Why Do You Move So Slow?

January 2006

The holiday season is over and it's time to clean house. Make way for the new year. Make way for new employees that want to get with the program and kick it into high gear! First person I wonder about is our PM dishwasher. Comes in every day. On time. Does his job. So what's the problem?

Problem # 1. Can't keep his eyes open. So I go ask the chef. "So what's with the PM dishwasher? Can't keep his eyes open, huh?" My chef's reply?

'The dishwasher is not a morning person.'

Great! Cuz it's 4 pm!!!

Problem #2. Appears and smells like he's perpetually stoned. So I go ask the chef. "So what's with the PM dishwasher? Appears to be high, huh?" My chef's reply?

'Oh, he always looks that way.'

Well it would make sense that he always looks stoned if he's always stoned.

Problem #3. He moves really, really slow. So I go ask the chef. "So, what's with the PM dishwasher. He moves slower than molasses and I'm about to terminate him." My chef's reply?

'Not sure. Go ask him yourself.'

No problem, I think I will. Right now.

"So, um, I've been watching you and the rest of the staff for the past two months, looking to re-evaluate our labor, move some people around, make room for others, and I noticed a few things that I wanted to ask you about. First and foremost, why do you move so slow?" The 24 year old PM dishwasher's reply?

'I'm conserving my life's energy, so I don't use it up too soon.'

WOW! That's one I've never heard before. Honestly, I was going to terminate you today, but that was such a great answer, I'm going to award you some bonus style points for that one. So, just for that, I'm giving you two weeks to look for another job. Please feel free to use me as a reference and put your last day in writing on my desk as soon as you have one.

I later found out this kid was earning money as a dishwasher because he was in dental school. Teeth were really important to him. Teeth are really important to me too, but somehow, I don't think I'll be going to his office for an appointment any time soon. And if I do, I'll go very, very s l o w l y .

Bistro Cuisine

What I've learned in the past two years, is that bistro cuisine is based on traditional Parisian cafes and concepts of French cooking that mean using simple, fresh ingredients to prepare well made dinners that are both superior to the quality you get at most restaurants, and often times, better priced for the quality that you are getting. It's also healthier cuisine. Our bistro features organic produce, bovine hormone free dairy, and free range poultry whenever possible. But we do not cook French cuisine. I think that's the biggest misconception, really. We cook an array of dishes based on international cuisines, but not as they would be presented in their home countries. For instance, in China, hoisin sauce is very traditional, but they certainly aren't using it to make a chicken salad.

We've featured so many interesting recipes (and a few uninteresting recipes) in our time at the Bistro. Some of my favorites were our spin on chicken taquitos, cilantro lime sushimi, and our Mediterranean Cous Cous with Balsamic Glazed Roasted Veggies.

But some days, we just don't feel inspired to think of new recipes. Everyone has a bad day. That's when we pull ideas, not exact recipes, mind you, from our wealth of cookbooks. Some of my favorites for inspirational ideas are Les Halles, a true French bistro cookbook, written by Anthony Bourdain, of Kitchen Confidential and Travel Channel fame; Hawaii Cooks, written by Roy Yamaguchi, who's Roy's Restaurants are some of the best I've ever eaten at ...(very sad to see they recently partnered with Outback Steakhouse)....and a local celebrity chef, Sarah Foster who wrote Fresh Every Day, with recipes from her Foster's Market. Sarah is famous for having run the Conneticut based catering business for Martha Stewart before Martha got famous (you didn't think she did it all by herself, now did you??), and Sarah nows runs a few fresh market cafe concepts in our local area.

There are so many ideas that can be taken by such a diverse group of cookbooks, plus all the other cookbooks I have stacked at work, in my kitchen, in my garage, in my car trunk, in storage, in my bedroom closet....LOL...I could browse cookbooks for hours! How about you?

Now Who's Uncouth?

I just got home, and wanted to look up the word Uncouth, in case I misunderstood its meaning. Webster says it means awkward and unmannerly. Apparently, that describes me....

Today at my restaurant, at apparently 12:30pm, during the lunch rush, we are on a wait. Not one single table to be had, approximately 15 customers at the door waiting to get a seat and have their lunch. From where I'm standing, I can see the people in the front of the line, a couple, and the people all the way at the end of the line, a woman with small children, ages 6 months - 8 years old.

There had been a seating mistake with the couple, and some guests who arrived after them, had been sat before them. I apologized and told them I would get them the next table. As I'm walking away, I see the woman at the END of the line, pushing her 8 year old daughter forward, but I am busy, so I head for the table that just got up, so I can bus and set it for this couple. As I turn around to lead the couple to the newly cleaned table, this little girl is trying to jump into the seat. I apologize to her and tell her I'm sorry but these other people are going to sit here now. She's cute, it's not her fault, and she walks back to the END of the line and tells her mom.

I approach the greeter, and tell her we have another table available, and as I am about to lead a group of 3 guests to the new table, again, I see the mom at the END of the line, pushing her daughter forward again. I go to seat the next group, and as I turn around, this child is climbing into the new table.....again, I apologize, and tell her, honey, I'm sorry you can't sit here, I'm about to seat some customers here, but if you just wait with your mom, we'll be with you. At this point, there are still 10 other people in line, right? Her mom is still at the END of the line.

Finally, some more tables get up, the entire wait couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, and finally they are seated at a table for 4 with the infant staying in the stroller. At which point, the mom leaves the table and walks towards me at the front of the restaurant, with a chip on her shoulder. Here it comes:

"You are so-ooooo UNCOUTH!"

Excuse me, ma'am?

"You have no manners for asking my daughter to leave the table she was trying to reserve for us!"

Ma'am, my apologies, but we are a first come, first serve restaurant, and I was leading another guest to that table, and yes, I did have to explain to your daughter that she was going to need to wait till it was your family's turn.

"How COULD you seat that 2 top before us!?"

Well, ma'am, they were here 10 minutes before you, were at the front of the line, and had accidently been skipped in the seating, so I needed to get them the next available seat. You were several parties behind them.

"What's your NAME? I'm writing a letter to the OWNER!!"

I'm the General Manager of the restaurant, here's my business card, and the address is on there.

"I want you to get me the NEXT available large table."

Ma'am, we only have one table larger than the one you are already at, but as I see it's becoming available, I will be happy to clear and set it for you. Give me one moment.
Okay, ma'am, if you'd like, the table is ready. I'd be happy to move you over there.

"We're ALREADY sitting HERE and I need to change the baby's diaper!"

Okay, ma'am, as you wish.

The baby at this point, is screaming his little lungs out. So, what does she do? She promptly places the baby on the table and changes his poopie diaper right there in the dining room! Then the entire family eats without washing their hands or asking for the table to be cleaned. Then they leave the poopie diaper and a $2 tip on the table.

Now who's UNCOUTH?

A New Restaurant

This past summer, there was an article in the local paper about a new development being built and to be completed by Winter 2008. It is a new restaurant and retail site designed like a European village and market area, with a bistro, chocolatier, bakery, cheese maker, produce vendor, and some high end clothing retailers. I thought, what a unique idea, not like your average strip mall....gee, wish I could afford to open a restaurant there....

Meanwhile, my chef had the same itch. So, he and I have been talking for 3 months about doing a restaurant of our own, in some strip mall, some business zone, or I dunno, something doesn't feel quite right. Shooting around ideas, writing menu descriptions, scoping out new development areas, tossing around ideas about raising money for a new venture next year, if we're lucky, if anything of our talks comes true, if we maybe, oh, I dunno...hit the lottery??

Then suddenly, last week, I thought, what the heck, let's look into that European village. What do we have to lose? So I checked it out on the web and sent an email to the property manager. Maybe he won't answer? Maybe we're too late? Maybe we don't have enough money or good enough credit? Maybe he will laugh at us?

But he didn't. He emailed twice. He was interested in us. Write a proposal for a restaurant concept and menu. Meeting in two weeks. Okay, great! I'll get to work on that, and maybe they won't laugh at us. Or maybe they are just are being polite? Doubt creeping back in.....and then it happened. On Tuesday, the developer of the Village mystery shopped our restaurant and approached me with an offer to open a bistro there! Woo Hoo! I'm so excited! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Now, we still have to get our proposal together, debate the menu, debate a name (we like 'bisque', the develop likes 'bistro-??? some name I can't pronouce or spell'), even debate this partnership and profit sharing. So maybe it will work out, maybe it won't. But here's keeping my fingers crossed for a new restaurant in 2009! Woo!

Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients

The latest in the Chocolatier series is here! Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients. This newest adventure is set in the 1920's and follows the granddaughter of Evangeline Baumeister as she tries to revive the fading glory of her family's chocolate business while thwarting the efforts of a mole inside the business, namely her fiance who is in cahoots with the competition! You will be hired to grow the family business while they quarrel amongst themselves, help you find recipes, open new factories, purchase chocolate shops, and travel to new ports like Russia, Casablanca, the Sierra Desert, Himalayas, Phillipines, even Fiji.

There are several intriguing addtions to this game, that the original Chocolatier didn't have. First is the factory itself. Naming your factory and designing the graphics for your billboards was never this much fun. Once inside the factory, the mini matching game that takes your ingredients and makes a case of chocolates for you, has been enhanced to add new mechanics and a harder dimension to the game. The storyline this time involves the Industrial Age, and details have not been overlooked. Model Ts drive around New York, the Golden Gate Bridge and Chrysler Building don't even exist yet, (but they will be constructed the farther you proceed in the game), and the characters who carried over from the original Chocolatier have aged and moved on with their lives. Details like that are what make this a great game.

As I've said previously, I really enjoy winding down at the end of my day with a food related PC game. Don't know why. It just works for me, okay? And this series has beautiful artwork, interesting storyline, and crooked characters.

I even participated in a PlayFirst sponsored Chocolatier Recipe Contest, to create a recipe that would appear in the game, and I was one of 3 lucky winners! Woo Hoo! So while you're haggling over the price of anise, black tea leaves, and saffron, if you come upon a recipe for Gingered Pumpkin Pralines with Macadamia Nuts, go ahead and make a huge batch! They will really be worth your while.

Good luck in your quest to be the next great Chocolatier!

To read reviews of the above game, play trial versions, purchase full versions, or ask game related questions, please visit the game developers websites: http://www.playfirst.com/.

For a reviewer's prospective or free game downloads, check out http://www.gamefairy.blogspot.com/.

HAPPY GAMING!!

Virtual Shift Management

I love what I do for a living. I never question my choice to work in the restaurant industry. But like everyone else, I need some down time. Used to read. Garden. Work on art projects. Watch sports. Then last spring, I got hooked on casual games for your PC. It amazed me how many were food related!!! ...Yes, it may seem strange to play a virtual version of your actual job, as a way to unwind. But hey, whatever works, right?

In the past several months I've played almost all of the food service games currently on the market. Here's the basic game concept along with a screen shot of the game. There are plenty more games like these ones here. Previously I had the majority of food service games from the past year described here, but I removed most of them, because honestly, some of them were crap, boring, had limited replay value, poor sound or artwork, or just weren't worth the money. I didn't want my blog to be an advertisement for games that, in my opinion, weren't worth the $19.99. These are the games of this genre that I recommend and own:


Burger Island -This is an assembly game where the game play involves making beef and veggie burger combos with all the toppings, fries, and milkshakes. Game story is that a girl has taken over ownership of a beach burger shack on an island and needs to earn money to expand her burger franchise. Patty can win burger recipes and ingredients from the local island tribal chief to enhance her menu. She is also paired with a hysterical French Maitre'd, Pierre, who keeps her in line. The story line never reveals why a French Maitre'd is needed at a beach burger shack, but just listening to that character really cracked me up. 'Zut alors!' 'Z burger is burnt!' I can't wait for Burger Island 2. It's currently in production from eGames, and I get to beta test it! YAY!! Find Burger Island at eGames!

Ciao Bella- I actually liked this time management game, but for some reason, the trial wouldn't run properly on my computer, and I had heard others with the same complaint, so I didn't purchase the game. But I would have if I didnt have those issues. The characters and story line seem real to life. Get out of bed, make breakfast, put on makeup, go to work, eat lunch, work some more, fool around on computer, talk on cell phone, get yelled at by your boss, go to the mall, church, gym, dinner, movies, and perhaps if you've managed your time, health, money, and spirituality well, you might even get a date! While not specifically restaurant related, the characters own and live above a restaurant, are constantly eating, or visiting another friend's restaurant. So I think it counts.

Sweetopia -a marble shooter game inside a candy factory. Help them get the candy back under control before the big grand opening of the factory to the public. I had fun with this one, colorful graphics, amusing sound, fun game play.

Cake Mania 1 & 2 - Help Jill revive her grandparent's bakery business and save it from a big box developer; and then help Jill's friends manage their strange and otherworldly bakeries. These are combination assembly and time management games, from Sandlot.

Diner Dash -The original Dash finds Flo managing 5 diners, using her business skills to make sure that quick cooking, free appetizers, seating her customers quickly, and keeping the libations flowing keep her customers happy, all in an effort to take her diner business all the way to Nirvana, the bonus restaurant you win if you've scored Expert on all previous levels, created by GameLab and available at PlayFirst.

Diner Dash Hometown Hero-Gourmet - The fourth and best Dash has Flo reviving her hometown with 10 restaurants, plus add ons restaurants, multiplayer capabilities, design your own diner and waiter features, and Flo's Closet to pick and choose Flo's outfit. This game is really exceptional. Although costly, if you get hooked and want to keep buying upgrades. But hey, can you place a price on relaxation and fun? I think not. The Gourmet version with online multiplayer challenges and chat room, as well as all the upgrades is only available at PlayFirst. Buying it anywhere else, will not allow you to have these game options, virtual store, additional restaurants, etc. as you won't be linked to the PlayFirst server.

Wedding Dash 1- Help Flo's friend Quinn start her wedding catering business thru 5 different venues, put out dogfights between bridemaids, fix the record player for the DJ, keep that cake from tipping over, watch that Uncle Ernie doesn't get drunk, and for god's sake, don't let the bride turn into Bridezilla! This one was really fun and different from the other Dash games, and was the first official game spin-off from the Diner Dash games. See my post elsewhere in my blog regarding the newest version, Wedding Dash 2: Rings Around The World.

Chocolatier and Chocolatier 2 - This is a combination time management and tycoon style game. The graphics are truly unique and game play is really original. See my 2 posts regarding this game for more info on the Chocolatier series.

These are but a few of the games involving food service. There are so many more to try. So little time to play them all.

To read reviews of the above games, play trial versions, purchase full versions, or ask game related questions, please visit the game developers websites:

www.Playfirst.com

www.Sandlotgames.com

HAPPY GAMING!!

Pompous Applicants Need Not Apply!!

So this guy Jeffrey sends us his resume for our available Sous Chef position. He has previously worked for Gordon Ramsey's in the United Kingdom, Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, and a few noted New York restaurants. His most recent claim to fame was a stint as Sous Chef at the Spa.

Shows up in shorts, tshirt, ugly ass sneakers. He basically says to us before the interview even began, "I have tons of opportunities, so show me what you've got that's better." Ok, I can appreciate having some balls. But rudeness, NO.

Chef tries to get a word in edgewise to stop the interview right there, but there's no stopping this fool.

Jeffrey decides to start his overview of his resume by laying out and fileting every single restaurant and chef he has ever worked at. Even the notable ones.

Chef tries to get in another word. Mouth opens, nothing comes out. Because Jeffrey is still talking about himself.

Next a 10 minute rant about how the last chef didn't like his Octopus Carpaccio idea.
Chef's mouth opens again, and then promptly shuts.

And now how Food & Wine magazine came to do a featured article and none of his ideas were used because they were all idiots and it was all a huge set up to make him look bad.
I'm sitting there not sure if I should laugh at this point or fall asleep, because I'm sure that when I wake up, Jeffrey will still be talking.

Finally, Chef stands up. Shakes his hand, thanks him for his time, and shows him the door politely. I'm glad he did that. If it had been me, I would have been tempted to tell him to exit stage left and don't let the door hit you where the sun don't shine.

NEXT!!

Sous chef applicant sends his resume in. Lists his experience as having worked in "international" restaurants. Not sure if he means he worked in countries other than the US, or he worked in restaurants that served authentic international cuisine. Americanized international cuisine DOES NOT COUNT! We all know how to make spaghetti so get over yourself. It doesn't mean we can call ourselves Italian Chefs!!

Must read more of the resume.....Restaurants listed are in Durham, NC; Raleigh, NC; Greensboro, NC; and a Peruvian Lodge in Utah. Peruvian? Is this his international claim to fame? Because I'm pretty sure Peru is up there on the culinary map. And it was in Utah anyway. Doesn't count.

Reading further, he lists his strengths as "an amazing ability to turn food into art."
Choke. Cough. Sputter. Did he really write that on his resume? No shit!

Greatest Accomplishment: Having a dessert that he plated featured in an article about the Executive Chef of a restaurant he once worked in. PLATED??? Does not mean he made it. And was it HIS recipe versus one the restaurant had on a recipe card? Doesn't mean crap either. And the article was NOT ABOUT HIM. Yet, he felt he should write that on his resume too.
This guy isn't even getting into the interview room.

NEXT!

Nicely dressed in a suit and highly polished shoes. Good appearance, nice personality and then we find out he's The Sopranos Man.

Worked at several Italian restaurants in the area. He knows everybody. If they are Italian and operate a restaurant in NC, he knows them, knows their family, knows their business, knows their finances, worked for them, did them, got them pregnant, plays poker with them, or hangs out with them in general. He even used the phrase Badda Bing, during the course of his resume review!!!

And better yet, he knows Jeffrey! Who, according to The Sopranos Man, was fired from his last job for tasting the food with the same spoon. Tasting the food before you send it out is essential for any good chef. Putting that same spoon into another dish and then another dish and then another dish, because you're such a pompous **s that others apparently want your bacteria laden saliva in their food, is not a good thing.

The Sopranos Man is not a good thing either.

So not good, in fact, that Chef calls The Sopranos Man's last employer and gives the Chef hell for even recommending us. Revenge is sweet. Wait till we get a real turd in our interview room. That Chef is going to get a recommendation from US.

NEXT!