Not just coffee

Archive for July, 2009

Food Safety Victory

Jul 31

Posted by admin in FDA, health, news

ucm174613It took less than 24 additional hours for the House to come to its senses on food safety. The bill (The Food Safety Enhancement Act) with its far-reaching benefits scored a more impressive tally in the House on its second attempt. Now it’s up to the Senate to move it to vote quickly and to a positive outcome–to be put into action. Unfortunately, we are looking at summer vacation (Recess) for the Senate, so this will not be discussed til the Fall.

What this means for the consumer will be a modernization of the FDA’s abilities to protect our food supply at its source and every phase of outreach. There will be more inspections of food and more resources to act upon the information: They’ll get the money and the manpower. The FDA would actually have authority to order a recall and not just lean on a company to have a “voluntary recall.” That is a significant difference.

Obviously believing that the Senate will champion the vote, the USDA has already scheduled a food safety education conference for this coming spring.

This is the way our nation’s food supply should be focused: A positive approach to all aspects of safety and an earlier fail-safe method to make our food safe without the constant consumer worry of what’s next. What food recall will happen today?

Maybe those days of woeful anxiety are over.

Let’s hope.

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Food Safety: Maybe Not

Jul 30

Posted by admin in FDA, food recalls, health

With all the food recalls that have hit us hard over the past several months, you would think that tougher food safety rules would walk through a Congressional committee. Well, you’d be wrong. Yesterday the House (House of Representatives) “narrowly” defeated a bill that could have helped us all feel more assured about the food stream. The Administration has been strongly supportive of this, but no one seems to be listening.

There was lots of finger pointing and accusations, but no food safety. Sure we want our food recalls to become an event of the past. We want food safety to be paramount in discussions. Not everyone can have a personal relationship with a farmer, with membership in a CSA, or even be assured of the locale of the goods. Too many people are taking unfair adminfsgfarmadvantage of touting “local” when they could be describing a product from a significant distance away.

Food miles are important, but food safety does not mean compromise. Everyone, from the farmer to the FDA and kindred agencies, would be more accountable.

Let’s get a move on. Skip the special interests and listen to the needs of all constituents.

We need to know strict food safety laws will be in place.

NOW.

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When Is a Tomato Not a Tomato

Jul 30

Posted by admin in gardening, life

IMG00520It’s so hard to relive the past, even to go back a year. Look at the garden. Last year it was a phenomenal summer on the East Coast. Everyone’s gardens were brimming with produce. Many redefined generosity and contributed handsomely to other people’s dinner tables.

This year, not so much. When many people wanted to plant, we were in the midst of multiple, dark, dreary weeks of rain. Gardens finally went into the very wet soil, and shoots immediately responded. Not necessarily crops, but good looking vines gave definition to the landscape. Unfortunately when one expected to be having nightly bowls of gazpacho, the picking’s were slim. The weeks of rain gave way to a severe dry spell, and the confused crops bore little fruit, much of it not as handsome as in the past.

Whole gardens succumbed to a blight, and tomatoes bore little resemblance to last year’s beauties. Many people complained about the shortage of cucumbers, and the whole gazpacho plan seemed doomed. Farmers know what they need, and it is RAIN. Small growers, as in back yard aficionados, know what they need, and it is RAIN. One single downpour will not make the season a success, but it surpasses the days of expectation with severe warnings of what’s to come and nothing arrives. Watering cannot solve the dryness from the hot, humid days.

We’ve never had to purchase this many tomatoes before, but what would summer be without a thick, juicy, hot vine ripe beauty. Maybe they’ll still make it, but right now we are left with these pale, pathetic mutants bearing more green than lipstick red, and missing the critical taste component. Hard to call them tomatoes.

Time to buy more seeds and try for fall.

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New Restaurants

Jul 29

Posted by admin in coffee, dining out, news

It’s always a tough question to figure out how long you should wait before salivating at a new restaurant or in the worst case scenario, getting indigestion. Sometimes even soft openings are tricky as so much is still under the stranglehold of limited execution. How long should you wait when there is a new chef? When the restaurant has changed its focus?

All good questions–No simple answers. Part of me loves trying something so new that few people know of its existence. The other part of me waits and watches. Sometimes when you travel and you are in a city with a new restaurant opening, you can’t wait. You’re there. You have to sample.

Such was my recent trip to New York City. The Standard Hotel deemed it was ready to open its restaurant, The Standard Grill. They were right. Even though the menu was still being tweaked, under the heading, “Preview Menu,” the chef who had previously cooked at the now shuttered Lever House, knew what he was doing. The staff understood the dishes and for a relatively new restaurant in the hyper trendy Meat Packing District (West Village), they had a winner. Interestingly, the prices were quite affordable as opposed to some of its long-standing neighbors.

Had to try it for breakfast, too. Now you’re talking real winner. Same great friendly service. Same wonderful outdoor space, but the smoked salmon and smoked sturgeon platter defined a trip to New York. Don’t forget the coffee; comes in its own little pot.interior_right

Yes, you can preview a restaurant, especially when it is delivered by smart restaurateurs and well-trained staff.

Go.

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The Power of Guest Response

Jul 28

Posted by admin in dining out, news, restaurants

stndLogo_trdmrkIt was just a few weeks ago that we talked affectionately about the importance of restaurant promotions and the popular summertime version of Restaurant Week. In the long list of cities that planned such promotions, a major one was missing: Washington, DC. That problem has now been solved with a Summer Restaurant Week promo set for the last week of August, the 24th-30th. Lunch will be $20.09 and dinner menus, $35.09, both the 3-course prix-fixe style.

Why Washington was so late to decide is always a question open to discussion, but no matter the answer, the solution is: Problem Solved. Shamefully late, but better late than not at all. Judging by the sheer number of restaurants (200) in the metropolitan area participating, its popularity is obvious. Restaurateurs and diners need the financial incentives–these programs work!

Many cities report strong restaurant week promotions with a number of restaurants continuing an additional week or longer. That has become the norm and if anything defines success, the message from diners says, bring on the promos.

Some of my favorite follow-ups occurred in the Charlottesville area where two restaurants, Fossett’s and C&O were booked solidly and each decided to add a week to help diners who wanted to enjoy the benefits. At the Old Mill Room (Boar’s Head Inn), they opted to have a 3-course prix fixe menu for the month of August! Diners talk.

Once again, Open Table is the best way to secure a reservation–NOW. If prior events are a true indication, plan to dine at one of the many restaurants that are often hard to get into and normally pricier than this opportunity presents, but plan ahead, far ahead.

History says these programs work. Everyone can use the boost.

Enjoy.

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Not Your Mama’s Wheaties

Jul 27

Posted by admin in grocer, lifestyle, news

Sometimes a product loses its shelf space luster. It gets lost behind all the new rollouts. That’s certainly been true of the soda or pop aisle. Actually, some stores have moved the waters, spring, filtered, still, sparkling and house brands, into their own aisles so both types of beverages get the draw. Shelf space visibility is critical.

If you think you hear the beverages crying out for attention, you should spend some time in the cereal aisle. So many choices; so many iterations of the basics as in Special K and Cheerios and their long line of cousins (with fruit, nuts, in cereal bars…). Rather than continue to feel neglected, Wheaties is about ready to flex its muscles again and move up to the top of your shopping list. With so many choices, it’s not easy maintaining a consumer’s attention.

The 85-year old brand has a special focused product coming out 09/09/0Wheaties_85th_Anniversary_Box_Image9, a new highly-marketed Wheaties (Watch the Evolution–it’s muscle-power) that appears to be marketed directly (solely?) to men. The Breakfast of Champions will have a new line: “Fuel. Win. Evolve.” Exactly how that’s going to affect my low-fat milk and fresh blueberries is still uncertain.

I love a mystery.

Stay tuned.

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Crisis in the Salad Aisle

Jul 26

Posted by admin in FDA, food recalls, gardening

First I become enamored by salad–see Salad Wars–and then I was told to be a little more cautious. Things are a little more confusing, possibly dangerous. What? Not this again.

Yes, it has been the year of food recalls, and this one regarding romaine lettuce is all the more painful since I’ve returned to the salad aisle. We’re talking about a product that was shipped to 29 states–do the math, there are only 50 states, this type of recall, whether merely cautionary or not, affects a large number of people and companies.

It almost doesn’t matter what food is being recalled, but that food recalls have become so numerous, and we as consumers are so vulnerable. This has been the year of the peanut butter, pistachio, and refrigerated cookie dough recall–all products that cut across a broad swath of our society. As we try to improve food safety and consider giving the FDA greater powers and more staff, we are still left without 100% confidence.

It always goes back to the question of who to trust. Even if you have befriended your local farmer and visit numerous farm stands for your fruits and vegetables, there are still plenty of days you need to pop into the supermarket, sometimes just for that extra head of lettuce or some cilantro, another product recently on the recall list.180px-Koeh-193

Whether you call it coriander or cilantro, lettuce or romaine, it behooves us to stay alert.

Time to start more seeds for the fall homegrown crops!

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Survival of the Fittest: Restaurant Edition

Jul 24

Posted by admin in dining out, news, restaurants

There are very few chefs who want to brag about how well their restaurant is doing. More likely you’ll here the word “fine.” That’s right up there with describing an individual by saying “nice.” Not much information, but nothing inflammatory, either.

Yes, no matter how many steps we move forward from the economic mess, we are still left with the reality that this has been a difficult year and much has changed. Maybe not at the very high end that appeals to individuals who are still quite comfortable and have little idea what I am referencing. They are a small percentage of overall dining patrons. They will continue to dine where they dine and support high-end establishments.

The rest of the dining out universe looks for opportunities to make dining out an ongoing affair, but a more affordable one. Look at casual restaurant chains such as TGI Friday’s–click for the buddy coupon, Applebee’s, and Chili’s. Even Bonefish Grill wants to play. They all say: Come inside; have we got a deal for you!

Restaurants that hosted Restaurant Week promotions report strong results with many continuing them into multiple week promos. Diners love the 3-course prix-fixe concept. We’ll probably see more of those promotions as they help both the diner and the establishment.

At a much higher end is a popular annual summer promotion, the multi-pound lobster special at The Palm. These dinners for two cost significantly more than many people are spending for dining out, and one wonders if the reduced price in lobster should not have convinced the restaurant chain to lower prices this year. After all, lobstermen have been complaining about how little they are getting for a lobster. Maybe they should just befriend The Palm!

So many restaurants have not adjusted or understood that the diner is more cautious. Results often mean a closed spot such as the once popular Olives Restaurant (as in chef Todd English’s outpost) in Washington, DC. No more. Shuttered. A week seldom goes by without such an event. It’s tough out there.

696.thmAdjust. Listen to your guests. Find a direction.

You set that table. We’ll come.

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A Server’s Intuition: Zero

Jul 23

Posted by admin in dining out, life

What exactly is a server’s job: To make the guest comfortable and to deliver what is requested. Deciding how friendly to be and what to say and what constitutes a greeting is always critical in making dining out a positive experience, but sometimes the line gets blurred in such a dramatic fashion you wonder if you’re living a soap opera.

Dining alone last evening, I met the ultimate challenge: What I wanted to say; what I said. As I got comfortable in my chair, the server approached and brought a wonderfully chilled water. He asked if I wanted anything else to drink, and I responded I’d like to look at the wine-by-the-glass list. As he handed over the booklet, he asked, now be sitting down here and don’t be drinking: What is your last name? The conversation continued:

You want to know my last name? Yes. Why? I just like to have a better contact communication with my guests. I’m thinking to myself that something’s off here. He stands; he waits; he looks. I look back. I want quiet and no interference but he’s going nowhere. I quickly run through a long list of last names I might like to give him, and then I just tell him mine.

That little interchange was so bizarre and troubling. If he was trying to give off the friendly gene, he missed. Just for the record, he never addressed me by name, but he never went away either. Maybe he’s writing a book of last names. Beats me. Just inappropriate. He was a hoverer; someone who knew no bounds. That is an inappropriate question for a server to ask a diner unless they’re in the middle of a true conversation, or not. Sure I could have said a thousand things, but I let politeness rule. It was just weird; plain old weird.

There was no manager around. Really what would I have said: You have an intrusive waiter who is asking questions that have nothing to do with why I am here. No. That would not have solved his efforts at personalizing the experience.

So odd. So unsettling.

Sometimes too much attention is more disturbing than having to wave down a staff person.

Remember it’s the balance; the ability to read the guest.

My last name.

Seriously, it’s Rumpelstiltskin.sesame

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Sometimes Dining Out Can Be Boring

Jul 22

Posted by admin in dining out, lifestyle

And when it’s boring, you’ll never return. That’s a maxim: Mark my words.

What exactly makes a meal boring? After all going out is fun and dining out is a special experience to take you away into another realm of excitement. When it becomes routine, either you dine out too much orrestaurant-table-150x150 choose places that merely deliver, as in drop plates at the table. Life is way too taxing to frequent places that cannot cater to the customer. Places that do not know how to communicate.

Dining out is a ceremony, a calculated dance of perfect timing and flavorful fun. When someone comes to the table with an armful of food and has no clue who has what or which item is on the plate–yeah maybe it’s the chicken, not sure, let me check–you are losing out on part of the experience. At the same time, the server who merely plops food in front of a diner is not making the evening out special. It needs to be special.

Dining out should not be a scripted performance. a rigid, sterile experience. Rather a careful dance, not a tango, much more of a waltz, with grace and precision. Then it is fun.

Then we are likely to return.

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