Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I spent every morning warming the windowsill or chilling on the park bench in front of Jack's when I lived in NYC. What I missed the most was their Sweet Mary, a blend of chamomile tea, honey, cinnamon and steamed milk, it was the perfect way to take the edge off a cold day and no one can seem to duplicate it.

Thanks for the good wishes and welcomes! Stay tuned for more from the West Side!

Simon- Awesome, what are you going to do with them?

Dimsumikeithot- Oh, man. I missed yesterday's market - was up in SLO. Hope they're still around next week. Who had them?

I love white bean bruschetta with rosemary olive oil, arugula and a little bit of saba. They were a big hit on the appetizer table this Thanksgiving!

Thanks for catching my typo. Will fix that. - Leah

Oops, I did. SpicySaltySweet.com.

Islandchild: I read that eating fish heads is a common sephardic practice, because they represent the head of the year. Unfortunately I didn't come across any recipes to cook them.

Mangabanga-

Apparently other F&E's sell beer and wine--they even have private label wines--but the Hollywood and Highland location has had trouble securing the appropriate licensing. If you like the store, keep your eyes peeled.

Leah

As an appetizer, fig bruschetta with homemade yogurt cheese or ricotta is delicious. Just toss the figs in a squeeze of lemon juice, spread the cheese on grilled bread and drizzle with honey! And since I can't get enough figs in the all-too-short season, I live to make this spiced fig jam .

Buon appetito!

Take a cue from my favorite coffee shop in the country, Jack's Stir Brew in New York's West Village: Great coffee and a sense of community are what makes for a great place. Don't have too many choices, keep things fresh and treat your customers like family!

As a former manager of a restaurant that only served Italian wine I found great joy in helping my guests find something they really liked that they'd never heard of. Of course, it always helped when they were willing participants in their experience, working to tell me what it was that they did or did not enjoy about what I poured them. On the other hand, I found it frustrating when someone asked for, say, a pinot noir, and when confronted with the fact that we didn't pour pinot by the glass, scoffed at me when I asked whether they enjoyed California pinot, Oregon pinot or Burgundy, to try and find them something in a comparable style. Let servers do their jobs, which is guiding customers through menus and wine lists that they are trained to know.

Wow! I wish all you Serious Eaters had been my guests back when I was waiting tables. Like many, I think I tip better having worked in the industry--always giving at least 20%. Sometimes I tip better for bad service, too. We've all had bad days that throw us for a loop and you can usually tell. A good tip, while risking rewarding bad behavior, can turn soemone's day around entirely.

I always tip post-tax and after wine or cocktails, because I know that my server will have to tip out a substantial percent to a bartender or sommelier regardless of whether or not I've tipped on those items. I also try to leave cash rather than putting the tip on a credit card; it means better money for the server.

I love my Wuestoff Classic chef's knife (10-inch) and offset serrated. They've got great heft and balance and cut clean. I keep them sharp with a steel, but would really love to learn how to use a stone.