"Today's Specials Are ..." Followed By A Recitation Of Twenty Things

[Choirgirl21]

One problem with Bistro Provence is that they do not recite the prices of the specials. I was very tempted with the turbot, but had no idea about the price. The Lobster Pockets with Sauternes sauce were indeed there, as a special, but no price was recited, so I didn't commit. Also, no prices were mentioned about the wines by the glass, despite me asking for a list; they merely recited a list of varietals by the glass that they were offering, without naming the price per glass. As it turns out, all wines by the glass are $13-15, so as long as you know that in advance, you won't get yourself into trouble there. The dinner specials, I wasn't as confident about. This is absolutely the exact same problem that Al Tiramisu has.

Hmm, this makes me wonder, is there a thread about specials lists somewhere on this board? I am sure there are people who love hearing the specials recited because it's traditional or makes them feel like they're getting very special service or it's environmentally friendly, but I'd love to see it done away with. I inevitably don't hear everything because the server isn't speaking clearly, or is speaking too fast, or it's too loud and I have to ask them to repeat themselves and if there's more than one or too I'm left scrambling to remember them, or me and my dining companions are trying to piece together what we heard after the server leaves the table. And that doesn't even include your issue Don about prices being given. Just print a specials page and hand it to me or put it on my table please!

Feel free to move this to another thread if you feel it's appropriate.

[Ericandblueboy]

I print and review alot of documents at work, and then I throw them in the recycling bin. Prints are convenient but there's a downside to printing as well.

[DonRocks]

I print and review alot of documents at work, and then I throw them in the recycling bin. Prints are convenient but there's a downside to printing as well.

Some place ought to try this on Etch-a-Sketch.

[cheezepowder]

...Just print a specials page and hand it to me or put it on my table please!

I wholeheartedly agree! I'm still trying to process the first special the server recites but he/she has moved on to the other specials. The side dishes also are a deciding factor if I'm torn between multiple dishes, but the server recites the specials too quickly for me to catch and remember all the details. What I should do is ask the server to slow down and repeat the specials - I wonder if that will encourage servers to tell the restaurant to print them.

Another pet peeve of mine is that the server often tells me the specials when he/she is at the table to take my order - by then, I've already decided what I want based on the menu. If a special sounds good, I end up having to make a rushed decision to nix what I've already chosen.

[DonRocks]

I wholeheartedly agree! I'm still trying to process the first special the server recites but he/she has moved on to the other specials. The side dishes also are a deciding factor if I'm torn between multiple dishes, but the server recites the specials too quickly for me to catch and remember all the details. What I should do is ask the server to slow down and repeat the specials - I wonder if that will encourage servers to tell the restaurant to print them.

Another pet peeve of mine is that the server often tells me the specials when he/she is at the table to take my order - by then, I've already decided what I want based on the menu. If a special sounds good, I end up having to make a rushed decision to nix what I've already chosen.

Even when servers deliver a dish, and recite what's on the plate, they need to s-l--o---w .... d----o-----w------nnn. It is only in recent years when I've become "on guard" enough to know what's coming, and steel myself for the onslaught. Even then, I find myself asking them to repeat certain things about half the time. I really *do* want to know, but at full speed, it's impossible. To servers' credit I've never met a single server who had a problem with repeating themselves - they know it's hard, too. They have to know.

[Escoffier]

Now you know timeismoney! Notimetospeakclearlyandslowly,gottagettothatnexttable. So, what'll you have?

[johnb]

I have noticed that, for me, this problem has greatly increased in recent years, and while it is probably true that more restaurants are reciting more and more complex specials, I attribute the problem in part at least to my own decline in hearing and, yes, processing ability. Isn't getting old fun!

[porcupine]

Even when servers deliver a dish, and recite what's on the plate, they need to s-l--o---w .... d----o-----w------nnn.

Or they have to knock it off. This practice drives me nuts. I know what's on the plate, I ordered it, right?

[Choirgirl21]

Or they have to knock it off. This practice drives me nuts. I know what's on the plate, I ordered it, right?

Actually in a lot of fine dining situations I don't think that's the case and those are the places where I feel the servers actually do this. Suna is a good if extreme example. You had a clue what the components were based on the menu, but you certainly needed the explanation. And yes, that was another situation where my companion and I were left muttering to each other, "Now, what was this component, did he say it was ___?" "No, I think he said it was ___." "Oh yes, and this is the ____ that he mentioned" and so on.

And yes Johnb, my ability to process is probably a large part of the problem, but nothing to do with my age, I've always sucked at it.

Bottom line, I agree with Don that if you're going to recite something, you need to SLOW DOWN. And speak loudly. And enunciate.

[jayandstacey]

What is the consensus or market research on non-paper menus, like iPads/tablets?

I know it isn't traditional, and the server would still very much have a job to do. But a tablet with menu items, specials and details for each (key ingredients, maybe even pictures) might be nice.

Is the cost of a dropped/broken tablet the inhibitor here? Do diners hate the concept? Any experience with such an approach?

[DonRocks]

What is the consensus or market research on non-paper menus, like iPads/tablets?

I know it isn't traditional, and the server would still very much have a job to do. But a tablet with menu items, specials and details for each (key ingredients, maybe even pictures) might be nice.

Is the cost of a dropped/broken tablet the inhibitor here? Do diners hate the concept? Any experience with such an approach?

I hate the concept of an iPad menu as much as I hate the thought of reading a book on a Kindle.

[jayandstacey]

I have noticed that, for me, this problem has greatly increased in recent years, and while it is probably true that more restaurants are reciting more and more complex specials, I attribute the problem in part at least to my own decline in hearing and, yes, processing ability. Isn't getting old fun!

The hearing thing was my thought. Bill Clinton had this - over time, some lose the abililty to hear higher frequencies - which then makes it harder to pick a voice out of a noisy situation like a restaurant, where there are many competing sounds and many in the same frequency ranges.

In certain situations, I resort to

. I also then (unfortunately) find myself avoiding such situations.

[jayandstacey]

I hate the concept of an iPad menu as much as I hate the thought of reading a book on a Kindle.

Fair enough. Then your specials will be recited at a speed of the reciter's choice.

Nanny-nanny-boo-boo!

[DonRocks]

Fair enough. Then your specials will be recited at a speed of the reciter's choice.

Nanny-nanny-boo-boo!

Which they were, the other night, at Bistro Provence, and I ordered the Roast Chicken because I didn't remember a single word.

[Josh Radigan]

I also believe a contributing factor to the recital of specials is the fact that too much information gets lost in translation. Unless the customer has an allergy issue that they most likely would bring to a servers attention (ahem, Ahem)I think the idea of listing every single ingredient including all the spices and what not carries too far. As well I still think restaurants should focus on what they already have existing on the menu and limit special items. Its hard enough to do 8- 10 entrees consistently, why add two more.

[The Hersch]

I have noticed that, for me, this problem has greatly increased in recent years, and while it is probably true that more restaurants are reciting more and more complex specials, I attribute the problem in part at least to my own decline in hearing and, yes, processing ability. Isn't getting old fun!

But this should have gone away completely when every restaurant in the civilized world started having a PC and a printer. There's just no excuse for it any more. I think in some (or maybe many) cases it's a cynical, bush-league attempt by restaurants to sucker their customers into ordering things that are way more expensive than their customers expect, and most of us don't like to be played for suckers. In my observation, in restaurants where a string of specials is recited by the server, they give the prices without being asked about ten percent of the time. It is a totally sucky and inexcusable system in 2013. I think every time we encounter this we should complain about it to the server and to the management. Is there a single, solitary diner anywhere who likes this system? I doubt it. So why should we put up with it?

[lovehockey]

The thought that most often runs through my head after the 3rd dish or so is "How many specials do you need to have?"

[DonRocks]

As well I still think restaurants should focus on what they already have existing on the menu and limit special items. Its hard enough to do 8- 10 entrees consistently, why add two more.

You know the answer to this, Josh. Because their suppliers (in theory) had something on sale that day, or an overabundance of something, etc.

[darkstar965]

Some place ought to try this on Etch-a-Sketch.

An iPad can work imho. Hate it or love it, it does seem the likely future. Like that restaurant (whose name escapes me) that was the uberexpensive, fantasmic buildout in the Hilton out Tyson's way was (maybe still is?) doing with their wine list.

[Anna Phor]

What is the consensus or market research on non-paper menus, like iPads/tablets?

I know it isn't traditional, and the server would still very much have a job to do. But a tablet with menu items, specials and details for each (key ingredients, maybe even pictures) might be nice.

Is the cost of a dropped/broken tablet the inhibitor here? Do diners hate the concept? Any experience with such an approach?

There's always the analog version--the chalkboard.

[johnb]

There's always the analog version--the chalkboard.

Given a choice, I'll take the iPad. The chalkboard is nearly always too hard to read, either because I can't see it from my seat, or because even if I can see it the contents are so cluttered/badly written/written-too-small/so-far-away that it's no help. Sometimes I try to look at it before I sit down and figure out what might be worth ordering, but then I look at the menu and forget what I decided. C'mon all you Luddites -- if an old guy like me can get used to using the iPad, anybody can. This is 2013 after all!

[monavano]

What bugs me about reciting specials is rarely does the server tell you the price, and I feel cheap asking, but I do because my experience has been that the specials run on the higher price point end.

[Mark Dedrick]

One of the many things I have always appreciated about Cafe Montmartre, for all of the reasons listed above, is that they always recite the specials relatively slowly, and 100% of the time they list the price.

[jayandstacey]

I have a simple rule that's never failed - if the server doesn't tell me the price of a special when presented verbally, I won't order a special. I won't ask for the price either...it just isn't 'there' from my perspective, no matter how much breath they waste. I don't make a thing of it - I just don't order from that list of dishes.

Imagine they came over to review the specials and just said the price and nothing else. "Today we have the $18.95 special, the $14.50 special and a very nice $16.00 special." I just wouldn't bother getting into it - if they can't bother to tell me the simple facts (food and price) about the special, then I'm not going to dig for them. I feel the same way when just the dishes are listed but with no price...either verbally or on the menu.

[DonRocks]

I have a simple rule that's never failed - if the server doesn't tell me the price of a special when presented verbally, I won't order a special. I won't ask for the price either...it just isn't 'there' from my perspective, no matter how much breath they waste. I don't make a thing of it - I just don't order from that list of dishes.

I'm pretty much with you on this - unless it's *really* tantalizing, I don't even bother asking the price, and ignore the special. Asking makes me feel cheap and I don't think I should have to.

One good way to announce them is to say "We have three appetizers and two entrees as specials tonight" so you know what's coming.

[monavano]

I give in when the specials sound really delicious.

[jayandstacey]

Given a choice, I'll take the iPad. The chalkboard is nearly always too hard to read, either because I can't see it from my seat, or because even if I can see it the contents are so cluttered/badly written/written-too-small/so-far-away that it's no help. Sometimes I try to look at it before I sit down and figure out what might be worth ordering, but then I look at the menu and forget what I decided. C'mon all you Luddites -- if an old guy like me can get used to using the iPad, anybody can. This is 2013 after all!

I envision a bright, warm, sunny day when ipads are used for menus.

It would work like this: The waitperson instroduces themselves and hands everyone their ipad menu. Intructions are given (if needed) and any highlights are mentioned. Then the waitperson gives everyone a chance to review and choose. There will be options to filter (or indicate) allergies or preferences, and to get more details about dishes, as much as the restaurant is willing to share.

At a pre-set time, maybe based on the size of the table and the type of restaurant, the wait person will come back and ask if people have questions or need help deciding. The guests have the normal amount of time, as needed, to decide.

Once the last person at the table decides, the wait person is alerted and goes to the table to review the order and collect the menus. Meanwhile, the order is already in the kitchen, the waitperson is just confirming choices, checking for any last minute changes and sees an alert if someone (for instance) didn't order an entree or ordered 3.

Is the paper system broken? No but this system could fix a few minor bugs in the "analog" method:

- It allows each person to make a choice and then put the menu down for good. There's no forgetting the appetizer or opening the menu back up to remember the exact name of the dish.

- it reduces wait person error - missing items or getting them wrong

- It ensures a consistent approach to allergies or food preferences.

- specials are handled better (as virtually everyone has said here)

- most importantly, it eliminates the wait between the time when everyone is ready to order and when the wait person actually comes over to take that order. Not every restaurant is a rush, but...this is maybe the most frustrating 'down' time of the evening. Once the last person finalizes their order, the table knows their order is "in" and the wait person coming to visit is just checking in.

Note that the wait person is still involved at every step and a key part of success. The tablet becomes a tool to help them do their job better, more successfully each time.

Probably not in my lifetime...right?

[ktmoomau]

When I was in Paris I appreciated the iPad menu it had pictures which although I speak French was very helpful for both me and my Momma.

[darkstar965]

Unless specials sound uninteresting in substance, I have no problem asking for prices when not given. Takes but a second. It's a game. Restaurants that procedurally don't offer specials pricing proactively do so for obvious reasons with the expectation that some percentage of diners (including some above clearly) will be too put off or shamed to ask. My view: Why not ask when necessary if interested? So I do. And, I'll interrupt politely if it runs on too long. Zero reason to worry about that imho. Be courteous and respectful of course. But, within that basic constraint, do what you need to do to ensure you get whatever value you seek.

[saf]

I hate the thought of reading a book on a Kindle.

I used to feel that way.

I have an iPad to read on now. My reading vision has gone bad enough that it's hard to read regular books.

(No, I am not even 50 yet. I am just very nearsighted. I can read with contacts and reading glasses, but am too nearsighted to read without any glasses and hate my bifocals.)

[saf]

There's always the analog version--the chalkboard.

Once I went to a restaurant in Paris that had the menu on a chalkboard set on an easel. They brought it to the table when you were seated.

If someone else was reading it, you had to wait.

Food was REALLY good.

[DonRocks]

Once I went to a restaurant in Paris that had the menu on a chalkboard set on an easel. They brought it to the table when you were seated.

If someone else was reading it, you had to wait.

Food was REALLY good.

This is not unlike Pesce (used to be?)

[ktmoomau]

Once I went to a restaurant in Paris that had the menu on a chalkboard set on an easel. They brought it to the table when you were seated.

If someone else was reading it, you had to wait.

Food was REALLY good.

Was it up by the flea market? If so, I was there too.

[Sthitch]

The hearing thing was my thought. Bill Clinton had this - over time, some lose the abililty to hear higher frequencies - which then makes it harder to pick a voice out of a noisy situation like a restaurant, where there are many competing sounds and many in the same frequency ranges.

In certain situations, I resort to

. I also then (unfortunately) find myself avoiding such situations.

Many of the current generation of hearing aids can modulate the sounds in such a way that they convert frequencies that you cannot hear into a range that you can hear - I am sure that it would sound distorted to people that have been able to hear those frequencies in the past, but it is better than the alternative.

I am not sure that reading lips is a good solution for most people, I find that most people that have not been lip reading all of their lives try to use it in place of hearing instead of as a compliment to hearing. Lip reading it is really best used as one of many tools to provide clues that will help to fill the fragments of sound that are missed. I really requires a different way of hearing and one that I do not recommend becoming familiar with as it is utterly exhausting and you still end up asking people to repeat themselves – technology is a much better option.

[saf]

Was it up by the flea market? If so, I was there too.

The one AT the flea market, with the accordion playing singer? That wasn't the one I was thinking of, but I remember that one too.

[Escoffier]

Was it up by the flea market? If so, I was there too.

Do you know how many flea markets (and street markets, and impromptu markets, and wine markets) there are in Paris? Every neighborhood has one. . One of our favorites is in the 1er arondissment close to L'huître seafood restaurant. (Which is down the street from Lapin which for some reason serves a lot of rabbit dishes).

[jayandstacey]

I am not sure that reading lips is a good solution for most people, I find that most people that have not been lip reading all of their lives try to use it in place of hearing instead of as a compliment to hearing. Lip reading it is really best used as one of many tools to provide clues that will help to fill the fragments of sound that are missed. I really requires a different way of hearing and one that I do not recommend becoming familiar with as it is utterly exhausting and you still end up asking people to repeat themselves – technology is a much better option.

Agree 100% - I really can't lip read. Watching someone's mouth might help with a word that my ears miss. Maybe.

In reality, I find myself in situations where I just don't talk to others. Unfortunately, they tend to be situations where the problem is that...everyone's talking. The issue is that I'm not at such events often, and thus I never think about doing anything about it until after I leave frustrated and wondering what I agreed to by nodding like a bobblehead.

[jayandstacey]

I used to feel that way.

I have an iPad to read on now. My reading vision has gone bad enough that it's hard to read regular books.

(No, I am not even 50 yet. I am just very nearsighted. I can read with contacts and reading glasses, but am too nearsighted to read without any glasses and hate my bifocals.)

You mean farsighted? (nearsighted means you can see near things OK, right?_

I'm not 50 yet either but had cataract surgery last summer. They replace your lenses inside your eyes - unlike lasik, which shaves the surface, you actually get to pick what kind of eyeballs you want.

I'd been nearsighted all my life, wearing glasses for everything but reading. I had the choice - do I want to see far, medium or near? I chose far for one eye and medium for the other - and wear reading glasses now. It sounds odd but my brain handles it just fine.

The oddest thing happened during the time where my eye surgeries were about 3 weeks apart. So for 3 weeks I had one new eye and one old eye. They saw different colors! My old eye saw in sepia tones while my new eye was much bluer and brighter. Maybe that was the cataracts - but the sepia was in the entire field of view.

Very weird to experience and I REALLY appreciate my vision now, and the doctor/technology that gave me new eyeballs.

[MC Horoscope]

This was the MO for Cesco in Bethesda on Cordell before they moved. More nightly specials than items on the regular menu. Kinda hard to follow, but love the waiters for going through it!

[deangold]

We print out menus almost daily. We rarely have a verbal special, usually its when we only have one or two of something left at the start of the night and I don't want to kill even more trees by reprinting the next night. But most nights we don't. And people ask, "Do you have any specials tonight?" And we tell them that we just printed the menu today and everything is on it, they sometimes look so disappointed.

[dcs]

When I was growing up we used to go to a restaurant in Manhattan that took this to the opposite extreme. I think the name of the place was Lino's, but it is no longer there. It was a relatively upscale Italian place that had no menu and they recited no specials. As I recall, you basically told the waiter what you were in the mood for and he made suggestions and you pieced together your meal. Since my parents paid I have no idea how this was priced. Then again, it was so long ago maybe I just dreamed this. We did go multiple times, however, since this was a regular stop before attending the Millrose Games at the Garden. So maybe it is true. I do remember my young self polishing off some type of chicken dish to a crumb and sauce free plate and proclaiming to the waiter that he should send my compliments to the chef. This prompted a visit to our table by the chef and I believe resulted in some free drinks for my parents.

[KMango]

We print out menus almost daily. We rarely have a verbal special, usually its when we only have one or two of something left at the start of the night and I don't want to kill even more trees by reprinting the next night. But most nights we don't. And people ask, "Do you have any specials tonight?" And we tell them that we just printed the menu today and everything is on it, they sometimes look so disappointed.

<here comes the psychology>

Those diners are having a "sell it to me" moment. They want to hear something tantalizing, possibly privy only to the few who ask, and then be in a position to decline or accept the offer. The disappointment you see is the lost transaction of choice in the moment, or a loss of opportunity to be surprised and delighted. An intuitive server, when detecting such disappointment, would immediately point to something on the specials menu and say "not everybody knows this, but..." then point out something interesting and tantalizing about the dish. The verbal interaction here is key.

I am in the "Recite Me Not" camp for daily specials. It drives me completely batty when the server overrides my intention to have meaningful dialogue with my dining companion by performing a monologue of options and ingredients. Multiple servers chanting multiple specials only adds to the din in most venues. A half sheet of paper would prevent this auditory deluge and allow to me return to my conversation more quickly. The server could, and should, offer to recite the specials for anyone who wants verbal interaction, there will always be some tables who prefer it.

("Why Don't Most Restaurants Do This")

(a possible new thread name?)

(time will tell)

[jayandstacey]

<here comes the psychology>

Those diners are having a "sell it to me" moment. They want to hear something tantalizing, possibly privy only to the few who ask, and then be in a position to decline or accept the offer. The disappointment you see is the lost transaction of choice in the moment, or a loss of opportunity to be surprised and delighted. An intuitive server, when detecting such disappointment, would immediately point to something on the specials menu and say "not everybody know this, but..." then point out something interesting and tantalizing about the dish. The verbal interaction here is key.

I agree.

Given this in a daily menu environment, I'd consider having the server know what items on the menu are "rare" - maybe some ingredient is only harvested 3 days of the year, and thus that menu item rarely shows up or maybe the chef just added something and people have been raving about it - ie, have the server highlight what's "special" on the menu.

That's why even where I suggest a tablet menu might work (in some situations) - it would never take the place of a server.

Also, notwithstanding these comments, I would NEVER pretend to know anything about Mr. Gold's business or certainly how to improve it. In fact, if pressed, I'd suggest that NOTHING be changed at Dino's. So maybe consider any suggestion from me to be about some theoretical restaurant with a hypothetical menu and a potential server.

[deangold]

What I prefer is fo rthe servers to share their feelings about what is on the menu. htat way customers get a different experience when they have different servers rather than a scripted menu. But I am trying to figure out how to create a "call to action" when we do have something really good and either extremely seasonal or limited. So far this week, I have been a computer repairman, firefighter {long story, just a trash can fire at our neighbors at 6:20 Saturday night}, bookkeeper, HR professional and graphic designer. Oh yeah, I did cook too!

[Pat]

What I prefer is fo rthe servers to share their feelings about what is on the menu. htat way customers get a different experience when they have different servers rather than a scripted menu. But I am trying to figure out how to create a "call to action" when we do have something really good and either extremely seasonal or limited. So far this week, I have been a computer repairman, firefighter {long story, just a trash can fire at our neighbors at 6:20 Saturday night}, bookkeeper, HR professional and graphic designer. Oh yeah, I did cook too!

Since you print out the menus frequently, could you add an asterisk or similar to certain items to highlight that they are of limited availability? Then the servers could engage customers by emphasizing that all items marked * [or S or whatever you choose] will only be on the menu for a limited time, as they feature this or that particular ingredient. You could even list the "specials" in a different color. It would give an opening for the server to engage in the conversation to whatever extent the customer wants to engage.

[DonRocks]

When I was growing up we used to go to a restaurant in Manhattan that took this to the opposite extreme. I think the name of the place was Lino's, but it is no longer there. It was a relatively upscale Italian place that had no menu and they recited no specials. As I recall, you basically told the waiter what you were in the mood for and he made suggestions and you pieced together your meal. Since my parents paid I have no idea how this was priced. Then again, it was so long ago maybe I just dreamed this. We did go multiple times, however, since this was a regular stop before attending the Millrose Games at the Garden. So maybe it is true. I do remember my young self polishing off some type of chicken dish to a crumb and sauce free plate and proclaiming to the waiter that he should send my compliments to the chef. This prompted a visit to our table by the chef and I believe resulted in some free drinks for my parents.

This is somewhat apocryphal at this point, but in the 1970s, I remember my dad would go out to dinner at some place in Rockville called (I think) Rio Grande, or maybe El Paso, and he said it was some Mexican lady's house, and whatever she cooked for her family that night, that's what she served the customers. There were no menus, and you ate whatever they ate.

[Sthitch]

This is somewhat apocryphal at this point, but in the 1970s, I remember my dad would go out to dinner at some place in Rockville called (I think) Rio Grande, or maybe El Paso, and he said it was some Mexican lady's house, and whatever she cooked for her family that night, that's what she served the customers. There were no menus, and you ate whatever they ate.

Was that off of Rockville Pike behind where the White Flint Metro is now?

[DonRocks]

Was that off of Rockville Pike behind where the White Flint Metro is now?

My recollection, based on his tales, was yes, but I'd never been to Rockville at that time. But I think that general area used to be what my parents considered "Rockville" (the intersection of 355 and Randolph Road).

[Choirgirl21]

What I prefer is fo rthe servers to share their feelings about what is on the menu. htat way customers get a different experience when they have different servers rather than a scripted menu. But I am trying to figure out how to create a "call to action" when we do have something really good and either extremely seasonal or limited. So far this week, I have been a computer repairman, firefighter {long story, just a trash can fire at our neighbors at 6:20 Saturday night}, bookkeeper, HR professional and graphic designer. Oh yeah, I did cook too!

I don't think there's anything wrong with the server asking if you'd like him/her to point out the menu items that are seasonal/will be gone soon and doing so if the response is yes. I just want them to be on the menu so that after the server leaves, I can look more closely and not have forgotten what the dish was. The only problem I could potentially see would be if the list of items was very long. I would say my personal preference is to not have servers talk at me for a long period of time. If I'm asking them questions and interacting, it's different.

On the other side of the coin, as someone mentioned above, I do really like when servers can help me make good choices when I'm having trouble deciding (which is often) and it really irks me when the server isn't familiar enough with the food to give me a good answer. Is it not standard practice to have everyone taste the food when a menu changes? Is that just what happens on reality TV, ie. Kitchen Nightmares?

[ktmoomau]

Do you know how many flea markets (and street markets, and impromptu markets, and wine markets) there are in Paris? Every neighborhood has one. . One of our favorites is in the 1er arondissment close to L'huître seafood restaurant. (Which is down the street from Lapin which for some reason serves a lot of rabbit dishes).

I do, but I meant the Mother of all Paris flea markets Les Puces de Saint-Ouen at Porte de Clignancourt. It was kind of a joke anyway.