"Le Menu Surprise"

[Carlsbad]

Nice post Jonathan.

[Pan]

[...]For me there are times when it's interesting to engage the waitstaff (and sometimes the cooks) in discussion, to visit the kitchen, to ask lots of questions.  But I see this less as a way of defeating rapacious restaurateurs who would otherwise cheat me than, as Lucy says, of getting more energy and commitment out of the kitchen.[...]

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The post this is excerpted from is very well stated. I'll just focus on this part. When I ask questions, it's because as an analytical thinker, I'm interested in the answers. I do know that a genuine interest in and appreciation of the food will be likely to make my experience better, not necessarily because the food will be better but because my meal will be more intellectually satisfying.

[Mikeb19]

As a cook with a fair amount of fine dining experience, I'll weigh in my opinion. Most fine dining cooks/chefs are not motivated by profit (it's seen more as a necessary evil). The hours are long, the stress levels high, and the resulting pay is not enough to work in this profession unless you love the art.

I don't speak for all cooks, but when a diner requests a surprise tasting menu, we take care of them... Always the best ingredients (certainly not leftovers - staff meal if we need to get rid of it) and attention to detail, and very often we would do items that don't appear on any menus. As a cook I'm always pleased to make a 'menu surprise' - it's a nice break from the regular routine.

I'm sure there are a few con artist chefs out there (I worked for one for a week), but most of us care deeply about our profession and the diners we cook for.