For kitchen supplies try Amazon or just goggle up the names of some of the manufacturers for foods try any number of places including Guidi Marcelo or the web. Chocolates found cheaper, Italian imports such as pasta found cheaper, sea salt, herbs, imported peppers, olives, oils etc. all found cheaper than surfas. Sorry to be a surfas basher but if someone operates a business and claims WHOLESALE to the public they should live up to it. Furthermore the staff is hit or miss on their expertise and that can get annoying.
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Seltzer is carbonated water. Home delivery was the norm from about the end of WW II to about a few years ago. In NYC it is even older. The seltzer bottles were mostly made in eastern Europe and were very heavy. They became a collectable and now sell on ebay and elsewhere for up to several hundreds of dollars. This is one reason why they became so hard to find and was the big problem the fellow I met was having. People were stealing the bottles. There is a company in the bay area that does it in plastic bottles so I was hoping to find same here. Seltzer over carbonated water because it has no sodium and few minerals. It is refreshing and not heavy like say a Gerolsteiner is. You can buy home soda makers and use CO2 cartridges but they do not get as "fizzy" as the stuff made under higher pressure. I am going to call Canters tomorrow to see if they know any old seltzer delivery guys.
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There used to be this older MExican gentleman that would deliver seltzer to a friends house in the La Brea area. He even had the old heavy glass bottles. He did say hew was having many of the bottles "go missing" and he was going to switch to plastic. I have lost contact with him and my friend now lives away from here. Anyone know of this guy or ANY home delivery of real seltzer in Los Angeles / Santa Monica?
David
If someone knows and can put me in touch with that older fellow with the original heavy glass bottles there is a free bag of mushrooms in it for you.
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Every person I have spoken to and almost every one on here that have been all have the same response. It is casual, laid back, friendly, fun, all while being completely professional and quite enjoyable. I would not fear doing anything wrong. It is sincerely their pleasure to serve you. Relax, go hungry, and do not be afraid to ask Luis if you have any questions about anything dealing with your visit.
The only negative thing I ever heard from someone that went there is that the drive back to town late at night after some wine was a bummer and by the time they reached their hotel they had lost much of the "glow" they had after the meal. Perhaps investing in a cab would be wise.
David.
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The alternative is you can ask them to hand over the reigns to you as they are not really operating a convivum or you can start one or you can drive south to SB which has an excellent one. Good Luck
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I took this from slowfood website
http://www.slowfood.com/eng/sf_ita_mondo/s...idcond=CND_0279
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In Santa Monica and with irregular hours Pain Du Jour ((310) 399-4870) on Pico just east of Lincoln. They make wonderful everything. Belgium I believe is where the baker hails from. They supply many restaurants and cafes but also have a small retail counter in the front of the bakery. These are only good if you like your croissant with more butter than flour. I do. They make pain chocolate as well as many other treats.
David
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Any new info anyone can add here? Is Downey's still great? Is there any other places at that level? I read that AJA was now under new ownership and Tim and his wife are gone? What about Jerry's ( formerly Oysters) place at the Navy building? Is it good? How about the restaurant at Baccarat?
Here is the plan
La Super Rica sunday late breakfast / lunch
Joe's for a steak and a serious drink ( have been going there for 30 years so it's a must no matter how mid level the food is)
Breakwater or ???? For waterfront breakfast Monday. Is Brown Pelican still awful?
Lunch at either La Super Rica or maybe if we are out in Santa Ynez valley we will hit some other place. Open to Mexican suggestions here. Is cocina de terry still out at the indian Bingo hall ?
Dinner open
Tuesday Nice breakfast outside somewhere. Open to suggestions.
LA Super Rica before the trip back to LA.
Of course we will buy burritos to go from Guadalajara market.
We are staying by San Antonio creek so anywhere from Goleta to Montecito is OK.
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I have eaten at Wilshire several times and have not had a bad meal yet. Nor have I been looked at or down on by anyone. The bar scene is there it is true but it is not a see and be seen place without merit. I do not begrudge any restaurant a bar scene as long as they do not neglect the kitchen. Wilshire has both going simultaneously. I would not hesitate to recommend Wilshire , in fact I do recommend it a lot. The only knock is the service was a bit rushed.
D
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Do you need a driver????
Or perhaps a food taster???? -
I worked in downtown during my last year in SoCal. For lunch, do not miss Angelique on Spring Street -- .
A gem of a place in DT LA for sure.
Also head east to the San Gabriel valley for some dim sum ( 888 seafood to name one) or any number of HK style dinner palaces or sezchuan at 301( C ) Garvey ( was hua's now called yun gui) for the hottest most delish sezchuan food in America.
Head north to Highland park along York ave. in the 50's for amazing mexican food.
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/02/counter-gold.php
Head to Korea Town just west of DT for Americas best Korean Food
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Can't go wrong at Joe's. Solid food , solid service, fun atmosphere and maybe a celeb sighting or two. Well within the $150 for 2 range. Last I was there the bill was around $100 for 2. Then stroll up and down Abbot Kinney for that LA scene.
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I second the family dinner at lucques on Sunday. Best food value around. Great food, chance of celebrity sighting, cool LA type atmosphere and more or less in your budget. Same deal on Mondays at Campanile's family dinner. Lucques is a bit more of a young people thing than Campanile, but only slightly.
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Call any decent pastry shop or restaurant with a real pastry department and ask to buy a sheet or 2 or ask where they get theirs..
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Saul some say Angelini is slightly more refined than La Terzza however I have not found that. Gino oversees both kitchens and LA Terzza has much more room for large parties or if you like to stretch while you eat. Angelini has a more NYC / ROME feel to it as far as the hustle and bustle and sometimes people like that. Just MHO
Burgers you can either go the Fat Burger / Tommy's / In-Out route or the other great LA burger argument Beechwood / Fathers Office / Standard / Counter. The first 2 are above the rest by hands and feet and many argue over which is the better with F.O. being the usual winner. The other 2 just have great meaty burgers well made. Now I am guessing in TX finding a well made meaty burger is no harder than say a Starbucks in Santa Monica. What you may not have is the Gourmet type of Fathers Office ( in Santa Monica) or the typical ( greasy) cal burger of in-out or fatburger I am not a huge fan of Tommys . I would suggest Fatburger 2X2 w/ egg (animal style?) for breakfast and in-out for late night snack. They both have decent shakes and fries but nothing to write home about. Fatburger "on the char" BTW. All of this well pale in comparison to a plate of smokey links, tender, meaty ribs, charred brisket all smothered an a hot, vinegary bbq sauce with ranch beans and slaw. The kind I lived on in Houston my two years there.
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Since you have a car and are staying on the west-side:
Dinner, La Terzza or Lucques, for after game. Thursday try Guelegtza ( sp) for low down meal. It is mexican about as far from tex-mex you can get.
Breakfast in Santa Monica is all over the map. Any of the hotels by the beach offer high quality high cost breakfast with linen's etc. For more down home coffee shop try Firehouse on Main st. or Almandine Bakery on Wilshire. Other popular places are Snug Harbor, Callahans.
BTW santa Monica to Rose Bowl will take you an hour or so so be prepared. If you want to leave early and stop for some real authentic East LA Tacos stop in Highland Park on your way to RB. If interested let me know I can give easy to find great places 5 minutes of HWY
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Dress very warm for Fishermans Wharf / Alcatraz trip. It is cold and foggy on the water. Try to get into some nieghborhoods for a walk and not limit yourself to tourist attractions. Coit Tower is cool as is Twin Peaks ( dress very, very warm for this one). Lombard street where it winds downhill is a must for tourists. Just walk around Russian and Nob hills to see some great old buildings with SF feel. The Civic center is cool. Golden Gate park is great as is the Presidio for a nice walk. Plenty to see and do.
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Santa Clara to SF is an easy ride depending on traffic. Parking near Pier 39 will be expensive. Look to park a few blocks away off of the waterfront. SF is a great city to walk in ( even with the hills) so the few blocks to the pier will be easy. Tons of Dim Sum in Sf but I will defer to the locals to answer your question. We like House of Nan King ( Nan King House) on Kearny ( chinatown) for szechuan food and prefer to eat the rest of our Chinese food over on Clement street away from chinatown.
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On the South end of your trip I can't say enough about La Super Rica in Santa Barbara. It will be one of the highlights of your trip. Solvang is less than an hour north of there.
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I too have not been but would like to go. I have spoken with many who have gone and the reviews are mixed with 2 constants. It is very expensive, and a little fussy, which is to say it is not a seafood place done with simple preparations ala Jasper White. BTW it is one of the hottest restaurants in LA at this time and has been since it opened. The chef has great pedigree and real talent.
Southall Info?
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted
Hi all I will be in Hounslow for one day ( a Thursday) in Oct. We do not wish to head into the city as we arrive around 3 PM and leave the next AM at 5. We just want to relax after a 12 hour flight. We however will need to eat dinner. I have heard there is a large Kenya as well as East Asian dining scene in Southall. Is this true? If so how close is it to LHR? How safe is it at night? Anything remarkable to try? We ate at Lahore Kebab house off Commercial last year and liked it very much. We are not afraid of funky places or places with great food but no ambience. We do like authentic though.
TIA
David