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Sunday, April 27, 2003
Today's Times had an interesting story about how the monolithic food supplier Sysco makes life hard for independent restaurateurs. "Even after taking into account that chefs are a 'Freudian smorgasbord' of personalities, there is a widely held belief that Sysco is this 500-pound gorilla that bullies operators ... Independent restaurant operators, known as street accounts, are most vulnerable to such tactics. They make up 80 percent of the market and offer the highest margins to distributors because chains (get volume deals)."
The story also has a link to Mad Chefs ("All chefs must be mad"), which in turn has a link to the Cook's Thesaurus, a clever -- and useful -- idea.
Mad Chefs also has a collection of fun, though hard to navigate, tales from the kitchen.
posted by Luke at 7:34 PM | Comment?
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Sarah and I encountered a strange phenomenon in Boulder, CO last weekend. On two separate occasions, as we were standing outside a resturant surveying the menu and contemplating going in, a complete stranger walked by and vocalized his support of the place.
First was outside a casual sushi place. As the guy was getting on his bike, he turned to us and said, "It's really good. And a great value, too. Highly recommended." And then he rode off. It was strange, but not too strange for us to take it as face value and try out the place. (And he was right, it was good and cheap.) The next time involved a guy walking his dog by us as we contemplated a dinner possibility. Almost the same thing: "That place is great. And my buddy's the chef. Everything's good." We ended up skipping it, but it was tempting.
I'm not enough of a cynic to believe these guys were shills hiding under the guise of casual passers-by. But I am enough of a bastard to suggest that we set up such a scheme for our place. It wouldn't be hard. We hire a few local college kids for a few bucks per hour to walk up and down our block, offering friendly, unsolicited praise to anyone who happened to be outside and waffling in their decision to come in.
At best, we convice a few people who wouldn't have otherwise taken the plunge. At worst, we spread a little friendliness, maybe encouraging someone to offer their support next time they see someone hesitating outside their favorite restaurant. Everybody wins.
posted by Sandor Weisz at 12:12 PM | 7 comments
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Front and Back is a tasty treat for New Yorkers: Excerpts of restaurant reviews juxtaposed with words from the health inspector.
In Chicago one often sees restaurants and grocers shuttered for a few days, a giant orange sticker plastered on the front door, but this being Chicago, I always assume the shuttering is politically motivated. (Someone should slap such a sticker on City Hall: "Closed for vermin and cigar butts." Unfortunately, pranksterism here rarely rises above assault with a deadly haircut.) Some of my favorite places have been put on orange alert, but I never pay it any mind.
posted by Luke at 7:32 PM | 1 comment
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
In need of carbo loading for my marathon training, I headed tonight to La Donna for its Tuesday all-you-can-eat pasta feast. The offerings were pretty basic -- nothing fancier than gnocchi in tomato sauce -- but since most entrees start at $15, $10 for AYCE had the potential to be a very good deal. I had visions of a Homeric odyssey, face full of farfalle, lasting until midnight when I, eyes rolling and tongue lolling, would be hauled out in a wheelbarrow.
It was not to be.
Ideally there would have been a conveyor belt between my table and the kitchen, but I would have settled for a simple buffet table nestled in a dark corner. Instead, La Donna had a pasta porter to deliver each serving on a small appetizer plate. He'd bring a plate and in no time I'd gobble up all five bites. He'd return a few minutes later to fetch the plate, curtsy and politely ask whether there would be anything else for me.
Now, over the years I've established my piggish credentials. I've eaten 14 brats in one evening and half-gallons of ice cream on several others, and Smart Start has been banned from my pantry ever since its bowls-per-box yield hit one. But tonight at La Donna, I froze. I couldn't bring myself to eat all that I could in fact eat. After six plates, it was just too embarrassing -- and cumbersome -- to keep asking for more. Unlike Country Buffet, where one eats with a shovel, the onion rings and watered-down mashed potatoes rise from floor to ceiling, and a patron can gorge in anonymity, La Donna maintains a dignified atmosphere that is an obstacle to gluttony. Curses!
This, I decided, is the secret to AYCE: Make pigging out as labor-intensive and shameful as possible. No buffet, use small plates, have an obsequious and tuxedoed wait staff.
And I had another idea for a restaurant concept: all-you-can-eat eggs. Why has this never been tried? With eggs having such a high profit margin and so many diets calling for large breakfasts, it's a no-brainer. Even if some yokel wanted, say, 50 hard-boiled eggs, that would set us back, what, $3?
posted by Luke at 8:55 PM | 2 comments
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Anybody have a video camera I can borrow?
posted by Luke at 3:04 PM | Comment?
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