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@NWcajun - that's because they're owned by the same people.

Reading Monsieur_Ghislain's comment made me laugh. It's so true. You work in a kitchen? You're a cook. You can call yourself a chef when you run it. Making that little verbal faux-pas is a dead giveaway of someone who has never worked in the industry.

I'd suggest either trying to get a job at a very small, perhaps lesser known kitchen or offering to stage, or work for free, at a "decent restaurant/hotel." Experience is everything in a kitchen, and if you don't have any professionally, you can expect to start at the very bottom.

for apple chips, I've found the thinner the better. the best I've ever made came from super thin slices, a quick dip in simple syrup, a shake, placed on a silpat, and cooked at 250 for 45 minutes or so.

as a chef previously married to a non-chef, I can say I did a lot of cooking for the two of us. . . when we were home at the same time. it's tough for someone working 3 pm to midnight to share meals with a nine-to-fiver. so two nights a week, he ate like a king. the rest, it was sandwich city.

Culinaria: Spain - Konemann (amazing textbook-like reference)

Simple to Spectacular - Vongerichten and Bittman (fantastic idea, great recipes)

The Cooking of Spain and Portugal - Time-Life Books (some of the best Spanish recipes I've ever tried, good regional guide)

West Coast Cooking - Greg Atkinson (super easy to follow, great Northwest ingredients)

The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking - Mai Pham (delicious recipes from home)

Dreadlocks have no place in a kitchen. Period.

If you are asking for advice on opening a restaurant on a Serious Eats topic thread, my advice would be that you are not ready to do it. Start a book club instead.

David Chang wrote in the Momofuku cookbook that they treat American country ham similar to proscuitto - just slice it very thin and serve it uncooked (it's already been cured.) I'd like to try that sometime. . .

I would not say this this is, in my experience, partying "like a line cook." Cantinetta guy sent invites to his birthday party randomly to restaurants all over town in what seemed like an awkward publicity ploy. And the invites were to the chefs and owners, to my knowledge there were no line cooks invited. Not even those who worked at Cantinetta. . .
Partying like a line cook? Usually takes place around midnight with the cheapest drinks possible. Very un-glamorous, rarely with house bands.

cocoloco--wild catfish do taste like dirt. they're bottomfeeders, and mud is on the bottom of their natural habitat. (sustainably) farmed catfish are they only tasty way to go.

I worked for a while at a French restaurant with an amazing onion soup. we used 2 parts veal stock to 1 part chicken stock to make it.

it was lovely.

I haven't ever seen kraut or bbq sauce at the hot dog stands. They automatically come with toasty bun, grilled onion, and cream cheese. I like to add jalapenos, sriracha, and mustard. very, very occasionally. If I sprung for one every time it smelled amazing at 1 AM I'd weigh 200 lbs.

My favorite stand is for sure Comet Dogs.

usually when you get the ama ebi nigiri super fresh, they'll pull the shrimps out of the tank, pull the heads off, and put the shrimp on rice. they deliver the deep fried heads afterward.

delicious.