jpschust

Just a head's up- the Reef reopened it's redone roof last night where it is legal to smoke (it's technically outdoors, though very tented in and with a great new heating system- you might still want a heavy sweater or jacket while they work out the kinks). Also, the John's Lockerstock 1981 (Rogue) came off the taps and the Brutal Black Bitter came on. Me, I'm still drinking the Allagash Dubbel and the regular DeKonik

Freakin expensive. I thought whole foods was expensive till I went to Yes in Adams Morgan.

Yech.Big bottle of smart water and about 3 handfulls of raw almonds.

I'm going to try to make a ton of grenadine not this weekend, but next weekend- if people want some I'll be happy to give some away.

I know that quote looks like it comes from Joe, but it comes from the study. Listen, if you can prove to me that wine, and not just grapes or grape juice produces the same effect I'm going to go drink it even more (though I'm going to bet that wine drank in excess will destroy your liver, eventually possibly causing serosis, far more than it's going to help you live longer). Additionally that line about competing financial interests strikes me as though this is a winemakers funded study, but I could be misreading that line.

ok I adore wine, and I drink too much of it probably, but I'd question the validity of this study if they only examined wine and didn't examine grapes in general or grape juice. Most of the wine health stories from the past seem to be debunked when people do the study using the same controls only using grape juice or raw grapes to get the same effects.

I think we're coming from two sides of a very thin coiin- in that we are both very close together for this. Basically all I'm saying is if you are going to go to this, realize that it's pricey and that the food isn't going to match the price, especially with the list of chefs attending this event.

Read the reviews of Bebo before you consider going there- a lot of us have had terrible experiences since then. I'm convinced unless this place gets its act together it's doomed.

have you ever made your own grenadine? it's among the easiest things to make in the spirits world and is so wonderful fresh.

Yes, even as a fundraiser I found this to be expensive. I'm not poo poo-ing the cause- it's a very worthy cause, and I've donated to it, but I'm just saying for an event being billed as an upscale food event it's very expensive for food that's just ok.

I agree, though that said, it was very expensive for what it was.

You know it kills me to write this, but I went last year and the food was just ok, certainly not great for the level of chefs there. It's a wonderful organization, so this year I just made a contribution and decided not to go.

No, but it's probably pretty low on the priority list for the restaurant.

I'm using Dino's private room in June for 16 or so people

Does Ray's The Classics have a private room? Haven't been there yet so I don't know.

In essence that's somewhat what we will be doing with what I'm looking at now, though we will be doing it in a unique way- the only costs we are looking to cover right now are some minor build out issues and space concerns. We will be doing a full build out for my new project. We're working on the business plan and are part way to financing as it is.

Robyn had one today- I'll ask her if she is willing to write something up for here.

I caught pieces of it, not the whole thing, but it is just like you said- it reminds me a lot of Top Chef.

basically the host is thrown into a random situation (on a train, on a boat, wherever) and has to prepare service for a ton of people at once using just what he's got around him. very very cool.

I'll bet that AmEx wouldn't stand up for you the way that I think you think they might. This is very common practice now at some of the more difficult to secure seat restaurants around the country, including minibar, moto and i want to say per se and french laundry as well.

OK, canadian hippie with your spelling Yes, I've done this- it works on the same pinciple as en papillote and it works on the grill, though setting aside my addiction to planking I'd actually use a plank for this- you are going to get just as much heat but you will hold off some of the direct flames that could potentially cause for uneven heating. So I'd use an alder or a cedar plank soaked for 12-24 hrs with the banana leaf wrapped fish on top of it.

nice red herring, but you raise points of emergency versus points of unneccesary choices. And in response to LaShanta, I never said that they couldn't operate smoothly, but suddently the seat at table 20 is more valuable to you than it was any other given day of the year (minus special holidays). I see no objection in having holiday pricing due to a higher demand. Also, if you had every seat filled every day your prices would surely rise (or should) to the point where you continue to maximize profit while keeping your customers happy. Plenty of even the most revered places in the country have taken exactly this approach (The French Laundry comes to mind)

Really? Nothing worse than that? Can't come up with anything worse than that?

Because it's not every other day? It's a day when a lot of people who don't normally go out all suddenly go out and the restaurant is slammed with significantly more business, enabling it to charge a higher price? I don't think it's low class, in fact I think it's a good business practice.

Firms are just way tighter now with their bonus structures since we just saw a ton of retroactive pay increases in the marketplace, and the bonus pool is the way to partnership. Regardless of all of this I think my point is made that it's not just as simple as it is often said to just make time or to change your life around. And Rahcel is still a twit.