www.roanoke.com

New York Times blogger Bruce Buschel has posted his second 50 rules for the waiters and waitresses at his restaurant, which is scheduled to open in Bridgehampton, NY in the spring.

He clarifies a bit more in the opening sentences that this list might not need to be followed to the T by all restaurants because, let's face it, there are lots and lots of different restaurants. I believe personally that what he is advising on is service for fine dining restaurants, but that doesn't mean all restaurants cannot take something away from the list.

Once again, do you guys agree/disagree with anything in particular on this list?

51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.

52. Know your menu inside and out. If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets.

53. Do not let guests double-order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders ratatouille that zucchini comes with the entree.

54. If there is a prix fixe, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu.

55. Do not serve an amuse-bouche without detailing the ingredients. Allergies are a serious matter; peanut oil can kill. (This would also be a good time to ask if anyone has any allergies.)

56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)

Read more »

Those of you who keep a close eye on The New York Times site may have noticed that one particular business blog, "You're the Boss," recently racked up more than 1,000 comments in a short period of time - so many comments that they closed the comments after only a couple of days.

The topic? "100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part I)."

It seems this blogger, Bruce Buschel, is in the process of opening a new seafood restaurant and has been blogging about his experiences along the way. He devised a list of 100 service rules for his new staff and posted just half of them on his blog. The result, as I said, was astounding. Most people felt that Buschel had pretty much hit the nail straight on the head.

I'm going to paste the rules below. Please read them and tell me if you agree with them or not. I agree with almost every one, with the exception of a few that I think would make the server seem a bit impersonal and cold. But I think these skills are sadly lacking in lots of local restaurants. Is there a restaurant in all of Southwest Virginia that gets all (or most) of these things right?

From "You're the Boss":

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?” Ask for a reservation. Ask if he or she would like to sit at the bar.

3. Never refuse to seat three guests because a fourth has not yet arrived.

4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right.

5. Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated.

Read more »

Can you believe this used to be a Wendy's combo meal? Image from www.fancyfastfood.com

Thanks to colleague and friend Tad Dickens, who is one of the most unusual dudes I know, I have found the weirdest food Web site I've ever seen.

Over at Fancyfastfood.com, they spend untold amounts of time transforming fast food into what looks like gourmet dishes. A few recent examples: a Subway sandwich became a plate of bow tie pasta; McDonald's chicken nuggets and fries became chicken confit over pureed potatoes; 7-Eleven nachos and hot dogs become a fancy fondue.

Some entries are more appetizing than that (think tiramisou made with maple donuts and donut shop coffee) and some are waaaaaay gross (check this one out). A disturbing number of the recipes involve a food processor and water. It's like a few high school boys got together and made a bet.

Seriously, though, I'm pretty sure this Web site is intended for comedy purposes only. And boy, is it funny. So if you need a laugh, get over there and check out The Colonel's Chicken Corn Chowder (made, of course, out of KFC food) or the Dao Mi Noh Chow Mein (made with a Domino's pizza).

Would you eat any of this stuff?

www.finecooking.com

One of the most hunger-inducing food articles I've seen in a long time appears in the June/July issue of Fine Cooking magazine. Writer Bruce Aidells details a "new way to grill" tougher cuts of meat such as brisket or country spareribs without heating up the kitchen at all. He calls it "barbecue-braising," and although braising meat in a pot on the gas grill for a couple of hours will sure burn up some fuel, it looks fun and the recipes look so good I could almost eat the pages of the magazine.

Basically, Aidells' method involves first smearing a rub all over the meat and searing it on a hot grill to brown the outside and add that nice flavor. Next, he advises placing the meat in a covered pot filled with braising liquid and letting that simmer on the grill for a long time at a low temperature. Finally, he finishes the meat off directly on the grill with a glaze "for a final layer of flavor."

Recipes in the article include Country Spareribs with Beer and Mustard Glaze, Thai Chicken Legs with Lemongrass Glaze, Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Honey-Mint Glaze, Bourbon Beef with Mustard Glaze and Vietnamese Short Ribs with Sweet Vinegar Glaze. For each dish, there's a recipe for the rub, the braising liquid and the glaze. Are you drooling yet? Uh-huh, I thought so.

If you'd like to read the entire article, you can do that right here on the Fine Cooking Web site. But you have to become a member on the site or buy the magazine to access more than just the lamb recipe, so I think I'll share one right now. Eenie, meenie, miney, mo... let's go with the Vietnamese Short Ribs.

A word about English-style short ribs: If you cannot find these at Kroger or Ukrop's, I know they carry them at Fresh Market. You can also check your local independent butcher shop. O'Brien's in Salem will order them for you. English-style short ribs are different from flanken-style short ribs in that the latter is cut across the bone and the former is cut parallel to the bone. Fine Cooking says you can use flanken-style if you must, but the cooking time might have to be reduced.

Have a great weekend!

Read more »

A simple trip to the grocery store can be a little confusing these days. It seems every package of meat, every pile of potatoes, every gallon of milk has some kind of label declaring it healthier and more environmentally friendly than the next display.

Exactly what does "organic" mean, some must wonder. How about "eco-friendly?" How does a "free range" chicken differ from a "cage-free" chicken? Or does it?

What is a CAFO? An AFO? What is "grass fed" from "grain finished?" Do you ever fear that some of these stickers are just slapped on a package of hamburger so sellers can jack up the price per pound?

In this age of "country of origin" labels and other USDA, FDA, EPA regulations, every shopper should be armed with the answers to these questions and many more. An informed shopper is a smart shopper; maybe even a healthier and more financially responsible shopper.

If this resonates with you, I would like to refer you to a very helpful Web site called Sustainable Table. Now, I will not pretend that Sustainable Table doesn't have an agenda. Judging by the name, you can pretty much tell that they are in favor of environmentally-friendly, sustainable agricultural methods. But the resources on their site are worth a look, particularly everything found under the "shop sustainable" tab.

There, you will find a lengthy glossary with definitions of all the buzz words I mentioned above, as well as printable shopping guides that you can take with you to the grocery store to help answer any questions that may pop up there. And if you are a slow food advocate, you can even print out little cards to leave at your favorite stores and restaurants as a gentle hint that they should consider more environmentally sound practices.

Check it out. It might tell you the difference between a CAFO and an AFO.

Photo from Amazon.com

Congratulations to Jennifer Nichols, who just won my random drawing for "Entertaining Simple" by Matthew Mead. Jennifer won by submitting an inexpensive appetizer for chili dip, which calls for just a block of cream cheese, a can of chili and hot sauce to your taste. As a nice twist, the dip can be served in a bread bowl.

Thanks to everybody who submitted recipes for the contest. Even if you didn't win, we all won a little bit by collecting a few new ideas for the next time we're headed out to a gathering and looking for a quick, easy, inexpensive hors d'oevres to take along. My Super Bowl column next week will feature two of the recipes that were submitted: Jennifer's chili dip and Amy's cheesy olive bread (which came from the Pioneer Woman Web site).

As long as I'm talking about great Web sites, I've got one you should all check out. Reader Win Hunt alerted me to this site, which is called TasteSpotting. When you go to the site, you will first be greeted by a screenful of beautiful photos of food. If you see something that looks good to you (um, everything) all you do is click on the photo to get recipes. If you need to work up an appetite or find a great recipe, TasteSpotting should be another stop on your tour around the Web. But don't forget to come back to the Fridge Magnet!

For Christmas, my aunt gave me a nifty trivia game all about food. It has four sets of cards and each set tackles a different set of terms, from ingredients to foodie lingo.

I busted it out last night while my in-laws were there because my father-in-law, Bill, is something of a foodie himself and was curious about how difficult the game would be. The very first card was a multiple choice question: What is quinoa? I was the only one who even knew how to pronounce the word, much less knew what it is (a grain).

Before they declared me a know-it-all, I held up my hand and said, "I have to tell you a story." Not long into my stint as food writer here, I interviewed a chef about whole grain cooking. And I butchered the pronunciation of "quinoa" worse than a sacrificial lamb. I think I said something like "kee-Noah," as in the guy who loaded the ark with animals. The chef paused and replied to the question using the term again and conspicuously pronouncing it the correct way: "Keen-wah." I felt like a goof. A fraud.

Read more »

We always thought Mrs. Claus just stayed at home, ironing her husband's red suit and bringing his slippers to the fireplace when he got home from a hard day at work, right? Of course, it is to be assumed that she's a great cook, considering how jolly and round the Clauses both are. But did you know that she's actually making money off her recipe collection using a clever mass e-mail technique?

I'm not even sure if Santa knows about this. Maybe she's doing it and saving up all her money so she can buy her OWN sleigh and reindeer crew. Whatever the story, many of you probably remember receiving an e-mail forward around this time last year that contained a huge list of cookies. Each and every cookie name was a live link that took you to a recipe for that cookie online. I believe we talked about it and marveled over the genius of the idea.

This year, the same kind of e-mail is going out, but it contains a list of cakes. When I clicked on each cake name, it took me to a recipe. And this year I notice it always takes me to the same Web site, www.northpole.com.

Read more »

I want you to check out one of the coolest corporate restaurant Web sites I've seen in quite some time. The chefs who create the dishes you order at Red Lobster have been writing their own chef's blog for several months now, and it is jam-packed with useful information about cooking seafood in your own kitchen.
On the site, you can find a plethora of seafood recipes, kitchen tips and demonstrations. You can also take a peek inside the interactive Red Lobster kitchen, where they suggest which seasonings to keep on hand for seafood preparation.
I love the fact that this blog allows readers to interact directly with trained chefs. Seafood can be expensive and daunting, so advice from professionals would go a long way toward turning out a successful dish.
I also like the fact that while some Red Lobster recipes are obviously secret (like those killer cheddar-bay biscuits I always want to smuggle out in my purse), the chefs are willing to share others, such as a Sweet Maple and Dried Cherry Glaze.
Here's that recipe:

Read more »

In case you didn't already know, garlic is a superfood.
And according to this health blog entry in the New York Times, scientists have started to unlock the reasons why. One of their findings? To maximize garlic's health benefits, wait 15 minutes after you crush it to cook it.
Who knew?