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100 (okay, 50) Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
I agree with Simon. It isn't that you are going over a mental checklist in your mind when you are out for dinner but when something happens (ie your plate is taken away from you when you are mid-bite and clearly not done but your mouth is too full to protest) you notice.
Photo of the Day: Ghost Cupcakes
These are so beautiful.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
All I care about is stuffing.
100 (okay, 50) Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
I agree with Simon. It isn't that you are going over a mental checklist in your mind when you are out for dinner but when something happens (ie your plate is taken away from you when you are mid-bite and clearly not done but your mouth is too full to protest) you notice.
Photo of the Day: Ghost Cupcakes
These are so beautiful.
Celebratory Break-Up Dinner
I'm from Canada so I've got nothing on the restaurant tip front, but I applaud your concept of the celebratory break-up dinner. Some break-ups are meant to be. :)
Do You Eat the Bruised Parts of Bananas?
I like under-ripe bananas. As soon as they are properly ripe they make me feel sick. As for bruises, I bite them off and spit them out.
What Did You Eat Today?
Breakfast - One hardboiled egg diced and split between two buttered pieces of whole wheat toast.
Lunch - Leftover pear tatin with vanilla whipped cream, homemade baked beans with ham. (In that order)
Dinner - Herb rubbed slow roasted back ribs with a rather dull spring mix salad.
Snack - I stole a couple from the secret stash of cookies in the freezer.
What's cookin,' good lookin'? Dinner Saturday night 10/3
@Cassaendra - Haha. You're just trying to be difficult aren't you. :)
eating out -- when was the last time?
My husband and I go out once every 1 or 2 weeks. It is our way to unwind. A friend owns a killer deli so that's often where we go. We do try some places, but often stick to old standbys so as to not be disappointed.
What's cookin,' good lookin'? Dinner Saturday night 10/3
Scalloped potatoes. It's a miserable gray day, I deserve it. Haha. Actually, testing a recipe for Canadian Thanksgiving.
Do you twitter?
I twittered for about two weeks. For me, it got that old that fast. I had originally only gone on to follow Ruth Reichl anyway.
Weekend Cook and Tell Round Up: Pancakes
Wish I'd know about this beforehand. I need to pay better attention. Haha. I made MS Cornmeal pancakes this weekend. And pear/strawberry pancakes for dinner today.
Girlfriend-On-Vacation Food Pyramid
@mscherry - I'm in the same boat. The husband insists on actual meals. When he is away I often have Tostitos with guac for dinner.
Five Guys. Not so much.
I went to Five Guys in Savannah in May and it thought everything was quite tasty. They did mess up our order but I was too hungry to complain. Haha.
Gordon Ramsay May Star in Stop-Motion Animated Series
Does this mean Gordon will be in Toronto? Swoon.
Barbecue: Pulled Pork
@Joshua - You obviously have a one track mind. Haha. Step two: Stir over medium MEAT until dissolved. :)
Montreal - L'Express ou Garde Manger?
Hrm. I think I like that idea. LExpress for lunch and Kitchen Galerie for dinner.
Good to know that APDC and Garde Manger together would be redundant... though I have to laugh since we usually get dinner res two nights in a row at APDC when we are in town. Haha.
Serious Heat: Sriracha Hot Wings
I've grilled them a few times, tossing in oil salt and pepper first then doing the Frank's toss after. I've found they get crispier that way than in the oven, but I'm going to try some of the suggestions above.
Food processor feedback needed
I've used the 7 cup cuisinart for years and loved it. I got the KitchenAid 12 cup for my wedding in June but have still not taken it out for a test drive because it has yet to arrive at the stupid store it was ordered from. Note to self: call them AGAIN about it.
Christopher Walken cooking show...
Saw this when it made the rounds a few years ago. The best part is that he's totally serious.
A Mouse - Do You Tell?
@pooch - My first night in New Orleans we went out to get a "signature" Hurricane drink and it came complete with a 3inch cockroach amongst the ice cubes. Haha.
A Mouse - Do You Tell?
Unfortunately I think mice and insects are part and parcel with the restaurant business. The one time I saw a mouse in a restaurant and told the staff the reaction was basically "yeah, and?". This time of year, especially if there is a patio or a large garden that doors open onto there might just be mice.
100 (okay, 50) Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
lemonfair - totally agree
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I'm with Ed. Let's eat pie.
Memaw's Buttermilk Biscuits
HOLY CRAP, Robyn Lee (THESE BISCUITS WERE SO GODDAMN GOOD. Every bite exploded with crispy-soft-buttery-salty awesomeness) and sshoys (Partway through cooking, I heard an odd sizzling sound coming from the oven. I opened to find the biscuits frying in their own butter and I knew I was in for a treat.) and the rest of y'all! I am going right into my kitchen and baking up a batch of these biscuits RIGHT NOW. Thanks!!!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Do I really have to choose? They're all so good.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
This year we are having 18 for dinner.My daughter and I do nearly all of it. She always brings mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing (yuck!), a pumpkin cheesecake, her Sexy Salad ( greens with sexy stuff in it), my dad's green beans (with shallots and bacon - coming from our garden this year), and chile con queso. I do the rest, usually, although this year Jose Luis and Carmen are bringing smoked brisket and tamales. (They recently inherited my cast-iron smoker which Jose-Luis can make sing arias.) I will be making a sweet potato pie, a few apple pies (the youngest child and his beloved are bringing New England apples they picked last week with his roomates), at least 3 pecan pies, and a carrot cake for dessert. If I can squeeze it in, I want to also make a 3 layer chocoalte cake for me. The sides I make are cranberry-ginger sauce (the cranberries are also being brought directly from the bog in MA), 8 dozen homemade rolls, a relish tray with homemade pickled green beans and pickled okra, and tiny gherkins and our friend Richard Moon will augment it with different olives and throw some sweet pickles, baby carrots and left-over celery from the dressing on the plate. I might make some hummus for that.
I have a 25.7 lb turkey in the freezer and a 10lb ham in the fridge. We should be in good shape. I've been saving plastic send-home containers for a few months so everyone can bring stuff for sandwiches the next day.
My mouth is watering for Friday's breakfast which will be turkey (breast meat only, please), mayo, cranberry sauce and dressing on sourdough sandwiches.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Even though I have to watch my carbs and sugar for health reasons, I always have been and always will be a sides girl (just gotta eat little bits of it now instead of going all out!). I like ham and turkey just fine, but I eat deli meat a lot throughout the year, so it doesn't really seem like anything special. Southern cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole (we do a pecan streusel-mini marshmallow mixture on top), orange-cranberry sauce, yeast rolls... it's all so good!! Of course, I adore pumpkin pie and pecan pie too... have to have a little bite of them to really call it Thanksgiving!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Oyster dressing smothered in turkey gravy.....yum! I can't wait!!!!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I love the entire trifecta.
The turkey is great esp since we deep fry it with a nice spice rub on the skin.
The sides are great - sausage and apple stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, etc. And of course deep dried mac n cheese balls.
Then the dessert is the closing act - pumpkin pie is a must but apple pie with some vanilla ice cream works too!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Without the turkey there is no gravy. Gravy is the essential T-Day component. ALL non-dessert food is there merely as a vehicle for the gravy. Hmm, even some of the dessert food is improved by it. I say the heck with it. Gravy should be the main course, with everything else as a side.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Definitely the sides. Yes, you could make them any other time, but generally we don't make that particular combination of sides. And although I don't especially care about *eating* the turkey, I care very deeply about smelling it while it cooks and the gravy it produces. So I guess that means the turkey is equally important, but for different reasons.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I like the whole meal: turkey, sides, and pies. But if I had to choose among them, I'd say the sides are my favorite.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
People, you can make the sides any time with any meal but the occasion to cook a great big bird only comes around once or twice a year. Yes, we can cook a turkey for a dinner party but most of us don't. It's the turkey!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
It's all about the crown roast of pork. That's right. Who needs a turkey that takes hours of brining, rubbing, basting and baking when you can have 12-18 bones of luscious pork that cook up in under 90 minutes? We made the switch about four years ago and have not looked back.
And turkey sandwiches? Bah! Have cubanos made with the leftover pork loin instead!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Side! Sweet potatoes with all the fixings. Since my family is none traditional I always look forward to the Chinese roast duck.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Sides, absolutely. Not that I don't like turkey. And pies and desserts, I could do without. I need one bite of sweet at the end of a huge savory meal, then I'm done. And I'm a huge baker, in pastry school! As long as I get to eat a mound of mashed potatoes, some stuffing, and something green, I'm satisfied.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Sides. My favorite is the day after when a blob of mashed potatoes, a scoop of stuffing, perhaps some roasted onions and carrots, and a few shredded pieces of turkey are dumped, KFC-bowl of sadness style, into a bowl, doused with and obscene amount of gravy, nuked to within an inch of their life, covered in black pepper and eaten...with a spoon.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Pie, pie, pie!!!!!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Sides. The turkey is just there to provide pan juices for the gravy for the dressing, potatoes and other sides. (I also cook the giblets for broth for the stuffing).
I do eat a little turkey, but wouldn't let it interfere with the sides. And I am actually very fond of turkey and eat a lot of it. But that's part of the reason that all those sides on Thanksgiving are so much more important than the turkey - I don't make them a lot.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Love the sides but I can't wait to tear into a great bird! I've had smoked, deep-fried and traditional roasted turkeys over the years and all have been absolutely delicious!!!!
So give me the bird with great gravy!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
sides! Mostly cuz in my family, they ALWAYS order the turkey from Safeway and it's ALWAYS dry so the sides are the only edible thing (even though the mashed potatoes are gummy, but I like them that way)
although last year my aunt made the mashed potatoes with flakes and spoilt milk so nothing was eaten :/
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
On the "day of", I'm going for the sides; particularly the cornbread dressing and giblet gravy. I'll sample the rest of the meal but I'd feel cheated if I didn't get that dressing; aplenty... That said, I'll fight to the death for the roasted tail and have to admit that since we cook the dressing "inside" and the gravy has to be laden with minced giblets, Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without the turkey. I'll wait until game time the next day to devour those cold turkey sandwiches rich with mayonnaise and always on white bread.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
1. Sides, especially stuffing and potatoes.
2. Spaghetti Carbonara, a la Calvin Trillin
3. Turkey
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Is there an option to say all of them? I love the turkey, the sides, and the pie!
Recent Posts
The long shot - good eats near Belleville Ontario?
Posted by lexophile, August 20, 2008 at 3:44 PM
Au Pied De Cochon - Montreal - Must order ____?
Posted by lexophile, February 6, 2008 at 11:00 AM
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About lexophile
Website: http://lexophile.facetious.org
Location: Canada
About: I love to eat and I love to cook. I am not the world's most adventurous eater but I am getting better. I can honestly say that I spend a good portion of every day reading about food, thinking about food, cooking food, and eating food.
Favorite foods: It depends on the moment. I get cravings and the craving will stick with me for weeks until I eat whatever it is that I am craving.
Last bite on earth:

All I care about is stuffing.