Eric Ziebold

Elizabeth, I logged back on because I'm still scratching my head about your post..... The example you used of a food minimum, was it a tasting menu only restaurant, special event or something? I can't think of anyone other than maybe the old ESPN Sports Zone that wouldn't allow you to sit and watch the game in the comfy chairs unless you spent like $10 or something on food.

Most restaurants already are in the habit of offering some sort of "compensation" when they can't seat you at the time of your reservation, so I don't think the "being seated in a timely fashion" holds much of an argument. (I don't think anyone is going to debate there are a lot more free drinks given out than restaurants charging for people not showing up.) Sometimes a "free cocktail" is works, sometimes changing the timing of somebody's night could ruin it. But wouldn't this seem to make more of a case for securing reservations in some capacity? When I said earlier its sort of the case of "which came first the chicken or the egg" You hear a lot of people commenting on the amount of follow-up calls/emails etc... from restaurants in regard to their reservations. I pose this as a question: Is the taking of cc#'s, the follow up calls/emails the modern day equivalent of way overbooking a restaurant. To some degree the same way of tackling the same problem?

What if (queries about Paris and bottles going off in my head) there was some sort of universal reservation software/black list/rewards program etc.....(something else that to the dismay of Open Table they will probably never become. You earned points/lost points based on your reservation history. So when Waitman calls up to make a reservation I can see that he's rated 5* with an amazing 495 out of 496 reservations completed. Probably wouldn't need to waste my time extrapolating a lot of needless information from him. (may need to update profile about aversion to screwtop wine, although I'm going to have Andy address that next time you're in. Which had better be soon now knowing that you went to Marcel's recently.....)

While I agree that most people are going to be put off by the contract of booking a reservation, is it in part because that is something that would be new, different, and a change in the standard routine? Years down the road would it possibly become an accepted part of the practice? While, I don't think it'll ever happen as I said upthread, I think acceptance and managing the process are the 2 biggest hurdles. I don't think it would work with a constant emailing/scanning/faxing of documents, its just way to laborious. If it did/was standard practice then the assumption or when asked for a credit card would no longer be a personal affront of your moral character. Since people are citing personal experiences then I'll throw this into the mix. We do a wine event that sells out in 45 minutes. Weeks later at the time of the event we get the call for cancellation. Why try and book the now vacant seats to no avail and can't. So what should we do assume next time that people calling to book the event are deadbeats? Raise the price from $95 and make the people that show up pay for the people that don't? We could always stop doing the event, but then the people that did come and have a really fun time last night are still the ones that lose out. I also, understand how annoying the email confirmations and call backs to confirm your reservation can be. I would love to not have to pay somebody to perform said task. There's a reason why restaurants are paying somebody to try and follow up to make sure that you're going to come to your reservation. The belief is that you're protecting more revenue than payroll you're spending. And that sort of takes me back to my initial point, what if we didn't have to waste money calling to make sure people were going to show up for their reservation? Would we have more resources to make your evening at the restaurant better. (which in some cases may be getting the fire alarm turned off faster)

The wife says "with what ifs you could put Paris in a bottle." Usually she only confuses me when she speaks in French.....

I can now confirm that it is still listed on the website, although when I clicked print my receipt it froze my computer so I guess I'll see if it actually shows up. Additionally, if you're interested in a great Johnny Apple article I would encourage you to read Americana, Salted, Smoked, and Sliced Thin, the article he wrote for the NY Times on VA Ham. (If I knew how to paste the link I would, instead you'll have to google Darden Country Store NY Times and it will come up) It's a great, great article/story. On a tangent I'm a huge fan of the Darden Ham, we recently raffled one off in Sou'Wester but that's a much different story.

To Waitman's point somewhere upthread, yes all business take risks. Hence the reason for outlandish wine mark-ups etc...I think what's being debated here is whether or not restaurants are taking too much of the risk. To the point of ticket sales, and resale. (for restaurants that have gone or may go to that.) Of course tickets should be allowed to be resold, but of course it would only be good for the timeframe that you bought it for. So the only question I would ask, is would the ticket model cause you to begin the process of selling your ticket on ebay earlier than you would just call a restaurant to cancel. One would assume you may have a challenge selling a ticket on ebay that essentially expires in an hour...... We ask for cc#'s, and we ask for a signed contract on tables of 6 or more. The amount of times we've charged someone in 7+ years, probably twice. The amount of times we've bitten the bullet, too many to count. Personally, I don't think the point will come in my lifetime that even a noticeable minority of restaurants will take contract info. on all reservations, it's too prohibitive, too time consuming, and would be way too expensive. But I don't think that me trying to find a way of mitigating my risk would rule me out of the hospitality industry. It's pretty hard to clear, mark, serve food, and cook food for someone that decided to go to one of the other restaurants that they booked reservations at. In fact the question I would ask, and the reason I think some people here are in favor of some restaurants reservations contracts, is that would I be able to give you a better experience if I was able to mitigate some of my risk? Would I be able to provide better hospitality, (with less of an outlandish wine mark-up) for the people that actually showed up for their reservation? All of the arguments are a little bit the chicken and the egg issue. Unlike airlines, doctors, and even hotels, there is way too much competition within restaurants for their ever to be a standard practice of reservation contracts for all reservations, in my opinion. But what if......

(please note above disclaimer pertaining to technical shortcomings in the internet age....) Waitman, to start with, I'm super confused as to why you're ordering terrible wine??? If you're considering all wine terrible then of course you would consider the mark-up outlandish. To your question of restaurants claiming to be in the hospitality business as opposed to industrial provision experience I'll respond in my more serious post.

(since I don't know how to quote somebody I'm going to have to respond in a tedious manner. sorry) In answer to Heather's question, you can't really do much without a signed contract. Asking for a cc# is merely crossing your fingers and hoping that you're weeding out the people that make multiple reservations. (unfortunately, said people have probably realized at this point that it is merely an illusion....this pending penalty) You need something signed, hence the reason that most restaurants (us included) only go through the paperwork process for what that restaurant would consider a large group. I'm guessing that everyone else (hotels, operas, airlines etc....) get around this in the disclaimer portion of the online process that I know I personally click on without ever reading. --- [Eric, to quote a post, click on "Quote" on the bottom-right of that post, and it will magically appear in the box. Then, begin typing right underneath it, preferably using one blank line for readability. It should be obvious.] Edited by DonRocks, A minute ago.

I would be of the opinion that it is time to shut this thread down. When I read the first couple of posts I thought the thread may evolve into something interesting, however for me it has regressed into something that is pretty heavy, and at this point tiresome. The 2 points that I wished to continue reading about were how fast should a chef/business expand, and the importance/or not of authenticty. I thought both of those tangents really had potential to evolve into something thought provoking. Unfortunately, that's not what we've focused on, so Don, if you can maybe split that into 2 separate threads I would probably enjoy continuing to read people's opinions. For me this topic, as it stands now, I'm done with. To the spirit of the initial idea that I thought the topic was I would add this. Yes, Mike and Co. would seem to be expanding very fast. I think this says more about the times we live in than it does anything else. As I'm typing this I'm thinking about the masses of people in Georgetown, and the dining options that exist there. Based on the success of Grafiato, and the overall level of execution there I think they will add something to the Georgetown scene in a positive way. So why would they not expand?

I would suggest that next time you auction information like that off.

and I have a glass of champagne for you as well

I have a glass of champagne for you at CityZen

I have an immediate opening for a Chef de Partie to work with me at CityZen. In particular, I'm looking for a talented line cook who has the ability to work our meat station. Here's what I can offer you: * Salary of $35-40K, commensurate with experience * 5 nights a week, dinner only. Yes, that means 2 days off in a row, every week. * Paid vacation and paid holidays. * Full health care. If you've got chops, and want to raise your career to the next level, then please write me directly at eziebold@mohg.com Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you, Eric Ziebold

I will readily admit that I've tasted RdV specifically because of your article.

We're looking for a chef de partie, available to work nights, Tuesday through Saturday. We have some flexibility with placement in the kitchen based upon experience, but are really looking for someone with more experience than less. If you're interested in finding out more contact me at: eziebold@mohg.com or in the kitchen at (202)787-6600

The very short answer is we're not changing the bar menu anytime soon. (other than the dishes which change as the menu changes.) Hopefully, knowing that wont stop anyone that was planning on coming in, but I have this memory from my childhood of these furniture stores that would post "going out of business clearance sale" for years, and didn't think it would be right for anyone to rush in under false pretense. The long answer has to do with changing the dining room menu from 3 courses to 4 courses, always trying to improve etc.... We're not going to change anything until we're convinced that what we would change is better than what we're currently doing. We're not at that point.

Maybe you can take a deep breath and decompress now.

On Monday, April 18, we're hosting a fundraising event at CityZen. Tickets are $250 ($175 is tax deductible) and all of the proceeds are going to Relief International to help fund their effort to aid people in Japan. You can find the webpage at www.ri.org/cityzen if you'd like to purchase tickets or to simply make a donation. The event will be at CityZen from 6-8 PM. It will be a standing reception as opposed to a seated dinner. We've tried to invite all of Washington's best Japanese restaurants, Kaz Sushi Bistro, Kushi, Sushi Taro, Tako Grill and Matuba have all agreed to have food stations in the restaurant as as well Corduroy, my sous chef Makoto Hamamura and another of my cooks Hiroyuki Yamashita. CityZen and Agraria will be providing passed canapés and passed dessert canapés. If you'd like any more information on the event please don't hesitate to contact me directly at EZiebold@mohg.com Thank you, Eric

When you mention respectable resume, I assume you're talking about the part where it talks about his stage with Ron Tanaka former Sous Chef of Michael Richards Central? Remember that game you played as a child where you had to see how many things you could find wrong in a picture?

Cook position available, looking for the right person. Must be willing to work around the restaurants schedule (we're closed Sunday/Monday) and be available for AM and PM shifts. Send resumes to EZiebold@mohg.com

I'm glad that you enjoyed your last menu at CityZen, but yes we are well into our transition to the next menu. It seems this year the weather turned pretty fast. The vegetarian tasting finished its makeover two nights ago. The last dish left on the tasting menu will be changing on Tuesday, and the prix fixe menu should be turned over by the end of the week pending availability of a couple of products. In theory the new menu should be up on the website by the end of next week. If I knew how to attach something here I would include a link but my IT ability is still in the mid-'90's, but you can email me if you'd like to see the menu prior to making a reservation. EZiebold@mohg.com Eric

I can believe that David Lankford is Cathal’s “biggest inspiration.” I can also imagine David walking through the back door of Restaurant Eve with boxes full of amazing produce and how it might feel like on Christmas morning as you sort through all of the boxes to see what he brought. It could make David seem like Santa Claus. I completely understand how a chef can have relationships with his purveyors that would give him “a menu long on the bounties of the Shenandoah Valley.” I think that saying “only two locally produced bottles [of wine] make the cut” confuses two very different issues. It’s about relationships. Cathal introduced me to David Lankford years ago. A few years later, I was at a Chef’s Club meeting when Cathal made the pitch to try and raise money to help David build his farm up. I’ve seen some of the vegetables that David brings to Cathal, and I’ve been so impressed by some of what I’ve seen that I might even use the word “jealous.” And yes, I have a relationship with Cathal, so maybe I can trumpet his good virtues in the same way that he trumpets the good virtues of the people that supply Restaurant Eve. Why do you do this? Because you want to support the people you’ve worked hard to develop relationships with – because over time, these people have become your friends. I have too many issues with the self-serving manner the article was written in to go into it point by point, so I choose to focus on the relationship aspect of running a restaurant, choosing purveyors, and choosing wines. We’ve tried to reach out unsuccessfully to the Virginia wine community. The very first time was when we started doing Sundays at CityZen. I asked our sommelier to contact all of the local wineries to see if anyone would be willing to work with us on pricing. The events were $125/person inclusive of food, wine, tax, and gratuity. We weren’t looking for free giveaways, but we were looking for someone that wanted to partner with us - we wanted them to be there as well. We didn’t find ANY local wineries that were interested. Most recently we began working on a Sou’Wester Cuvée, thinking that would be a great way to bring in the local wine community. We found a great winery to partner with, but we had to commit to purchasing 300 cases of that particular wine. If I have the choice of buying corn from two different farmers, I’ll buy from the one that I know is going to support me. If there is a company that requires a minimum for delivery that is more than I can spend, then I don’t order from them. For a number of reasons, I think it’s easier for chefs to develop relationships with farmers than with winemakers. It hasn’t been easy for us to cultivate local wine relationships, but we are still working on it - we’re actually getting close to having a new deal with a local winery - we just need to figure out how to support each other because it takes two to have a relationship. Some people are going to read my post and retort by asking if I really have a relationship with all of the wineries on our list. The answer is no, which brings us to a completely new issue. But with the farms we feature, I do, and that’s why they’re listed prominently on our menu. It’s not because it’s the popular thing to do, and its not to get in an article that’s being published. Peter Jacobsen is a huge inspiration for me, and now I don’t even get to use his products because I’m not in California anymore. I simply dont believe its right that you can be inspired by a local farmer, and then be publicly chastised for not featuring “enough” wines from the same region that farmer lives in. Eric Ziebold

On Father's Day, Sunday, June 20th, our series of Summer Lawn Parties continues with two outdoor events on the Lawn of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We thought we would stereotype a little bit and say that all men like to grill in the summer! I will be starting the two events (one starts at 11:30am and the second one starts at 6:00pm) with a cooking demonstration on grilling techniques focusing on meats (steak and sausages) and vegetables. After each grilling demonstration, a casual lunch or dinner will follow on the Lawn. Picture long tables, communal seating and family-style platters as well as grilled meats, seafood and vegetables from our Chef's stations. For the dinner event, we have also arranged for a bluegrass band to play. The lunch event is priced at $75 per guest inclusive of food and beverages. The dinner event is priced at $75 per guest inclusive of food and entertainment but exclusive of beverages. We hope you can join us and celebrate Father's Day with us. For reservations, please write or call Celia Laurent at claurent@mohg.com or 202-787-6068. Eric Ziebold

I'm looking to hire 2 cooks for our kitchen. It could end up being morning or a service position pending qualifications. I also have some flexibility in the kitchen to hire 2 savory or 1 savory 1 pastry. So if anyone has any interest email me a resume to EZiebold@mohg.com Eric Ziebold Chef, CityZen