Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I disagree with the author about pulling the plate. When I am eating out I hate it when the server doesn't take the empty plates. I don't want to sit around with an empty plate in front of me. I'd like to be able to put my hands/elbows on the table.

When I became a waiter, I was told that older people generally prefer to keep all plates on the table until everyone is done, while younger people prefer to have the plates pulled as they finish.

I'm always on the look out for Bulgarian products and Astoria, Queens is a gold mine. There are tons of stores there that focus on Eastern Europe, including Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia. I usually manage to stumble upon the smaller ones with the giant buckets of feta, but Titan Foods (http://www.titanfood.com) is a great Greek supermarket and a one-stop shopping destination for me. There are a couple places in NJ you can go to and www.findbgfood.com is a helpful directory. Good luck!

I agree that a higher crust-to-fruit ratio is preferable with fruit pies. The filling is often too sweet and I like a good thick crust to balance it.

Not particularly but my husband loves, loves, loves pie crust by itself.

I have not had the pleasure of eating at the NYC location, however I live in SO FL and have friends who live a block from Lincoln Road, so darn straight I will be going there as soon as they have had a few weeks to 'shake' out the bugs--sorry, it is late on a Friday at work and my Charm City burger fix in Deerfield Beach is only a couple of hours away.

I obviously won't be able to do a compare, but after living here for over 30 years I have noticed that one or two people from NYC seem to get down here every now and then, so we will probably be advised as to their ability to transfer the goods, so to speak. All I need is some advice from the experienced as to what to order and how, and I will be there! I can hardly wait.

Cheers!

I totally ignore the fruit - especially when its way too gooey. I'm a crust eater all the way.

I worked as a bartender in NYC restaurants and hotels from 1978 to 1993, and I agree with every last one of Buschel's commandments. I don't think they're inconsistent in the least. The inclusion of the "only" in the line about the two final lobsters, for example, is what makes that a hustle rather than a piece of information.

And just because the Served blogger claims it's OK to ask what was wrong when the tip is bad doesn't mean it's right. It's far better if the manager goes over and asks if there was a problem than if the server does.

Oh I have been doing this for years! I used to joke that I performed "stealth surgery" on pies because I could hit the dessert table at family Christmases or Thanksgivings and remove 2 slices worth of crust, leaving behind most of the filling, and no one realized what I was doing:)
If fillings are made with good, fresh fruit and not loaded w/ sugar, I'll eat them. But all too often, I'd take a bite and realize the apple or cherry filling was canned. Not wasting calories on that, thanks!

My mom is completely the opposite. She'll eat the filling and maybe half of the top crust, and leave the rest for the dog!

I love pie crust. I always save the crust for last.

Depending on the fruit, I will often leave a little mound of filling untouched and polish off the crust - I like a less fruity crust-to-fruit ratio in my bites. Mmm... crust.

Goo-enhanced crust + ice cream!

I love lists! For those who think there are inconsistencies, they are missing the point, for example, make sure the water glasses are filled(it pisses me off when wait staff or bar tenders intentionally are slow on bringing a water glass or slow to fill up the glass to encourage me to drink more alcohol), but at the same time don't refill them every second.

It boils down to, waiting tables is an art and a profession, there is a fine line between too much and too little...and the really good staff are few and far between even at very top, expensive restaurants(I have experienced the water issue at a top restaurant in Chicago)so when you have a great person serving your table be sure to show your appreciation in whatever way you can.

P.S. I am not in the restaurant business, so this is not a plug, I am in the customer service business and there is a HUGE gap between Great and medicore people, and most of the time the GREAT people don't get the praise they deserve and the mediocre ones get more praise than they deserve...