I've always found work dreams fascinating. They are almost all the same. Mine usually consist of beeing in the weeds and nothing is in the right place, guests are moving around, there are weights around my ankles etc.
I spent the summer of 1995 working at a restaurant in Walla Walla Washington at a restaurant called Jacobi's Cafe. Jacobi's was a pretty big restaurant, it was built in a Train Depot with an actual train car attached to it. It was a large restaurant, with a pretty complicated system of operations. It ran on a primitive version of Micros (a retail Point of Sale System), the sections were big, and if you were working in the Train Car, you needed to navigate stairs, and a 40 yard distance from the kitchen at the farthest point.
Now if you've ever worked in a restaurant before you know that the farther away from the kitchen you are the more "running" you're going to have to do, so your level of organization must be high. You quickly learn to maintain all your tables at the same time. The most difficult station at Jacobi's was Red. (The stations were color coded and right above the service station in the train there were six colored lights. The chef would turn on the light for the station who's food was ready, and you needed to haul ass to the kitchen to run that food or there was hell to pay. Also there was very little teamwork in this restaurant so it wasn't unusual for the chef to start flashing the light if our food was dying.) Station Red was in the very back end of the train car, and it had six four tops, and a private dining room that could seat up to 12.
During that summer, I was trying to make enough money to stay in school, and so I was working alot of doubles, and working up to 11 shifts a week. It was alot, but I was 20 years old, and all I wanted to do was make some dough, so I was happy to stick with it for the summer, put some money in the bank, and grind it out until school started again.
I was still new to that type of service. Jacobi's had a little something for everyone. They had interactive trivia, yards of beer, a salad case that was outstanding!!! They had sixteen different types of salads and did a bang up job of executing them. But one of the perils of it was that people would come in and order a salad dish, and you could have up to four different types of salads, and if you got an entree it automatically came with a salad choice, of which they could split their choice up to four times. So It wasn't uncommon to get a entree order for a Chicken Parm, with a side salad of spinach, pasta, pea, and house salad with a vinaigrette dressing. And every order was like this. I became very efficient at taking people's order my memory, since I was that young, my brain was sharp and would often blow peoples minds by being able to memorize orders like that up to twelve at a time. There's no way in hell I could do anything like that now, I'm already worried about how absent minded I may be in my later years...I digress.
Needless to say, at the end of this summer, after working my tail off, I was beginning to burn out...and that's when the nightmares started. I would have dreams that I would walk into work, put my apron on, and the manager would walk up to me and say. "Neil, we opened another section on the other side of town and we quadruple sat you."
In my dream I would walk to the other side of town, and apon arrival everyone was PISSED. "We've been sitting here for an hour and a half!!" I would of course appologize and juggle for them, kiss their children, or do whatever I could to make them happy, get everyone's order, and begin the long walk back to the restaurant. When I arrived back at the restaurant, the manager would walk up to me and say. "We filled red, can you get on that?" Enter Red, and repeat.
This was a reoccurring dream until I quit Jacobi's in the Fall. I've also had dreams that I was super busy, and my feet were buried in cement cubes.
What are your nightmares? Please post your nightmares on the Open Palate Blog instead of the Facebook site. It's a little more central for everyone.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
"Is that good?"
One of the most confusing things I get asked on a weekly basis is people looking at the menu and pointing and asking..."Is that good?"
Being a father of two and a loving husband, I've developed a sense of patience, and am still developing my ability to suppress my sarcastic whit and bite my tongue when opportunities flash me. But this is one of those things that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
First of all, as professionals, we in the "non-corporate" restaurant business have control over what's on the menu. So somewhere along the line, someone thought that the item in question is not only good, but delicious. We are in the business of creating delicious. The truth of the mater is, delicious doesn't come without trial and error, so most items you see on a menu has been through various stages before menus go to print.
Second, I don't know automatically what you like. Right now, I think Romazzatti Amaro is delicious. But if I had a 21 year old drinker walk into the bar and ask for a delicious drink, I would not recommend it. All items will be relative based on what your tastes are. Know what you like before you ask the question "is that good?"
Third, you may want to re-think that phrase into "What is this like?" Totally understandable and reasonable question. It happens to me all the time, when I walk into a restaurant, and it's like reading greek, I am happy to answer a lot of questions.
Now I'll be the first to admit that I often know more about booze and wine than I do about food. Clyde Common is constantly challenging my food knowledge, and there are always things to learn about opportunity to grow culinary knowledge.
So to answer your question "Is that good?" My answer is "What do you like?".
Being a father of two and a loving husband, I've developed a sense of patience, and am still developing my ability to suppress my sarcastic whit and bite my tongue when opportunities flash me. But this is one of those things that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
First of all, as professionals, we in the "non-corporate" restaurant business have control over what's on the menu. So somewhere along the line, someone thought that the item in question is not only good, but delicious. We are in the business of creating delicious. The truth of the mater is, delicious doesn't come without trial and error, so most items you see on a menu has been through various stages before menus go to print.
Second, I don't know automatically what you like. Right now, I think Romazzatti Amaro is delicious. But if I had a 21 year old drinker walk into the bar and ask for a delicious drink, I would not recommend it. All items will be relative based on what your tastes are. Know what you like before you ask the question "is that good?"
Third, you may want to re-think that phrase into "What is this like?" Totally understandable and reasonable question. It happens to me all the time, when I walk into a restaurant, and it's like reading greek, I am happy to answer a lot of questions.
Now I'll be the first to admit that I often know more about booze and wine than I do about food. Clyde Common is constantly challenging my food knowledge, and there are always things to learn about opportunity to grow culinary knowledge.
So to answer your question "Is that good?" My answer is "What do you like?".
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Do's and Don'ts of Tipping.
After 19 years in the restaurant business, I no longer look at tips in terms of individual transactions. The only time I'll ever notice a tip would be if it was non-existent, or grotesquely large. But, for the most part, I see my job as an average yearly salary. Hours worked vs. money made. For the Most part, I think that bartending is one of the best jobs you can ever have because of the social style of the occupation, and the amount of money you can make in a short period of time. It's perfect if you are (like me) trying to stay at home and have an active roll in raising children, getting an education, or supplementing your day job because it doesn't pay enough to pay your student loans.
The Do's and Don'ts of tipping.
Do - Give a little extra to your friends and colleagues. The service industry is small, and sooner or later you are going to run into your server again either in another restaurant, or in line at the Safeway. If you are in the industry be generous to the people serving you, and in return, you will notice that members of the service industry will return the favor. It's widely known that the people who receive the best service are already in the industry. There is a level of respect, and expectation we have for each other, and without community, it's just no fun.
Don't - Use a tip as leverage, even in a joking manor. It's like rubbing a steak under a hungry dog's nose. I know you have the stake, and I know you're going to give it to me. Just be happy I'm here by your side loyal and protective of you. Don't make me roll over, play dead, bark, or shake hands for tips. It's rude, and humiliating.
Do - Have cash available at a busy nightclub or bar. Cash is a fast transaction, Bartenders can see it right away, and it will often be the difference between getting served before that group of girls who all have their own credit card out. Not only will it get you your drinks faster, but we can also execute the transactions faster. The unspoken rule of cash, is that if you tip big cash on your first transaction (30% or more) you can get served right away the next time you approach the bar, and we don't even expect you to tip on the second round. (not that we wouldn't love that, but don't feel obligated) For the most part, bartenders are just happy you get it, and we are happy to serve.
Don't - Not tip at all. If you are hanging around a bar, and refuse to tip on your first round, I guarantee you will no longer receive prompt or adequate service. If you are too cheap to show respect, then your drinks will be weak, and you will be put to the very back of the line as far as prompt service is concerned.
Do- Tip on Bottle Wine Sales. This is a hot topic, but service staff get's taxed on a percentage of sales. If we get a couple bottles of wine on the bill, and the customer doesn't tip on those sales, after service share, and taxes, the bus boy will make more money on the table than the server, who knew why that bottle of Chateauneuf Du Pape needed to be decanted before serving it with your Lamb and Polenta. I see this alot, I would say 50% of people don't tip on bottle sales. If you've got the ability to pay for a bottle of wine in a restaurant, you can afford to tip on it. On a side note, recently a local Sports radio host spent two days talking on the air about how an NFL star had to tip on his $14,000 bill, most of which was wine. He argued and lamented that no one should tip on wine sales and that spending that much money on gratuity was ridiculous. His argument was painful because he was lobbying for these millionaire football players to stick it to the servers. Again, my argument is if you can afford to purchase the bottle in a restaurant, you can afford to tip the person serving it to you. If you feel so inspired, drop and email to Colin Cowherd @ (theherd@espnradio.com). Again, last week he spend 2 days on the radio and on television lobbying for people to not tip on wine sales.
The harsh reality of it is, we do rely on tips, it's expected, but cannot be demanded. Americans are extremely generous and 99% of all people who dine out understand these simple rules, and I see it more often than not, that in Portland, clientele, and service staff all understand that we are part of the same community, and there is so much mutual respect here. I'm grateful to all of our clientele, and their generosity.
The Do's and Don'ts of tipping.
Do - Give a little extra to your friends and colleagues. The service industry is small, and sooner or later you are going to run into your server again either in another restaurant, or in line at the Safeway. If you are in the industry be generous to the people serving you, and in return, you will notice that members of the service industry will return the favor. It's widely known that the people who receive the best service are already in the industry. There is a level of respect, and expectation we have for each other, and without community, it's just no fun.
Don't - Use a tip as leverage, even in a joking manor. It's like rubbing a steak under a hungry dog's nose. I know you have the stake, and I know you're going to give it to me. Just be happy I'm here by your side loyal and protective of you. Don't make me roll over, play dead, bark, or shake hands for tips. It's rude, and humiliating.
Do - Have cash available at a busy nightclub or bar. Cash is a fast transaction, Bartenders can see it right away, and it will often be the difference between getting served before that group of girls who all have their own credit card out. Not only will it get you your drinks faster, but we can also execute the transactions faster. The unspoken rule of cash, is that if you tip big cash on your first transaction (30% or more) you can get served right away the next time you approach the bar, and we don't even expect you to tip on the second round. (not that we wouldn't love that, but don't feel obligated) For the most part, bartenders are just happy you get it, and we are happy to serve.
Don't - Not tip at all. If you are hanging around a bar, and refuse to tip on your first round, I guarantee you will no longer receive prompt or adequate service. If you are too cheap to show respect, then your drinks will be weak, and you will be put to the very back of the line as far as prompt service is concerned.
Do- Tip on Bottle Wine Sales. This is a hot topic, but service staff get's taxed on a percentage of sales. If we get a couple bottles of wine on the bill, and the customer doesn't tip on those sales, after service share, and taxes, the bus boy will make more money on the table than the server, who knew why that bottle of Chateauneuf Du Pape needed to be decanted before serving it with your Lamb and Polenta. I see this alot, I would say 50% of people don't tip on bottle sales. If you've got the ability to pay for a bottle of wine in a restaurant, you can afford to tip on it. On a side note, recently a local Sports radio host spent two days talking on the air about how an NFL star had to tip on his $14,000 bill, most of which was wine. He argued and lamented that no one should tip on wine sales and that spending that much money on gratuity was ridiculous. His argument was painful because he was lobbying for these millionaire football players to stick it to the servers. Again, my argument is if you can afford to purchase the bottle in a restaurant, you can afford to tip the person serving it to you. If you feel so inspired, drop and email to Colin Cowherd @ (theherd@espnradio.com). Again, last week he spend 2 days on the radio and on television lobbying for people to not tip on wine sales.
The harsh reality of it is, we do rely on tips, it's expected, but cannot be demanded. Americans are extremely generous and 99% of all people who dine out understand these simple rules, and I see it more often than not, that in Portland, clientele, and service staff all understand that we are part of the same community, and there is so much mutual respect here. I'm grateful to all of our clientele, and their generosity.
Friday, September 11, 2009
A Great event for a Great Cause.
The Oregon Bartenders Guild will be hosting a five course cocktail Pairing Dinner at Clarklewis Restaurant on September 19th, with proceeds going to the Cascade Aids Project. Chef Dolan Lane and the bartenders of the OBG will be designing cocktails and food that feature the unique flavor of Makers Mark Bourbon. Tickets are $95 and can be reserved by contacting the Oregon Bartenders Guild, or calling Neil Kopplin at 503-318-6720. Seating is Limited.
If you are an Official member of the Oregon Bar Guild send us a message to gain access to your discounted ticket price.
Amusee
Kentucky Dusk
First course
Stone and Wheat
Second course
God and Country
Entrée
Homestead
Dessert
Louisville Latte
If you are an Official member of the Oregon Bar Guild send us a message to gain access to your discounted ticket price.
Makers Mark Dinner
Amusee
Grilled wild shrimp
with red melon and sweet pepper gazpacho
Kentucky Dusk
Makers Mark, St. Germain Elderflower, Lemon, Honey and Champange.
First course
Grilled Late Summer Peaches
with burrata, arugula, fried almonds and saba
Stone and Wheat
Makers Mark, Apricot Liqueur, Home Made Fig Liqueur, and Fresh Lime.
Second course
Braised Pork belly
with wild mountain huckleberries and Mulino Marino polenta
God and Country
Makers Mark, Homemade Huckleberry and Maple Syrup, Whisky Barrel Bitters, and smoked ice.
Entrée
Cascade Natural Beef
with sweet onion hash and chanterelle mushrooms
Homestead
Equal Parts Makers Mark, Ruby Port, and Cynar finished with a shaved Oregon Truffle
Dessert
Bittersweet chocolate and Fritz’s hazelnut torte
with Makers Mark ice cream
Louisville Latte
Makers Mark, Romazzatti Amaro steamed with milk, served with Stumptown espresso topped with shaved hazelnut.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Dolin Blanc is the new St. Germain.
There has been a huge blow up of St. Germain (elderflower liqueur) in the last two years. It's a bright flavorful spirit that mixes nicely with nearly everything you use it with. It can be intensely sweet when consumed by itself or if you use to much of it. But a little bit will add an element to a citrusy cocktail the makes you go..."ohh...what's that flavor...it's....pleasant!". I'll be honest, I love the stuff for it's versatility, and nearly every cocktail you make with it does something magical to the female palate. Women love the stuff, and one of my philosophies is that if you make good drinks for women....they will come visit your bar. And if women come visit your bar...so do men. Let's face it, St. Germain is good for business. These days it's a must on nearly every cocktail list in the Northwest.
One of my long time signature cocktails made with St. Germain.
Queen Bee (still on the menu @ Carlyle)
3/4 Vodka (try subbing, Gin, Rye or Bourbon they all work)
3/4 St. Germain
3/4 Lemon
1/4 Clover Honey Syrup
Shake and serve up
Top with 1 1/2 oz Dry Champagne
It's crisp, light, and has all these ingredients that women look at and say...oohhh...I want that. It's a fabulous cocktail and have been guilty of drinking a few of myself.
Recently, the Dolin Vermouth de Chambery has released a line of Rouge, Blanc, and Dry that has quickly become the masculine equivalent of St. Germain. The Rouge, is light, sweet and not too pungent or herbal. Hints of orange and lemon aspects. Has a nice weight to it, and just enough herb and bitter to balance off a lighter bourbon or rye. Heavier Bourbons will swallow the rouge whole, and you'll loose the lighter notes that are the big pluses for this product.
I haven't had a chance to taste the Dry as of yet, but the Blanc is AMAZING!!! The Blanc is a more elegant version of a Bianco Vermouth. Essentially a sweet vermouth that hasn't been aged or fortified with the same herbs and spices that give the Rouge it's color. It's light, and citrusy, with the most elegant clean finish of mineral. Just drinking it by itself, over ice is a fantastic experience. With a little orange, and lemon zest a couple cubes of ice and you would be able to pair this spirit with everything from a spring salad, to a nice piece of Alaskan Salmon.
It's also extremely mixable. I find myself reaching for it in the same manor that a year ago I was reaching for St. Germain. My most recent love and combination has been a staff inspired drink called "Mago de la Muerte". In English this translates to "Magician of Death".
The Mago
2 oz Silver Tequilla
3/4 Dolin Blanc
1/4 Cointreau
1/4 Maraska Maraschino
1 of Regans orange bitters.
Stir and serve in a martini Shell with a squeeze of orange zest.
The Mago was named after Michael Staley a server/host at Clyde Common Restaurant. Who has a fabulous story about a dishwasher that though his name was "Mago",which means magician in spanish, for years. One day after work he asked me for a tequila drink with no acid. I was inspired and created the Mago. There is a slight smokey mineral quality to the silver tequila that fuses effortlessly to the Dolin Blanc. Dolin is really the legs of this drink. It adds length and smoothness to the tequila that you normally don't find in tequila. The maraschino blended with the coinreau in small parts are complementary flavors that adds a touch of sweetness. The thing that excites me about this drink is the color. When the coinreau is stirred and water fuses to it, it well ever so lightly Louche. Which is an old term for what happens to Absinthe when you add water to it and it's color changes from green to milky green. The same thing happens to the coinreau, it ever so slightly changes color. So when serving the drink, you'll notice a slight mysterious cloudiness that adds to the cocktail.
Keep your eye on cocktail lists around the city. As long as Dolin Blanc is available in Oregon, you will continue to see it on cocktails lists. It's elegance, versatility, and affordability will make it a mainstay behind Northwest bars for quite some time.
One of my long time signature cocktails made with St. Germain.
Queen Bee (still on the menu @ Carlyle)
3/4 Vodka (try subbing, Gin, Rye or Bourbon they all work)
3/4 St. Germain
3/4 Lemon
1/4 Clover Honey Syrup
Shake and serve up
Top with 1 1/2 oz Dry Champagne
It's crisp, light, and has all these ingredients that women look at and say...oohhh...I want that. It's a fabulous cocktail and have been guilty of drinking a few of myself.
Recently, the Dolin Vermouth de Chambery has released a line of Rouge, Blanc, and Dry that has quickly become the masculine equivalent of St. Germain. The Rouge, is light, sweet and not too pungent or herbal. Hints of orange and lemon aspects. Has a nice weight to it, and just enough herb and bitter to balance off a lighter bourbon or rye. Heavier Bourbons will swallow the rouge whole, and you'll loose the lighter notes that are the big pluses for this product.
I haven't had a chance to taste the Dry as of yet, but the Blanc is AMAZING!!! The Blanc is a more elegant version of a Bianco Vermouth. Essentially a sweet vermouth that hasn't been aged or fortified with the same herbs and spices that give the Rouge it's color. It's light, and citrusy, with the most elegant clean finish of mineral. Just drinking it by itself, over ice is a fantastic experience. With a little orange, and lemon zest a couple cubes of ice and you would be able to pair this spirit with everything from a spring salad, to a nice piece of Alaskan Salmon.
It's also extremely mixable. I find myself reaching for it in the same manor that a year ago I was reaching for St. Germain. My most recent love and combination has been a staff inspired drink called "Mago de la Muerte". In English this translates to "Magician of Death".
The Mago
2 oz Silver Tequilla
3/4 Dolin Blanc
1/4 Cointreau
1/4 Maraska Maraschino
1 of Regans orange bitters.
Stir and serve in a martini Shell with a squeeze of orange zest.
The Mago was named after Michael Staley a server/host at Clyde Common Restaurant. Who has a fabulous story about a dishwasher that though his name was "Mago",which means magician in spanish, for years. One day after work he asked me for a tequila drink with no acid. I was inspired and created the Mago. There is a slight smokey mineral quality to the silver tequila that fuses effortlessly to the Dolin Blanc. Dolin is really the legs of this drink. It adds length and smoothness to the tequila that you normally don't find in tequila. The maraschino blended with the coinreau in small parts are complementary flavors that adds a touch of sweetness. The thing that excites me about this drink is the color. When the coinreau is stirred and water fuses to it, it well ever so lightly Louche. Which is an old term for what happens to Absinthe when you add water to it and it's color changes from green to milky green. The same thing happens to the coinreau, it ever so slightly changes color. So when serving the drink, you'll notice a slight mysterious cloudiness that adds to the cocktail.
Keep your eye on cocktail lists around the city. As long as Dolin Blanc is available in Oregon, you will continue to see it on cocktails lists. It's elegance, versatility, and affordability will make it a mainstay behind Northwest bars for quite some time.
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