Looking for delicious, quick, easy recipes? Look no further. Click here.
Posts with tag waitressing

What Can I Get You Folks? - The Clean Plate Club

Most every plate I clear looks pretty much the same: There's a typically a stain of sauce where the protein sat, a few unwanted onions shoved to the side and a spoonful or two of uneaten vegetables.

But over the course of an average evening, I'll usually encounter at least a half-dozen diners who have a very different sense of what it means to be done. These eaters -- and I'm using the term loosely here -- push back from the table after taking a few dainty bites. While every restaurant-goer is entitled to enjoy a meal in his or her own way, the under-attacked plate puts the server in a rather awkward spot.

Hard as it is for vocal diners to imagine, there are plenty of customers who are shy about saying their steak's overcooked or potato was served cold. Their untouched plates are very tactful cries for help, which is why I never whisk a still-full plate away without asking whether everything was OK.

The problem is, sometimes everything is OK, except that the diner has an eating disorder. Or was just dumped by the guy sitting across from her. Or sensed a case of swine flu coming on. Not only are guests understandably reluctant to talk about such things, they often seem to resent my posing the question.

Continue reading What Can I Get You Folks? - The Clean Plate Club

10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks

In September, Slashfood wrote about 10 Dirty Little Restaurant Secrets, those ways that restaurants cut corners to save a few dimes. Boy did you readers weigh in. We've culled 10 of the best reader-submitted restaurant tricks from the 468 comments left on the post.

Read on for Slashfood readers' horror stories -- from nibbled-upon entrees to doctored veal cutlets.

Continue reading 10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks

What Can I Get You Folks? - Diners and Their Allergies

Beware! Allergens abound at most eateries. Photo: Dan4th/ Flickr

Hanna Raskin's first waitressing job was at a small Greek diner in Michigan. In the 15 years since, she's worked at a chop suey joint in Mississippi, an exclusive Arizonan country club, a vegetarian eatery and an Irish pub. She currently picks up odd shifts at a seafood eatery in the North Carolina mountains, where she cracks crab legs for helpless tourists. This is the second in a series of posts.

My mother, who has a severe shellfish allergy, hasn't tasted seafood since the Eisenhower administration. Since she hasn't a clue whether crustaceans are salty, sweet or sour, she suspects they're lurking everywhere on the menu: "Now, does this cheesecake have any shellfish?" she'll ask her very patient server.

As a kid, I cringed at my mom's fastidiousness. Because really, who would put shrimp in granola? But with chefs now fusing ingredients at a breakneck pace and food allergies multiplying at an unprecedented rate, my mother isn't the only one asking. Twelve million Americans suffer from food allergies, and they're demanding that restaurants accommodate them.

Continue reading What Can I Get You Folks? - Diners and Their Allergies

You too can make Amy Sedaris' cupcakes

Amy SedarisThose of you who read our TV Squad blog know that I have an obsessive, unhealthy need to keep track of everything that Amy Sedaris is up to completely normal respect for Amy Sedaris' work. Not only is she independent, only taking the roles and working on stuff that she wants to work on, how many fairly well known celebrities do you know that still wait tables? (I also happen to find her very cute, but that's a different post for another day.)

And there's another reason to love her: she runs a small business out of her apartment, making cheeseballs and cupcakes for New York City bakeries and shops! Here's the recipe for her cupcakes, from the new issue of Venus magazine:

Amy Sedaris' Vanilla Cupcakes

In a large bowl, cream together:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups of sugar
Add in:
 2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Alternate:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups of milk
Stir until batter is smooth. Fill cups, bake in a preheated, 375F oven for 18-20 minutes.

For the frosting, whip together 1 box of confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup half and half, and 1 tsp pure vanilla until smooth and fluffy.

Tip of the Day

Your turkey may not be centerpiece of the Thanksgiving spread, if you follow our simple tips on scoring that holiday ham.

Slashfood Features


Seasons
Spring (74)
Summer (300)
Fall (277)
Winter (77)
What is it?
Beef (635)
Bread (83)
Candy (520)
Cheese (585)
Chocolate (838)
Comfort Food (808)
Condiments (265)
Dairy (567)
Eggs (321)
Fish (378)
Fruit (1064)
Grains (623)
Herbs (10)
Meat (359)
Nuts/seeds (318)
Organic (5)
Pork (405)
Poultry (465)
Rice (57)
Sandwiches (34)
Shellfish (192)
Soups/Salads (123)
Spices (322)
Sugar (434)
Tea (7)
Vegetables (1414)
Holidays
Christmas (135)
Easter (37)
Halloween (99)
Hanukkah (56)
Memorial Day (15)
Mother's Day (37)
New Year's (41)
Passover (11)
St. Patrick's Day (14)
Thanksgiving (212)
Valentine's Day (50)
News
Food Politics (4)
Bakeries (151)
Books (810)
Business (1287)
Celebrities (243)
Coffee shops (194)
Edible Gifts (39)
Farming (467)
Fast Food (386)
Food News (590)
Health & Medical (873)
How To (1434)
Lists (836)
Magazines (509)
New Products (1589)
Newspapers (1633)
On the Blogs (2522)
Raves & Reviews (1189)
Recipes (2498)
Restaurants (1474)
Science (742)
Site Announcements (186)
Stores & Shopping (1023)
Television/Film (738)
Trends (1440)
Vegetarian/Vegan (96)
Features
Cheese Course (74)
Diary of a Distiller (30)
Dining at Our Desks (8)
Festive Family Feasts (9)
Guilty Pleasures (83)
Quizzes (22)
Raising the Bar (23)
Taste Test (18)
The Hungry Bride (34)
The Skinny Chef (68)
Tinfoil Swan (26)
Tip of the Day (380)
Wild Edibles (22)
X Marks the Spot (1)
Back to School (14)
Cocktail Hour (133)
Cocktail Revolution (0)
Cookbook Spotlight (574)
Cooking Without a Recipe (5)
Culinary Kids (235)
Did you know? (459)
Fall Flavors (138)
Feast Your Eyes (411)
Food Gadgets (485)
Food Oddities (1044)
Food Porn  (892)
Food Quest (176)
Foodie Flicks (65)
Frugal Food (95)
Garden Party (28)
Hacking Food (109)
Happy Hour (212)
Head to Tail (44)
In Sixty Seconds (739)
Ingredient Spotlight (60)
Leftovers  (53)
Light Food (189)
Liquor Cabinet (186)
Our Bloggers (34)
Pop Food (146)
Pumpkin Day (12)
Real Kitchens (85)
Retro cookery (154)
Slashfood Ate (206)
Slashfood Talks (4)
Slow cooking (55)
Super Size Me (121)
The History of... (72)
What's On Tap? (44)
Wine of the Week (53)
YumSugar (55)
What Time Is It?
Breakfast (757)
Dessert (1372)
Dinner (1388)
Hors D'oeuvres (319)
Lunch (1041)
Snacks (1128)
Where Is It?
America (2663)
Europe (515)
France (178)
Italy (174)
Asia (552)
Australia (158)
British Isles (875)
Caribbean (38)
Central Africa (8)
East Coast (582)
Eastern Europe (45)
Islands (59)
Mediterranean (131)
Mexico (42)
Middle East (63)
Midwest Cities (232)
Midwest Rural (74)
New Zealand (63)
North America (95)
Northern Africa (21)
Northern Europe (66)
South Africa (36)
South America (101)
South Asia (125)
Southern States (307)
West Coast (938)
What are you doing?
Baking (833)
Barbecuing (112)
Boiling (130)
Braising (21)
Broiling (37)
Frying (190)
Grilling (212)
Microwaving (40)
Roasting (105)
Slow cooking (34)
Steaming (45)
Choices
Fairtrade (16)
Artisan Foods (163)
Local Eating (149)
Additives
Artificial Sugars (42)
High-fructose corn syrup (21)
MSG (7)
Trans Fats (58)
Libations
Hot chocolate (27)
Soda (175)
Spirits (425)
Beer (536)
Brandy (13)
Champagne (120)
Cocktails (474)
Coffee (420)
Gin (115)
Juice (126)
Liqueurs (81)
Non-alcoholic (27)
Rum (103)
Teas (185)
Tequila (23)
Vodka (164)
Water (90)
Whisky (119)
Wine (766)
Affairs
Celebrations (108)
Closings (14)
Festivals (89)
Holidays (307)
Openings (51)
Parties (246)
Tastings (163)

RESOURCES

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

 

Most Commented On (60 days)

Updates From

Sites We Love

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Also on AOL