Red Meat: Keith Fedorko

Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Being comfy in the kitchen is one thing. But chef Keith Fedorko is just as at home out in the fields:

The Willow Creek Farm toque treasures the 2-acre farm–featuring 21 planting beds that alternately support: tomatoes, French beans, peas, assorted hot and sweet peppers, rosemary, thyme, Swiss chard, escarole, potatoes, corn and, potentially, sunchokes–that rings his exurban restaurant, crediting it, and the seasonal  bounty, with constantly challenging his natural curiosity and culinary showmanship. “It keeps us on our toes,” he said of the steady rotation of raw materials.

WR: Salt. Pepper. What other culinary elements could you not live without?

KF: Butter, pork, root vegetables, stocks (veal,chicken, fish) and flour

WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?

KF: The first dish that I ever mastered was lightly dusted skate wing with brown butter sauce and capers. Having to butcher whole skate wing was what took the most time in preparing this dish. I still make this dish occasionally.

WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?

KF: For winter monkfish, for spring soft shell crab, for summer tomatoes and for fall duck

WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …

KF: I’ve always been and will be obsessed with Harold McGee On Food And Cooking, and all of James Peterson’s cookbooks

WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?

KF: The most challenging dish I’ve ever made was coq au vin. I make this dish in late fall every year.

WR: If I could spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …

KF: Chef Cathal Armstrong

WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?

KF: Kabob koobide with rice, grilled tomato and summak

WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …

KF: New fall entrees from my chef team at Willow Creek Farm

WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …

KF: Pint of Guinness

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Skate wing in brown butter is one of our favorites, too. Can’t wait to try your version.

Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.

–Warren

Red Meat: Nathan Hatfield

Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

EatGoodFood Group‘s Nathan Hatfield can’t wait to help everyone get their hands dirty:

The Armstrongs’ go-to baker is excited about sharing his pastry knowledge with fellow cooking devotees at Society Fair, the bakery/gourmet grocery/epicurean playground/eatery–which, we have been assured, will feature a dedicated larder menu–slated to open later this fall.

WR: Butter. Sugar. What other culinary elements could you not live without?

NH: Flour–an ingredient that is so simple and unassuming [yet] has so much potential for flavor. With a little manipulation of time and temperature you can coax out sweet, nutty and floral notes that just aren’t there on a normal basis.

WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?

NH: The first thing I ever mastered had to be my biscuits. It took me at least 40-50 attempts to get to the recipe that is forever burned into my brain. As a boy from the south, I kept trying to use lard as the fat in the recipe, but the taste was flat. Realized butter as they say, makes it better. And if you’re using Kerrygold it is even harder to fail. You have to use buttermilk and you have to be nice to the dough. I still make them at least twice a week, best right out of the oven.

WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?

NH: Corn and strawberries have to be the most exciting ingredients for me. When the corn starts coming I think cornbread, pancakes and puddings. As for strawberries, those little dark red strawberries that Bob (farmer) brings Restaurant Eve. They are so sweet and wonderful. Make jam, spread it on a warm biscuit, you just melt, it’s that good.

WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …

NH: Tartine Bread. This book is beautiful. The breads that they are producing are some of the best out there. It is very informative and great for the professional as well as the aspiring home baker. I’m also just a little jealous that he goes surfing in the morning before heading to the bakery!

WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?

NH: Phyllo dough is the hardest thing I have ever attempted. You start with this piece of dough that is two inches thick and four inches square and then you have to proceed to stretch and coerce this dough into a sheet that is thin enough to read through. I try about once a month and have yet to be successful but I’ll keep trying.

WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …

NH: Besides my chef, Cathal Armstrong, who I really enjoy cooking with I would have to say, Frank Ruta. His food has always been inspiring to me. It is just clean, focused, well executed food. The fact that he likes making bread is just a bonus.

WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?

NH: The easiest thing I make is a tomato sandwich. Just toast, tomato (bursting with ripeness), mayo, salt, and pepper, there’s nothing else to it. It would be my last meal. Thanks to my grandfather in North Carolina who showed me this very simple pleasure.

WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …

NH: The newest creation from the EatGoodFood Group, Society Fair. A bakery, butcher shop, wine bar and studio kitchen all under one roof. The concept is similar to Eataly (but on a mom and pop scale) in NYC. Coming later this year.

WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …

NH: Most likely it is bourbon, neat or with a bit of ice. Anything by Pappy Vanwinkle or Black Maple Hill.
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Homemade cornbread and fresh strawberry jam sound like a little slice of heaven, chef.

Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.

–Warren

Back of the House: Fat of the Land

Posted by Warren Rojas / Friday, July 29th, 2011

An insider’s guide to the navigating the fine dining restaurant world.

~

“There are definite procedures to ensure a positive dining/restaurant experience. It all begins with
this idea: Prepare for good dining karma.”
- Restaurant Eve Service Manual

I love fat.

<1957 ad from British Lard Marketing Board>

Bacon drippings. Pork cracklins. And the juicy, precious, sweet goodness that is bone marrow.

For years my mother and I have had arguments on the subject of meat fat:

“Look at the fat!”

“Don’t eat the fat!”

“Skim off the fat!”

My mother is from the Philippines. And most Filipinos—I said most, not all—from her generation usually cooked the bejesus out of their meat; my mother was no exception. Any existence of moisture in her meat was gleaned from the precious remaining fat.

I had many fond memories of food and my mother …

This is about the time where you would expect me to wax poetic about food daydreams: the scent of blah-blah-blah that wafted from my mother’s kitchen. Or how I remember my mother lovingly preparing pies from apples plucked from the garden trees…

Yeah, yeah, every intro to every cheffy cookbook today contains the similar story: Oh, every delicious memory is just so, so … romantic.

Ok, idyllic paradise, we get it. And no, I’m not jealous that some of you spent your adolescence in a foodie Shangri La. Because regardless of how I made it here in the food world, I made it here.

Surprising, really, because I was a SPAM eating kid. How I loved the little key that opened the blue tin jar. It was so magical to me. That hook-bent key could even unlock doors! If it was processed or packaged in Technicolor, it had my name all over it. I was a pink fluffy, Hostess snowball eating kid who thought T.V. dinners were the bomb: unwrapping that shiny pinched foil to find food nestled in perfect compartments was like treasure hunting, especially if I got one with the little, “baked” apple streusel.

Growing up, this was all the “culinary” I knew and yet somehow it prompted food epiphanies in my life.

I would pronounce the glories of fat one summer day when my mother decided we would have steak and she could try a new marinade. She pulled two rib eyes from the package from ‘Blank-Blank’ butchers. I was surprised because normally non-rich kids, with single mothers didn’t shop there. But it was summer, my mother bought a little charcoal grill and wanted to treat me.

That day I learned that my mother’s version of grill really meant = kill it again.

“Well done” was an oxymoron to even a six year old. But my mother was smiling, so I compliantly ate—shoe leather. I cut into the maligned meat and accidentally included a slice of caramelized squishiness charred by the hot coals. Remarkably this bite was less leathery, with a twinge of magnificent.

I had experienced fat for the first time.

We are told that we should not eat animal fat—that it’s bad for us. But many cultures all over the world (from the arctic to the equator) have eaten animal fats throughout many millennia.

When you dine in any of our restaurants, butter and cream are prized, and fat is celebrated. Our chefs—and every chef I know—love to cook with it, so it’s put back in its rightful place: in our food.

<Eamonn Armstrong, Meshelle’s son, grinding suet>

Biscuits and pastry taste gorgeous and are perfectly crumbly because of lard. Minced pies are made with suet. Roasts are browned with beef drippings. And chickens are fried in duck fat.

But the king of all fat comes from pigs.

It is used for many applications: terrines, pates, sausages. Or simply: salted, cured, spiced, cut thin and adored.

Thank goodness our country has caught the fever of the sensible.

At least I thought we had.

One night at the restaurant we offered the notable, black Ibérico ham (Pata Negra.) If you are unfamiliar with this precious pig—and I’m not being facetious, this is one pricy porker—it comes from a region in Spain where it is truly treasured. It basically runs around freely and feasts on acorns. Ultimately, all that running and feasting makes for one happy, tasty pig.

Seriously though, it is superior. And if it is served at room temperature (never cold) the key part of the flavor is (to me, anyway) the mouth-feel—the way the fat melts away, and tells the story.

That night, a luscious slice was given to each guest in the tasting room. Everyone did their thing and enjoyed it properly. With the exception of one couple. Though they were as verbally delighted as the others, they fastidiously pulled all of the succulent, white fat from the meat and placed it on the corner of their plates in a tragic heap.

<Jamon Iberico>

When we proceeded to take their order, all questions were about nothing else than fat. “Is there butter in that? What about cream? Can have it without the bacon? Oh, I can’t eat that I’m on the (blank, blank) diet.”

WHAT!!??

FAT belongs in a celebration.

First of all, when you make reservations in a fine dining restaurant—especially for a special occasion—leave the diet at home. I understand you want to eat healthy. Do it every other night of the week. But when in a fine dining restaurant, where the very purpose is to indulge, splurge.

Order the terrine, the sausage, the salted pork and a great bottle of wine. You’ll be alright; death’s winged chariot is not coming for you.

And please remember not only is animal fat not the villain it’s made out to be, it’s good for you. If you are eating high quality fats, such as pasture fed, non-medicated, organic eggs, dairy, poultry, and meat, you are doing your body good.

There, I said it.

I’m going to make it even clearer. If you are eating conventionally/industrialized raised poultry and meat, then, yes, it is a good idea to cut off the fat—as the medications, hormones and pesticides consumed by the animal will be concentrated in the fat, which will in turn be concentrated in your fat.

That’s right: all fat is not created equal.

If you can understand the difference, I am hoping I can turn you into one of us, a fat evangelist, to go and spread the good word.

Fat is not a dirty word and fat does NOT make you fat.

Fat is natural. Do not fear it. The hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO, AKA trans fat) companies took over and convinced you lard was the villain.

Fat guarantees taste and succulence. Simple. Without it, meat will be dry and tasteless.

Fat has lots of good fatty acids that fight disease and lower cholesterol.

Fat helps the body make better use of fat-soluble (the operative word, look it up) vitamins (A, D, E and K; carotene; omega-3′s) and minerals. This is the reason why proteins naturally come paired with fat: the protein in egg whites is paired with the fat of the yolks, muscle meat is marbled with and attached to fat (this food was not engineered in a factory). Generations not too long ago, intuitively knew this. Hence the reason classic vegetable recipes are cooked with fat – potatoes mashed with butter and cream, collards stewed with salt pork, etc. (No, we did not wise up, we got ‘target marketed.’)

Fat is flavor and just makes everything better.

Sadly, not everyone is ready to embrace the sublime. On a daily basis we still battle with the stigma, “Why is there so much pork in everything?” (Um, because it’s delicious) Children are taught that “lard-o”, “fats-o,” doesn’t mean you are yummy and tasty. My mother still lectures me, and my own children trim their meat. With outstretched forks they just “pass it to mom.”

Did the fat love skip a generation? Will my grandchildren side with grandma Meshe?

The drug companies (who won’t make money if you are healthy) and the junk food industry have done a bang up job convincing the American public that fats are bad for us. But too much of anything is bad for you.

I am not a nutritionist. I am a restaurateur whose most favorite activity is food.

You might disavow the truth about fat. But I’m hoping there’s no escaping the voice of reason in your own head. God is a brilliant designer. He knew exactly what he was doing when he gave us his bounty.

And while my mother just yesterday sneered that I didn’t pat my bacon, I think she would have to agree with me.

___________________________________

I could continue to blab about the virtue of fat but if you really want to know what’s what, read the book by Chef Jennifer McLagan: “Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes.” She is brilliant and one of my culinary heroes.

–Meshelle Armstrong, co-owner Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper, PX, The Majestic, Virtue Feed & Grain, Society Fair.

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Contemplate the collective Back of the House wisdom by following along here.

Got a story/ question/comment to contribute to the dining karma conversation? Leave a comment below. Or go straight to the source at: Eatgoodfood@me.com

Belgian Restaurant Week is Back!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, July 1st, 2011

(Image: Korolevskaya Nataliya/Shutterstock)

Some of the area’s culinary luminaries, including Chef Robert Weidmaier (Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, Mussel Bar, and BRABO) and former Restaurant Eve Pastry Chef Niel Piferoen (Locolat Cafe), are joining forces from July 15 through July 21 to bring the region a taste of Belgium in celebration of the country’s National Day.

The week will commence with the annual Brew at the Zoo event, where Belgian restaurants will host a VIP tent. During the remainder of the week, the following events are scheduled to festively showcase Belgian culinary tradition and heritage:

Belgian Prix Fixe Menu (Thursday, July 15)
Mussels Throw Down at Eastern Market’s North Hall (Friday, July 16)
Belgian Waffle Brunch (Saturday, July 17)
Chocolate & Champagne Brunch (Sunday, July 18)
Seven-Course Belgian Beer Dinner hosted by Ambassador Jan Matthysen (Monday, July 19)
Duvel Happy Hour Events (Tuesday, July 20)
Belgian National Day Celebratons sponsored by Latis Imports (Thursday, July 21)

To further entice you (as if the above weren’t enough), here is a list of the Restaurant Week participants:

Belga Café
BRABO
Brasserie Beck
Et Voila!
Granville Moore’s
Locolat Cafe
Le Pain Quotidien
Marcel’s
Marvin
Mussel Bar

For more information about both scheduled events and menu offerings at the particpating restaurants, click here or visit the Belgian Restaurant Week Facebook page.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

-Johnisha M. Levi

You’re a Customer

Posted by Warren Rojas / Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

I read with great interest food blogger/videographer/author Josh Ozerky’s latest anti-restaurant rant in Time magazine.

And by “with great interest” I mean my internal bullshit detector was screaming in my ears.

Mind you, while I found myself nodding along with the few salient points–”casual” dining is by and large a misnomer, wonky reservation policies are distasteful–I was mostly stunned by how lowly Ozersky seems to regard both restaurants (his self-appointed beat) and restaurant goers (his de facto flock).

While he sprinkles sweeping generalizations (“Restaurants like cash because it allows them to cheat the IRS”) and bombast (“The most nakedly coercive form of control, of course, is the dreaded tasting menu, for which the chef sends out 11 tiny portions of food, each one carefully designed to not satisfy you, with the experience requiring less input from you than a nurse requires from an obliging spinal-trauma patient.”) throughout, he manages to shoehorn his most vitriolic views into the following paragraph:

Granted, I ‘m obliged to approach my more-frequent-than-I’d-care-to-admit outings with an eye on professional nitpicking. But something–okay, a lot of things–about Ozersky’s  gripes struck me as, at best, downright petty, and at worst, delusional and wrong.

So I decided to check with a few local dining authorities.

Chef and restaurateur Geoff Tracy seemed the most inclined to give Ozersky the benefit of the doubt.

Tracy stood firmly behind every client’s “right” to text/photograph/Tweet each meal to their heart’s content (“Sure. Why not”) and quench their thirst with thrifty alternatives (“I drink lots of cheap wine. It doesn’t suck, it just doesn’t cost that much,” he asserted). He seemed genuinely baffled by those who misguidedly game the reservation system (“I am also confounded by restaurants who say they are booked between 6 and 10…and then when you walk in the place is WIDE open. Seems like bad for business.”). He even pseudo-endorsed Ozersky’s anti-jerk clause (“Nobody likes a jerk or inconsiderate, mean people”), but left the door open for bitingly honest evaluations and oddball queries.

“Helpful and thoughtful (not mean) constructive comments actually help us get better and are appreciated,” Tracy offered, adding, “I am OK with dopey questions.”

He drew the line, however, at preemptively declining bread service (“Isn’t ‘waving him off before he even speaks’ contradicting the ‘inconsiderate’ component of Josh’s Bill of Rights?”). And Tracy found nothing redeeming about Ozersky’s call to ostracize tongue-tied restaurant workers.

” There are a lot of hardworking people in this business who are trying to learn English. People are realizing the American dream in the restaurant business every day (and in construction sites, landscaping, cleaning businesses, etc),” Tracy counseled. “Unless you are Native American, we should all keep in mind that at some point a past relative was an immigrant to this great country.”

Great American Restaurants CEO Randy Norton attempted to diffuse the whole guest vs. customer stand-off, arguing, “Airlines and grocery stores have customers. People that visit our restaurants are guests.”

“We want to treat everyone as well or better than we would guests in our homes,” Norton said. “In fact, our first core value is ‘we exist to provide happiness to our guests and staff.’ We don’t publicize this; it’s just who we are.”

Norton also rushed to the defense of his company’s long-standing, no-reservations policy.

“We don’t take reservations because it is so difficult to keep guests happy that arrive late,” he explained, suggesting that its equally difficult to gauge “how long guests will stay at a table.” GAR has, instead, utilized a call-ahead system that, while helpful–”We find most guests show up when they call so close to their arrival,” he noted–is still not flawless. “It still isn’t unusual for more than 10 percent of ‘call ahead’ guests to not show up at all,” he calculated.

Restaurateur and Back of the House columnist Meshelle Armstrong laughed off most of Ozersky’s observations, but minced no words about the proposed dining “rights.”

“He [Ozersky] needs to know, patrons do NOT have certain unalienable rights. It is not the government. A restaurant is a privately owned business–with the right to conduct business anyway it chooses,” Armstrong asserted. “IF you do choose to participate in a private business, you have to comply with their rules. SIMPLE.”

Armstrong understandably bemoaned the dissipation of civility (“Life skills and a thing called manners unfortunately HAVE gone by the wayside.”) that one might presume was the original inspiration for Ozersky’s column. But she maintains that common sense remains the best compass. “KNOW where you are going…and act appropriately,” she advised.

Armchair critic cum concierge Don Rockwell was easily the least hospitable towards Ozersky (“This guy needs to get laid”).

“The piece is a potpourri of misplaced ideas, egotism, smugness, and misanthropy with the occasional, seemingly random, grain of coherent thought. Honestly, it would have been a good April Fools’ piece because it’s right on the border of being silly enough to be dismissed as a joke; yet, it’s written for a mass audience which might actually believe some of it, so it’s a dangerous piece of writing on a very small scale,” Rockwell warned.

He went on to dissect Ozersky’s purported rights [plain text], pointing out the following [ALL CAPS]:

You Are Not a Guest

SURE YOU ARE. SECOND DEFINITION OF THE WORD RIGHT HERE.

Guests are people who come to your home.

THAT’S THE FIRST DEFINITION.

Diners at restaurants are customers.

CORRECT, AND THEY’RE ALSO GUESTS.

They pay for food and service.

CORRECT.

They therefore have certain unalienable rights,

A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A NON SEQUITUR.

including but not limited to:

OH, SO *HE* IS THE ONE WRITING THE CONSTITUTION .

the right to take pictures of the food with their cell phones

THIS IS SO STUPID THAT I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T COMMENT ON IT.

particularly if they can do so without a flash;

OOPS! HE JUST ALIENATED ONE OF HIS UNALIENABLE RIGHTS!

the right to text all the way through the meal,

REFER TO THE RIGHT TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE FOOD WITH THEIR CELL PHONES.

whether the staff or chef likes it or not;

SERIOUSLY. THIS GUY NEEDS TO GET LAID.

the right to drink the cheapest wine on the menu or to just have iced tea;

CORRECT.

the right to take home things that they don’t finish;

I’LL GIVE HIM THIS (BUT THE RESTAURANT HAS NO OBLIGATION TO HAVE CARRYOUT CONTAINERS).

and the right to pay for their dinner with a credit card.

HOPE THIS GUY DOESN’T PLAN ON GOING TO A LOBSTER POUND.

Is there anything worse than being told,

UMMM …

at the end of a big meal,

WHY A “BIG” MEAL?

that the place doesn’t take plastic and that you have to slink to an ATM?

YEAH, CANCER IS WORSE.

Restaurants like cash because it allows them to cheat the IRS,

THIS IS PROBABLY OFTEN TRUE, BUT IT’S WRONG TO ISSUE A BLANKET STATEMENT ACCUSING ALL CASH-ONLY OPERATIONS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.

but that’s not your problem.

CORRECT. AND IT’S NOT HIS, EITHER (OR SHOULDN’T BE).

If a restaurant wants to pull that move, they need to tell everyone up front when they sit down.

I AGREE WITH THIS.

You’re right to hate them if they don’t.

HOW ABOUT, “YOU HAVE AN UNALIENABLE RIGHT TO HATE THEM IF THEY DON’T.” I’D GIVE HIM THAT.

And if they send a food runner who can’t speak English well to bring you your food

I ALSO THINK ENGLISH SHOULD BE THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE UNITED STATES OF ‘MERIKA.

and you can’t figure out what the hell he’s saying,

THEN YOU SHOULD EDUCATE YOURSELF, YOU MONOGLOT IGNORAMUS.

you have a right to have your waiter come by and do it himself or herself,

INCORRECT.

which should have happened to begin with.

WHY?

You do not, however, have the right to be a jerk,

NO, ONLY THIS GUY HAS THE RIGHT TO BE A JERK.

to be inconsiderate or to harass them with dopey questions and requests.

JUST LIKE HE’S HARASSING ME WITH THIS DOPEY COLUMN.

Just to be clear here.

SERIOUSLY. THIS GUY NEEDS TO GET LAID.

Restaurateur Michael Landrum–never one to hold his tongue or shy away from a potential media shit storm–proved to be the most stoic about Ozersky’s screed.

“I can only hope that this article will be read as the Swiftian parody that it is, with some points having a basis in reality. That being said, if one does not enjoy dining out, at all or at a specific restaurant, one should simply not do so,” Landrum said. “Every diner has the unalienable right of choice, and he should exercise it freely and without rancor.”

Meanwhile, Tracy recalled a particularly jarring occasion where he found himself on the totally wrong side of the table.

“I once was dining with Coach Bruce Boudreau at a tony restaurant in Potomac. He is a Canadian hockey player and meat-and-potato guy. He was obviously uncomfortable with the menu. The restaurant had a really nice steak on the menu which he politely asked for, but without the sauces and all the fancy stuff. The restaurant wouldn’t do it,” he noted. “Maybe we are just customers after all.”

Is Ozersky right? (222-and-counting Facebook fans can’t all have guzzled the Kool-Aid, can they?) Or is his column more about vainglorious rabble-rousing than actually elevating the dining bar?

–Warren

Back of the House: Working It

Posted by Warren Rojas / Friday, June 17th, 2011

An insider’s guide to the navigating the fine dining restaurant world.
~
“There are definite procedures to ensure a positive dining/restaurant experience. It all begins with
this idea: Prepare for good dining karma.”
- Restaurant Eve Service Manual

Staffing a new restaurant is rough business. I know; we’ve just opened one.

There are 12 million employees in the restaurant industry in the USA, which makes it the second largest employer in the nation after the government.

With those numbers you’d think that the staffing pool would be pretty plentiful. And it is. But the good ones are hard to find. Really hard to find. Normally, when a restaurant is already in operation you don’t really notice how many people apply for positions. The restaurant industry is just like a revolving door, swooping in, swooping out–someone’s either coming from Miami or moving to Miami.

So, with the one-in, one-out scenario you forget what it’s like to interview en masse.

Hours were spent interviewing the open call applicants for our new restaurant, trying to find those few people that can be molded to our ways–to see the hospitality light.

Throughout the lengthy interview process our managers had organized I would wander in from time to time, nodding here and there at the few hopefuls that I thought were possibilities: good body language, attentive, taking notes, asking the right questions because they did their homework per the ad–“Know who we are as a restaurant group before you apply.”

Then there were the others: unkempt and slouchy, “Uh, are you all like part of {insert restaurant group, clearly not us} ?” Many answering our questions with “Um, yeah,” and my favorite, “So, how much money am I gonna make here?” This particular lot got the immediate, “Thank you for coming–now out, out, out.”

But the one that sticks out in my mind was the 20-something girl who arrived in a super short, denim skirt (one she really should not have been wearing, never mind to an interview).

She chewed and cracked gum the whole time with a beyond laissez-faire ‘tude.

“Yeah, I wanna be a bartender. It’s a good way to meet dudes.”

Following her triumphant interview, she untwisted her coke bottle top (while it was cradled between her legs)–sssffftttt–put her wait-a-sec finger up and took a long, gulping swig.

Ok, Miss Two Scoops of Crazy, amusing but ah, no, we shan’t be needing those very apt services.

I did actually think about telling her the truth as to why she would not be hired. Instead, I just smiled and sent the hot mess on her way–to someone else. While part of me wanted to pass on a few tips on how to get hired, I realized she wouldn’t even have a clue what I was saying–she was already too far gone.

Attitude, I cannot teach.

We hire all our people first based on attitude. We look for that very special mix of humbleness and confidence. Everything else after that can be learned.

Skills, I can teach.

How to properly host dinner for various services: silver, American, Russian. How to properly clear a table. How to properly decant wine.

But before even all that, there is a very simple list: our own personal collection of what NOT to do when waiting on patrons. It’s a compilation of 100+”no-no’s”. Many were gathered and passed on by my peers before me, others I’ve collected while in
the moment of processing voids, comping, and sweet-talking my way out of my staff’s why-didyou-say/do-that fiascos. And one I’ve added on as recently as yesterday.

While I am already thrilled with many of our newest “restaurant family” members, I know some of them will not make it. Regardless of restaurant style, fine dining or a casual tavern, diners are tough, and many downright mean (Coming soon to Back of the House). So I have to give our doe-eyed hopefuls that home team advantage. If they can at least remember most items on this list, it will extend their serving career and even more importantly make you, the diner, happier.

I won’t share the whole list, for fear of sounding like a tyrant and getting booed out by one of those 12 million restaurant employees. If you want to know the rest, you’ll just have to apply.

They are not listed in any particular order or level of ‘badness.’ And Restaurant Eve’s list is a bit more involved. But this will give you an idea of what you should expect from (I can’t speak for everyone else) most floor staff. And promise me this: if you ever see any of our people–new, old, the fine dining captains, or even the counter kings (the gents that work Eamonn’s chip shoppe)–performing any of the following ‘no-no’ hi-jinks, send me an email.

But remember, my newbies are still learning; after a month of being open, then we can rant.

And if there are any restaurant employee actions that you find particularly egregious–send me an email. I may or may not already have them noted but I’d love to know if my list is complete.

Oh, and here are a couple of those preinterview tips I really wanted to share with Miss Chug-alug.

Remember:

Chances are you won’t be hired (but you’ll certainly make me laugh) if a well crafted resume full of your passions for the food industry is sent from an email address such as: hottotrot76, boytoy, or the best ever, u_a_lzyfkr (yes, these are some I have received). Better to refrain from sending any of those handles.

Chances are you won’t be hired if your answer to “Why did you leave your previous job?” is: “I couldn’t get along with the the manager.”

Chances are you won’t be hired if in the interview you are given a schedule of the shifts and your reply is, “Oh, that won’t work for me, is it possible to come in later?”

But that’s just me.

Ok, on to the follies:

Never call a table of women, guys, or anyone “dude.” (This rule should just apply in general terms.)

Never say “no problem” or “uh huh” to a guest’s “thank you.” The only appropriate reply is “you are welcome.” (Again, this rule applies to life skills.)

Never try to pick up or make moves on anyone while you are waiting on them. (If you don’t get the date, you still have to wait on them.)

Never compliment one person at the table. (You’re basically telling all the others that they don’t pass muster.)

Never say or ask a single diner, “ Oh, you are alone tonight?”

Never interrupt a conversation to recite specials. It’s like saying, “Excuuuuse me, I’m in a hurry and what I have to say is way more important.”

Never make comments to a conversation you’ve overheard. (“Oh, sounds like a scary movie.”) They could be talking about their lives. And anyway, no one cares. “Go get my drink” is probably what they’re thinking.

Never say “I don’t know” to any question without following with, “I’ll find out.”

Never touch, pat or dust a guest. Even if they are regulars, hands off.

Never say, “Still working on that?” (Work?)

Never use profanity even if the guests do. You are not cool, you’re just rude.

Never clear plates from a table if someone is still eating. (No one wants to be the last one eating while the others are looking at you and thinking “hurry up.”)

Never bite your fingernails, scratch your crotch or run fingers through your hair. Gross.

Never stand idle or chat to your fellow staff while empty or full tables are covered with dirty dishes. (If I see you, trust me, I’ll give you more work.)

Never have a personal conversation with another waiter within earshot of customers. (They do not want to know what you did over the weekend, they want attention.)

Never hustle the most expensive items– “You should have the lobster, it’s my favorite and the most popular.” The lobster is not the prom queen, and you sound like you’re pumping the check.

Never drink alcohol on the job, even if invited by the guests. “Thank you, but not when I’m on duty,” is the proper response.

Never say, “Good choice.” What? The other choices are bad.

Never blame the kitchen, bar, host, runner or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.

Never overly turn on the charm at tip time. Be charming throughout. And anyway, everyone knows “the rub.”

Never pick up or clear dirty glasses with “the claw.” Finger fungus does exist. Enough said.

Never say–and boy I know this because I personally made this mistake, in my early days–never say, “Would you like a third, (or fourth, or fifth) glass of wine?”

And the one I added (and it’s been a long times since) after overhearing a conversation between a guest and one of our now Ex staff members–Never answer a question with an idiotic reply:

Guest: “What’s served under the scallops?’
Waiter: “Oh, some white mushy stuff.”

It was risotto. And I think his head was full of white mushy stuff. If you don’t know the answer, don’t play cute or stupid. Go find out and study your menu. This is your job.

So there they are, ‘The Nevers’. Reading them again brings back so many fond memories. Here’s hoping they stick–to serve you well.

And to the would be snarkers, yes, I also have a detailed list of the “do’s”. But for some reason the dont’s are far easier to remember.

I adore our staff, they work very hard. But make no mistake, they know very well what they are getting into when they punch the clock in ‘our house’. Our expectations are high–they have to be.

–Meshelle Armstrong, co-owner Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper, PX, The Majestic, Virtue Feed & Grain, Society Fair.

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Contemplate the collective Back of the House wisdom by following along here.

Got a story/ question/comment to contribute to the dining karma conversation? Leave a comment below. Or go straight to the source at: Eatgoodfood@me.com

Back of the House: Quit Fronting

Posted by Warren Rojas / Friday, May 6th, 2011

An insiders guide to the navigating the restaurant world.

~
“There are definite procedures to ensure a positive dining / restaurant experience. It all
begins with this idea: Prepare for good dining karma.”
- Restaurant Eve Service Manual

~
How to Give (and Get) ‘Good Phone’ • Part II

“. . .Brrriiiiinggg . . .”

“Good evening, thank you for calling Restaurant Eve. How may I help you?”

“Yes, I need a reservation for this Saturday night for a party of four.”

“Oh, my apologies sir, we are fully committed this Saturday, may I check another date for you.”

“Um, well, perhaps you should check again. This is Mr. Ralph, I am a good friend of Chef Kethel Armstrong and my dinner companion is a notable blogger from Boston.”

The die was cast.

There are a few unwritten rules when it comes to acquiring a hard-to-get reservation.

Remember back when I said you might not always like what you hear?

Depending on your reservation habits, this might be that time.

An entire section of DON’Ts could easily come across as negative or snarky, especially since the hospitality industry is basically designed to be, well, hospitable.

You don’t go to a fine dining restaurant to have the waiters tell you how you should use your utensils or listen to the chef tell you how you should eat your food … So who am I to tell you what you shouldn’t do when you try to make a reservation?

Read on.

My day is far more pleasant when it’s spent assisting nice people who trust that I’m going to do my best to make their dining wishes happen. But sometimes it’s waaay easier to deal with a jackass.

Doling out the bad-news-blow to someone who took five minutes of my life away dispensing bombastic “But don’t you know who I am?!” drivel is on the spot fun. (“Oh, I do have one at 7:30 p.m. … oh no. I’m so sorry, I was mistaken, the 9 looked like a 7.”)

Especially, when Mr. “Jacques Haas” even had the nerve to swear a bit.

Now, it still troubles me when I can’t find a table for the genuine sort: new parents trying to squeeze in their anniversary dinner or that anxious but charming gentleman trying to plan his honey’s birthday. I know it sucks, been there.

Most of you—and I do mean most (somewhere in the 95 percent area)—will find the following what not to do instructions laughable. You’ll probably even have a “Nah-uh, people do that?!?” moment.

The other 5 percent—well, you know who you are.

DON’T lie.

Never, ever, ever.

Some people are so desperate in their quest to get a table that they tell loopy whoppers. I can’t tell you how many calls I get from “close, personal friends” of my husband, Cathal, who don’t know how to pronounce his first name. His name is Cathal (silent ‘t’) not Cathay, (he’s not a woman) Carl (“but isn’t that the American version?”), or my favorite, Chatall (which puts me in stitches because it somehow reminds me of the fabulous movie, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, whose plot is based on the journey of three drag queens).

Or, the most hilare is when they are “close, personal friends” of mine and they are talking . . . to me. Caught in the BS! But of course, I then have to pretend not to be me:

“Oh, I’m sure she would have been so upset to have missed you, but unfortunately 9:30 p.m. is still the only availability .”

And, here’s a good one: Saturday night tables filled with guests eating, chatting, proposing—you know, the usual—patrons spilling out of the bar, waiting for their reservations, and me at the desk (when it was my gig) chatting with guests and sending my hosts to far corners of the dining rooms for the in-house status reports.

Two gentlemen present themselves for a 7:30 p.m. reservation in the Tasting Room. Immediately I tune out all the chatter from the bar and dining rooms and focus all of my attention on the gentlemen and the booked-solid floor plan in front of me.

Something has gone very, very wrong.

We never ever have a Saturday 7:30 p.m. reservation for two in the Tasting Room (It just doesn’t work out—the table can never have a second seating, so it’s reserved for four).

Panic sets in when I cannot find a record of them or their reservation anywhere in the computer or in the “Black Book” (the actual book of written floor plans and timing—we have a double-entry system, sort of as a backup; it’s easy to spot errors this way).

Anyway, in these situations I always give guests the benefit of the doubt. I know that mistakes and miscommunications happen, and wherever the fault lies, it’s my job to make it right. I begin to explain the situation and invite the gentlemen to relax with a cocktail while I sort everything out.

Internally, my brain is in hyper drive: think, think, who’s on dessert? Who looks fine drinking at the bar and can I give their table to the two standing in front of me?

But I am cut off when the “gentlemen” in question proceed to throw down the Veruca Salt tantrum.

To drown out my apologies and offers of a solution, the “gentlemen” get louder. Guests in the bar start to notice that there is drama brewing, (you know how everyone loves drama) so soon we have an audience—dinner and a show, everybody!

The “gentlemen” notice the on-lookers and begin to really lay it on, dropping details about Restaurant Eve’s unprofessionalism and how they should have gone to the “other restaurant.”

Then they strike:

“Listen, we made this reservation last week with a young man who seemed pre-tee flaky over the phone. Maybe you should train your staff better, because this is just ridiculous.”

My insides begin to churn and my sympathy, gone.

Big fibbers.

We didn’t have a single male host at Restaurant Eve (at the time), and the servers are not permitted to answer the phones, so I know flaky reservations boy is either totally invented or employed at another restaurant, probably annoyed that his 7:30 p.m. two-top is late. But my gut serves me well, as when I inform them (in the slowest speech I can manage to really draw it out) that a 7:30 p.m. never existed and all hosts are female, they quieted down real quick (still a show, remember) and slinked off into the night, one whispering to the other, “See, now where do we go?”

The moral of this story: “Big fat liars, tried to embarrass us into giving them a table.” So don’t lie.

DON’T book a reservation you KNOW you can’t make

Here’s a tip for all of you spontaneous types: if you can be flexible, it’s worth calling on the day you’d like to dine. Generally restaurants call to confirm reservations at least a day in advance. On Thursday mornings I know we’ll have a few cancellations for the weekend, and if we can’t reach anyone on the wait-list we open those tables up for new callers.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to hitch one of those last-minute tables, but I do know I can count on those cancellations. It seems like one of the laws of the universe. Those cancellation calls even all sound the same, like the guests and I are reading from the same script:

“Hello Dr. Ralph, this is Restaurant Eve calling to confirm your 6 p.m. reservation for two this Saturday.”

“Oh, hello. Anything open up at, like 7:30 p.m.?”

“I’m very sorry, sir, but we are still fully committed at that time.”

“Then I’m just going to have to cancel.”—Click.

This is why reservations are so hard to get. Every time you book a reservation you have no intention of keeping, someone else can’t get a table. You know in your heart when you are resentfully making your “ugh, who eats at that hour” reservation, you aren’t going to keep it.

Go on, let it go. Leave it for someone who will.

DON’T name-drop yourself

This isn’t lying so much as overstating. Dropping a title without explanation as you try to imply that you are someone the host should know makes all of us roll the eyes to heaven.

When you start your conversation with, “This is Dr. Ralph and I need a table for four,” or “Congressman X wants a table on the 3rd,” the host starts racing through her mental Rolodex:

“Dr. Ralph? Is that Chef’s doctor? No… one of his cousins? Guy on T.V show? Crap!”

As you carry on a seemingly normal conversation, she starts furiously looking up guest records—“Dr. Ralph, Dr. Ralph, which Dr. Ralph? Fred? Thomas?”—until she realizes that the reason she doesn’t recognize your name is because this will be your first visit to the restaurant.

Hosts hate this because it makes them feel like you think they won’t do their jobs unless you’re a VIP. Or even worse, that you are trying to trick them by making yourself sound highfalutin.

There is no need to lean on your title.

Gucci, Pucci, Hoochie. As long as we have the table, you like to eat (and can pay), it’s all good.

To us, everyone is a VIP. Until proven otherwise.

Like in my daughter, Eve’s, class: everyone starts with an A. It’s what you do that can lose it.

So avoid earning yourself that un-VIP-able status. (Refer to the first DO in part one of this column.) It’s our job to make you feel special, to make you feel cared for. We will try every bit as hard to fit in a straightforward ‘Miss, or Mr.’ as we will a General.

And my personal bête noir: If you mention that you’re a frequent Yelp-er or Chowhound-er as a scare tactic to acquire a reservation or to gain special treatment you should be officially forced to carry the scarlet fork. It not only makes you sound like a real git but you give a bad name to some of the really good, committed to food and dining blogs out there, who call for reservations like everyone else. During dinner as we engage you, who you are and what food scene jazzes you will naturally emerge. And we’ll be thrilled that you’ve chosen us.

In the viral age, many have the “I eat – therefore I review” mentality, unfortunately the power of the slapdash keystroke has gone to some of their heads:

“It’s reeeally too bad you don’t have anything this Saturday—I was planning on reviewing you. Have you heard of fudiefan.com?”

Seriously, if this is your behavior on the phone, imagine what we have to fear when you actually arrive.

I’d rather give the table to the person who won’t write about us, and take my chances with the good ol’ word of mouth critique. I can’t speak for others but strong-arming me with a “are you sure you want to say ‘no’ to me” tactic won’t work.

To us, everyone is a critic.

————————————————————————————————————

So there they are, a few unwritten reservation rules, written.

Whether or not you get that one available table is up to you.

But I promise you, if you mind the “don’ts” and practice the “do’s”, you will notice a significant upgrade in your reservation karma, and your personal ‘guests notes’ (notes given to you based on your history) will be flagged by hosts everywhere to read:

“(Insert your name) . . . a first-class diner.”

–Meshelle Armstrong, co-owner Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper, PX, The Majestic, Virtue Feed & Grain, Society Fair. *Thoughtfully guided by her darling and faithful ex-reservations manager, Kate Ahner*

————————————————————————————————————

Contemplate the collective Back of the House wisdom by following along here.

Got a story/ question/comment to contribute to the dining karma conversation? Leave a comment below. Or go straight to the source at: Eatgoodfood@me.com

Virtue • Feed & Grain

Posted by ryan / Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Established restaurateur Cathal Armstrong, his wife Meshelle, and partner Todd Thrasher plan on adding another place to an already stellar repertoire. Restaurant Eve, The Majestic, PX, and Eamonn’s are all owned and operated by their EatGoodFood Group. This new property is located in Old Town Alexandria on South Union Street.

Renovation efforts are ongoing in the historic building that once housed Olsson’s Books. The finished product should be capable of accommodating over 300 people on two floors and an outdoor deck. See the vision for it below.

Virtue • Feed & Grain is an Irish-American themed tavern, a familiar model that continues to be praiseworthy and successful. The menu features some of Cathal’s personal favorites, and Todd’s inventive beverages.

Specialty dishes include pigs in a blanket, haddock soup, mussels, grilled cheese, steak, kidney pot pie, and roast pork belly. As the name implies, all ingredients are guaranteed fresh and organic. “Taste No Evil” is the trademarked motto.

They’ve obviously been doing something right with previous ventures. The James Beard Foundation recognized these men for their efforts by nominating them both for prestigious awards. Winners are announced May 9, which is around the same time this new restaurant opens.

-Ryan Robertson

(image: Virtue • Feed & Grain)

JBF Awards

Posted by ryan / Monday, March 21st, 2011

The James Beard Foundation Awards have been called “the Oscars of the Food World” by Time magazine. It honors the country’s best chefs, restaurateurs, designers, and  journalists for their creativity and professionalism. This year’s nominees were recently announced. Looking closely at the list of semifinalists, I found several deserving locals up for consideration.

Restaurant Eve of Old Town Alexandria is an Irish-themed restaurant that can be found in the Outstanding Service category. Co-owner Cathal Armstrong could realistically win the award for the best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region. Head Sommelier Todd Thrasher has been nominated for the most outstanding wine and spirit professional in the country. Both have been honored several times in the past. Numerous publications like the Washingtonian, Food & Wine, and even Playboy have praised these men for what they do. This is Armstrong’s fourth nomination and Thrasher’s second at the JBF Awards.

Cathal, an Irish native and his wife Meshelle may very well be the most distinguished restaurateurs in the Metropolitan area.  Eamonn’s, PX, and The Majestic are all a part of their EatGoodFood, LLC. Success has allowed them to give back to the community often. They’ve put a lot of time and effort into protecting our nation’s agricultural resources and eradicating hunger among children. In fact, The National Restaurant Association awarded them the The Neighborhood Community Award for their charitable works in 2006.

Bertrand Chemel of the 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church is also in the running for the best chef in the Mid-Atlantic. The executive chef from the south of France has made quite a name for himself since he took over. The Wine Spectator recently gave 2491 the “Best of the Best” Award for its extensive selection. The innovative menu changes seasonally, the tasting menu changes nightly, and an unforgettable culinary experience is practically ensured.

District nominees include Kushi Izakaya & Sushi, Palena, and Knightsbridge Restaurant Group.

Winners will be announced at the Lincoln Center in New York City on Monday, May 9 at 6 p.m.

Good luck to them all!

-Ryan Robertson

(image: James Beard Awards)

Back of the House: ASS-U-ME

Posted by Warren Rojas / Friday, March 18th, 2011

Back of the House: a Service Manual of The Divine and Diabolical ©

An insider’s guide to the navigating the fine dining restaurant world.

~

“There are definite procedures to ensure a positive dining/restaurant experience. It all begins with this idea: Prepare for good dining karma.”

- Restaurant Eve Service Manual

Here’s an idea that may sway the dining pendulum in everyone’s favor:

Do not immediately assume the worst.

And this is why.

There’s a banking practice that goes on every day. If you dine in restaurants, pay with plastic and regularly check your account, you may already know of it. If not, you should. It’s one that has caused temple rubbing and furrowed brows from restaurant managers everywhere and unwarranted finger-wagging from the likes of those who, I think, like to finger wag.

The following letter/email correspondence has been altered to protect the innocent—or guilty, depending on how you see it. I’ve kept a collection of goodies or not so goodies that I use in training our staff—a “see what happens when you slack off” sort of thing.

These letters, no matter how they sting, are very important as they illustrate how perceptions are interpreted: rose-colored, true to nature or shockingly skewed.

Don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Assume-the-Worst letter writer: I’ve altered them enough to protect you, but kept the tone true to form.

While keeping email correspondence private is a courtesy I would usually honor, if communication such as the enclosed applies and we can learn something to help improve our dining karma, I’ll share one with you from time to time.

Unfortunately, this exchange does not end very well.A sodden mess actually.

And while I like to think I am an unflappable professional and a proficient apologist, when provoked, I get angry too.

I know some of you out there may be gasping or thinking “Oh no, she did-unt” while another group, industry compadres who’ve been in this situation, are releasing a salvo of approval.

If you are not in the latter, I hope you don’t fault me too much. As I believe strongly that, even in the current age of “you’ve wronged me, so what do I get now,” civility still goes a long way.

Note the dates and times.

————————————————————————————————————

From:

Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 10:23 AM

To: Meshe [mailto:meshe@restauranteve.com

Cc:

Subject: Re: Very Disappointing - overcharged... !!

Importance: High

Meshelle,

Last evening, Feb 11th, 2011, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful evening in your restaurant. We were with friends in the Chef’s dining room under the reservation----. At the time of payment, the other couple and we divided the bill and I had given them cash for a generous gratuity. (22% as the service was quite good.)

My disappointment came this morning when I looked at my account and realized that your staff had overcharged me by $62.50! The fact that your staff added an additional $62.50 to the credit charge is unacceptable.

I am requesting and expecting a quick response and immediate correction to my account. You have just lost a valued and potential long term customer. While sitting in your restaurant last evening, I thought what a great place to bring and entertain high level donors for my organization.

I doubt that will ever happen.

Fraternally,

~~~~~~

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Meshe [mailto:meshe@restauranteve.com

Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 10:48 AM

To:

Cc:

Subject: Re: Very Disappointing - overcharged... !!

Importance: High

Dear ------

I received your email, please take a moment to review our explanation.

If one is not familiar with this bank practice, it may be common to have your response.

At the conclusion of your (or any guest's) dinner, when we process your credit card, it is first approved only for the cost of the dinner. However, at that point, the bank assumes that you intend to also leave a gratuity on the same card.

After the approval, (the amount of your dinner check) the bank then subsequently places an additional 20-25% hold on your funds. (If you calculate the charges you will see the amount in question is approximate to this.) This is not the practice of the restaurants, but that of all banking institutions. The reason it occurs is to protect debit card issuers, cardholders and the merchants. It ensures cardholders don't spend more money than they have and merchants are paid for the transaction. Normally no one notices this unless one reviews their banking profile regularly. If you check again within usually the next 24 - 48 business hours the hold is removed.

I ‘m sorry that I am the one that has to explaing this to you. I wish that banks would make it clear that this is the banking policy when customers pay with their debit card. By the way, It happens also when you get pre-approved for gas or hotels, you may have incidentals or you may purchase more gas than initially intended.

I hope this explanation was sufficient and do let me know if I may assist you further. We are honest people and unfortunately, it appears this practice has caused you to believe us thieves. If you call your bank, or review the policy they will confirm. Please do feel free to contact me directly if further explanation is needed.

M---, It is important that your memory of Restaurant Eve remains a “wonderful” one and we look forward to your return visit. If you would kindly reply to me, I just want to be sure our good name is intact.

Thank you for your valued custom.

Meshelle Armstrong

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From:

Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 12:48 PM

To: [mailto:meshe@restauranteve.com

Cc:

Subject: Re: Very Disappointing - overcharged... !!

Importance: High

Meshelle,

Thank you for returning my email. It seems an odd practice, however, I will inform my friends and monitor my account.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: mailto:meshe@restauranteve.com

Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 1:28 PM

To:

Cc:

Subject: Re: Very Disappointing - overcharged... !!

Importance: High

M--,

Thank You! Enjoy your weekend!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From:

Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 12:25 PM

To: Meshe [mailto:meshe@restauranteve.com

Cc:

Subject: Re: Very Disappointing - overcharged... !!

Importance: High

Meshelle,

As of today at noon, this charge has not balanced out…

Additionally, the explanation from my bank, (-----) is somewhat different from yours. My bank stated that your business directs the type of transaction and that you can remove the excess by calling the bank. I am still upset, especially since my banks  tells me this is not their policy. You said that this would balance out in a day or two… my bank tells me it could be 5 – 6 days. You are not being truthful to your patrons. So, it is unfortunate that I cannot in good conscience return to your restaurant or recommend it to anyone else.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Meshe [mailto:meshe@restauranteve.com]

Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 1:42 PM

To:

Cc:

Subject: Re: Very Disappointing – overcharged…

M —-

I am sorry it is Valentine’s day and this is where we find ourselves. May I say, having explained this situation many times normally one allows me the benefit of the doubt. The usual reply from others is : “Thank you for explaning, or I did not know that or I understand.” To be honest I am surprised by your emails. Because you were not aware of a situation or process, you immediately jumped to the conclusion that we deliberately, were stealing from you. I understood your concern so I immediately (at 10:30 on a Saturday morning) replied to your email with a explanation in hopes I could set your mind at ease.

Your bank is not explaining the situation clearly. Please find enclosed links that may be helpful. (From VISA) and one you may find interesting from your bank’s fine print.

Kindly note, when I said, “couple of days”, the business/ banking world (unlike restaurants) do not take into consideration Saturday and Sunday.

Frankly I too am upset by this incident. Being called a thief and a liar after explaining a procedure that was not even created by our restaurant affects me and the reputation of my restaurant. Your bank should really send us both an apology. Unfortunately, the act of apologizing is rare.

I am truly sorry that this incident and now our email correspondence has caused an unhappy memory for you and I’m also sorry for Restaurant Eve. The fact we have lost valued guests is disheartening – most especially, guests who began the initial letter to me as, “We enjoyed a wonderful evening in your restaurant.”

Meshelle Armstrong

————————————————————————————————————

Restaurants make mistakes. People make mistakes.

If you happen to notice something—an error on your bill, a charge on your account that doesn’t belong—by all means, bring it up. Inquire. It’s your money.

However, when you do, please address us with civility. Don’t think we purposely overcharged you. Give us the benefit of the doubt. Allow us time to research and rectify the situation if we were at fault. If we tell you we’ll take care of it, believe us.

And if we don’t, then fire away.

–Meshelle Armstrong, co-owner Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper, PX, The Majestic, Virtue Feed & Grain, Society Fair.

————————————————————————————————————

Need to catch up? Check out the debut BOH column here. Then make sure to come back for your next lesson in “Good Dining Karma” on Friday, April 1.

Got a story/ question/comment to contribute to the dining karma conversation? Leave a comment below. Or go straight to the source at: Eatgoodfood@me.com