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Recession and Restaurants


Waitman

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I found it interesting that Chef Giusti made kind of a big deal about having to do things now that many other chefs have been doing for a while - basically using every bit that can be used. Maybe that's got something to do with being part of a larger corporate structure rather than being an independent chef/owner. I guess Ray's shows the potential opportunities that can come from using every little bit - steak scraps become burgers!

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I found it interesting that Chef Giusti made kind of a big deal about having to do things now that many other chefs have been doing for a while - basically using every bit that can be used. Maybe that's got something to do with being part of a larger corporate structure rather than being an independent chef/owner. I guess Ray's shows the potential opportunities that can come from using every little bit - steak scraps become burgers!
The big, honking hunk of beef the size of a bowling ball that I watched Michael putting through his meat grinder one night wadn't no "steak scrap," y'all. This is mythologising to the nth degree.
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God. I'm ready to go waste some food myself after trying endlessly once again to copy and paste a link with Firefox here. Why I think it will work 'this time' when it didn't work 'last time' is beyond me, but anyway . . .

Here's what I'm trying to say:

Y'all might enjoy this story from the estimable GuardianUK on the topic.Here it is.

Thank you, Safari.

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The big, honking hunk of beef the size of a bowling ball that I watched Michael putting through his meat grinder one night wadn't no "steak scrap," y'all. This is mythologising to the nth degree.
Well, as we've seen around here, Mr. Landrum does have a way with words :P I just wrote what I heard in the story.

Regarding Cameron Perks, a very sad and upsetting story indeed. A quote in the story makes a good point about how few resources there are for middle-class business owners who are struggling - it must be a very scary time for many of them.

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Well, as we've seen around here, Mr. Landrum does have a way with words :P I just wrote what I heard in the story.

Regarding Cameron Perks, a very sad and upsetting story indeed. A quote in the story makes a good point about how few resources there are for middle-class business owners who are struggling - it must be a very scary time for many of them.

It's a very scary time for a lot of folks, but the vast majority of them don't deal with it by shooting up their friends and loved ones. Obviously, this character had to be severely unbalanced to begin with.

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You known I have to agree with Mr. Sietsema in that I have been seeing a lot of mediocre food lately. Has anyone else noticed this? With some exceptions (including most notably Trummer's on Main, Pizzeria Orso, Againn and La Carenquena) I have been eating at some places that normally I love and just haven't been feeling it, or I have tried some new places that just didn't whelm me at all. It really upsets me when this happens.

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You known I have to agree with Mr. Sietsema in that I have been seeing a lot of mediocre food lately. Has anyone else noticed this? With some exceptions (including most notably Trummer's on Main, Pizzeria Orso, Againn and La Carenquena) I have been eating at some places that normally I love and just haven't been feeling it, or I have tried some new places that just didn't whelm me at all. It really upsets me when this happens.

Despite experiencing less than stellar take out from Masala Art during the spring, we ordered some over the weekend and it was very good. rekindled our faith (and taste buds) in their take out.

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You known I have to agree with Mr. Sietsema in that I have been seeing a lot of mediocre food lately. Has anyone else noticed this? With some exceptions (including most notably Trummer's on Main, Pizzeria Orso, Againn and La Carenquena) I have been eating at some places that normally I love and just haven't been feeling it, or I have tried some new places that just didn't whelm me at all. It really upsets me when this happens.

Can you provide some examples of so-so meals you've had lately. I've been hitting up mostly mid-level places lately with no fine dining for quite some time, so I'm inclined to just be happy with what I get, ie: burgers, sandwiches...

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I haven't been eating out enough recently to attest to faltering quality, but I found Sietsema and others pointing to the economy as a possible reason to be questionable. While DC hasn't been untouched by the recession, it certainly has not suffered as badly as most other parts of the country. For instance, Portland, Oregon, has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, yet it's dining scene only seems to be improving (and he ranks it ahead of DC). In fact, all the cities he cited as better than DC have much worse unemployment rates. Of course, unemployment numbers aren't the only economic factors to consider, but the economy nevertheless seems to me to be a lame explanation for his complaint.

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Can you provide some examples of so-so meals you've had lately. I've been hitting up mostly mid-level places lately with no fine dining for quite some time, so I'm inclined to just be happy with what I get, ie: burgers, sandwiches...

Northside Social had a very boring meal not well prepared and it was just sandwiches, but not impressive at all. On that same note Lyon Hall (and my last trip to Liberty Tavern wasn't as good as normal, but that was about a month ago now I think).

Had a dinner at Siroc that was awful, Hubby's entree was better, but not exciting in any way and dessert wasn't even good, same with Zentan just boring nothing that really wowed me.

A pizza from Pupatella (which they are new so should get some slack).

Last time I went to Taqueria Poblano which is normally a place I really like it didn't seem as good either.

Sonoma too, although this could be because they took my favorite seafood dishes off the menu and I just haven't found anything I like quite as much yet (the cheese are charcuterie are still good).

Those are the more recent I can think of, it is just a trend I have been noticing that over the past months I have been eating more mediocre food (mostly at middle to high end places, but some not) than I had been in the past. I am trying to think of other places, but we eat so much and have been traveling so much I can't remember the others right now.

One of the most interesting meals I had lately was the Volt gazpacho dippin dots at the baseball game. It just seems that there is a lot of boring or mediocre going on. But you are right, I have noticed it more with more fine dining. There have also been a lot of safe menus out there. But I just wanted to see if anyone else had encountered this. Maybe I am just having a spell of bad luck or ordering wrong. I guess I should say that it's not that things have become absolutely awful, just I have been wowed less and less lately or have eaten fewer things that were very interesting or well put together recently. And that is something I felt like I encountered more often in the past.

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