Hest88

I think you handled it correctly with one exception. You *could* have asked for the manager and pointed out that your meal was inedible. However, I doubt I would have taken that extra step under the same circumstances, either. The letter was the right way to go. Unfortunately, there's only so much one can do if the recipient refuses to handled the situation adequately. The amount of bad publicity Sparks is now getting is equal to many times what your meal was worth! And to reiterate. $22 is NOT cheap. If you got rotten, inedible beluga caviar for $50 an oz would you consider it a good bargain? The restaurant is clearly and completely in the wrong.

Did you send the letter on your official restaurant letterhead?

For books I'm going to use: hardcover. They stay open easier. For ones I'm just going to read: paperback. (Unless they're heavy, coffee-table books.)

Just wanted to add my congratulations. The menu sounds fantastic! It's certainly an ambitious project--one that will fail or succeed spectacularly. I'll be hoping for the latter, of course, and look forward to your progress.

Thanks for giving me another restaurant to avoid. $22 may be cheap for lamb, but it's not cheap overall. And the problem was not in the quality of lamb but in the cooking. I won't even go into the service issue... I can't wait to hear their reply to your letter. ;)

Sigh. I had my first white truffles this year, and I'm starting to conclude that I just don't have the nose for truffles. The white truffles just didn't taste all that much different from the black truffles I've had, and though I really like black truffles I don't find them very different from wild mushrooms (which I love). I'll continue trying them, of course, but I know I'm missing something.

Oh, I totally forgot about sawagani--those tiny fried river crabs that they serve in Japanese restaurants. Better than potato chips!

Never watched Survivor either, but I can't imagine not choosing my wok. I actually saw a cast iron wok at Crate & Barrel. That thing was as heavy as an anvil! I have problems washing my Le Crueset pot at times, so can't imagine wanting anything as heavy as a cast iron wok. My regular carbon steel wok is almost non-stick, perfect for stir-frying, steaming, soup-making---and it's light enough to be portable!

I really think of "prime rib" and "prime beef" as two separate things. When I order a prime rib I think of it more as a certain style of food. It would be *nice* if prime rib also meant a prime cut of beef, but I rarely expect it.

Oh how fun! I remember cruising around the Oakland produce warehouses early on a Saturday and picking up a huge crate of oranges. Your experience sound 10x better, though I'd have to be motivated enough to stay up that late!

I love all crab. My sentimental favorite is the Dungeness--but that's probably because I'm in Northern California. Stir-fired with ginger and scallions the way my mom makes it---Mmmmmm! I had my first blue crab last year, but I can't really tell you if it was the crab or the Old Bay I really liked. There's also nothing quite like a good steamed Alaskan King Crab. We had some great crab feasts when we were in Vancouver last year and earlier this year. Wow! Sure a far cry from the inedible buffet table king crab legs I remember eating everytime my parents took us to Reno! I've never had stone crab, though I'm really eager to try. I wonder if there's anywhere on the web that describes the difference in taste and texture between different popular crabs. (There must be...) There was an article about crab in last month's GQ, but they didn't talk about taste at all!

Oh no, I don't believe that. (Well, the "lots of it part" maybe...) I remember a scallop amuse at Gary Danko that I can still *taste*--even though I normally dislike scallops. I remember a recent experience at Chez Panisse where the flavors melded together so perfectly that I could have floated out of the restaurant. I think that at the very best restaurants they justify their prices by giving exquisite service AND sublime food. I've dined at many high-end restaurants where, upon exiting, I just thought, "Eh, the food was good and I'm full, but that's it." But I've dined at a few where I can indeed say I was satisfied to my soul.

The reason I want to try Roxanne's is because I'm interested in new food developments and I like having my food pre-conceptions challenged. For instance, I believe that meat tastes good and that no vegetarian restaurant could possibly satisfy me. I'm interested to see if a chef can change my mind. I see it as essentially the same reason I wouldn't turn down a chance to go to El Bulli.

Well, I'm Chinese and when I'm looking for authentic Cantonese food I'm looking for what I consider to be real Cantonese food. That does mean, to me, that if a restaurant is pre-dominately full of Western faces then I will immediately discount it. If it's full of Asian faces then it will not necessarily have great food, but at least I know it will have a fairly authentic flavor, and probably a few signature dishes it does really well. So, I guess it's really more of a matter of getting authentic food as opposed to inauthentic food. Perhaps "great" is not so much the criteria.

What Robyn said. ;) Eating is definitely enhanced by knowledge, as just about all endeavors are, but it's not like playing a violin. It's about eating. A natural and imperative human need. A restaurant should be about pleasing the diner and one should never be made to uncomfortable for their dining experience (unless, of course, someone is being rude or obnoxious). And like everything else, a million people can say something tastes good and if it doesn't taste good to you that doesn't mean you're uncouth. It just means you're you. So my advice would be: 1) Go with the attitude that you're there to enjoy yourself. 2) Be polite and sincere. A good waiter will be happy to explain unfamiliar foods and terms. 3) Try foods you've never had before and always try something more than once if you didn't enjoy it the first time. 4) And remember---it's just food. Not a cure for cancer.

Now, now guys...I think as eGulleters it's our responsbility to judge a restaurant first and foremost on it's food, and not on how much it's philosophy clashes with ours--espcially when said philosophy is so innocuous. (I know I should insert a disclaimer, but I can't think of anything clever enough! Let's just consider the disclaimer inserted.) Raw food is not going to threaten the meat industry, so why the hostility? I am tempted to bring my aunt, but I've always left even the best veggie restaurant--Chinese or Western--craving a big cow. Thanks for the great review and pictures, Stone; it gives me a bit more information to make my decision.

Miss Manners says it's okay to eat with fingers, so you can turn to your friends and let them know you're actually the bigger etiquette snob than they are. ;)

The sugar cookies on the back of the cornstarch box--we made lots of those in college--and the really great chewy ginger cookies on the back of "The Ginger People" candied ginger can.

I've had many really good meals, but I think the older I get the more they register with me. When I was younger, I just took them more for granted, so if I think back I can remember really good food, but nothing impacted me as much as more recent experiences. Offhand, though, I suppose there are two: 1) The first time I was taken to that village in Hong Kong where you pick a restaurant, then walk around to all those seafood vendors choosing your seafood, have them deliver it to your restaurant, and tell the waiter how you want the seafood prepared. Not only was the experience fun, but it was the first time I had one of my favorite seafood items: mantis shrimp. Too bad I can't get it here in SF. 2) A year ago, during my first trip to Vancouver since I was a teenager. I actually don't know what restaurant my relatives took us to, but it specialized in King Crab in season. The steamed crab with fried shallots was heavenly, and I could have dined solely on the stir-fired pea sprouts (pea shoots?---the tai pea sprouts--the leafy kind) and been happy. Everything was so perfect and fresh and expertly prepared.

I love HK street snacks, but then going to HK is all about the food, isn't it? It would be a crying shame if they got rid of them. Oh dragon's beard candy! Many, many years ago, there used to be a guy in SF Chinatown who used to make it on the street, which is where my mom introduced us to it. After he disappeared, we were delighted to find a guy making it years later in Chinatown in Montreal. We bought some to take home, but it's one of those foods that's never good unless it's fresh. I wonder if there's any place else in North American that still has dragon's beard makers? Funny about haw flakes and haw fruit. As with many Chinese foods, I had the Chinese item and the English item separately compartmentalized in my head until well into adulthood. I remember the light that dawned the first time I saw a package of haw flakes use "hawthorne fruit" in the ingredient list. Oh duh! I had only thought of hawthorne in terms of old books set in Western Europe and never connected hawthorne with haw before.

Oh yes, the Milgurt stuff! I no longer buy them, though, but go for the Yogloo brand. Same taste, but without the hassle of opening a dozen teeny plastic bottles (risking chipping your nail polish each time) in order to be satisfied. I was told by HK friends that the reason they come in such small containers is that they believe it's not good to down too much acidophilus in one sitting so you're only supposed to drink one tiny container at a time. (Yeah right!)

My sister's favorites were the White Rabbit candy and the Botan rice candy. I still eat haw flakes often. My favorite desserts, though, are sesame balls. Not the fried dim sum kind (though I like those as well) but the after-dinner desserts---both the soup kind and the steamed kind that's rolled in peanuts and served at finer restaurants. Oh, and I also love hot taro and tapioca "soup." My sister likes the cold honeydew and tapioca soup.

Hate them. Gives me the same feeling as when waiters clear my companion's plate before I'm done with mine.--someone, in this case the attendant, is waiting on me so I'd better finish up what I'm doing quickly so as to inconvenience them as little as possible. I hate feeling rushed when trying to reapply my lipstick! I suppose I would be better about attendants if I grew up with servants.

Wonderful review. Aqua was the first fine restaurant I took my parents to, but I haven't been there in many years. Looks like I'll have to go back!

The trick is to get the lid off as soon as you remove it from the steam. That keeps the steam from condensing on the lid and dripping down onto the food.