Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Fight For Your Country -- Get a Free Bloomin' Onionhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/fight-for-your-country-get-a-free-bloomin-onion/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/fight-for-your-country-get-a-free-bloomin-onion/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/fight-for-your-country-get-a-free-bloomin-onion/#commentsFiled under:

bloomin onion

A Bloomin' Onion. Photo: justj0000lie, Flickr.

Nothing says "Thank You" like a free lunch.

And in the spirit -- and to celebrate Veteran's Day -- next Wednesday, several major casual-dining restaurants -- including Applebee's, McCormick & Schmick's and Golden Corral -- are offering free food to the nation's military vets and active-duty personnel, USA Today reports.

Outback Steakhouse is offering a free Bloomin' Onion appetizer and a drink to vets and current military personnel on Wednesday. Krispy Kreme is giving away donuts, and even Home Depot and Lowe's are getting in on the action offering 10-percent discounts to military.

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]]>ApplebeesholidaysOutback SteakhouseOutbackSteakhouseVeterans DayVeteransDayJennifer Lawinski2009-11-06T16:30:00+00:00What Can I Get You Folks? - The New York Times Takes on Service Ruleshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/what-can-i-get-you-folks-the-new-york-times-takes-on-service/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/what-can-i-get-you-folks-the-new-york-times-takes-on-service/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/06/what-can-i-get-you-folks-the-new-york-times-takes-on-service/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

restaurant service rules

Photo: Matti Mattila, Flickr.


New York Times blogger Bruce Buschel has done a great service by compiling a list of 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do - if nothing else, he's given fed-up diners one more forum in which to vent their ever-mounting aggravations. Thanks for the break, Bruce.

Most diners and servers would stand behind the majority of Buschel's prescriptions, which include not cursing (Rule 45), opening Champagne without making a ruckus (Rule 29) and knowing what the bar stocks (Rule 81). But his list is far from perfect. While Buschel's document would make a fine training manual for butlers, it fails to acknowledge the realities of running a restaurant. Here's what Buschel apparently forgot:

Some things are beyond a server's control.

One of Buschel's first recommendations (Rule 4) is to offer a free drink to someone who's had to wait a long time for a table. "The guest may be hungry and thirsty," he explains. May be? I think it's a safe assumption that anyone who shows up at a restaurant is craving food and drink. But I don't know of a single server who's empowered to start giving that stuff away.

The same goes for Rule 23, which insists diners be alerted to 86'd items before they open their menus. Since the hostess usually drops off menus when she seats a table, cutting her off would require Usian Bolt-speed (and necessitate breaking Rule 33 - Do not bang into chairs or tables.)

Hostesses, of course, should brief diners on which items are no longer available. But often they don't, just as the kitchen often turns out the first appetizer on a ticket a full 12 minutes before the second appetizer is ready. I completely agree that servers should "bring all the appetizers at the same time" (Rule 60), but I won't let a tray of raw oysters sit in the window while a new guy struggles to properly heat a dish of crab dip.

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]]>dining outDiningOutNewYorkTimesRestaurantEtiquetteserverWaitressStoriesWhatCanIGetYouFolksHanna Raskin2009-11-06T16:00:00+00:00Nashville Celebs Put the Country Back in Cookinghttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/04/nashville-celebs-put-the-country-back-in-cooking/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/04/nashville-celebs-put-the-country-back-in-cooking/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/04/nashville-celebs-put-the-country-back-in-cooking/#commentsFiled under: ,

kenny rogers

Photo: d.baron media relations.

Years after the nation's last Kenny Rogers' Roasters served its final bird, country music stars are again making a play for their fans' food dollars.

Perhaps because so many of them hail from the South, where good cooking is considered sacred, country celebs have long been inordinately fond of the eponymous restaurant ventures. Once as critical to an Opry member's cred as a Nudie suit, signature restaurants have lately been on the wane, with once-proud institutions such as Twitty Burger and Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken going the way of the cassette tape. But a series of openings set for this fall suggests country musicians may still harbor culinary ambitions.

White-hatted crooner Alan Jackson doesn't have an endeavor of his own, but showed up this week at a Nashville area Cracker Barrel to introduce a new line of spices, clothing and home goods, including an Alan Jackson rocking chair. According to Jackson's spokeswoman Nicole Dona, the singer likes to take his daughters to the homestyle chain.

"The family will still stop now and then when they are on their way back from the lake," she writes in a e-mail to Slashfood. "He loves the breakfast and also the meatloaf sandwich."

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]]>AlanJacksoncountry musicCountryMusicCracker BarrelCrackerBarrelDarrylWorleyDothanjohn andersonJohnAndersonKennyRogersLorrie MorganLorrieMorgannashvillesouthern foodSouthernFoodHanna Raskin2009-11-04T11:00:00+00:00What Can I Get You Folks? - The Eternal Ketchup Quandaryhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/03/what-can-i-get-you-folks-the-eternal-ketchup-quandry/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/03/what-can-i-get-you-folks-the-eternal-ketchup-quandry/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/03/what-can-i-get-you-folks-the-eternal-ketchup-quandry/#commentsFiled under:

ketchup

Photo: @MSG, Flickr.

What matters most to a restaurant? Is it the guests, who pay startling sums of money to be there? Is it the local farmers who grow the ingredients that fill the pantry? Or the cooks who craft dishes worth buying?

No, no and no. Judging from the amount of care expended, there's nothing restaurants value quite so highly as ketchup.

Say a table orders two rounds of onion rings and a single serving of fries. By the end of the meal, those grease-happy diners will likely have burned through half a bottle of ketchup. But that bottle won't reappear in its half-empty state, nor will it be topped off from the giant bladder bag of ketchup that's a fixture on most restaurant kitchen walls. Instead, a server will slowly pour the vestigial ketchup into another under-filled ketchup bottle, creating one full bottle (and one bottle bound for the dish room).

Marrying ketchup is standard practice at every restaurant where ketchup is consumed, which - at least in this country - means every restaurant, period. With the almost imperceptible exception of hoity-toity places that make their own ketchup and serve it in ramekins, American restaurants rely on 10-ounce Heinz ketchup bottles - and expect their servers to keep said bottles looking fresh.

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]]>ketchupketchup quandaryKetchupQuandarymarrying ketchupMarryingKetchuprefilling ketchupRefillingKetchuprestaurantswaitressWaitressStorieswhat can i get you folksWhatCanIGetYouFolksHanna Raskin2009-11-03T13:00:00+00:00What Can I Get Your Folks? - Servers in Costumehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/28/what-can-i-get-your-folks-servers-in-costume/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/28/what-can-i-get-your-folks-servers-in-costume/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/28/what-can-i-get-your-folks-servers-in-costume/#commentsFiled under: ,

waitresses in halloween costume

Photo: House of Sims, Flickr.

I have nothing but speculation and conjecture to back me up, but I suspect the heyday of the uniform is over. Because really, when's the last time you saw a cleaning woman in a too-short black dress and frilly white pinafore? It's nearly impossible to find a trash collector in a bow tie or a nurse with a starched cap these days.

But while official dress codes may have relaxed nearly everywhere, most restaurant servers are still expected to wear a uniform. Even workers allowed some sartorial leeway -- many employee manuals call for any jeans, any black pants or any red bandanna - are typically issued a standard apron. Uniforms connote professionalism, cleanliness and discipline; all fine server attributes, and all apparently forgotten come holiday time.

Whether it's a show of spirit or a cynical ploy to remind customers there's somewhere else they'd rather be, servers can be counted upon to modify their uniforms in keeping with the season. I'm guilty of wearing knee socks with jingling bells in December and heart-shaped jewelry on Valentine's Day. Still, I'm stunned by what some of my colleagues wear on Halloween night. Are customers really pleased when their servers have fake blood dripping down their faces or elk-sized antlers on their heads?

Continue reading What Can I Get Your Folks? - Servers in Costume

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]]>costumeshalloweenhalloween costumesHalloweenCostumesHannaRaskinserver uniformsservers in costumeServersInCostumeServerUniformswaitressWaitressStoriesWhatCanIGetYouFolksHanna Raskin2009-10-28T11:00:00+00:00Fine Dining, Bad Coffee with the CoffeeMeisterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/27/fine-dining-bad-coffee-with-the-coffeemeister/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/27/fine-dining-bad-coffee-with-the-coffeemeister/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/27/fine-dining-bad-coffee-with-the-coffeemeister/#commentsFiled under: , ,

cappuccino

A typical cappuccino. Photo: Karen Roe, Flickr.

Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.

Ah, the triumphant leaning back in your chair after a great meal at the season's "it" restaurant, pushing away the licked-clean plate and wishing you could loosen your belt in polite company. "Why sure, we'd love to see the dessert menu. And I'll have a cappuccino."

But then the cappuccino comes. It's got bitter, thin espresso topped with stiff, dry peaks of overdone milk covered in heaps of cheap cocoa powder. And, well ... it's not worth the $6 they're charging for it.

Does it have to be this way? Can there be such a thing as truly great restaurant coffee? Find out after the jump.

Continue reading Fine Dining, Bad Coffee with the CoffeeMeister

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]]>baristascappuccinocoffeecoffeemeisterrestaurant coffeeErin Meister2009-10-27T15:00:00+00:00Shanghai Surprise - Authentic American Burger Experiencehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/shanghai-surprise-authentic-american-burger-experience/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/shanghai-surprise-authentic-american-burger-experience/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/shanghai-surprise-authentic-american-burger-experience/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


apple pie

Apple pie. Photo: jazzijava, Flickr.

Expat foodies have been known to sniff out American favorites in every corner of the world, whether it's bagels, burgers or cupcakes. According to a review we read, even in China, it looks like a seriously good American burger can be had at Bistro Burger. Made from 100-percent Angus beef, imported from the States and ground on the premises, this Shanghai burger has the potential to be better than most you'd get in the U.S. We don't know what the meat to fat ratio is, but we'd be willing to try them regardless.

In addition to ordering a variety of international themed burgers, homesick visitors and expats can take advantage of the restaurant's October promotion, where they can "get a free milkshake with any burger." Apparently, authentic milkshakes are a big deal in these parts, due to the fact that many are made with ultrapasteurized or nonperishable milk, whereas Bistro Burger uses the fresh stuff.

The review also raves about the eatery's chili cheese fries, pronouncing them the "best" in Shanghai, as well as homemade apple pie packed with honest-to-goodness imported U.S. apples and Brooklyn beer. Who says you can't find the comforts of home halfway round the world?

[Via Shanghaiist]
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]]>american foodAmericanFoodAngus BurgerAngusBurgerBistroburgerBrooklyn BeerBrooklynBeerburgercomfort foodComfortFoodexpathamburgermilkshakeShanghaiLisa Schweitzer2009-10-21T16:00:00+00:00Restaurant Matchbooks Survive Smoking Banshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/restaurant-matchbooks-survive-smoking-bans/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/restaurant-matchbooks-survive-smoking-bans/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/restaurant-matchbooks-survive-smoking-bans/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

matchbooks making a comeback

Photo: yellowcloud, Flickr.

You can't keep a good freebie down.

Despite smoking bans at restaurants in cities across the country, the restaurant matchbook is experiencing a "fragile renaissance" of sorts, the New York Times reports.

"When a state or municipality imposes a ban, we see a hesitation in reordering and a fall-off in new business," Mark Nackman, the owner and president of AdMatch, an importer based in New York City told the Times. "Then the volumes start to creep back up, so that within a year or so we see some resurgence in statewide sales. Matches have universal appeal, and that's the mystery -- that one little package could resonate with familiarity, maybe beauty and a feeling of value."

It helps that they're highly collectible. Do you have a matchbook collection or have a favorite matchbook from your dining travels? Spill it in the comments.

[Via New York Times]

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]]>advertisingmatchbookmatchesnew york timesNewYorkTimesrestaurant advertisingrestaurant matchbookRestaurantAdvertisingRestaurantMatchbookSara Bonisteel2009-10-21T15:00:00+00:00Mice Photographed in Window at Junior's Cheesecakehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/mice-photographed-in-window-at-juniors-cheesecake/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/mice-photographed-in-window-at-juniors-cheesecake/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/mice-photographed-in-window-at-juniors-cheesecake/#commentsFiled under: , ,

mouse photographed at junior's cheesecake

Mice love cheese, no matter what its form.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., cheesecake institution Junior's, founded in downtown Brooklyn in 1950, prides itself as "New York's Best Cheesecake," but it's now scrambling to clean up its reputation after photographs posted on the Internet over the weekend show some rodents enjoying a snack in the bakery's window display.

Continue reading Mice Photographed in Window at Junior's Cheesecake

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]]>cheesecakejuniorsjuniors cheesecakeJuniorsCheesecakemicemouse trap failMouseTrapFailrodentsSarah LeTrent2009-10-21T13:30:00+00:00'Iron Chef' Morimoto to Launch Airport Eateries Serving Japanese Street Foodhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/iron-chef-morimoto-to-launch-airport-eateries-serving-japanese/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/iron-chef-morimoto-to-launch-airport-eateries-serving-japanese/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/iron-chef-morimoto-to-launch-airport-eateries-serving-japanese/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


iron chef morimoto

Iron Chef Morimoto.
Photo: Food Network.

In a welcome respite from subpar airport fare, "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto is partnering with hospitality and food service company Delaware North to provide fast-casual eateries serving Japanese bar food in airports across the country.

The bistros, appropriately titled Skewers, will serve an assortment of yakitori -- skewered grilled or deep-fried meats and vegetables -- served with rice bowls for portable consumption, as well as soups and salads. The restaurants' settings would take the form of two different models -- a take-out counter and a traditional sit-down approach -- and both would feature open kitchens.

According to Vito Buscemi, director of Concept Portfolio for Delaware North, the line has "great menu variety and great presentation -- all the meats and vegetables are grilled right in front of you. It's very quick, convenient and healthy, and we think it's going to have mass appeal."

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]]>airport foodAirportFooddelaware north companyDelawareNorthCompanyiron chefIronChefjapanese foodjapanese street foodJapaneseFoodJapaneseStreetFoodmorimotoskewersskewers eaterySkewersEateryAlexa Weibel2009-10-21T13:00:00+00:00What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revengehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/20/what-can-i-get-you-folks-server-revenge/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/20/what-can-i-get-you-folks-server-revenge/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/20/what-can-i-get-you-folks-server-revenge/#commentsFiled under:

waiter revenge

Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives.

Serious diners may revile the open restaurant kitchen as noisy and passé, but the worst behaved among them should thank their lucky stars for the unfortified layout. After all, it's much harder for a server to spit in their food with everyone in the room watching.

But no amount of interior decorating can stop servers from taking revenge on their most miserable customers. Cads who pat their servers' behinds and cheapskates who order water, sugar and lemon instead of paying for lemonade should know their hijinks don't go unnoticed: Even the sweetest-seeming server will punish offenses at the table -- usually smiling all the while.

Spitting gets all the press, but few servers at sit-down restaurants like to mess with bodily fluids: Spitting's considered a rather déclassé and uninspired way of getting back at customers. Savvy restaurant workers aim for pocketbooks, not their guests' immune systems.

Continue reading What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge

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]]>featuredhanna raskinHannaRaskinRestaurantEtiquetterevengeserverserver revengeServerRevengewaiter revengeWaiterRevengewaitresswaitress storiesWaitressStorieswhat can i get you folksWhatCanIGetYouFolksHanna Raskin2009-10-20T14:00:00+00:00Wisconsin Apple Pie and Cheese Don't Always Go Togetherhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/wisconsin-apple-pie-and-cheese-dont-always-go-together/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/wisconsin-apple-pie-and-cheese-dont-always-go-together/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/wisconsin-apple-pie-and-cheese-dont-always-go-together/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

apple pie with cheese

Photo: longpig, Flickr.

Cheese with that pie? It might taste good, but it's definitely not required by law in the Dairy State.

The Wisconsin State Journal debunked the myth that Wisconsin requires apple pie to be served with cheese at restaurants in the state. The paper asked Connie Von Der Heide at the Wisconsin State Law Library whether or not state law required cheese to accompany the pie after a reader inquired about it.

"It certainly sounds plausible since after all this is the Dairy State, but the answer is no," she said. "The 1935 Laws of Wis., ch. 106 came close; it required serving a small amount of cheese and butter with meals in restaurants (effective from June 1935 to March 1937)."

What crazy food laws have you heard of? Let us know in the comments below.

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]]>apple pieApplePiecheesecheese with pieCheeseWithPiewisconsinwisconsin lawWisconsinLawSara Bonisteel2009-10-19T16:00:00+00:00What Can I Get You Folks? - Why Your Server Wants You to Keep the Changehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/13/what-can-i-get-you-folks-why-your-server-wants-you-to-keep-the/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/13/what-can-i-get-you-folks-why-your-server-wants-you-to-keep-the/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/13/what-can-i-get-you-folks-why-your-server-wants-you-to-keep-the/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: Joe Shlabotnik, Flickr.
For workers who are paid to interact with customers, servers spend an inordinate amount of time on the floor. It's nearly impossible to get through a shift without having to stoop to sweep up cupfuls of Cheerios up-ended by a fidgety toddler, table scraps discarded by loutish diners who apparently take their etiquette cues from William Hogarth paintings or -- most frequently -- puddles of pennies.

I've worked in greasy spoons where hot dogs sold for 85 cents and coin transactions were the norm; I hardly expect a customer to charge a quarter cup of coffee. But in nicer restaurants, where servers don't bark orders across the room and salads don't arrive to the table encased in plastic wrap, coins are nothing but trouble -- any server who's picked up a check presenter and immediately showered their feet with the coins tucked inside it knows exactly what I mean.

Some of the blame clearly lies with the coin-fearing credit-card companies that issue said presenters, designed to accommodate only plastic. But there's really no reason for most restaurant customers to use change in the first place. What's the harm in leaving $72 when the bill's $71.88? Can a server not be trusted for a moment with an extra 12 cents?

I find coins so messy that I typically ignore them, even if it means I end up shouldering a portion of a table's bill. If a guest gives me three twenties to cover a $58.43 bill, I'll return $2 - knowing most guests will leave me both singles. While some of my fellow servers are far more punctilious, I still haven't figured out a good way to sort coins in my apron or rationalize the dead weight of a few rolls of dimes.

Continue reading What Can I Get You Folks? - Why Your Server Wants You to Keep the Change

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]]>CheckPleaseHannaRaskinrestaurant checkRestaurantChecktippingtipping with changeTippingWithChangetipswaitresswaitress storiesWaitressStoriesHanna Raskin2009-10-13T16:00:00+00:00The 8 Lamest Fast Food Kids' Toyshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/12/the-8-lamest-fast-food-kids-toys/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/12/the-8-lamest-fast-food-kids-toys/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/12/the-8-lamest-fast-food-kids-toys/#commentsFiled under: ,

lamest fast food toys
Photo: Breakmould, Flickr.
Fast food restaurants know where their bread is buttered -- with the kids! The chains have been using toys as little-kid bait for decades, and it's an effective tactic: Children have an adorable propensity for confusing junk for treasure, which is why kiddie meals can be the highlight of their day.

Most of these meals fall into two categories: interactive advertisements for recent blockbusters or beloved television shows, and lame.

We're focusing on the latter, those toys over the years that were uninspired, nonsensical, or just plain disappointing. Each of these so-called "collectibles" currently languishes in the corners of garages, the bottoms of landfills and in the remote, digital wastelands of eBay.

Continue reading The 8 Lamest Fast Food Kids' Toys

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]]>happy mealhappy meal toysHappyMealHappyMealToyskfckids meal toyskids mealsKidsMealsKidsMealToyslamemcdonaldssubwaytaco bellTacoBellwendysJohn Devore2009-10-12T16:00:00+00:00Ben's Chili Bowl Founder Ben Ali Dieshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/bens-chili-bowl-founder-dies/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/bens-chili-bowl-founder-dies/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/bens-chili-bowl-founder-dies/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

ben's chili bowl
Photo: Alicia Griffin/flickr
Ben Ali, the founder of Washington D.C.'s historic Ben's Chili Bowl, has died at the age of 82.

Ali founded the landmark eatery on U Street with his wife, Virginia, during the Eisenhower administration, and it's become a hangout for presidents -- President Obama visited on Jan. 10 -- and entertainers -- Bill Cosby, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Cosby was the only person to get a free meal at Ben's until Obama's election, when Ben's put up this sign in the window: "Who eats free at Ben's: _Bill Cosby _The Obama Family," the Associated Press reports.

The restaurant is renowned for its chili "half smokes" -- beef sausages larger than the average hot dog that are smothered in chili -- as well as its bowls of chili. The James Beard Foundation named Ben's Chili Bowl an "American Classic" in 2004. And the menu, Gourmet.com notes, isn't for the faint of heart. "Our chili will make a dog bark," it begins.

Continue reading Ben's Chili Bowl Founder Ben Ali Dies

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]]>ben aliBenAlibens chili bowlBensChiliBowlhalf smokesHalfSmokesjames beard foundationJamesBeardFoundationwashington dcWashingtonDcSara Bonisteel2009-10-08T14:30:00+00:00'Zagat New York City Restaurants 2010' Survey Releasedhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/zagat-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-survey-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/zagat-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-survey-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/zagat-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-survey-released/#commentsFiled under: , ,

zagat new york city restaurants 2010 survey
Photo: Zagat
On the heels of the release of the Michelin Guide's roundup of New York's best eateries, Zagat has unveiled its diner-chosen picks for the best of Gotham eats.

Zagat compiles its listings through surveys submitted by diners in New York. This year, the guide found New Yorkers dining out less because of the current economic climate (about 3.0 times per week now versus 3.3 to 3.4 times a week last year).

See the newcomers after the jump.

Continue reading 'Zagat New York City Restaurants 2010' Survey Released

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]]>new yorknew york cityNewYorkNewYorkCityzagatzagat restaurant surveyZagatRestaurantSurveySlashfood Editor2009-10-08T10:30:00+00:00Michelin Guide 'New York City Restaurants 2010' Releasedhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/06/michelin-guide-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/06/michelin-guide-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/06/michelin-guide-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-released/#commentsFiled under: , ,


michelin guide new york city
Photo: Michelin.
Michelin's "New York City Restaurants 2010" dining guide was released this week, bumping up Daniel Boulud's Daniel restaurant to three stars while stripping Mario Batali's Del Posto of a star.

Daniel is in small company in the three-star category of "exceptional cuisine and worth the journey." Masa, Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin also retained their three-star ratings.

Del Posto dropped from the two-star category ("excellent cooking and worth a detour") to one star ("a very good restaurant in its category").

Other restaurants that saw significant changes include the Italian restaurant Alto, with a bump up to two stars and Corton, which also won a double star.

What do you think of guidebook ratings? Let us know in the comments below.
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]]>altocortondanieldel postoDelPostojean georgesJeanGeorgesmario bataliMarioBatalimichelinmichelin guidemichelin starsMichelinGuideMichelinStarsSara Bonisteel2009-10-06T13:00:00+00:00Chili's 'Baby Back' Jingle Returnshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/chilis-baby-back-jingle-returns/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/chilis-baby-back-jingle-returns/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/chilis-baby-back-jingle-returns/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chili's
Chili's, Photo: TheTruthAbout..., Flickr.
Just when you finally got that jingle out of your head. ...

Chili's Grill & Bar is reviving the old "I Want My Baby Back" ad campaign in an attempt to revive the chain's declining sales over the past year.

Along with the return of the deep-voiced chorus, the restaurant is emphasizing the "Welcome to Chili's!" front-door greeting by staff and changing the way it prepares its burgers and ribs. Rather than using the old mesquite flavoring, the ribs will be slow-smoked over pecan woodchips and the previously pre-formed hamburger patties will be hand-pressed on site. The ribs will be the same price, but the burgers will cost slightly more.

"In conjunction with bringing these new ribs and burgers in, we thought it would be appropriate to bring back the jingle." Danielle Smith, a Brinker International Inc. spokeswoman, told Slashfood. "To get the fans interested again because the jingle is iconic."

Continue reading Chili's 'Baby Back' Jingle Returns

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]]>baby back ribsBabyBackRibschilis grill barChilisGrillBari want my baby backIWantMyBabyBackSarah LeTrent2009-10-02T17:30:00+00:00Waiter Claims Firing Over Jane Adams Twitterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/waiter-claims-firing-over-jane-adams-twitter/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/waiter-claims-firing-over-jane-adams-twitter/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/waiter-claims-firing-over-jane-adams-twitter/#commentsFiled under:


jane adams
Jane Adams. Photo: Chuck Hodes, HBO.
A struggling actor is all a-Twitter claiming his celebrity-sighting Tweets cost him his job.

Jon-Barrett Ingels, 31, says he worked at Barney Greengrass, the cafe on the fifth floor of Barneys New York in Beverly Hills, Calif., and documented his celebrity encounters under the Twitter username, PapaBarrett. Ingels had dished about his on-the-job celeb encounters to his followers, with comments like "Thurs: Tori Spelling eats salami eggs and onions. BTW when did Tori become hot? Also Emilio Estevez looks like his dad," or, "Watched Neil Strauss (The Game) pick up girls and Mindy Kaling talking at a hungover BJ Novak (The Office). My work is not reality!"

But he tells Slashfood that his Twitter of an encounter with actress Jane Adams put an end to that job.

Continue reading Waiter Claims Firing Over Jane Adams Twitter

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]]>barney greengrassBarneyGreengrassfiringjane adamsJaneAdamspapa barrettPapaBarretttwitterwaiterSarah LeTrent2009-10-02T16:30:00+00:00What Can I Get You Folks? - Where Your Server Wenthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/30/what-can-i-get-you-folks-where-your-server-went/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/30/what-can-i-get-you-folks-where-your-server-went/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/30/what-can-i-get-you-folks-where-your-server-went/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: David Sifry, Flickr.
Just like heroic epics and Hollywood romances, server horror stories tend to unfold according to a very specific formula: Server meets guests. Guests like server. Server takes order. Server disappears.

While servers who spill coffee on their guests or forget to bring an extra fork are generally forgiven, there's no redemption for servers who vanish. Without their server in sight, guests feel neglected, trapped and exasperated by the entire eating-out experience. It's a rotten situation, which is why most diners who've posted here about terrible service have admitted to at some point wondering where their server went.

Assuming that question is sometimes posed sincerely, I offer here a few solutions to the Case of the Missing Server. Note that these explanations aren't excuses: Great servers don't go AWOL, ever. But there are many rational reasons, unapparent to guests, why servers can't be found. He or she just might be ...

1. Splitting checks. Here's one task that's become more laborious with the advent of computers. To prevent employee theft, most electronic point-of-sale systems are designed to make shifting guest tabs a tricky, multi-step process. Woe to the server who accidentally sticks Seat 3's fried wonton app on Seat 4's bill: On some popular systems, such an error can only be corrected by recombining the entire check and starting over. Creating six separate checks -- and gathering up six pens for signing them -- can take a server off the floor for up to five minutes (which, to a guest waiting for an iced tea refill, feels like an hour).

Continue reading What Can I Get You Folks? - Where Your Server Went

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]]>featuredhannaraskinrestaurant etiquetteRestaurantEtiquetterestaurantswaitressHanna Raskin2009-09-30T16:00:00+00:00