Wine topic of the day – Petite Sirah

Neither petite (in terms of body and color) nor syrah (often confused with Petite Syrah which is a small-berried syrah found in the Rhone), this grape was long thought to be a relative or variant of Durif, an almost extinct minor French varietal. According to Jancis Robinson, this has been disproved by modern DNA analysis, although this isn’t held universally. See [...]

Tipping on wine

It seems to be fashionable these days to allow the non-tipping or severe discounting on expensive bottles of wine. This is a dangerous trend because it’s even been extended to say that tipping should only be done on food and not alcoholic beverages. What’s next – only tip on main courses – you shouldn’t tip [...]

New link added – Steamy Kitchen

Are you a foodie? Do you like food porn photography? Need some upscale recipes to kickstart your rather tired kitchen repertoire? Have I got the blog for you – “Steamy Kitchen”. Jaden Hair is a Tampa-based food writer and personality who captures the joy of the kitchen through words and pictures. Her colorful site is rife with [...]

New link posted – “How To Be A Better Restaurant Customer”

I love the title of this blog. Positive and a little chiding at the same time, this is a nice variation on the typical “server blog”. Food servers will enjoy it and restaurant patrons will glean valuable information about how to make their dining experience better. I implore all of my readers to check it [...]

Wine topic of the day – corks and screwtops

Steve at Waiter Extraordinaire was musing about corks vs. screwtops. Seems his cherry was popped when he got his first ”corked” bottle from a screwtop. Screwtops, a.k.a. Stelvin closures, are said to be the thing that will eliminate most cases of wine spoilage. TCA, or 2,4,6-trichloranisole, a compound that has caused a few California wineries to have to toss out large portions [...]

I hate…

…those little five notes at the end of the “I’m lovin’ it” McDonald’s commercials. That little musical phrase literally drives me up the wall. It sends me into an epileptic fit. I start getting homicidal urges. It makes me want to repeatedly slam my head with a lead pipe. when it pops up in a [...]

More positive financial news for restaurants in 2010

From Nation’s Restaurant News: Restaurant industry sees signs of light by Sarah Lockyer NEW YORK (Jan. 6, 2010) Two recent surveys forecast a slightly sunnier picture for the year ahead among both consumers and franchise business leaders, providing a glimpse of clearer skies for the restaurant industry. Last week, a key consumer barometer, The Conference [...]

Life lessons for waiters

With much of the US suffering from abnormally cold temperatures (other parts of the globe like the UK also feeling the effects of a pretty brutal winter), waiters can use life itself as a prompt for tailoring their approach to presenting their product. The cold reminded me of the seasonal nature of food and beverage, [...]

How did the tipping standard for restaurants get set?

I’m not going to do a complete history of tipping, which can be traced back at least to the early 1700s in England, and probably further back if you count the money given to household servants for a job well done. We could also talk about how it got its foothold in the US by [...]

Book of the day – Lessons In Service from Charlie Trotter

Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter by Edmund Lawler Publisher: Ten Speed Press (November 28, 2001)   ISBN 10: 1580083153 ISBN 13: 978-1580083157 Value-added service. Attention to detail. anticipating the guests’ needs. Staff support. Intense quality control. These are the lynchpins of the dinner service that is offered at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. This book drills [...]