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Friday, December 14, 2001
News from Chowhound: "(La Cumbamba) has a sign that it WILL CLOSE DECEMBER 31, and reopen April 5 as a 'Normal restaurant.'"
Well, shoot. Just what Chicago needs: another "normal" restaurant. Lettuce bore you!
posted by Luke Seemann at 6:33 PM | Comment?
An otherwise enjoyable meal at Bolat tonight was marred by the blare of a large-screen TV in the living room. I've noticed this on Argyle Street, too: Rare is the house of pho that doesn't crank up a television as big as a walk-in refrigerator.
I adore Chicago's family-run restaurants and their quirks, but Jay Leno's monologue screaming in my ear (it was a late dinner) came pretty close to spoiling my normally unflappable appetite.
What's the deal? Don't restaurateurs realize that people eat out in order to escape the outside world, not to be assaulted by it?
posted by Luke Seemann at 12:06 AM | 3 comments
Thursday, December 13, 2001
Chas Bayfield's terrific idea a day project is one of my new favorite daily stops online. Every day, he publishes an original idea for the benefit of the public domain. I was browsing the beginning of his archives when I came across idea #3: a concept for a ziggurat-shaped restaurant.
A search for all restaurant-based posts brings up fifteen marvelous ideas, from table-top electronic consoloes to a weight-based payment system called Heavy. My personal favorite: the biblical Garden of Eatin'.
posted by sandor weisz at 2:43 PM | Comment?
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
There are strange things being written over at Chowhound regarding William and La Cumbamba.
And I can no longer find La Cumbamba, formerly a three-R restaurant, listed among the Reader Ratings. Even when a place closes, the Reader usually maintains its listing.
What's going on? I was last there Nov. 14, and everything was normal and wonderful.
posted by Luke Seemann at 5:02 PM | Comment?
Monday, December 10, 2001
Between taking pictures and taking notes at Q, I'm pretty sure their hostess thought I was a food critic. This is not the first time it's has happened, and I feel I may be inadvertantly onto something: the notebook comes out, and suddenly the service moves up a notch.
Frankly, I'm not sure how critics can get away with disguising their identity yet still be able to retain enough detail about their meal to write a column about it. Wouldn't taking notes blow their cover? Who takes notes at meals, besides food critics and schmos attempting to fulfill their current pipe dream?
I'd suggest we devise a system to root out any critics, but actually, I feel that's the wrong strategy to take. This may sound idealistic, but it's the truth: we need to treat each customer as if she's a critic. As if it's upon her opinion of our restaurant that the entire future of our enterprise rests. If we manage to do that, we should feel no pressure when the actual critic comes along to report back to the masses.
posted by sandor weisz at 9:37 PM | Comment?
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