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Wednesday, February 27, 2002
How will we deal with kids? Oh, I'm sure that the ambience of our place will be welcoming to diners of all ages. Thing is, those little buggers are notoriously picky eaters, and often require a separate menu of their own. Do we go the traditional route of grilled cheese and PB&J? Carol implores us to do otherwise:
I fully support feeding the little tykes something healthy, but I wonder if most are as adventurous as Carol's kids. Perhaps if we concentrated on packaging the kids' meals in appealing colors and charming names, we could sneak some broccoli and carrot juice into their mouths while they were looking the other way.
I remember going out to my grandparents' country club when I was a kid and being entertained with the kids menu, which gave the dishes silly names like Turkey Lurkey and Chickey Wickey. Looking back now, I was probably too distracted with the names and the puzzles on the back of the menu to pay any attention to what they were feeding me. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned there.
posted by Sandor Weisz at 12:30 PM | 5 comments
Sunday, February 24, 2002
MUNICH, GERMANY -- Last night I enjoyed a platter of three different wurst. All were good, but I wished I had a plate of ginger to clease my palate between each bite, as one would do between bites of nigiri at a sushi restaurant.
Has ginger ever been used with non-Japanese food? Should it? The Italians take care of the issue by separating the meals into courses (primi, secondi), but why can't one use ginger to separate the weisswurst from das bratwurst und das schlackwurst?
posted by Luke at 11:15 PM | 7 comments
Friday, February 22, 2002
FLORENCE, ITALY -- My last meal in Italy, lunch at the Cibreo Trattoria, also happened to be the best, both food- and experience-wise. It's a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, and I was seated at the head of a long table. As the place filled up, so did the table, which I ended up sharing with two groups of Italians. What a great system and one we should employ: It uses table space efficiently (no loners wasting tables built for two) but also gives the solo diner the chance to eat with others.
There were only two drawbacks: My food arrived before everyone else's, so I felt awkward digging in. And everyone spoke Italian, reducing my role in dinner to smiling broadly and turning my head in the direction of each speaker. Then again, this is pretty much how I socialize in the States, so I felt right at home.
posted by Luke at 6:07 AM | 2 comments
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
FLORENCE, ITALY -- Tuscany has introduced me to biscotti con vin santo. It was so, so good. Regardless of which type of cuisine we settle on -- French? Chinese? Ethiopian? -- this is a dessert we must serve. It's fun and tastes good, too!
posted by Luke at 12:49 PM | 7 comments
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Someone asked me recently if Luke and I were any closer today to turning this dream into an actual restaurant than we were when we first started. I had to ponder it for a second. What I told him was this: originally, this idea was nothing more than a novelty, forever destined to be based entirely in our heads (and this blog). Now, a year later, I feel it may actually become a reality someday. I can't point to any explicit moves on our part that have put us closer to opening a restaurant, but it just feels like we're closer. Quantitatively, we're talking mere fractions of a percentage. But closer, still.
So, happy birthday, blog! From your not-so-humble beginnings, you've blossomed into quite a thing. You've gotten yourself a following -- even among the Google bots -- so there's no backing down now. Hopefully, all these thoughts will be put to a good use someday. We'll keep plugging you with new ideas in the meanwhile.
Now, who knows how to bake a cake?
posted by Sandor Weisz at 1:37 PM | 2 comments
Monday, February 18, 2002
LUCCA, ITALY -- Another note on the wine here. In Italy, it's been common to have a single serving of wine served in a .37-liter bottle. This gives the solo diner the pleasure of pouring from a bottle without forcing him to drink too much. Is such a bottle available in the States? It will be at our place.
posted by Luke at 1:45 PM | 3 comments
Sunday, February 17, 2002
Mary Beth wrote in recently to relate her impressions of the menu at the deli/bakery chain Panera:
I've been a long-time fan of the soup/salad combo. Simply eating just a full salad or just a soup bowl is too boring -- it lacks the variety of a real meal. Getting a smaller portion of both satiates that need for variety (a bite of the crunchy, then a spoonful of the creamy) while keeping the pocketbook in check.
Of course, with Panera, the advantage of volume allows them to get away with charging so little for the dish, whereas we might have to settle for a bigger mark-up in order to cover our costs. In any case, we'll definitely have it on the menu.
posted by Sandor Weisz at 12:14 PM | 1 comment
Friday, February 15, 2002
Another Valentine's Day come and gone. (Or as we used to put it in our family, Valentooners Day. God, we were such a weird bunch.) While we were preparing breakfast at the Cafe yesterday, Cynthia mentioned that V-day is often the busiest for restaurants, as every member of the Hallmark-buying public takes to the streets to please their sweeties with a candlelit dinner. And as it is now when anyone speaks of restaurant trends in the course of conversation, the blog wheels kicked into motion.
Conventional wisdom dictates that we'd want to be prepared for this night more than any other. But since when have we been conventional? I propose that we seize on that other spirit that pulses through the hearts of millions on Februrary 14th. The one that can't stand for all the gooey lovey-dovey sweetness. I say we set up shop for an Anti-Valentine's Day celebration.
For all the people who are forced to stay in on February 14th -- and from all indications, there are a lot of them -- we'd cater to you. If you'd rather spend the night making googly eyes at your date from across the table, we'd kindly request for you to return another night. There are plenty of ways we could decorate the place up in anti-Valentine's Day junk, and we could even alter the menu some to include food that's soothing to the crowd at hand. (Serving a heart on a platter sounds particularly appropriate.)
But mainly, it'd be a way to offer salvation for that section of the populace who fear the annual coming of Mr. Cupid. After all, they need some lovin' too.
posted by Sandor Weisz at 2:09 PM | 5 comments
Thursday, February 14, 2002
ROME, ITALY -- Surprise, surprise: It's not difficult to find a good Italian restaurant in Rome. The area around my hostel is silly with trattoria, many with special pris fixe menus for tourists.
I chose I Leoni d'Abbruzio. Why? Because it's located in a basement, and one of its kitchens is visible from the sidewalk. When I passed it early in the evening, I saw a cook -- a classic Italian somewhere between Detective Sipowitz and Nintendo's Mario -- singing. He wasn't singing well, but he was having fun.
And I wasn't disappointed. The fettucini de mare did not taste like it did not come out of a box, as so much American pasta does, and the abbacchio al forno was just the way I like it. (Unfortunately, the bread was a bit stale. Already I miss the fresh bread of Aegina.)
So, our restaurant's kitchen must have a window visible from the sidewalk, and our cooks must sing. They don't need to sing well, but they must be having fun.
posted by Luke at 1:12 PM | 2 comments
Tuesday, February 12, 2002
Ever wondered what it'd be like to dine in the crypt of an old, abandoned church? Take a trip to London's Brixton neighborhood, and you can find out. Geraldine writes in and points us to Bah Humbug, a restaurant which occupies the spooky underground of St. Matthews Church.
Religious allegiances aside, I'm not sure I'd be willing tempt the Man In Charge by setting up shop in his former stomping grounds. There have got to be scary karmic repurcussions involved there, wouldn't you think?
posted by Sandor Weisz at 11:02 AM | 5 comments
Monday, February 11, 2002
KYPSELI, GREECE -- When the moon hits your eye like a big spinach pie, that's amore, and I'm in love with Greek dining.
One thing I've noticed (and enjoyed) is the presence of cheap house wine. Eating without wine is about as expected as eating without a fork. At the restaurant we went to the other night, carafes of retsina, with napkins stuffed to stop each bottle, sat on every table. If a patron wanted wine, she simply pulled out the napkin and helped herself.
The wine is a natural lubricant for conversation, but there's added benefit for the restaurateur. It's not uncommon to have a series of appetizers instead of a larger entree, and after a few glasses (albeit small glasses, as Sandy has noted) the customer starts to lose her gustatory inhibitions. "Another plate of octopus? More fried feta? Bring it on!" By the time she's on her third carafe, the table will be littered with empty plates.
Affordability is more crucial than quality, and we should never forget the customer who doesn't want to pay more than $2 for a glass of wine. I fear, however, that I'm getting spoiled here. Driving through the hills south of Corinth, we stopped at a roadside stand and picked up 2 liters of wine and a large bag of oranges, all for about 5 euro. I miss it already.
posted by Luke at 11:40 AM | 4 comments
Sunday, February 10, 2002
On this weekend's episode of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, each of the panel members described, in the Bluff the Listener segment, three concept restaurant ideas. One was real, the other two fake. The call-in contestant was challeged to pick out the authentic one, which he did successfully. Read the following choices (or listen in Real Audio) and see if you can do the same:
1. An Ogalala Sioux couple, who operate an authenic pre-Columbian Native American restaurant in South Dakota, plan to add dog to their menu. They already serve antelope, jackrabbit and buffalo meat, but the addition of dog has the SPCA and local mayor's office up in arms.
2. A West African-born man in North Carolina is looking for retail space for an all-Jello restaurant. Menu items he plans on serving include Jello Popcorn, Rainbow Jello and Shrimp Jello with Bell Peppers and Onions. He's achieved moderate fame with the locals, who've taken to calling him Mr. Jiggles.
3. Clinton-bashing is alive in Dadeville, Virgina, where a local conservative has opened up Clinton's Corner, dedicated to all things anti-Bill. Walls are decorated with Clinton photos, news items, depositions and even the Starr Report. The menu lists such items at Fishy Whitewater -- trout in a light cream sauce -- and the Chinese Donor Duck.
Even though I was feeling down after host Peter Sagal called owning a restaurant "one of the most insecure livelihoods one can choose," I managed to pick out the right one. Take a guess, then look at the comments for the answer.
posted by Sandor Weisz at 10:34 PM | 8 comments
Welcome to all of you following our mention on Blogger's front page.
Thanks, Ev!
posted by Sandor Weisz at 10:28 AM | 3 comments
Monday, February 04, 2002
Josh writes in with a marketing suggestion:
"Every night, randomly give two people in the restaurant a free dessert. Of course, this necessitates having some dessert item which is particularly unique, as well as delicious. If word gets around that you could get a free kick-ass dessert, it might bring people in."
I wholeheartedly agree on the second point, though I must take issue with the first. No word knows a greater admiration among the consuming public than "Free." Whether a piece of cake be the divine combination of sugar, flour and eggs, or a three-day-old lumpy mess, it'll be gobbled down with gusto if it ends up removing nothing from the pocketbook. Knowing as much, we must take advantage. So, if it's cost-effective -- as in, if we can prove the investment of two free slices of strawberry shortcake per day returns at least two more sales of equivalent cost -- then we should plan on implementing Josh's idea.
The sticky part is determining who gets these "random" gifts. Is it the nth and xth person to walk through our doors each night? How do we prove it without the installation of an oversight committee? Or is it the most needy-looking guests upon whom we direct our charity? That could be dangerous, with guests trying to out-sloven-ize each other just to get thier fingers a measly piece of cake.
posted by Sandor Weisz at 9:49 PM | 8 comments
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