Houston Chronicle's Whine and Dine

[Jack Tyler]

I think the issue is not hats but baseball caps only. So if a gentelman walks in wearing a suit and a hat, he might be allowed to keep it on. Not so if it was a baseball cap. So ladies need to take them off too.

Elie

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When gentlemen wore hats and overcoats, it was because they looked at themselves as gentlemen. In the 50's, they took them off in a restaurant. I grew up being taught that a gentleman never sat if there was a lady standing and to always take my hat off indoors.

Seems pretty simple to me... but I'm 61 years old.

Jack Tyler

[joiei]

I think the issue is not hats but baseball caps only. So if a gentelman walks in wearing a suit and a hat, he might be allowed to keep it on. Not so if it was a baseball cap. So ladies need to take them off too.

Elie

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When gentlemen wore hats and overcoats, it was because they looked at themselves as gentlemen. In the 50's, they took them off in a restaurant. I grew up being taught that a gentleman never sat if there was a lady standing and to always take my hat off indoors.

Seems pretty simple to me... but I'm 61 years old.

Jack Tyler

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I think you hit the nail on the head when you observed that we were taught. I do not think there is enough teaching by parents today. Oh, have we gotten that lazy.

[SuperLuckyCat]

(Hopefully) unintended hilarity in today's Whine and Dine. Some guy writes in about a Korean restaurant and it says he "found the restaurant packed with Koreans 'which is a good thing,' says Rice." He then goes on to complain that he got a relatively (to other patrons and prior visit) small serving of meat, etc.

Thank goodness he clarified that people shouldn't be upset if there are a lot of Korean people in a Korean restaurant. And how strange that the Chronicle had to put that specific part of the comment in quotes, as if to say "he said it, not us!"

[SuperLuckyCat]

Did anyone read today's Whine and Dine? I am so glad to be reminded that as a woman when I go to a steak restaurant I should only be on the lookout for candlelight and crisp linens as my point of interest and let my husband judge the quality of the steak!!

Keep that woman away from me!

[FoodMan]

Here is the link to this week's W&D. Actually it was the very last comment in the article that I thought was amusing, the one about Chipotle Mexican Grill serving real SF burritos. If that is what a SF burrito is like, I pity those who know no better. IMO, Freebird's and Mission Burrito both make a much better version.

Elie

[LDLee]

Here is the link to this week's W&D. Actually it was the very last comment in the article that I thought was amusing, the one about Chipotle Mexican Grill serving real SF burritos. If that is what a SF burrito is like, I pity those who know no better. IMO, Freebird's and Mission Burrito both make a much better version.

Elie

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Isn't that the answer she is seeking? There aren't any Mission Burritos or Freebird's out in Kingwood where she lives.

[FoodMan]

Did anyone read today's Whine and Dine? I am so glad to be reminded that as a woman when I go to a steak restaurant I should only be on the lookout for candlelight and crisp linens as my point of interest and let my husband judge the quality of the steak!!

Keep that woman away from me!

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In today's W&D:

- Kathy Warren's comments seem very, very familiar....

- Complains about Alison Cook again

- Poutine anyone?

Elie

[SuperLuckyCat]

(Taking a bow..)

Yes, when I emailed that in 2 weeks ago the W&D editor emailed me back and said she was just as appalled.

Another comment right after mine about Stonegate gets my feminist feathers in a ruffle - when she exclaims how her husband is the one with the budget doncha know??? He's in charge of the $ because goodness knows, I can't be trusted or we'd eat at Bank every night!!

BLEH.

I love it when people from New Mexico get all in an uproar about hatch chiles.

[Bill Miller]

Did anyone read today's Whine and Dine? I am so glad to be reminded that as a woman when I go to a steak restaurant I should only be on the lookout for candlelight and crisp linens as my point of interest and let my husband judge the quality of the steak!!

Keep that woman away from me!

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In today's W&D:

- Kathy Warren's comments seem very, very familiar....

- Complains about Alison Cook again

- Poutine anyone?

Elie

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I wonder if Alison will ever revisit Cafe' Annie--- I'm so tired of "never turns out a boring meal". It was borrowed from the predecessor so I wonder if Alison has ever eaten there.

[fifi]

I finally got around to reading last week's Whine and Dine.

In the search for home fries, I couldn't pass this one up . . .

. . . and they use real potatoes.

[FoodMan]

A couple of items in the latest W&D bugged me:

There is nothing wrong with “defending” your favorite spot, but don’t claim to be an expert in areas you are not! Mr. Westheimer loves Tila’s apparently and then goes on to saying “Let's face it, really good Mexican food is spicy. Real Texans love spicy food. And the really, really good stuff burns your lips.” Oh Really! Not all “real” Texans love spicy food and Mexican food is NOT that spicy! I am sure Diana Kennedy will be happy to hear this one ….

Then I read two people’s comments, praising a couple of restaurants because they opened on Sept. 24 after the Rita scare so they can feed “restaurant-starved Houstonians who so badly needed a change of scenery and a dining-out fix”. Oh give me a break!

I know I am probably over reacting , but come on! We cannot survive a few days without needing a “fix”. Then the two joints who actually opened get praised as if they committed and act of utmost charity. Why? In Houston the power didn’t even go off in most places.

Elie

[greensNbeans]

A couple of items in the latest W&D bugged me:

There is nothing wrong with “defending” your favorite spot, but don’t claim to be an expert in areas you are not! Mr. Westheimer loves Tila’s apparently and then goes on to saying “Let's face it, really good Mexican food is spicy. Real Texans love spicy food. And the really, really good stuff burns your lips.”  Oh Really! Not all “real” Texans love spicy food and Mexican food is NOT that spicy! I am sure Diana Kennedy will be happy to hear this one ….

Then I read two people’s comments, praising a couple of restaurants because they opened on Sept. 24 after the Rita scare so they can feed “restaurant-starved Houstonians who so badly needed a change of scenery and a dining-out fix”. Oh give me a break!

I know I am probably over reacting , but come on! We cannot survive a few days without needing a “fix”. Then the two joints who actually opened get praised as if they committed and act of utmost charity. Why? In Houston the power didn’t even go off in most places.

Elie

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I just noticed your "elf" refrence ... funny!

[FoodMan]

Today’s W&D had a “shocked” Ms. Doyle for the treatment she recieved on her B-day. Of course it is anyone’s guess of what really happened, but I think the restaurant was within it’s rights to both charge for the slice fee and to not allow Ms. Doyle to use the butcher knife. The Whine could’ve been a very different one if she did use the knife “that looked like it could have carved a cow” and carved her finger off! Probably with a lawsuit to boot.

On the other hand the waiter in his haste might’ve been too assertive or not very tactful when asking for the knife back. Seems to me like whoever brought the knife to her in the first place is at fault and Mr. Mandola can at least apologize for that.

[Dignan]

This weeks W&D has a rave for Chef Rucker and the Laidback Manor.

Good on ya, Chef.

[FoodMan]

Congrats to Chef Rucker and his staff on a job well done!

What about the very first "whine" from Mr. Englander though? Does the waiter really need to tell the diner that "hey a gratuity has been added to your bill" even though it is probably written on the menu and it must've been on the bill? I do not think so, as a paying customer, I make sure my bill is always correct and I would not expect my waiter to advise me of the added gratuity.

[Dignan]

It's his fault for not checking the tab before he paid, but rather waiting until the next day to review it. I do think that the gratuity when automatic should be clearly indicated -- I've gotten tabs before with the autograt circled and with it marked with highlighter. He probably feels like he got took by the waiter, thinking that there's no way the waiter could honestly expect a tip of 40%, that it was clear that the additional 20% was an error, and that the waiter didn't pipe up to make sure and therefore took advantage of his erroneous assumptions. I can understand that.

Maybe the waiter busted his (or her, of course, as the case may be) hump for some difficult customers and thought 40% was generous but not inappropriate. I don't know. But by taking the matter into the realm of game theory, the waiter has managed to p-off a customer who otherwise had a postive opinion of the establishment and at least indicates that he had been there more than once. Did he then trade 20% of this particular bill for 20% of every lost bill thereafter?

I'm over analyzing and overstating my position. I would be more annoyed with myself in this circumstance than anything else.

[FoodMan]

you make a good point. Also if the guy is a regular and like u said the waiter maybe busted his hump for a customer he knows, then a 40% on a table of 6 might've seemed a generous thank you from a regular customer. In general though, I still think it is the diner's reponsibiltiy to check his or her bill.

[greensNbeans]

Thanks everybody! We are still pushing through our first 3 months and each day is as exciting as the next - Still waiting on a few of yall to stop in...

Randy

[Dignan]

you make a good point. Also if the guy is a regular and like u said the waiter maybe busted his hump for a customer he knows, then a 40% on a table of 6 might've seemed a generous thank you from a regular customer. In general though, I still think it is the diner's reponsibiltiy to check his or her bill.

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Absotutely....He put his Herbie Hancock on the bottom line.

[Dignan]

Thanks everybody!  We are still pushing through our first 3 months and each day is as exciting as the next - Still waiting on a few of yall to stop in...

Randy

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Chef, I'd have been there already, but I'm not actually directly in the area at this point. When I'm back, you'll be one of my first stops.

[greensNbeans]

you make a good point. Also if the guy is a regular and like u said the waiter maybe busted his hump for a customer he knows, then a 40% on a table of 6 might've seemed a generous thank you from a regular customer. In general though, I still think it is the diner's reponsibiltiy to check his or her bill.

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Absotutely....He put his Herbie Hancock on the bottom line.

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...John Hancock? Its Herbie Hancock

[Dignan]

Boy, some chicken wings would really

hit the spot. You sure you're closed, Chef?

[greensNbeans]

Boy, some chicken wings would really

hit the spot. You sure you're closed, Chef?

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doesn't even matter, we still have that 1/2 meat-lovers pizza in the trunk!

[Dignan]

A follow up this week to the W&D of a couple of weeks ago complaining about getting hit for a double tip. The diner has reviewed his credit card statement and it turns out the restaurant only ran through a 20% tip, so somebody at the Bistro Le Cep had his back.

[FoodMan]

A follow up this week to the W&D of a couple of weeks ago complaining about getting hit for a double tip.  The diner has reviewed his credit card statement and it turns out the restaurant only ran through a 20% tip, so somebody at the Bistro Le Cep had his back.

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You beat me to it. I am not sure if the W&D article had anything to do with the restaurant not charging him the extra 20% though. They just did the decent thing right off the bat and never charged it. If they did he would've seen a credit of 20% on his bill.

I also have to agree with the whine about Lupe's Tortillas this week. I just do not get it. Their fajitas ARE very good, but nothing you canot find at many Houston restaurants like Pappasito's or Guadalajara or Gringo's. So why are patrons of LT so willing to endure long waits and less than expemplary service (which LT is proud of) to eat their grilled meats? The location on Hwy6 and 59 just opened a couple of weeks ago and you cannot set foot in the joint without an extended wait!

Is it just me?