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What Would You Do?

partysugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:15:03 -0700

We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's today's scenario:

You're out at a popular luxury hotel's bar. You and some friends decide to get bottle service at a table. When the waitress delivers the juices, she accidentally dumps an entire carafe of cranberry juice all over you and your brand new (literally you cut the tags off of it that night!) white Prada sweater. What would you do?

To find out what I would do - this very thing happened to DearSugar - read more.

While trying my best not to get upset, I would ask the waitress to come with me to speak with the manager. I would politely explain that the waitress spilled wine on a new sweater and ask for them to cover the dry-cleaning bill. If the stain did not come out, I would hope they got me a replacement sweater.

How would you handle the situation?

Source and Source

Do You Get Bottle Service?

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:45:47 -0700

The other day the New York Times wrote about how astronomically expensive it is to order bottle service in nightclubs. A bottle service can be found in many upscale bars and nightclubs wherein patrons purchase entire bottles of liquor to drink. Typically, bottle service includes a reserved table for the patron's entire party and accompanying mixers of choice.

It doesn't surprise me to hear that the markup for bottle service can easily be as high as 900 percent. I've always known this, which is why if I enjoy bottle service, it's never my wallet that's covering it. Have you ever enjoyed bottle service, and are you willing to pay for it?

Source and Source

Trend Alert: Publications Peddling Wine

YumSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:00:59 -0700

As newspapers and other media outlets have struggled to bring in revenue, they've begun offering a different kind of paid service to customers: wine clubs. Most have little to do with their publications' wine columns; rather, these services compete directly with online wine retailers.

In September last year, the Wall Street Journal joined the likes of Forbes and Sunset to become the first countrywide paper with a wine club. For $69.99, customers get a 12-bottle case of wines from around the world through WSJwine. Despite the unconventional business model, other competitors soon followed suit.

Last month, The New York Times Company introduced its very own wine club. The company is "hoping to delve further into our audience and bring them products and services that basically enhance the bond with The New York Times," the company's VP of strategy said. Earlier this week, the nation's top-selling newspaper, USA Today, jumped on the bandwagon with the USA Today Wine Club.

It seems that newspapers are hoping readers might pay for wine, even if they aren't willing to pay for exclusive news content. Would you be inclined to subscribe to a wine club run by a paper?

Chatting It Up With Iron Chef Challenger Ron Siegel

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:00:15 -0800

Now that Top Chef is over, I've got another professional chef showdown to discuss: Iron Chef. I'm a huge fan of not only the American version, but also the Japanese version that started it all. Recently, I had an opportunity to catch up with America's very first Kitchen Stadium winner, chef Ron Siegel, now the executive chef at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.

On a sunny morning I met with the chef in his kitchen, which recently launched a small bites and half bottles menu. I was taken by his humility - "I'm not doing a great service here," he told me, "I'm just cooking" - and his candidness. To see what else he had to say, read more.

YS: How did winning Iron Chef change your life?
RS: When you're younger, you're not necessarily open-minded. I was younger, and set in my ways of cooking. Going to Japan introduced me to a lot of other influences. I don't watch TV. I haven't even seen Iron Chef in 10, 11 years. But I'm sure there are some great chefs; there are great chefs everywhere.

YS: How would you describe your style of cooking?
RS: It's very simple - everything is made based on what's available. The menu changes every day, and the farmers market sets the tone. The preparation is similar, but the garnishes may change. [Points to fruit he's cutting.] These are pineapple guavas from my neighbor - I gave his kids a ride, so he told me to take them. I don't know what I'm going to do with them, but they have a great smell.

YS: Who are your culinary influences?
RS: Thomas Keller, George Morrone, and Daniel Boulud. When I worked for Thomas Keller as his opening sous chef [at The French Laundry], it was crazy, long hours. But I've learned a lot; I've learned about perfection. And Julia Child. She wasn't some hottie; she just knew how to make great food. But she probably couldn't get a show now.

YS: How has food changed since you first started cooking?
RS: In the '70s, everyone was smoking and drinking. People are definitely lighter these days. They don't want something that's going to make them feel bad at the end of the day. Also, people want to be who they are - they don't want to have to put on a suit to go out for a good meal.

YS: Where are your favorite places to eat in the Bay Area?
RS: I love Picco and Marché Aux Fleurs. Manka's was probably my favorite before it burned down.

YS: What's your advice for the home cook?
RS: Work on your knife skills! It's all about practicing until you get better at it. Going to the farmers market is a great way to understand seasonality and introduce yourself to things. If you go every week for two years, you're going to know what's in season and what's not. Don't rush cooking food. It's a labor of love, like what I'm doing now [running chicken stock until it comes out clear]. Home cooks can bring that same passion to their food. It's a lot of time, and a lot of work. I'm not sure how I feel about those 30-minute meals.

Exercise in Excess: Feasting at The French Laundry

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:01:31 -0700

A little while back, I confessed to never having eaten at a single one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Well, last week I finally fixed that by dining at Thomas Keller's number 4 ranked (number 1 in the US) The French Laundry of Yountville, CA (Napa wine country). The menu there consists of two options: the chef's tasting menu or the taste of vegetables menu, so unfortunately there's no popping in and ordering a la carte. In fact, there's no popping in of any sort - we had our reservations booked two months in advance, and even those were hard to come by. The meal itself is rather pricey, but I felt worth it for the food, atmosphere service and experience. It's not something I could see myself doing often, mostly for financial reasons. When I told everyone that I went, the first question was, "was it worth it?" followed shortly by, "what did you eat?" To find out the answers and see a parade of delectable pictures, read more

The evening started off by being presented bottles of both still and sparkling water. The still water was from Hildon and my friend Eric made sure that I noted that the bottle said it was "An English Natural Mineral Water of Exceptional Taste." Once we were settled in with waters, we (there were four of us) all decided to go with the Chef's tasting menu. The vegetable menu looked great, but I knew I would be sad not to get the chef's menu. Once our menus were chosen and our variations (a few dishes had options) selected, it was time for the amuse-bouches.

The two amuses were little gougeres (cheese bread puffs) served on a warm plate, and red onion crème fraiche filled, black sesame cornets topped with salmon tartare. I could have eaten just these and been quite a happy camper.

Next up is the "Oysters and Pearls," "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Beau Soleil Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar. This is one of of the only dishes that is served just about every evening, and after tasting it, I know exactly why. The oysters were great, the caviar delectable and the texture amazingly creamy. It was like a savory tapioca pudding, everything just melted in my mouth. They followed this up with one of the best breads I'd ever eaten. A "brioche-like" roll and I must say, if this recipe is in either the French Laundry or the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, this will be disaster for my waistline.

After the caviar it was time for Moulard Duck "Foie Gras Au Torchon" "Compressed" Strawberries, Purple Top Turnips, Frisée Lettuce and Black Truffle "Gastrique" served with fresh buttery rich brioche. This dish was smooth, creamy and totally my undoing. I should have eaten only part of it, but I devoured it instead. In fact, I had more than one helping of brioche. Along with the brioche, the foie gras was also served with a trio of fancy salts.

At this point we were only 2 of 9 courses in to the meal, and on our 3rd glass of wine. Like I said, the whole evening was an exercise in excess! Be sure to come back for tomorrow for part 2 of my French Laundry recap!