Hedonism

The End Of Summer

It's that time again, when the weather starts to turn from hot and humid to cool and damp. Summer still has a few weeks to give us its last hurrah; that hot stretch that is the last gasp of a dying season. Sure, up here in Boston, we haven't had much of a summer, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't there. And it doesn't mean that it isn't going to treat us to a perfect Labor Day; the official herald of Fall and all the fabulous foods that brings.

This means that we will soon have to give up (if one is the more locally oriented type) all those wonderful veggies and fruits that Summer brings us and start designing meals around the abundance of Fall produce. However, there are plenty of late season produce that one can incorporate into meals that are both tasty and a call to the Fall. Bring on the orbs of squash, the sweet potatoes and the kale. Let me make them part of the last of Summer foods; the beets, the cherries and the peaches.

Some ideas:

Take those peaches, grill, roast or confit them and serve them as a savory and sweet side with pork or duck and have as a side a hearty helping of kale sautéed with fresh Fall garlic. Grab a handful of cherries and make a chutney to top a venison loin or a bison steak with a sweet potato and bacon hash. Hook up that squash by rubbing it with evoo, dusting with salt and pepper and roast it. Serve it with Swiss Chard and chicken in a vinegar sauce. The last is actually something that I make for Thanksgiving as well as New Year's Eve. And I promise that it's worth the effort. As well, one of the great things about these items is that most of them make for a great soup the next day when tossed en masse in a pot.

There are plenty of great ways to use up those late Summer offerings with the bounty of Fall items that we are blessed with. I'll make sure that I share my personal recipes with those who read these posts. After all, i'm one of those people who really believe that nothing is as good as it can be unless it is shared.

If anyone's interested in calling me to the mat on my ideas about food, please feel free to contact me and put me to the test. I'm willing to take on any ingredient list to make a great meal and would love the challenge. I might not ever make it to Iron Chef, but I don't need to. I have you.

Vegan Patties

So, ostensibly I have been on a detox intended to clean out some of the really bad crap that I have been ingesting over the holidays. Over-indulgence always leaves me feeling kinda' yucky. To that end, i'm trying to restrict my diet. It can be difficult, as I work a lot and have little time left to really manage my meals better. To that end, i've been trying to find means to make something that is easy to produce in bulk, quick to make, tasty and stable enough to last more than a day or two while waiting to be part of my nutritious and healthy meal.

Recently, I was tasked with the making of something vegan for dinner one night with a vegan friend. We chatted online and decided that I would make veggie patties. This is the recipe, with no mods, as the whole thing was free of any and all items that are off the diet. Best part, another pal of mine who has a gluten allergy gave them a thumbs up. A great compliment.

So, I made a cup of brown rice per instructions, and as that was simmering, I settled into prepping the rest of the ingredients.

1/3 cup red bell pepper
one medium carrot
one can black eye peas
1/4 cup onion
2TBL garlic
Salt
Pepper
Chili powder
Cumin
Oregano
Ground flaxseed (binder, often used as a substitute for eggs in vegan recipes)

Toss the red bell pepper and carrot into a cusinart and blend until almost completely pulverized. Remove and set aside. Add the rice and black eye peas to the cusinart and pulse until all ingredients are well mixed, but not without some semblance of their original form. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients to taste, reserving adding the flax. Once mixed, add about 3TBL flax and combine that. The flax is the difficult part, primarily because I rarely measure if i'm not baking. I sorta' eyeball the whole thing. Something that one woman used to comment was a bad habit, as it made it difficult to replicate were I to write the recipe down for posterity.

Once all things are mixed together, form them into little balls and mash them into patties. Par bake them to help them set (about 15min in a 350* oven) and once they are finished, viola! A allergy-free, tasty base for a meal, a salad, whatever.

Of course, if one isn't vegan and it doesn't matter, toss on some cheese, put on a bun and dinner is served!

No, really, it's good stuff.

Restaurant Cleavage

Honestly, I'm not certain that I should be posting this, but wtf?! If someone doesn't like it, they can either Don Imus me, take my bookmark off or just get the hell over themselves. This needs to be said.

Ladies, when you go out to dinner and you make yourselves all sexy and gorgeous for whoever your companion may be, or the possible objects of maybe temporary infatuation at whatever local hangout you are planning on hitting with your Carrie Bradshaw Sex in the City buddies after dinner at whatever incredibly fortunate local eatery you decide to grace with your presence, please try to remember that the service staff is not interested in your lady lumps either in the back end or the front. We do not want to check it out.

I'm talking about those too tight shirts that are cut too low and expose too much to someone who is standing above you. As servers, we don't have a choice about what we see when you sit down and start to lean in a little to expose yourself to your date for the night. It doesn't matter to us that you are interested in making your physical attributes more pronounced. What we would like to do is just serve you well and be done with you.

Sure, the person you are sitting across from only gets the actually intended view, and that's probably great for them, they wouldn't be sitting across the table from you if they weren't interested. We don't have that particular luxury. It doesn't matter that we don't want you, aren't impressed by your gifts and won't give you a freebie because you have such lovely pineapples.

It's interesting, because in general, most of these women seem a little aware and embarrassed by this exposure during the start of the dinner, moving into "Hey! Look at these! Aren't they awesome!?" by the time that dessert rolls around. I blame the social lubricant called alcohol for that phenomenon. However, if it takes wine to make a girl feel that she's sexy in some corset, then maybe she's making the wrong clothing decision in the first place.

But, I guess that's how females are trained these days. Make yourself all sexy and hot, and the alpha males or females will be all over you, while the weaker members of the species sit in awe of your amazing sex appeal. Everyone wants to be that hot gal at the end of the bar; blonde, stacked and commanding the attention of the kids with the Centurion cards; or, everyone wants to get with that gal.

Of course, the problem is, once that's all worn off, it's 5am and you are catching a cab home from some million-plus condo in Beacon Hill, heading back to Allston; make-up worn off, hair a mess, outfit disheveled and reeking of sex, cigarettes, cologne and booze; what does that make you? At least the gals on the corner get paid for that. And they don't have to buy some over-priced haute couture outfit to make a buck doing what you did for a few drinks.

Am I sexist? Sure, i'll own that. I think that women are done a disservice every time some ad promotes something low-cut and skimpy to wear in the winter. I have seen far too many women in outfits that shouldn't be worn in the winter while the male companion is loaded up like he's going hunting after dinner to feel that women are being treated fairly by the clothing establishment. And that probably makes me a bit of a sexist. Not a bra-burner, either, I wear bras, I believe in bras, I own bras, I love my bras and the comfort that they provide. Bras are good things and certain ones, on the right women, do something for me that i'm sorta' ashamed to admit to.

As a server, I don't want to feel like a voyeur because your outfit is too revealing for someone standing at our level. I'm not interested in how pale or tanned your tits are. I'm certainly not interested in the fact that you are pierced and have a tattoo of a butterfly. I'm interested in your experience at the restaurant. That's it. You aren't doing anything for me. Except making me sad.

New Digs

Although the money was great, as were the chances for ideas for posts regarding the way people tend to treat those who spend time in the service industry, I left Oishii two weeks ago in search of a less-stressful life. I recently decided that i'm entirely too old to do this shit anymore. If I can't have the life I want, i'm going to make damned sure that I enjoy the life that I am living. That means that I can now emotionally afford to make these changes, even if I can't do it monetarily. All things in time. So, I left for this new place.

Bin 26 Enoteca, off the Common and on Charles Street, is as far from my home base of the South End as I have been professionally. I have spent the entire time I have been working in restaurants in Boston within walking distance of Tremont Street and all that affords. Now, i'm hob-nobbing with the Chanel-clad elite and tourists in Beacon Hill. And, frankly, i'm happy for the new-found freedom that brings me. No longer will I have to kiss and hug almost everyone who walks through the doors, not that it bothers me, but a certain amount of anonymity is almost welcome at this point in my life, I just get to be a server. A person taking care of people as they attempt to navigate a dinner and some wine.

The menu is interesting, but still not so over-the-top that I will have to spend too much of my interactions explaining the whole damned thing. Simple ingredients, different combinations and quiet presentation make for what is simply a very good meal at a very good price. With some amazing wines that are off the beaten path. And that's the part that interests me... The wine list. As well as the incredibly casual, yet talented, service.

I'm really looking forward to this new thing. The best part is that not only do I get to do this for a while, it's part-time on the weekends. I finally get to, at some level, have a life that is less all nights on and more nights off. I get to hang out at home, go out on dates, live something more along the lines of what people like to refer to as a regular life. At least, until I start school again and find myself spending nights in class. And with less discretionary income.

But, that's a small price to pay for the chance to find out how this other half lives. For the first time in an entirely too long time.

If you decide to stop by, ask for me. Or the mozzarella wrapped with speck. Either way, you'll have a great time.

H2Ohmygodstopwiththebadjokesalready!

Odds are, there isn't a proper restaurant on the continent that doesn't have a bottled water option for diners. It's just the way things are done these days. Lots of people don't want to drink from the municipal water supply, although they will cook with it, give it to the pets, bathe and brush their teeth with it. No matter.

As a server, it's a mandate to ask guests when they arrive at the table what type of water they would like to drink. Trust me, we generally don't like to ask the question, we just have to. I approach a table with dread for the initial greet waiting to hear the response to this question. People try to be funny and answer with "We'll have (insertyourcityhere)'s Finest!", or "Regular water".

Okay, people, for the record, we have heard it all before. It isn't funny or at all entertaining. It is overdone and generally, I have no patience for it. Sure, I just walk away and grab the water pitcher, fill it with tap water and some ice, step back to the table and pour away. But in my head, i'm sighing loudly wondering if all of your friends really think that it's as funny as you do.

(Insertyourcityhere)'s finest isn't usually the finest water available in your city. Every city in the country offers bottled water at all convenience stores and elsewhere. Usually, that water's finer than whatever they are offering from the tap. That's the city's finest water. It's also a matter of personal taste. I like Fiji water. As a matter of fact, I have a bottle of it right here beside me. I once dated a girl who used to joke about my preference for this water. I think that it tastes great. I can't stand Evian. I will always choose tap over this stuff. I think that it tastes of soap and is kinda' oily. But, that's me. Others might not agree. What we will all tend to agree upon is that in a blind taste test, city water will lose to something from a spring or that has been purified.

Regular water, what in the hell does that mean?! What, exactly, is regular water? Isn't all water, in some way, regular? It's just water, we aren't talking about Light beer versus full-calorie beer. Or the length of jeans, for that matter. So just stop that shit, would ya', buddy? Really, I haven't just started working in the industry, odds are, you can't come up with something that I haven't heard before whent it comes to ANYTHING related to food and drink jokes. As a matter of fact, I probably have better jokes than you do. Here's one, do do that fugu that you do so well... fugu something to me... hello, maguro... Or, at least, different ones.

So, please, when you want to dine out, and don't want to order bottled water, that's fine. Feel free to drink whatever you want, I really don't care, it's one less question I have keep asking every time you finish that bottle on the table. I'm cool with not having to interrupt your meal and conversation. Just, as a personal favor, avoid the stupid jokes about it. Please? Thanks.

Again!!!

So, again it happened. I was serving a table of business professionals (who were involved in something regarding Harvard Business School) and they ran my ass ragged. They wanted this, they needed that. They were astounded by my food knowledge. We talked about Macs. One of the guys not only went to my high school (the one I graduated from), but also went to college in Greensboro. He went to A&T, I went to UNCG. They even bought the most expensive item that we offer, real Wagyu beef.

They took all my recommendations and at the end of the meal, I even bought them a 15$ dessert. Yeah, that's right, I paid for it myself. With no discount.

At the end of the meal, they all got together and decided to split the check. They threw 4 credit cards at me with dictates about how much should go on each card. When I returned to the table with the cards, I told one gentleman (the Mac guy) that his portion included the tip, which I had written into the tip line and explained to him how it all played out. He decided that he wanted to leave me a cash tip. He left 100$ dollars of what was supposed to be a 144$ tip.

That was not only a shitty thing to do to me, the server, it was also a hell of a thing to do to his friends. He stole money from them. Not that he cares, I guess. He left without paying his fair share of the bill. The part that he had agreed to pay, with his friends, he felt it wasn't necessary to pay.

It's fine that people want to be cheap bastards, we get used to it in the business. We always hope that there is someone out there who knows better. And, to their benefit, most do. To be honest, the tip that they were originally going to leave me was 15%. However, to cheat one's dining companions is really beyond the pale.

Honestly, guy, congrats on the business that you own, the people that you manage to impress with your Platinum Amex and all that rigmarole. No, really, I mean it. But screw you for fucking around with the finances of your fellow diners and stealing from them. I guess it didn't matter to you that you were engaging in less-than-honorable monetary practices with these people. They might never know. But I know, so does every other person in the restaurant who works with me. And although our opinions might never matter to you, we do know who you are. And what you are, as well. You should be ashamed, but we all know better, don't we?

Tim Horton's Haunts Me

Yeah, so I bought, years ago, a single stock in Wendy's via this online service called OneShare. I also bought some other stuff, including Krispy Kreme (hey, it was a long time ago and I have changed). So, turns out that Wendy's owned Tim Horton's, which I spent a post complaining about. Great, turns out that I have interest, however small, in such a horrid organization. Wendy's spun them off recently and I just got a notice in the mail that whatever part of Tim Horton's I owned would be changed into their stock. This sucks... I really don't want to be associated with this place at all.

Anyone want some really cheap stock?   

Omakase

So, I work at Oishii Boston (please ignore the fact that the site is a little busy, the food is amazing), a Sushi restaurant, and have been learning much about the culture of Japanese cuisine. The proper pronunciation of words, the Japanese names of different types of sushi and the respect that runs so deep that it becomes absorbed by the few non-Asians who work there. Myself included. The most recent term I have learned is Omakase. The word itself means to entrust someone. In a sushi restaurant, however, it means one will throw away the menu and put themselves in the hands of the master sushi chef. At Oishii Boston, this chef is Ting San.

I have known Ting San, his wife Jackie and members of his family for years. We met when I was managing Union Bar and Grille in the South End. At the time, they only had the location in Chestnut Hill, which was the original one, and the second location in Sudbury. At the beginning, they would drive in and have a late-night feast at the restaurant. I would sit with them and we would talk about food and wine and all sorts of other things. They used to ask me to order for them, so I would. It got to the point that they would call me to place an order, tell me how many people would be coming, and I would have everything ready for them when they arrived.

Ting San is an incredible sushi chef. He is passionate about his food, tells us the story of the foods he uses and is so determined to wow anyone who comes in that he actually imports certain items from Japan, such as the Sudachi. There is nothing bad on his menus.

I have had the opportunity to serve an omakase menu to a couple who recently ate in the restaurant. All they chose was the wine and the sake. They ended up having an elaborate meal, including kobe beef. And not the American kobe, either. This is the real deal. The best thing about omakase is that one can sample items that one might not ordinarily order and not have to worry about trying to decipher a menu filled with exotic terms. It isn't cheap, though. Our omakase starts at 100$ a person. However, if the money and will are there, this is the best way to create an unforgettable experience.

When I eat there, that's what i'm going to do. "I'll have the omakase, chef. And may I please sit at the sushi bar so that I may watch you work?"

What I Learned at Work

Last night was the first night at the new gig. I was only ostensibly a runner. In reality, I was a watcher. I watched the sushi as it came from the chefs and started to learn all the nuances of what is not only a means of sustenance, but also a way of thinking. The chefs are artists, and to watch them work is truly an honor. The process by which raw product is transformed to beautiful and tasty meals is fascinating. What's even better, is that I learned more about sushi in the space of four hours than I had learned from years of eating it. Ming San, the chef/owner, has volumes of knowledge about the food he works with, and uses it to really push the boundaries of what people consider sushi. He uses Japanese citrus (such as Sudachi, which he has to import directly ) as the only additional flavor component for certain sashimis, for example.

Last night, I learned to tell the difference between different kinds of very similar looking fish, what the makis were and about the herbs and vegetables that are used when making these foods.

Menegi, which is pictured above; is a member of the chive family
Ama-Ebi, a seasonal, small sweet shrimp, which is served head-on when in season and head-off when it is not
Yamagobo, a vinegar marinated ginger root
Aotate, a micro-green that is deep red in color and has a taste of pepper, radish and a little heat at the finish
Oba, a member of the mint family. In essence, a Japanese mint leaf
Kaiwali, a baby radish sprout
Hojiso, pictured to the side; is a Shiso blossom, and can be ground over certain sashimi to enhance the flavor
Baby Ice Fish, small minnows that are stark white, in contrast to the black eyes. They can be eaten raw, which is how I tried them. However, we fry them up and serve them like finger food. They are sweet and leave a slightly fishy taste at the finish

This is where it starts. I can hardly wait to see where this goes.