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I thought I had heard everything until...

tan319

By tan319
in Pastry & Baking

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tan319

tan319

Posted
Posted (edited)

it looked too abstract!!!

Nothing to do with taste :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Someone ordered my lemon napoleon tonight, I brought it up, went back down to my dungeon lab, brought something else up, to have the waiter tell me that the table that ordered the napoleon didn't like it because it was "too abstract".

Me: "WTF doe's that mean? The Plating?"

Waiter: "Yes"

It was plated on a large square plate, typical kind of nap assembly, lemon creme bottom, filo crisp, repeated twice, crisp on top, the nap is slightly offset.

In front, or to the right, a very thin ribbon of Italian meringue, bruleed.

In back of that, three strawberries, graduated in size.

A small ribbon of blackberry coulis behind the far left one, a ribbon of raspberry behind the other, far right one, kind of encasing the nap.

It was kind of striking but, I didn't think it would make one lose their appetite!

They didn't take a bite, jesus, what the hell...

Lame.

'Oh God, please deliver me from this purgatory on Earth ( and I hope I spelled the 'P' word correctly.Please forgive me if I didn't)'.

edited to correct my spelling of the place between heaven and HELL!!! :biggrin:

Edited by tan319 (log)

2317/5000

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Wendy DeBord

Wendy DeBord

Posted
Posted

That stinks..........I don't know but I sort of wonder why the waiter told you this. But it really doesn't make alot of sense, as in your plating doesn't sound that "out there" to me.

Personally I think there must have been some sort of confusion or that was a person that doesn't try ANYTHING new. Who doesn't stick a fork into something they paid for.? Can you post a photo?

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tan319

tan319

Posted
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Posted

nahhh, no photo.

the waiter was frustrated with the table.

to be fair, there were a lot of idiots out tonight.

sorry to seem disdainful but, 'tis true...

2317/5000

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mags

mags

Posted
Posted

Oy, Tan, had NOTHING to do with your dessert. Zippity-do-dah. People are just irritable and irritating morons sometimes.

:biggrin: I will tell you that at my bookstore, a few years ago, one of my longtime customers was basically behaving like that, and I smacked him. But I don't really recommend this as an effective response.

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lala

lala

Posted
Posted

I bet you anything that they were just too full, and decided on that as a tactic to not pay for your delicious dessert.

“"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.”

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FistFullaRoux

FistFullaRoux

Posted
Posted

They may have been dealing with the same trouble I've had from time to time. They couldn't figure out how to eat it without just mashing it all together. I've been presented with dishes (not just desserts) that I can't figure out how to eat without looking like Cousin Ernie from the country who is still giggling at the indoor outhouses. I'd stick with just the ice cream.

I've pretty much gotten over that hangup. But a lot of people have do trouble with that.

Screw it. It's a Butterball.
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nightscotsman

nightscotsman

Posted
Posted

When I did my short trial at Charlie Trotter's, I got to talking to the dessert crew about the strange requests that come in from guests. All the usual like no gluten, vegetarain, vegan, no sugar (diabetic), etc. The topper was one table that demanded NO WHITE FOOD! White flour, white sugar, milk, or cream were fine as ingredients but the FINISHED DISH COULD NOT BE WHITE! We concluded that there was a mental health issue involved. :hmmm:

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Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

Their mama mighta been scared by the Easter Bunny. :rolleyes:

tam319, that sounded finer than froghair to me. If my dessert came out looking 'lop-sided' to me, I am secure enough to straighten it up, and proceed with the eating. And no, I am not a Cretin in a restaurant, I just go to eat out to be HAPPY! I wish I COULD try one of your desserts. It'd be an honor...

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phaelon56

phaelon56

Posted
Posted

We should also consider the possibility that this schlub thought a Napoleon was some entirely different type of dessert and realized their error when it was delivered. Probably more face-saving to say it was unappealing than publicly acknowledge the gaffe.

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tigerwoman

tigerwoman

Posted
Posted
When I did my short trial at Charlie Trotter's, I got to talking to the dessert crew about the strange requests that come in from guests. All the usual like no gluten, vegetarain, vegan, no sugar (diabetic), etc. The topper was one table that demanded NO WHITE FOOD! White flour, white sugar, milk, or cream were fine as ingredients but the FINISHED DISH COULD NOT BE WHITE! We concluded that there was a mental health issue involved. :hmmm:

I once had a customer that would not allow any red food at a catered dinner (for a famous NY WOman Senator no less).... Naught so strange as folk...

Stop Tofu Abuse...Eat Foie Gras...

www.cuisinetc-catering.blogspot.com

www.cuisinetc.net

www.caterbuzz.com

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Bicycle Lee

Bicycle Lee

Posted
Posted

it's pUrgatory....FYI

and pardon my French, but...FUCK those guys... It's one thing to take a bite of something and think that it's a little off, but to just look at it and say "Umm, this LOOKS too weird for me to eat" is insanity.

"Make me some mignardises, &*%$@!" -Mateo

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mags

mags

Posted
Posted
When I did my short trial at Charlie Trotter's, I got to talking to the dessert crew about the strange requests that come in from guests. All the usual like no gluten, vegetarain, vegan, no sugar (diabetic), etc. The topper was one table that demanded NO WHITE FOOD! White flour, white sugar, milk, or cream were fine as ingredients but the FINISHED DISH COULD NOT BE WHITE! We concluded that there was a mental health issue involved. :hmmm:

I once had a customer that would not allow any red food at a catered dinner (for a famous NY WOman Senator no less).... Naught so strange as folk...

Makes perfect sense to me, if it was for a Senator. You never heard of blue states and red states? :biggrin:

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Cynthia G

Cynthia G

Posted
Posted
'Oh God, please deliver me from this pergatory on Earth'

Ted, you aren't going anywhere until I get to come down to ABQ and try your creations..... it sounds absolutely lovely to me.

"Portion control" implies you are actually going to have portions! ~ Susan G
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Busboy

Busboy

Posted
Posted

Rest assured that if you had presented it in a traditional form, someone from eGullet would have been sitting at the table saying "boring...". :raz:

You can't please all the people, you may as well have a good time.

Here's hoping that I get a chance to try it someday, and that I appreciate it for what it is -- good, honest cooking with a clever twist. (that is what it is, isn't it?)

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

That was an odd remark - "Abstract" - how sophisticated were these people?

Architectural food creations have been around for twenty years.

It is indeed possible that the patrons were unsure how to consume what sounds like an outstanding dessert. Obviously they have never watched the TV food network.

I am now retired but worked for many years as a personal chef. At one holiday dinner I had made 2 croquemboche which were placed as the centerpieces on the dessert buffet table.

They both sat untouched for some time until the single guest who recognized it picked up the two serving spoons and helped himself.

After that I suggested to my clients that they have a server when an unusual food was on the menu.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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beans

beans

Posted
Posted
nahhh, no photo.

the waiter was frustrated with the table.

to be fair, there were a lot of idiots out tonight.

sorry to seem disdainful but, 'tis true...

Darling,

Always remember that there are always a lot of idiots out there. :rolleyes:

Oh, Mark and Ted....

There was something in the air yesterday. My head felt it by the time we were locking the doors and sprinting upstairs to dump all of our money pouches into the safe.

That reaction to Ted's hard work was LAME.

That is also when we usually come to the same conclusion(s) as nightscotsman did: mental health issues may have been involved... but trust me, the-true-in-the-biz talk, it wasn't put that nicely. :wink::raz:

To conclude: those folks simply didn't appreciate your talents of your passionate craft. Also, if the waiter was frustrated with the table, some of that may have been apparent to the guests, factoring in other variables that went unspoken.

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Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

Could it also be that your waiter had made them unhappy to the point they yipped about your work? There's an American mentality that blames the server for the food, also. So if they are already offtarget, nothing they do can remedy it?

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mags

mags

Posted
Posted

I don't know that there's much to be gained by trying to analyze the motivations of people who are, apparently, semi-professional pains in the ass. Many years ago, I was in a cab at about 3 in the morning, when even Manhattan streets are all but deserted. We were about to cross an intersection when some kid in a souped-up convertible went roaring across, against the light at about 70 mph. My driver, an elderly gentleman, slammed on the breaks and clutched his heart, moaning, in a thick accent, "WHY would he do that? WHY would he do such a thing?"

"Well," I said, "He's an asshole."

The driver turned around to me and exclaimed "YES!" as though I had just uncovered the secret to the Rosetta Stone. "YES! That is IT! THAT is the reason! He is an ASSHOLE!"

Now, it's possible that the same guy from the convertible was seated at the table the returned Tan's dessert. But my guess is he just has an awful lot of kinfolk.

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tanabutler

tanabutler

Posted
Posted
Oy, Tan, had NOTHING to do with your dessert. Zippity-do-dah. People are just irritable and irritating morons sometimes.

:biggrin: I will tell you that at my bookstore, a few years ago, one of my longtime customers was basically behaving like that, and I smacked him. But I don't really recommend this as an effective response.

Repeat my mantra for the 21st century: "People are stupid and cars are ugly."

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Cynthia G

Cynthia G

Posted
Posted

Knowing the particular place where Ted creates.... and knowing the particular area of the particular city in which this place is located.... I am quite sure there are many assholes who darken their door. I'm just sorry that the weirdness of this one was directed at Ted. :sad:

"Portion control" implies you are actually going to have portions! ~ Susan G
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ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
I don't know that there's much to be gained by trying to analyze the motivations of people who are, apparently, semi-professional pains in the ass.

LOL! Human beings are irrational. Accept it and move on. :smile:

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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beans

beans

Posted
Posted
Rest assured that if you had presented it in a traditional form, someone from eGullet would have been sitting at the table saying "boring...".  :raz:

That's precisely what I was thinking when I read Ted's account. :laugh:

:laugh:

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