Eli's Vinegar Factory

I love Eli's Vinegar Factory on E. 91st in Manhattan. If you don't know it, it's not a vinegar factory (at least not anymore). The building is a warehouse that at some point in its history (Google is not giving up the details as to the history of this place!) was a factory that produced vinegar.

I first started going to the Vinegar Factory as a single guy living in the city. I had been in the restaurant business prior to being in personal service, so most of my friends were restaurant guys. A few of us would get together on Sunday, head to the Vinegar Factory to pick up some food and then spend the afternoon cooking, eating, and drinking. We weren't just any cooks either, one of my buddies was cooking at Blue Hill at the time, another at the venerable La Cote Basque (now closed), and I had a wealth of cooking experience cooking at high-end restaurants in California.  We had a blast and cooked some amazing food together, if only I could remember what we made!

Fast-forward 10 years, I'm back in the same neighborhood that I lived in when I was single, a few blocks away from the Vinegar Factory once again! I introduced my wife and kids to the store soon after they arrived to join me in New York. An added bonus is that there is a gymnastics gym, "Art Farm", and dog groomer and boarder on the same street! I never noticed that when I was single!

There are many great things about the Vinegar Factory, they have the freshest seafood that you've ever seen, amazing produce (some of which is grown on the rooftop greenhouse!), house aged meat, fresh pastries, freshly roasted coffee beans, delicious prepared foods, and the list goes on. In fact, Eli Zabar's idea for the Vinegar Factory was to create a store where the majority of the products were produced on site. He's done an amazing job at creating a truly special place for food (which, of course, comes at a hefty price!).

There is, however, one thing that I can't get out of my mind that really bothers me about the place, the service. A few of the departments have good service, the seafood section comes to mind. But I went in the other morning to get a cake for my daughter's 4th birthday and had an experience that I saw coming for a while that really bothered me.

I was there fairly early in the morning. I had just finished my Saturday morning run and I stopped in to pick up the cake and a few other items. I knew that they'd have some cakes available that would be beautiful and delicious. I went to the pastry section and stood around for a minute. When it was apparent that no one was manning the area, I went to the butcher's counter nearby and asked for some help. Mind you, there were probably 15 customers in the whole store. The lady behind the counter told me that she'd be right there. Three minutes passed, then 5. Employees kept passing me, looking at me, and when I looked back they looked away, so as to not be responsible for having to talk to me. I finally stared at another butcher behind the counter and he finally had to acknowledge me. I asked again for help from him and he told me that I had to talk to the woman I had already asked for help from. I told him that I had already asked her (now) 10 minutes ago. She was busy slicing smoked salmon, not for a customer, but for the display! By now, I'm upset and I head to the checkout counter and ask for help. This time I'm not letting the buck get passed. To avoid the brush off, I tell the lady that I've been waiting for 10 minutes, no one will help me and I need the cake now. She reluctantly came back to the pastry area to help me. I also wanted to have a message written on the cake. I spell out my daughter's name L-I-L-I to her. I'm hopeful that it'll be right. Another 5 minutes passes, no cake. I'm calm, enjoying my coffee, but getting impatient. The cake finally descends from upstairs and I take a look at what they've done. I was amazed by the beautiful flowers that they piped onto the cake in many different colors, BUT my daughter's name is mis-spelled! L-I-L-Y! At this point I'm over it, but not pleased with the service I received when spending a lot of money for a very small cake. We edited the writing to correct the spelling, as you can see in the photo.

My point of telling this story is that even at the best places, if the staff are not well managed and well trained, the service will suffer. At a place like this you're paying for the great products, but you also expect excellent service. The fine points of service make all of the difference in the world. If one of the employees could have taken responsibility to help me, all would have been fine. They were too wrapped in what they had to do to prepare themselves for the day that they forgot that the whole reason that they are there is for the customer! I will continue to shop at the Vinegar Factory, I really enjoy going there. I will be offering my services to Eli Zabar to train his staff on the true meaning of service and how to deliver it better so that his customers feel like they're getting value for their money, even if it is a lot of it!

Busy in NYC

I've been terribly busy working in New York. I have much to write about, but very little time. Please stay tuned for more posts soon! In the mean time, my wife has started a blog of her own about the trials and tribulations of being a mother of 3 little girls in Gotham. Check it out, I think you'll enjoy it!
http://www.mommymayhemnyc.blogspot.com/

What Can a Household Manager Do for Me?

I've been working on how my business helps families and here is an interesting look at how much time can be saved by having someone manage your home. How much money is 15-38 days a year worth to you? In a future post, I'll explain how I accomplish all of these tasks for my clients. I'd love to hear where you spend the most time in your home and what you'd like someone else to handle.

Where a family spends their time and how the services of Jared Miles & Co. can help.

Staff Management – A family with a small staff of 1-3 members will spend 20 minutes to 1 hour per day managing their staff. This is after an initial 100 hours or more getting the staff up to the standards that the family expects.

Yearly time saving – 83 – 250 hours (based on 250 workdays a year) and not including the initial 100 hours of training.

Facilities Maintenance – A family will spend between 1 and 4 hours a week on the maintenance of their home. This includes waiting for contractors, arranging appointments, and waiting in the house for work to be completed.  Typically there will also be one time consuming project per year, i.e. remodeling, large paint job, large landscaping project. An estimated 40 to 60 will be required to complete one of these types of projects.

Yearly time saving – 52 – 208 hours per year plus 40-60 for a large project.

Automobile Care and Maintenance – Each automobile requires 30 minutes to one hour of care per week for cars the are used daily. This includes filling with gas, cleaning and washing and includes time for regularly scheduled maintenance (oil changes, service, etc.). An additional 20-30 minutes per week are necessary for cars that are used infrequently.

Yearly time saving – 50-100 hours per year, based on a family that owns 2 cars.

Clothing and Wardrobe Care and Maintenance – Handling of dry cleaning, including alterations and repairs. 30-45 minutes per week.

Year time saving – 25-39 hours per year

Household Bill Paying – A busy family spends 1 to 2 hours per week organizing and paying all household related bills, electric and gas, pool service, telephone, house staff, gardeners, any contracted service.

Yearly time saving – 52-104 hours per year

Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning – A family will spend between 1 and 3 hours per week grocery shopping and planning meals. This does not include cooking, serving and cleanup.

Yearly time saving – 52-156 hours per year

Total yearly time saving 354-917 hours per year or 15-38 days per year! 

Velvet Slippers

Every man should own a pair of velvet slippers. Some might think they're "wasp-y", but I think they're wonderful! There is nothing better than coming home after a long day at work and slipping on your slippers. It's an instant relief from an arduous day at the office. For me, it delays the changing of clothes for a bit and allows me to connect with my family and leave thoughts of the office behind. Mine are from Shipton and Heneage and they're brown with pheasants on the toe (to acknowledge my affinity for pheasant hunting). I just stopped by a Stubbs and Wooton store on the Upper East Side this evening, and theirs are beautiful as well. Here are a few photos of the slippers. As a note, black velvet slippers can be worn in lieu of patten leather for formal wear. You can have them made any way you want them and they will set you apart as a man of style. Check them out and order a pair, you won't regret it!

Mexican Style Hospitality

Some of you who know me know that I am married to a beautiful Mexican woman. I never really thought that our cultures were that different, as she was raised here in the United States. Boy was I wrong. It's funny as you get to know someone you find out how much the way you were raised has impacted who you have become, often without any thought on many ideologies and opinions that are second nature to you.
I have always loved to entertain. My family didn't entertain much, but I learned to cook at an early age and would enjoy setting the table for my family when I cooked a meal. There are 7 kids in my family, so even though we didn't formally entertain a lot, it always felt like it with so many people around!
As I started working in restaurants and living on my own I continued to entertain. I fondly remember Sunday afternoons while I was living in New York. A couple of my chef friends and I would shop for food (and, of course, booze) and spend the afternoon cooking, eating, and drinking. We usually did it at my place and we had a blast! One of those chefs is now the chef at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills and another has become a food scientist and makes flavors for a large commercial food company.
When I met my wife I was cooking for a family in Palm Desert, CA. On one of our early dates I invited her over and cooked a beautiful meal for her. I'm pretty sure that's when she decided that she would marry me! (I'm just kidding, but it's a nice thought!). We never really entertained together during our courtship, so when we got married and I wanted to entertain she was a little hesitant. She felt unsure of which side of the plate the fork went on, how her house would look to our guests, and worried that she might say something wrong. I tried to assure her that guests coming into your home will be thrilled with whatever you give them and that they won't judge you. If they do, they'd never get a second invitation.
I pretty much took over the entire entertaining experience when we were first married. I would set the table, cook, serve, do the flowers, etc. It went on like this for a few months. Then, one day, we went over to her uncle's house for a bar-b-que.
It was a revelation for both of us. What I saw and experienced blew me away. Her family didn't have the nicest linens or china, the food didn't come from Whole Foods, and there was no fine wine or champagne. But the way that they entertained is more pure than any entertaining I have ever experienced. I walked into the home and smells of beans cooking and carne asada grilling filled the home. The house was a-buzz with everyone pitching in to make all of the guests feel at home and help prepare the meal. One of my wife's cousins asked me if I wanted to a Corona, of course I did! I figured there were some in the refrigerator if he was asking, but there was none in the house! So, one of her cousins left to go and get Corona for me! Her aunt asked if I wanted fresh tortillas, and of course I did. I expected that she was already making them for everyone, but she wasn't. She quickly got to making me the most delicious fresh tortillas I've ever had. My wife's uncle was out on the patio happily grilling the carne asada, dousing it with beer occasionally. The meal came together and everyone helped serve it. That scene has been repeated many times since, and it's always as wonderful as if it were the first time I'd experienced it.
What made it so wonderful and gets right down to the essence of entertaining is that the whole experience is done out of love. Whenever we go to any of my wife's families homes, they open their refrigerators and cabinets and offer everything that they have to us, and of course we do the same for them. What my wife got from this experience is that I pointed out that that's what were trying to do when we entertain, pull out everything, make our guests comfortable and loved by our generosity, just as her family does for us. It doesn't matter if we're serving filet mignon or sharing our last piece of bread with our guests, it's that we're showing our appreciation of the mutual love or friendship that we have for one another.

Ask the Butler

At long last, I’m back. I’ve caught up on my sleep and I’m back to writing.  Much has happened since my last post, I left my job in San Francisco and I’ve moved to New York to start my business. Stay tuned for more details! I hope you enjoy this edition of “Ask the Butler.”

I have been invited to a CD release party at a fairly wealthy family's home.  There was no mention of the dress code on the invitation.  What should the default be?  And does that include shoes?

Dress code is always tricky when it’s not specified, so what’s one to do? Use your best judgment, keeping the following in mind:

·      What time is the party scheduled? The evening requires a “dressier” outfit than a daytime party.

·      If you know the host, take a cue from how they might dress and go from there. Do be careful, however, not to go too far off of the beaten path with your fashion (if that’s the regular dress of your host, let them own that one!).

·      Generally speaking, shoes are considered part of getting dressed to visit the house of your host. A lady or gentleman would never answer their door with bare feet, so you shouldn’t show up without shoes yourself! If, however, you are an African tribesman and your dress attire does not include footwear, by all means go without.

·      If the party is held during the week and no indication of dress code is given, you can assume business attire. This will vary by region. Business attire in San Francisco is suits with no tie, or slacks and blazer with no tie, while in New York it would be suit and tie.

Cocktails before dinner, when is it appropriate to serve a chilled sherry?  Any favorites?

There are two types of sherry, fino and Oloroso. Fino sherry is pale, light and best served before dinner, chilled. Oloroso is aged longer, sweeter, and more robust, making it a better choice for dessert or an after dinner drink.

For a Sherry aperatif, try a Sherry Cobbler, described by pioneering mixologist Harry Johnson in 1882 as “without doubt the most popular beverage in the country, with ladies as well as with gentlemen.”

Sherry Cobbler

1.    4 oz  fino Sherry

2.    ½ tablespoon superfine sugar (also called “Baker’s Sugar”)

3.    Slice of orange

4.    Berries

a.    Cut a slice of orange about an 1/8 of an inch thick, then cut it in half

b.    Muddle the orange slice and a few of the berries gently in a cocktail shaker.

c.    Fill shaker with ice and add the sherry and the sugar.

d.    Shake and pour, unstrained, into a tall glass and artfully place a few pieces of fruit on top.

e.    Serve and hark back to the time when this was the most popular drink in the country!

I am having a group of about 10 adults over to dinner, but their eating habits are all over the map (one's a vegetarian, one keeps kosher, etc.).  What is the best way to accommodate them all?

When entertaining it’s important to keep in mind what you goal is. Simply, it is to make your guests feel comfortable and at home in your home. You want to accommodate all of your guests without killing yourself.

It’s best to have something that each distinctive guest can eat. For my Kosher guest, I would find a local Kosher deli or restaurant and serve them something from there. Your friend will be quite pleased that you made the effort to accommodate their special diet.

For the vegetarians, I would include one or two dishes that are vegetarian that everyone would like, maybe guacamole and a crudite platter. For serving dinner to the vegetarians, I would simply leave the meat (or fish, etc.) off of the plate and serve them a little larger serving of the side dish and vegetable.

Make sure to plan the quantity of your side dish and veggies accordingly if that will be the main course for your vegetarian friends.

What I've Been Working on Lately

I haven't posted much in the last month and I feel like I've been shirking one of my responsibilities. I have missed writing posts, but I've been a little busy with this little angel!

Our third daughter, Dylan Olivia, was born on February 25 at 2:15pm. We are thrilled to have her in our life. Her sisters are beyond excited to have a new little one around to play with and help with. Our 3 year old loves to brush her hair and our 9 year old loves holding her. 

As we've brought a new baby into the world, I'm reminded of what it means to serve selflessly. I'm not getting up in the middle of the night to change her diaper because I'm being paid to, or because it's my responsibility to, I'm doing it for pure selfless love. To truly serve, one must love. I look forward to bringing that reminder into my daily duties and reflecting on this blog how it affects what I do everyday.

Forgive me for my posts being not as regular, I'll do my best to continue writing as much as I can.

A Well Stocked Bar

As I've mentioned, we love to entertain. A big part of the fun of entertaining for us is going above and beyond what out guests expect. We have so much "stuff" for entertaining, we probably have over a hundred glasses for various wines or cocktails in our small city house. My wife loves to shop for all of the accessories needed for entertaining well (okay, I love to shop too!) and it seems like we're always looking for that perfect accessory for the type of party that we'll be throwing. We can transform our home for a party (or a season) with a few of the right accessories, then match a menu to the decor.
The one place that always needs to be well-stocked is the bar. In my younger days, I would only keep items in my bar that I liked. I've matured and learned that to be a gracious host, I should think of all of my guests. I was once scolded by one of my bosses for not having something in her bar. They had a guest over for a drink and we didn't have what he drank. She said "he was a very wealthy man, we should have everything in our bar that a guest could want." I don't think that wealth has anything to do with it, but I got the point and it has stuck with me.

I am fortunate to have had an expert furniture maker craft a bar for me. It's beautiful, made of walnut and very man-ly. It has a secret door on the side of it that holds my best stuff. It's currently in our living room and I love to look at it. It holds everything that I need to make a few great cocktails and appease most guests with various liquors and mixers. Here's a list of what I think every bar should have:

Whiskey - Your bar should have a bourbon and a rye. I suggest Russell's Reserve Rye, a great all purpose whiskey that is good mixed as well as straight. For bourbon, I'm going to suggest something that some might consider sacrilegious, Hudson Baby Bourbon. It's made in the Hudson Valley in New York, and it is really good. It's a little expensive, but worth it. I would drink it straight.

Vodka - I like Ketel One for an easy to get, good vodka. In the Bay Area we have Hanger One, which is excellent. They make a few flavors (including Buddha's Hand) as well that are very good.

Gin - I like a more citrus-y (as opposed to juniper-y) gin. Locally, we get Bin 209 that is produced in the Napa Valley. It's great in one of our favorite gin drinks.

Rum - I love Zaya Rum. It's dark and delicious. Great in a Dark and Stormy (dark rum and ginger beer garnished with a lime slice).

Tequila - My friend gave me a bottle of Leguas Anejo Tequila a few months ago. It's rich and smoky and will warm you right up. It's 100% agave and 100 times better than Jose Cuervo!

Scotch - I'm not a big scotch drinker, but you should have a bottle in your bar for guests that drink scotch. If you have a good liquor store in your area, ask for a recommendation within your price range.

Accessory Liquors - I like to keep some interesting liquors in the cabinet, both for mixing or drinking on their own. Here are a few of my favorites:

St. Germain - It's an elderflower liqueur that is great in a champagne cocktail or as a secret ingredient in a cocktail. We love it in a drink that has yet to be named, but taste like a pink grapefruit. See recipe below.

Patron Citronage - I always like to have an orange flavored liqueur on hand. They great as an aperitif or used in a margarita. Patron's Citronage is great!

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur - This is a great cherry flavored liqueur. The story that I heard is that the Luxardo cherry orchard is the only cherry orchard to survive the World War II bombings in Italy. They also produce the only cherries that one should put in their drink, a rich, dark and delicious cherry.

Kubler Absinthe - This is a Swiss absinthe that is one of the best. You can't make the original American
cocktail (Sazerac) without it! It's also fun to pour it over a sugar cube (on a spoon) into a snifter while it's on fire (be careful!).

Frenet-Branca Liqueur - This aromatically bitter liqueur is great as an after dinner drink. San Francisco consumes more Frenet-Branca than anywhere outside of Italy!

Cocktail Accessories
You need a few more items to make your bar truly functional. Here's a good start:

Vermouth - Both dry and red are needed to complete your bar. I like either Noilly Prat or Dolin.

Bitters - You need at least two, Angostura and Peychaud's. There are many more, but with these two, you can make most drinks.

Luxardo Cherries - Not your run-of-the-mill fluorescent pink cherries, these are the real deal. They come from Italy and are the only cherry that are acceptable to adorn and flavor your drink.

Olives - I'm not much of an olive in my drink fan, so choose what you like. I have Pimento Stuffed Olives in my bar, but they've yet to be opened.

Fruit - Keep lemons and limes around your house and you'll always have something to slice and put into a drink!

This is just a basic list. Keep more of what you like in your bar (I currently have 9 different whiskeys in my bar!). Here are a few recipes that will make you a star the next time you have guests over.

Old Cuban
Dash of Angostura bitters
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup (make your own by boiling equal parts sugar and water and cooling to room temp. Can be kept in refrigerator for up to 6 months).
3/4 ounce lime juice (juice of 1/2 a lime)
1 1/2 ounces light rum
8-10 mint leaves
Champagne

In a cocktail shaker with ice, mix all ingredients (minus the champagne) with ice and shake for 20-30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and add 1-2 ounces of champagne to finish. Enjoy!

Rattlesnake
2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce maple syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)
1/2 egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake for 20 seconds. Then add ice and reshake. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy (the drink should be foamy)

The Birthday Suit
1 1/2 ounces Bin 209 Gin
1 1/2 ounces St. Germain Liqueur
3/4 ounce of lime juice (1/2 a lime)
Splash of cranberry juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain into a martini glass and enjoy. Tastes just like a pink grapefruit!

Drink recipes courtesy Rye on the Road Beverage Catering www.ryesf.com

The Butler's Service Traits

My friend, Steven Ferry, of the International Institute of Modern Butler shared this with me when he visited a couple of years ago. It's very fitting and I try to adhere to this in my work. Many of the items are good ways to live for anyone!
The Butler's Service Traits
1. Trustworthiness
2. Loyalty (respect privacy)
3. Causing Good Effects Quietly
4. Caring and Can Do
5. Social Graces, Tactful & Mannerly, Gracious, Considerate of Others
6. Discreet, Thinking Twice Before Saying Nothing (maintaining confidentiality)
7. Anticipation: Observation, Knowledge & Inventiveness
8. Attention to Detail, Creating Aesthetic Moments
9. Unflappably Efficient
10. Friendly, But Never Crossing the Line
11. Friendly & Caring for Employees, But Not Familiar
12. Serves, But Not Servile
13. Flexible About Schedule But Punctual
14. Good Organizer, Can Handle Paperwork
15. Daily Review of Performance for Improvement

Steven wrote a book on household management and I really enjoyed it. It's right on and not just a good read for estate professionals, but for anyone who wants to have a well run home.

Service All-Stars - Turnbull and Asser

One of my favorite places to shop is the Turnbull and Asser store on East 57th St. in New York. The facade is beautiful, as is the inside. I'm pretty sure it was once a townhouse, and one I would love to have lived in! I have been shopping there for close to 10 years, mainly for the gentlemen that I have worked for, but I have a few select pieces of my own.

For those of you who don't know "T & A," they are the venerable English shirtmaker of the British banking set as well as the NY power-broker set. They have been the shirtmaker to successive Princes of Wales since 1885. They are best known for their brightly colored bespoke shirts, but they also make custom suits, knitwear, neckwear, rain coats, pajamas, as well as a beautiful collection of ready-made clothing for both men and women.

I mention Turnbull and Asser because of their high level of service. I have been dealing with the same gentleman, Simon Hobbs, since the first time I walked into the store. He's moved to the Beverly Hills store, but I often still call New York for service. Anyone who answers the phone can help me. They have a great collection of records and can quickly pull up the measurements and notes of whoever I am buying for.

I called a couple of weeks ago because I had sent an email to the gentleman that I had been dealing with and I was following up. The laundress had brought me a shirt of the Mr.'s that was starting to show wear on the cuffs. Knowing that T & A replaces cuffs and collars on their shirts, I sent a photo of the shirt to see if they still had the fabric. A lovely woman, Lisa Riccardo, answered the phone and let me know that my usual contact no longer worked there. She was able to help me and left no gap in the continuity of service that I have had. I re-sent the email to her and she informed me that the fabric was no longer available, but that we could always put white cuffs on the shirt if I wanted. See, she didn't say no! She gave me an option and let me say no. My current boss wouldn't like the white cuffs, but one of my previous bosses would have.

I'm always thrilled with the service I receive at Turnbull and Asser. When I can afford to have bespoke shirts, they'll be from T & A! Until then, I can count on getting the best service when purchasing for my boss.

When in New York, visit them at 42 E. 57th St. When in Beverly Hills, visit them at 9633 Brighton Way. You could tell Lisa or Simon that I sent you, but you won't need to, as you'll get great service from the whole staff as a matter of course!

Visit them on the web at www.turnbullandasser.com

How to be a Guest

I'm surprised at how often people make graves errors in manners and etiquette. Has our modern world made us neanderthals? We're back into our event season at the house and I wanted to share a few items that would seem obvious, but apparently are not.

•               When you arrive at the home of your host, knock on the door or ring the doorbell before attempting to enter. I'm shocked by the number of people that vigorously shake the door trying to pry it open (it is only accessible from the outside with a key!).

•               Don't take things. I was standing in the living room last night ushering the guests to the dining room when I overheard one of the guests telling her date to put the cocktail napkins (linen) into his pocket! I invited them to hand them to me and I would take care of getting them to the right place. I'm not saying that they were trying to steal the napkins, but once they go into a pocket they are gone forever. We lose between 300 and 400 linen cocktail napkins per year! I'm sure most of them were taken by mistake, but only one person in the 4 years that I have been here has made the effort to return them to us. I was shocked when I opened the envelope and found a note and 2 cocktail napkins!

•               If you have a food allergy, let your host know before you are sitting at the table being served. I'm amazed at the number of people who immediately turn vegetarian when they see something that they may not like being served. When you do this, you disrupt the kitchen and the service staff. If, for some reason, you forgot to tell your host of your food allergy or strong dislike, please invite the guests at your table to begin eating. It will take a few minutes for the kitchen to prepare your special meal and the other guests at your table should not have to wait for you while their food gets cold!

•               Be gracious and remember your manners. A simple "please" and "thank you" go a long way. It seems like many of our guests are amateur party-goers.They are often demanding and rude and belittling to our wait staff. I remember one girl very upset that we couldn't make her a Bacon Martini. It's not that we couldn't, it's that I wouldn't. As you know, I don't like saying "no" but this request was pretty ridiculous, especially since she couldn't tell us what was in it! I love when we entertain the Mr.'s close friends. They have more right than anyone to make themselves at home and  be a little pushy, but they are exactly the opposite. They are kind, gracious and well-mannered. They know the house well, but wait to be escorted to where they are meeting the Mr. Because of the way that they behave, we bend over backward to give them what they want, we keep their preferred liquor in the house, know their food preferences and accommodate them in every way that we can. Everything we do for them is always met with sincere appreciation, every time that we do it for them! 

Always remember that you are in someone's home and act as you would expect someone to act in your home. You wouldn't expect your guests to push your staff around, so don't do it to someone else's staff. You would hope that your guests would let you know ahead of time of a food allergy or strong dislike, so let your host know BEFORE coming to their party.  If I don't know what to do in a situation, I'll refer to Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition (Thumb Indexed) or The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette : 50th Anniversary Edition for advice. Doing the proper thing is always in fashion!

Cuistot Restaurant - Palm Desert

Restaurant Review – Cuistot Restaurant Palm Desert, CA

            When I knew that we’d spend New Year’s in the desert, I wanted to take my wife somewhere special for New Year’s Eve dinner. We had eaten at Cuistot five years ago on NYE, so I thought it would be fun to dine there again. I didn’t remember the restaurant being good or not, but I would have remembered if it had been exceptional or poor.

            I booked the table online, through OpenTable as I have in the past. It’s kind of impersonal, but convenient. I received a call about a week before from the restaurant confirming my reservation and asking for a credit card to secure the reservation (common practice on very busy nights like NYE, Mother’s Day, etc.). The reservationist who called was pleasant and efficiently handled what needed to be done.

            We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before our reservation and the valet took our car. To my surprise, we didn’t get a ticket from the valet; he said he’d take care of it. I hoped that when we were finished it wouldn’t take forever to get our car because there was no record of it.

            We entered the restaurant and found the space warm and inviting. The décor seemed to be inspired by a French country house, but updated and clean. We stood at the host stand and waited for a moment while the host was obviously busy with something more important than guests standing in front of him. When the other host returned a moment later, he greeted us and finally the host that had been standing there with his head down noticed that we were there. We were promptly seated in a booth near the kitchen, one or two away from where we sat five years ago.

            After a slightly longer than acceptable wait, a server greeted us and offered drinks. I ordered a glass of champagne, something non-descript, and my wife had only water as she’s 6 months pregnant. The drink arrived and it was fine. A food runner dropped in with an amuse-guele, that he described as potato with goat cheese. It was in fact a potato with smoked salmon, crème fraiche, and caviar. The potato was cold and undercooked, the crème fraiche runny and unappetizing. There was so little caviar it should have been omitted. I was concerned with the start of the meal, but hopeful that things would improve.

            Our waiter arrived with menus for a prix fixe menu with the only choice being the main course. The menu was as follows:

Terrine of Imported Foie Gras With Apple Compote and Calvados Gelée (optional course - $18 supplement)

Lump Crab Gratin with Celery Coulis

Consommé of Pheasant with Mini Pheasant Quenelles

Arugula Salad with Asian Pears, Baby Corn and Honey Vinaigrette

Venison Wellington with Grand Veneur Sauce and Chestnut Purée (the main course that I chose)

Fresh Chilean Seabass over Bamboo Rice with a Ginger Vinaigrette and Japanese Salad Garnish (the main course the my wife chose)

Hazelnut and Chocolate Gâteau with Pistachio Anglaise and Fresh Berries

Home Made Petit Fours

            We both skipped foie gras, as I like it sautéed and my wife doesn’t like it very much. The first course arrived on a small plate and it looked very plain and simple, like a small hockey puck though too large for a course in a 7-course menu. It was a crab cake floating in a pale green celery coulis. I broke through the over-fried crust of my crab cake with my fork and dove in. It was dry and flavorless. The celery coulis didn’t have much flavor of celery; it was just a watery pale green sauce. My wife had the same thoughts. We looked at each other and knew we were in trouble at this point.

            Following the crab cake was the Pheasant Consomme. [It arrived in a small bowl and the consomme was perfectly clean with two white quenelles of pheasant and a little bit of jullienned leeks floating in the broth.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The broth was perfectly seasoned and flavorful. The quenelles were light and tasty. It would turn out to be the high point of the meal.

            The Arugula Salad arrived shortly after we finished our consomme. It was simply presented: a medium-sized mound of arugula with a few slices of Asian pear around the sides. I eventually found the baby corn at the bottom of my salad. I wasn’t paying close attention when I took the first bite of salad that included one of the slices of pear. I bit into a pear seed, which got me off on the wrong foot for this course.  The seed was just the start of it. The arugula seemed to have been just washed and still wet. It diluted what might have been a good vinaigrette, but it was just watery and nearly flavorless. I’m not a big fan of the baby corn either. They remind me of something I would find in a grandmother’s [ap0ostrophe’S] stew. At this point I decided I needed a cocktail.

            I ordered a rye Manhattan. It was made very well, the only exception being the fluorescent red Maraschino cherry lying at the bottom of my otherwise perfect drink. I quickly consumed the drink in anticipation of the main course. I was hopeful that the venison would be delicious, but at this point not expecting much.

            I got just what I expected. The venison Wellington arrived and the meat looked quite rare. Normally that would be fine, but the puff pastry that surrounded it was nearly raw itself. The flavors on the plate were pretty good, the chestnut puree was flavorful and smooth. The sauce was well made and seasoned correctly. The puff pastry just ruined the dish! It was gummy and soggy. If the previous courses weren’t indicative of what to expect, I would have sent it back. I decided to cut my losses and suffer through so we wouldn’t have to suffer any longer than necessary.

            My wife’s dish was huge. The portion of the dish was as large as I’d expect to see at The Cheesecake Factory! It had a salad on top of the piece of fish. My wife tasted it and proclaimed that she couldn’t eat is [it] because it was gross. I asked her I she wanted to send it back. She declined as she didn’t want to protract the pain that was this awful meal any longer either.

            On to dessert! At this point we were just ready to go, but we had already made it this far, so we might as well stay for dessert. The dessert arrived and it looked like something an amateur baker would make. The cake was thinly sliced and had some sort of cream sandwiched between the layers. The pistachio crème Anglais was too thin and lacked any flavor of pistachio, only having a slight green tinge to indicate that it was, in fact, a pistachio sauce. Petit fours were supposed to follow. We usually bring the petit fours home for our girls, but we didn’t want them to think that our judgment in restaurants had declined! We just got the check and got out of there!

            We exchanged some niceties with the host on our way out and exited to find our car waiting for us! The best part of the whole experience was the valet service!

            The overall experience was poor. The kitchen is producing inferior food, even by low standards. The waiter was knowledgeable and polite, while the food runners need an education in what is in the dishes that they present to guests. I’m surprised to read so many good reviews of the restaurant: I guess the guests that enjoyed their dinner have more money then sense. It was a beautiful space, but that is the only redeeming quality of this over-priced restaurant with poor food and average service. The chef apparently trained under the famed Paul Bocuse. He needs a refresher course, at least, to get the restaurant to the level where they can justify the high prices that they charge (our prix-fixe menu was $109.50 per person!).

Service

             We interact with service providers many times every day. In fact, most of us are service providers of some sort ourselves. Doctors, lawyers, chefs, accountants, stock brokers are just a few that quickly come to mind. What is it that makes the service we receive exceptional?

            Service is defined as the action of helping or doing work for someone. That’s a fair definition, but there’s a lot more to it. Service to me is asking a service provider for something and them giving it to you. For example, at a restaurant you ask your waiter for a drink and he brings it to you. Poor service is asking for something and not getting what you asked for. For example, same restaurant scenario, ask for a drink, your waiter brings you the wrong drink and has to go back correct their error. Of course, the human element is involved so errors will happen, but a good service provider will make few errors and when they do make them they will compensate for their mistakes is some way. Maybe the waiter will buy you that drink or the next one.

The guest experience is paramount to a good service provider. We choose what and where we are served. I could stay at home and have all of the perfectly made food or cocktails that I want, but I often want someone else to take care of it for me so I can relax. Sometimes I just want to just let someone else handle all of the details for me, so I can relax.

My wife and I love dining out at fine dining restaurants. We usually order the tasting menu and let the chef decide what we are going to eat, only noting to our waiter any food allergies or strong dislikes that we may have. We’ll also order the wine pairing to let the sommelier choose what we should be drinking with our meals. It’s pure luxury to have true passionate professionals choose your meal for you.

I wouldn’t do this just anywhere, however. I cooked before I got into household work and I worked for some of the best in the business, and some of the not so best in the business as well. I trained under Julian Serrano, then of Masa’s in San Francisco (now of Picasso at the Bellagio in Las Vegas), Michel Richard of Citrus Restaurant in Los Angeles, and Steven and Mitchell Rosenthal, then of Postrio Restaurant in San Francisco. I had the best schooling of all working for those men. I learned passion for my chosen field, quality standards and what great service really meant.

When we go out now, we go to Masa’s, where Gregory Short now upholds the standards that I learned at Masa’s when I was there. We also trust Per Se in New York, where my good friend worked (he’s now the chef of the new Bouchon Restaurant in Beverly Hills). We cooked together at Sundance Resort in Utah many moons ago. Or Michael Mina, who has amazing standards that are upheld in all his restaurants. I could keep going, Gary Danko in San Francisco, Picasso in Las Vegas, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons in New York. The list goes on, but it’s actually pretty short. These places are made what they are by the passionate professionals who hold themselves to standards that are high above those of people who are just doing a job. We’ve all been to good restaurants, but how often do you go to a great restaurant?

A great restaurant (or shop, theater, club, diner) is made great by the people that it employs, their passion for service and the overall guest experience. I reflect back on my post entitled “No, you say?” and see that in my interactions with service providers, I’m immediately put on the defensive when someone tells me “no” right off the bat.

“Do you have this in a size large?”

“No.”

A good service provider would go the extra mile and do everything they could to avoid telling me no.

I was recently in a children’s store, as we are expecting our third child, looking for a kit to convert our crib into a bassinet. I was told no at another store, then called the manufacturer and they told me that I could in fact get this kit from any retailer that carried their brand. I asked at the store I hadn’t been to and the ladies told me that they didn’t think it was possible, but that they would check. I got a little perturbed, as I already knew they could get it. They told me that the buyer would call me when he was in.

I received a call and the buyer told me that it’s not something that the company sells separately any longer, but that he could order the full crib/bassinet kit, break it apart for us and just sell us the part that we needed. Now, that’s what I’m talking about!!! The sale might be small ($180), but now I’ll go back there again when I need something. I knew that I could buy the kit from an online retailer, as I was told I could by the manufacturer, but I wanted to buy the part locally. The buyer’s willingness to bend the rules and make my experience a pleasant one has gained him and his store a loyal customer who will tell everyone he meets what a great store it is! Sounds like we both win!

           

I could go on about service forever, and I’ll go on some more another time. Until then, remember that if you’re providing a service, do everything that you can to avoid telling your customer no. Make them happy. If you’re a customer, reward the business and service providers that go the extra mile with your loyalty. If you do, there will eventually be a lot more good service providers around as they’ll be the only ones to survive this tough economy.

Tasty Pheasants, Christmas Presents

Tasty Pheasants, Christmas Presents

I really love Christmastime. Once all of our shopping is done and we are ready for Santa to make his stop at our house, we can settle in and enjoy the anticipation of Christmas morning. We have watched all of our favorite Christmas movies, Elf, the Santa Clause series, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Fred Clause, and A Miracle on 34^th St. Christmas music has been playing in the house and the car for a couple of weeks. We’ve planned our post-Christmas trip and now it’s time to sit back, relax and let Christmas happen!

This year we went to the SF Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker Suite. The SF Ballet was the first ballet troupe to perform the Nutcracker in its entirety in the United States in 1944. I remember going to see the Nutcracker as a child and I was excited to take my girls to see it this year. We went on Christmas Eve in the morning, then finished up a few loose ends related to Christmas Day and settled in for our Christmas Eve dinner. Last year I cooked an English dinner, standing rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, and Brussels sprouts. This year I cooked pheasant for dinner. I went hunting on the Tuesday before Christmas, so they were fresh from the field when I cooked them. Here’s my Christmas Eve dinner menu with recipes:

Winter Salad

Pheasant Braised in White Wine

Roasted Root Vegetables

Potato and Celeriac Puree

Warm Biegnets with Jack the Ripper Cocktails

Winter Salad:

Choose your favorite salad green. I like butter lettuce. Roughly chop the greens and set them aside.

1 head butter lettuce or other salad green of your choice

12 ounces bacon, diced and cooked

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

1 pomegranate, seeds removed for use (to easily remove the seeds, slice pomegranate in half and tap each half with the back of a knife over a bowl).

Sherry vinaigrette

            1/3 cup sherry vinegar

            ½ teaspoon dry mustard

            1 clove of garlic, chopped

            1 small shallot, chopped

            1 teaspoon chopped oregano

            1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley

            1 teaspoon chopped thyme           

            ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

            Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except the olive in a bowl with a whisk. Once incorporated, slowly add the olive oil while continuing to stir with a whisk. Add more salt and pepper as needed.

Put the salad greens, bacon, parsley and pomegranate seeds into a large bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the dressing and toss to lightly coat the salad. Add more dressing as needed. Serve immediately.

Pheasant Braised in white wine:

2-3 pheasant, cleaned and dressed

1 bottle of dry white wine, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc will do

1 white onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

3-4 sprigs thyme

3-4 sprigs oregano

3-4 sprigs parsley

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, chopped and reserved

¼ cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Quarter the pheasant and season with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy-bottom stockpot, heat the vegetable oil. Add the pheasant and brown on both sides. Once pheasants are browned, remove from the pot and set aside. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook over high heat until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with half of the white wine. Return the pheasant to the pot and add the rest of the white wine, the herbs, peppercorns and the bay leaf. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and place into preheated oven. Cook for about 3 hours, until the meat is falling off of the bone. Remove from oven and take the pheasant out of the pot and set aside. Drain the liquid from the pan into another saucepan and place on the stove. Discard the vegetables from the pheasant cooking pot. Reduce the remaining liquid until about 1 cup of liquid remains. Remove from heat and slowly add in the butter, stirring constantly. Add the pheasant back into the sauce and assemble the meal.

Roasted Root Vegetables:

Choose a few of your favorite root vegetables to roast. I like parsnips, sweet potatoes, cipollini onions, burdock and carrots for this dish.

1 large sweet potato

2-3 parsnips

6-8 cipollini onions

1-2 burdock roots

3-4 carrots (use heirloom varietals if available)

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (you can roast the vegetables in the same oven that the pheasant is being cooked in). Peel and cut all of the vegetables into similar size pieces, about 1/2 inch cubes. Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and roast for about 45 minutes or until lightly browned and soft all the way through when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Potato and Celery Root Puree

I like this slight modification to traditional mashed potatoes. The celery root adds a flavor that is pleasant and adds depth to the meal.

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (substitute Russets if Yukon Golds aren’t available)

1 celery root

3-4 cloves garlic

½-1 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

4-6 ounces unsalted butter

¾ -1 cup buttermilk or half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and celery root and cut into (roughly) 1-inch cubes. Place into a large pot and cover with water. Add the garlic cloves to the water (up to this point can be done up to a day in advance), place on the stove and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, lower to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes and celery root are soft all the way through when pierced with a knife. Strain through a colander in the sink and pass the potato-celery root mixture through a food mill (if you don’t have a food mill or potato ricer, an old fashioned masher or beaters will work fine, you just might not have perfectly smooth potatoes!). Add one stick of the butter, half of the buttermilk or half and half and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add the crème fraiche or sour cream and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper and add more of the butter, milk and sour cream to your taste. Cover with plastic and set aside until ready to serve. If it’s done too early, you can gently heat them up over medium-low heat while stirring constantly. Add milk as necessary while reheating them to make sure you don’t burn them!

Warm Beignets and Jack the Ripper Cocktails:

I was introduced to the “Jack the Ripper” a few weeks ago at my boss’s birthday party by my good friends at Rye on the Road Beverage Catering. It’s basically hot chocolate with whiskey. They made it with melted Ghirardelli chocolate, warm milk and fresh-made marshmallow. I was successful making the cocktail at home with good quality hot chocolate mix and store bought marshmallows. If you’re adventurous and want to make the marshmallows at home, try this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Homemade-Marshmallows-242701

The drink was so good all I could think about was how good it would be with warm beignets. Beignets take a bit of effort, but you are well rewarded when you have fresh doughnuts to eat while you sit by the fire and enjoy your new favorite winter cocktail.

For the cocktails:

1 quart whole milk

Good quality hot chocolate mix

Good quality American whiskey

Large marshmallows

Heat the milk in a heavy-bottom pan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once milk has arrived at the desired temperature, pour into a coffee mug and add the hot chocolate mix (remembering to leave space for the whiskey!). Stir well and add the whiskey, an ounce to ounce and a half should do. Float 2 of the marshmallows on top and enjoy!

Beignets:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup evaporated milk

7 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup shortening

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup white sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

In the bowl of a mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well with either a whisk o the whisk attachment of the mixer. If you used the whisk attachment, replace it now with the dough hook. Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.

Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Drain onto paper towels.

Shake confectioners' sugar on some of the hot beignets, and toss some of the beignets in the cinnamon sugar mix. Serve warm.

Sit back, relax and enjoy!