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1. INATTENTIVENESS ....Walking into a
restaurant and having to wait for the staff to
finish their personal business in order to be
acknowledged. This is the service industry and the
customer is not an inconvenience but they are there
to be pampered.
 2. CELL PHONES...Modern technology is great,
but when in a restaurant turn the d—n thing off. The
table next to you doesn’t want to hear your
conversation. Hang up and enjoy your meal.
3. SALT...As a chef I beg you to please try
your food before you reach for the salt shaker.
While I am on the subject of salt...only Kosher salt
and sea salt truly enhance the food, table salt is
useless!
4. FUSSY EATERS...People who “deconstruct”
an entree as though it was a multiply choice test,
one from column A and two from column B! We chefs
put a lot of thought into a dish to balance flavors,
texture and eye appeal. Taking something away can
destroy the balance of the entire experience. Unless
there are allergy issues be brave and try the dish
the way it was designed. Trust in your chef.
5. COLD BUTTER...Butter at room temperature
is so much easier to spread on bread and rolls. Cold
butter coats the palate and makes it harder to enjoy
other flavors.
6. WELL DONE LAMB RACKS...or Filets, neither
should be over cooked. No food should be cooked
until the last vestiges of flavor are removed.
7. CHEFS...who only season one side of food.
WHY?
8. FREE RANGE CHILDREN...Children wandering
in any dining room are a hazard to both themselves
and servers with trays. They are also an annoyance
to fellow diners who are paying the same money and
want to enjoy their dinner without romper-room
theatrics. On the other hand I love seeing well
behaved children (and their parents) enjoying their
meals.
9. PRICEY RESTAURANTS...that pride
themselves on being the most expensive in town.
Gouging is always unattractive. There is nothing
wrong with high prices if accompanied by high v alue.
10. SEASONAL FOODS...serving food out of
season just because you can get asparagus and
tomatoes in January doesn’t mean you should.
11. KITCHEN MISTAKES…unfortunately the
restaurant businesses is not a perfect science and
mistakes happen. If it’s not the servers fault don’t
blame them. Punishing the wait staff is the chef’s
job and there are legions of servers who will attest
that I excel in this area!!!
It’s
always a balancing act in restaurants of trying to
meet customer requests and efficiently put out a
high quality product. If you have special issues
call ahead and ask what can be done. Remember
everyone views food differently. If you’re a
vegetarian that is easily accommodated but please
don’t lecture me on the morality of serving meat.
There are thousands of other diners who enjoy meat
and I must accommodate them as well. A little side
note nothing is more horrifying than the sound of
vegetables screaming as they are being plunged into
boiling water.
As
I wind down from my rant and decide not to indulge
in my third double espresso in 45 minutes. I’d like
to end this month’s installment on a positive note.
The Jersey corn and tomatoes are now hitting the
markets. As a returning NJ native having spent years
in other states I relish the thought of New Jersey’s
best on the dinner table. Despite my concern about
cruelty to vegetables I’d like to share some
favorite ways to enjoy the local harvest.
CRAB & CORN BISQUE
6 ears of Jersey White Corn
2 cups chicken stock
3 stalks of celery diced
1 onion diced (white preferable)
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
3 sprigs of FRESH thyme
2 cloves garlic
2 cups of milk
2 cups heavy cream
salt & pepper
1 stick butter
flour
Cut corn off cob. Save cobs place in stock pot with
milk and cream thyme & garlic. Melt butter in large
sauce pan. Add corn, celery & onions. Sauté lightly
over medium heat 8 - 10 minutes. Stir constantly DO
NOT BROWN. Add 1/4 cup flour to vegetables. Rout
should be slightly thick if thin add more flour.
Whip in chicken stock...whip to avoid lumps. Add
warm milk mixture (strain into pot), slowly whipping
to avoid lumps. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes until
smooth, blend with hand held immersion blender until
smooth. Add 1 pound jumbo lump crab, season with
salt & pepper.........ENJOY
JERSEY TOMATOES MOZZARELLA SALAD
This salad is so simple, light and refreshing it
can be enjoyed daily in the hot summer months
 4
slices fresh mozzarella
Sliced tomatoes 1/4 inch thick
Alternate with mozzarella, sprinkle with fresh black
pepper & Kosher salt. Drizzle with olive oil (extra
virgin of good quality). Finely chiffonaded (thin
julienne cuts of leafy herbs or vegetables). Basil
for a little extra zip drizzle balsamic vinegar
lightly. REMEMBER the
tomato is the star here!
Serve the Jersey tomatoes & fresh mozzarella salad
and the soup together as a light summer meal. Enjoy
with a chilled Pinot Grigio or (shudder the thought)
Chardonnay. More on that wine phobia of mine in the
future...
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