 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Diners say the darndest things - and apparently, hungry minds think (and inquire) alike. Here are some frequently asked questions that chefs like Ryan Butler, the Executive Pastry Chef at Mary Queen of Scots, receive from customers - and perhaps a little bit too frequently at that. Questions Chefs Really Wish You Would Stop Asking: Ryan Butler Most employers have done a little research and tasted some of your food before they allow you to be in control of a kitchen - and in the end, you are hired because you are 'good' and the right fit for the establishment." 2. What is good on the menu? Everyone has different tastes and preferences so I try to have something for everyone on the menu." 3. What is your favorite thing to make? 4. How do you make that? I will never forget a friend of my father’s explaining to me how to cook a baby goat in a pizza oven - hilarious!" 5. Can I have the ice cream that goes with the chocolate dessert on the caramel dessert instead? A phrase we say in the kitchen pretty often is 'This isn’t a diner' - make your own conclusions on what that means." Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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Innersix, if that is your favorite thing to make, use that as your answer. But, be prepared to start making cookies for their dessert.
@Dr.PepperRules!;
Um... the Japanese DO have a sort of pancake like that. It's called okonomiyaki.
.
If you think the portion sizes are too large. Before you start to eat, ask for a "Doggie Bag" and box up what you don't want. Give this to the local homeless person(s) and do a good deed.
Thanks for the tips. And you are right "Dont think that successful restaurants need your money and will put up with your poor attitude." I have a sister that every time, every time, she eats out she finds something wrong with her dinner and gets nasty with the "help." I stopped eating our with her years ago.
Posted out of thread for some reason.
@Jerv, I had a friend like that and I swear it was to validate her leaving a sh*tty tip, its embarrassing and then I would over tip to compensate. she had no concept of turnover and that the server had to tip out the bartender a certain % for each mixed drink she ordered, or % for the busboy and in some places % for the hostess. She had a $30 bill ($8) was food and leave $2. And that was one of the many reasons we "lost touch"
The correct question to ask is "what do you recommend?" or "I'm interested in this chicken dish. Have you tried it?". Never ask "what's good?". A good establishment has service staff that has trained extensively and in that training, they sample every dish on the menu more than once. Some places let staff eat for free, some give them a discount, so it's a good bet that the "help", as they have been referred to by many posters, have a good idea which dishes are the best. Use the resources that are available to you. Dont think that successful restaurants need your money and will put up with your poor attitude.
One of the benefits of being in the back of house, in the kitchen is I never need to hear this question being asked. Yes, people do not like the same thing but saying "What's good?" is in a way insulting to a chef. A Chef would not put up a horrible dish on purpose, so I agree asking what someone recommends is a better way of phrasing the question.
Being a culinary student who has worked in a few kitchens, being asked what my favorite thing to cook/make is the most annoying question ever. Mainly because the truthful answer is: cookies. I love making cookies, heck most people do. But I guess because I work with food all day I'm suppose to have a better answer.
Who cares what other people think? If that's your passion, go for it! Screw their expectations. Follow your passion and you'll be happier for it!
I agree with you, its just when people ask "what is your favorite thing to cook" or "what is your favorite food" the look in their eyes kind of makes it disappointing when I tell people I enjoy pizza and burgers.
Just because we (chefs) can make great quality food for people every day doesn't mean we actually want to eat great quality food every day (especially after a 13-15 hour shift, the most comforting thing to me is grabbing fast food on the way home and getting away from a stove for a few hours).
I get where you're coming from. I'm in front of a computer screen for 8-10 hours a day. The last thing I want to do when I get home is plop down in front of the PC at home.
I have been a professional chef for more than 20 years. The question I hate the most is "What's your specialty?". I usually reply with "cooking food"...
Really?
Ok, so in #2 you are admitting that everyone has different tastes and preferences so you have to try to have something for everyone on the menu...yet in #5 when a customer doesn't like the options you have TRIED to put on there for everyone and wants it done a different way, then you complain about it?
Also, for #2, by asking what is good on the menu what people are really trying to find out is if you have any specialties. I might not think much of a dish on the menu, but if the chef tells me that dish is their specialty I will probably end up trying it.
I hope I never get stuck having to go into this place.
The differance between #2 and #5 is this. #2 tries to please everyone. We know that not everyone likes their chicken one style or likes the same salad. So we make dishes to try to suit a variety of people. #5 is talking about taking portions from other dishes and putting them to something we don't feel works. It would be like telling a professional painter to take a part of one painting and put it on another...it disrespects their work. Chefs are artists in a sense, we create dishes and spend hours perfecting them.
Telling us to not put nuts on something, or asking for potatoes instead of fries is one thing...but asking us to take portions from another dish and reconstruct our work is really out of line. We created a menu to try to be diverse and help people, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Yes, you hold the money but if you don't like our food I guarantee someone will fill that seat your leaving. Chefs need customers just as much as customers need chefs. If you don't like one restaurant try another.
My pet peeve? I know some people who, when the waiter comes to take the orders, actually say, "I don't know. Whatever is fine." That's when I say things that come close to "make up your mind you idiot".
I love leftovers, I tend to see them as an extra (midnight snack, tomorrow's lunch, etc.) but one has to have an idea of what is worth taking home and will 'keep' and what is not.
My favorite question has to be "Is the ______ fresh?" Usually asked with a lowered head and whisper i.e. 'conspiratorially' like "between you and me." I'd usually reply "No, but the sauce is so good you won't be able to tell!" And then laugh, as would my customer (usually.)
That chef's an ass; his example for #5 should have been something a little more complex than a substitute of an ice cream flavor if he wanted to make his point more acceptable to the average diner. "Certain tastes," my rump roast. You're talking about ice cream AND it's not like the customer's preference was for anything other than the scooper to take a scoop from a different container.
Some chefs really pride themselves on the combinations of seasonings and cooking technques for a certain dish; it's the customer's job to either take a chance on a taste they've never experienced before or find a different dish to order BUT if a customer is adamant, it's in the restaurant's best interest to try to do that way if they are indeed cooking to order and the request is not difficult to comply with. It's the difference between a customer who may not be overly adventurous but goes home happy, and comes back perhaps a little more willing to trust the chef's training and experience next time.
not to defend annoying customers but chefs generally think way too highly of themselves. every customer service profession will entail people asking questions that rub you the wrong way. But you know what CAVEMEN could cook. the people of the world would still eat without chefs so stop expecting people to kiss your ring because you can throw a fire under a lamb chop. Be greatful you have a talent that gives people pleasure once in a while.
And if a Caveman could head into his local restaurant and have minted lamb chops, or pan seared halibut, I bet he would choose that over the burned meat on a stick...
i don't like to take leftovers home. for one thing, they can spoil before you get them into the refrigerator and restaurant leftovers often lose the quality they had when served for the first time. also, there are several people handling the food from the time it is cooked, to the time it was served, and then put into a take-home box. you might be taking something home that you didn't bargain for.
i had a co-worker who always brought her restaurant leftovers for lunch and she would often call in sick with "food poisoning." if she was not just using that as an excuse to take a sick day, she just didn't realize that her restaurant leftovers were poisoning her on a regular basis.
i always like it when restaurants have smaller portions as a menu option, and many do. there is also an option to share a meal with your dining partner if you can both agree on an entree.
food allergies may also drive questions as to what's in a dish. while chefs want to showcase their creations, certain ingredients may not be good for everyone.
resonses from yet another arrogant jack-ass!!!
Hey, who turned the light off I can't find myself?
What the sam he|| ever happened to the customer is always right? or at least the PAYING consumer. Do get snotty just because you went to cooking school. The "public" comes with the territory... you know, SERVICE industry.
Because the Customer isnt always right...
And that my friend, is the gods honest truth. No, the customer is not always right.
"I don't send food back. If you got it wrong the first time, I'm not risking it again."
You got that right. I tell them to take the entree off the bill, I pay for my drinks, appetizers and salad and get out of Dodge.
For me, it depends on where the mistake took place. If it's a place I visit frequently and something's wrong with my order, I have no problem sending it back to be fixed. I've never had to send anything back twice.
If it's a place that I don't go to that often, I'll gauge whether or not I send it back based on the server's response. Not that it happens that often, but when it does, they usually are very apologetic and prompt with the correction.
I find it laughable that people are comparing chefs with Mozart and Picasso. If artists, they compares more to the local artist at my Saturday Morning Market. What was his name again?
I don't have allergies but I am a super taster. But if I ask for no onions I'm not explaining that to you. Give me onions and I will just throw up all over the table and then NO ONE will want to eat in your establishment. Get it?
I don't eat at chains or diners or fast food because I like good food so I mostly cook for myself. Do you really not want my business at all?
Don't tell me to go elsewhere if I want a reasonable change to an item. Maybe it is my Mom's birthday and she selected your restaurant. Would you rather I sit there and not order anything because you refuse to accommodate a simple change request to your "art"?
I dated a chef, once. I mean, one date. Can you say: inflated ego?
I ordered a steak well done at a real fancy place here in my hometown at a Christmas party. Come to find out, that insults the chef – no wonder my steak tasted like a hockey puck. Two things came out of that experience: I, nor my company, ever has a dinner party there again AND I never order steak out again. Nice accomplishment there cheffy! You made me hate restaurant steak. You should have just told me you were going to ruin it so I would order something else. I don't send food back. If you got it wrong the first time, I'm not risking it again.
Most people are reasonable with reasonable requests.
Kay
I ordered a steak well done at a real fancy place here in my hometown at a Christmas party. Come to find out, that insults the chef – no wonder my steak tasted like a hockey puck.
Uhh, your steak tasted like a hockey puck BECAUSE you ordered it well done, that's why chef's don't like to cook them to death.... again. Hey, it's your steak, order it how you want, but don't expect it to defy all the laws of nature and still be tender and juicy.
I don't understand why someone asking him what he likes to cook is annoying (#3). It sounds like a question that a person who is sincerely interested in you and what you do would ask. Lighten up and give people a break, scary man!
Because its not the first time he has been asked what he likes to cook. I'm only a culinary student and have a few kitchens on my resume and even I'm sick of hearing this question every-time I tell someone I'm an aspiring chef. It's not so much the question that is annoying, its the fact that its asked too often and finding different ways to say it can be tiresome.
Ok, I can understand that. But that really comes with the territory in almost every job. People think lawyers are jerks, doctors should give them a consultation right there, and computer programmers are nerds. I'm a librarian and people always ask me what books I like to read, or say something stupid, like "oh, I guess I should be quiet." And those things aren't even relevant to my job. They're just trying to make conversation.
5. Can I have the ice cream that goes with the chocolate dessert on the caramel dessert instead?
"This is one of my pet peeves."
Of course it is. Because you haven't tried every conceivable combination. Chefs forget that many hits that wind up on a menu originated with a customer asking for a twist on an existing recipe.
It's my belief that chefs who refuse to make substitutions of any kind are really just being stubborn and lazy. I know that they can't bend to every whim, but switching ice cream flavors is not a big deal.
He gets bent about "Can I have the ice cream that goes with the chocolate dessert on the caramel dessert instead?" but in #2 he says "Everyone has different tastes and preferences."
Aww, his poor ego seems a bit like an eggshell.
"Aww, his poor ego seems a bit like an eggshell."
Cracked? Delicate? Thin? Disposable?
Agreed.
but the orange did not like the turtle! lol!
Just box up the extra into individual portions, get napkins and utensils, and give it to homeless people you might see on the way home or elderly neighbors who don't cook for themselves anymore.
In regards to question #5...Hey chef...you're in a service industry. I don't care if you think one flavor compliments another one well...I'm paying the bill and should be entitled to have pickles and ice cream if I want to...pompous SOB...
I can see both sides of question five.
On one hand, asking for a substitution could be a matter of personal taste or other problems with the particular item (such as an allergy).
On the other, asking -is- and insult. It's akin to saying, "Hey, I don't find the way you pair foods to be acceptable and I believe this goes better with that." Obviously that's not usually the case; most don't mean to insult the chef, but it -is- an insult all the same.
Food is an art and, as such, people take it seriously and passionately. Da Vinci would probably be insulted if you told him the Mona Lisa would look better with eyebrows.
"Hey, I don't find the way you pair foods to be acceptable and I believe this goes better with that."
Is that not exactly what the chief is saying to the customer though? Both the chief and the customer have opinions.
On one hand the chief is supposed to have an education about such things
On the other hand the customer is the one paying the money.
Both can compromise.
I often ask the server what they like. If they give me a direct answer that sounds knowledgable, I consider that. If they hem and haw, I assume that they don't know much about the food. In better restaurants you find more knowledgable servers – due to training.
I'm a little disappointed by #5 as well. Not so much that you're annoyed by someone asking for something other than what you designed, but that you're missing the possibility that the customer has seen some thing you haven't.
I was at Mesa Grill in Las Vegas earlier this year and I had a dish that was fantastic. But when I got to the end, I couldn;'t shake the feeling that there was something just *off* about it. Then it hit me – walnuts. The astringent and slightly woody/nutty flavour would fill the missing hole in the taste perfectly.
Now, I'm not a chef. I'm not an expert. But I know what my tongue was telling me – so I offered the suggestion to the waiter who accepted it gracefully. I'm sure it was promptly discarded – but who knows – maybe I was dead on and a 99% dish would have gone to 100%?
Seriously, get over your f'n self. Your a freakin' cook. I'll ask you whatever the F I want! I'm paying you! If you don't like dealing with stupid questions, go work as an embalmer in a funeral parlor. Your customers there won't ask too many questions. I just love that smug arrogant pic of this douche too. And people wonder why the world is coming unglued at the seams.
Exactly! Chefs are not curing cancer, doing brain surgery or rocket science, you are cooking food. The explosion of cooking shows has, for some unexplained reason, placed chefs up there with Einstein. You may have put a lot of "thought" into what goes best together, but I am paying for it and I know what I like together. Despite what the people in the kitchen think, it really is just a diner no matter how much you charge as you are doing nothing more than preparing food as well.
Do you seriously think the wait staff doesn't tell the Exec or Sous Chef you're being a douche? Always remember one rule of thumb while being a guest in someones restaurant: Don't piss off the people who handle your food, ever!
Personal opinion, but #1 a chef should never become a "chef" if they don't want to hear ANY of these questions, it's like a mechanic saying "i wish people would stop asking me which oil to use" YOU KNEW they would ask you this kinda stuff when you signed up pal, #2 the reason we have menus is to decide what WE want to eat, not what the chef wants us to eat, if i want whatever ice cream with my dessert, guess what? i'm the on PAYING for it! #3 if you don't want to interact with customers and answer questions like "how did you make that?" my suggestion to you,,,,,,,,,Mcdonald's is always hiring :)
Wouldn't want to hurt the cooks feelings.
Let me know when a cook cures cancer.
Restaurants are there to make a buck, anyway they can.
I see this article so often, and all it says to me is this: Chefs cry like babies about their jobs. Shut up, you are paid to serve.
good smell the cooking ...
http://opurl.us/butterflymarketing
When I was growing up, my father was an executive chef at one of the nation's best 5-star restaurants. I remember many a days in the kitchen watching him perfect his recipes. He took great pride in creating unique flavor profiles with an unexpected combination of ingredients and put together menus that would please even the pickiest of eaters. But if a customer asked him to make a substitution or omit an ingredient, he would always happily oblige them. For him, it was all about the customer. He took pride in his creations, but he took even more pride in watching his customers enjoy the meal that he created for them and if that meant a substitution, so be it. It wasn't about his ego. It was about his customers. And I think that's the way it should be.
Agreed. Seems like most chefs who work in "rated" restaurants these days think its more about them, however, than the people actually trying to treat themselves to a luxury.
It SHOULD Always be about the customer. Your father did it right. I want to know that a restaurant has a creative chef who will come up with new ideas and who has been trained and has experience with what foods and flavors go well together. But when I'm deciding where and what to eat, I don't really care about the chefs opinion. At that point, the chef is the just the person making sure my food is prepared well and if that means I have my dish without an ingredient then that is what the chef should happily prepare. Sorry if your ego is hurt by this but when it comes down to it, you're no more important than I am.
Agreed. The chef should also consider that the customer could be asking for the substitution for a reason other than simply second guessing the chef's culinary ability.
I like that your father had pride good for him...
#1 – Kind of a little rude to ask. Someone asking this is just a jackass.
#2 – If you don't know what the person is trying to convey with this question, you're an idiot. They're asking what you would recommend . . . People used to communicate without the internet and didn't have life rushed up their ass . . . Stop being a snob.
#3 – Someone asking this question is just being friendly. Stop being a snob.
#4 – Again, some people like to just converse. They might also wonder what your take on their way of doing it is . . . My grandmother tells me how she makes her version of something I've made very often. She just likes to talk. Either way, stop being a snob. Go back to smoking your lonely cigarette in your depressive rage in the alley.
#5 – So what you're saying is, your decision to do something should supercede someone's preference? How do you know they haven't already had it your way and don't just prefer it their way? Or, how about this . . . As an adult, I kinda know what tastes go well together in my mouth and if I identify 2 things that could be better in some way, I'm gonna ask for it . . . And if you don't like it, you don't have to sell it to me, giving me the chance to bypass your piddly ass restaurant the next time I'm in town with my fat wallet.
Get a life . . . you shut in. I don't get why CNN allows this snobby crap to post.
Well said. These Chefs really think they are some kind of master artist and that it is some kind of crime to in any way modify their masterpieces. Only think is, they are not masterpieces and these glorified cooks have turned arrogant and very adept at biting the hand that feeds them.
Be happy someone's eating your food at all. Now shut up and make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
I find it silly that the chef would tell you to ask "What is good for me?" instead of "What is good?" and then turn right around and say "This isn't a diner" when you specifically tell him what is good for you. Fix that cognitive dissonance. The solution, of course, is that the guest order something and if they don't like it write an exceedingly poor review...unless, of course, the chef is willing to come down from his ivory tower.
I'm a server, & let me just say, it -is- incredibly annoying when customers bombard me with 1636272 questions all at once when I clearly have other tables to tend to. If we're slow, it's not as big of a problem, & yes I -do- answer all questions patiently with a smile on my face no matter the situation, but it takes away from my other guests getting things they need. it doesn't happen too often, though.
This past Saturday, I had a family of 4 come in. We were slammed & The woman managed to ask every question possible. "what u get with 2 eat for $16? what's the $3 kids meal? what you get w that? how much a hot wings? what come with it? (@ that point I nearly snapped – how stupid can you be? it's an effing appetizer it doesn't come with a side!)" then later they complained that a 4 oz ramekin of extra chili cost. 99¢ and wasn't bigger. Then the man argued for 10 minutes w me over the bill & that I didn't give him enough change (he looked at the subtotal instead of the total after tax).
Needless to say, their cheap a**es didn't leave a tip.
Poor baby goat...
What an a$$.......with this economy he should feel lucky that anyone goes to his restaurant......
Many well known restaurants have closed in my part of the country. Customers are "voting with their wallets" and are less inclined to tolerate the "arrogant artist" type of chief these days.
I think a lot of people are confused between a cook and a chef. For example: #5. If you're at Chili's, let's say, you can ask for a salad without a certain ingredient. But if you are at a five star restaurant with an actual head chef, you really should take their advise. He's absolutely correct that they spend a lot of time experimenting with the foods to get just the right flavor profiles they're looking for. Being a chef is an art. Being a cook is just a job.
I think people are also confused in that being in an upscale restaurant equals great food. Price and atmosphere has very little to do with what's actually good in my mouth. Some of the little hole in the wall places with a "cook" serve food most people, including chefs, would give their eyeteeth to know how to make. It's like saying someone who sculpts with clay is more of an artist than someone who sculpts with scrap metal.
Regarding what irritates him, I'm sure every profession has the same 5 questions that drive them crazy. But just like the doctor or lawyer or accountant answers those questions over and over – so should the chef. The customer is asking for a reason. Just because you've answered them a million times doesn't mean that person has ever asked them before and heard your answer.
One of the problems is that chiefs want to be considered professionals but don't want to act like professionals.
A professional is not just someone who gets paid. A professional adheres to a set of ethics and standards. A professional does not let his or her emotions dictate how they act.
Some chiefs would benefit from learning not only the benefits of being a professional but also the responsibilities.
While a chef may spend a lot of time preparing flavor profiles, people spend a lot of time eating food. In that eating of food people often know what tastes they like together or not. If they are going to say, specifically, what they want and it is not an absurd request, and if they are willing to pay for it...they should get it. People almost always go to restaurants to eat. They do not usually go to restaurants to critique food or find something new and exciting (though I know some do that). The end result is that if I, a customer, say I do or do not want something and that is disregarded, the restaurant will end up eating the price of that meal. Respect given is respect gotten.
It's obvious most of you have never worked in a restaurant, or you'd understand where he is coming from. I've been a server for quite a while and nothing is more irritating than a special order (only out of pickiness, and not due to an allergy). The entire restaurant works in a certain rhythm, and you disrupt that rhythm when I have to go to the kitchen and spend five minutes explaining to the chefs (who are busy trying to make other dishes) exactly what you want. I never mind easy substitutions, but I literally have some customers who want to make their own dish. It's unbelievable.
Apparently most of you look down on chefs, who spend a lot of time cultivating their culinary skills. Do you all think you're better than them? Do they not have a right to be proud of their work? Reading through these comments, I would never want to have such massively ignorant and snooty customers at my table. Most of you seem like you'd look down on me for being a waitress, too.
I work in an entirely different industry (software), but we have many good paying customers who want things "their way". Guess what? We usually figure out a way to give the customer what they want. Ever run a program that has a "Preferences" tab? That's just one way we let the customer decide what's best for them.
The customer isn't always right, but they are always entitled to their opinion.
If I think there's no need for raspberry sauce on my chocolate volcano cake then I'm asking you to leave it off.
The whole argument that the chef has worked hard to pair up items works only so far. Why not just make one dish and serve it to everybody? They know what tastes good, right?
If a chef really doesn't like it then get out of the SERVICE industry.
#5 Just because a chef believes certains flavors work, doesn't mean a customer does. I typically like to see what a chef presents, but it isn't uncommon to find a chef who has missed the mark. There is also the issue of potential allergies to certain items. Customers may request alterations because of allergies to nuts, fruits, grains, etc.
Any chef who believes he has the perfect match is kidding themself.
For me, it's truffles. I honestly cannot understand why people like these.
Maybe there's some weird genetic glitch going on – but I *swear* they taste and smell like burning plastic in diesel oil. My first exposure was to the oil (there went a lot of money for nothing) then to the actual fungus... I'll never touch it again.
So, I honestly don't care if the chef is 5 star or 500 stars – or if truffles are the 'gold of foods'... I'll have them off my dish, please.
Chefs are biting the hand that feeds them by peeving on their customers. Yes they plan what flavors go well with which other flavors, but some people have different tastes and lots of chefs are not nearly as good as they fancy themselves to be. They have to accept they are in the service industry and provide service with a smile or get the hell out of the industry.
"2. What is good on the menu?
"This is one we hear a lot. I think the question should be 'What’s good for me?' rather than 'What’s good?'
Everyone has different tastes and preferences so I try to have something for everyone on the menu.""
then he says
"5. Can I have the ice cream that goes with the chocolate dessert on the caramel dessert instead?
"This is one of my pet peeves. Of course we want people to have what they want, but when plotting out dishes I put a lot of thought into what flavors complement each other.
A phrase we say in the kitchen pretty often is 'This isn’t a diner' – make your own conclusions on what that means.""
So which one is it? First he says he thinks people should eat what they like then he says he gets mad when people dont eat what he want HE thinks tastes good...This dude sounds like a D1CK!
In response to #5, a chef really takes time in developing a dish. When people ask for modifications on the dish for no good reason (the only good reasons are really allergies and/or religious observance) then they are not having the dish he/she created. They're having a different dish/experience. It's like saying, "Mozart, I like that song but play it in E minor instead of G major."
My point exactly, most chefs arrogantly would compare themselves with Mozart when, in fact, the are no better than the guy playing an accordion in the sidewalk for a drop in the bucket. Of course customers will ask for that ice cream on this dish. Chef: You are no Mozart.
I don't know what makes you so dumb but it really works.
There's a very big difference between a cook and a Chef. This is coming from a chef, not a cook.
As someone who grew up on McDonald's where "fine dining" meant a trip to red Lobster or Outback Steakhouse, the first time I saw the menus at restaurants like wd-50 or Alinea I thought it all looked disgusting. But after eating it it's always clear that these people really know what they're doing as they take things that by themselves I've always hated and they make them into dishes that are delicious.
For example, I've always hated fish. I grew up where there was a Catfish Shack on just about every corner and have tried everything from Tuna to Talipia to Swordfish at places where cooks make the food and have always hated it. But the Crispy Black Bass at Le Bernardin is about the greatest thing I've ever had on a plate even though it comes with several other things I hate like Beansprout and several other things I'd never heard of and there wasn't even a drop of tartar sauce to be found.
And of course, if you don't like it, you can always go down to Olive Garden and pay 1/10th the price and they'll make it however you want it. But you could also decide your doctor doesn't know what they're doing and decide to cut off your arm to fix that brain tumor...
Ok, my chef...
How are you on true vegetarian cooking?
See, almost no western chefs have a *clue* about it because they're all trained to flood everything in some kind of meat stock. The western mindset is lumps of meat – with something on the side.
So I'm willing to bet that when it comes to something even moderately challenging (like vegetarian cooking), even the best chefs simply AREN'T the experts.
Oh – and if you're thinking 'a nice arougala salad with almond slivers, mandarin orange wedges, a little parmesan cheese and a raspberry vinegrette should do him'... surprise – you fail. If you thought 'steamed veggies' even bigger fail. Most vegetarians are so tired of the idea that all we want is some grass to graze on.
Somethng clever like a potato, cheese and chive fritter with wasabi sauce would be nice – but we never get that.
Thank god for veggie burgers or I'd have to eat at home all the time.
What a heinously flawed analogy. By the time Mozart was the age of these chefs, he was already dead (he died at 35). His insurmountable genius cannot be compared to a temporary dish that because excrement a day later. And musically speaking merely changing a key (but nothing else in a work) is done all the time in music...just ask Schubert.
A litle heavy on the ego sauce here. The first answer leads to the conclusion that there are no bad chefs because no one would hire them, yet we all know there re out there. To paraphrase an old joke, the world's worst chef is out there, and right now he is preparing a meal for someone. Similarly, the last question assumes all tastes are the same, and just as one would have several desserts on the menu for different tastes, so one should trust the customer to know what HE likes.
I thought that all chiefs graduate from the same world's greatest school with straight A's.
You mean to tell me there are chiefs out there that graduated from cruddy schools with just passing grades?
I am shocked
Next you will be telling me that there are chiefs out there who never attended any school.
Thomas, I applaud your use of the English language and the salient points you make. But I have to call you on your consistent use of the work "chief" instead of "chef". We're not talking about Indians or Sailors. ;)
HA! Or the use of the WORD .....
This guy (just like most chefs I've met) sounds like a complete prick.
I didn't know chefs were such delicate butterflies. I'll now be conscientious how I word my chit chat if I meet one. Thanks for the tips.
Your a cook, not curing cancer get over yourself.
Always pick you nose before you pick your butt.
And if you won't put that ice cream with the chocolate dessert on the caramel dessert, then Jose from Oaxaca will and he'll do it for a fraction of the cost.
asdf, i'll bet you've had steak or two that was dunked in the employee toilet before it was served to you–seriously wouldn't want to be one your dining guests. good luck my friend.
When I go out to dinner and pay money to have someone make me something to eat you better damn well make it how I want it if you want a job.
Damn right! You know the only question a jerk like this should be asking is "you want fries with that". He could you a whopping helping of humble pie that I'd gladly serve with a side of anything of his choice.
In regards to #5....someone needs to get over themselves.
You know what? You're a cook. Get over yourself. You're probably freaking ugly like the dude in the picture.
Oh by the way,,nice earing chef,,,,Are you wearing a bra and panties too?
"I'll have the veal al a Roberto...but i'd like chicken rather than the veal...and rather than the steamed vegetables on the side I'd like rice."
Heres one for ya buddy,,,,Do you practice being a pompous ass or have you found that it comes naturally to you?
Remember what Ryan Reynolds character said in the movie Waiting....Never f- with people who serve your food.
You deal with the general public. That's the profession you chose. Deal with it.
Regarding the frequent kitchen comment, 'This isn’t a diner', I now understand why I like diners more than fancy restaurants. ;-)
PS: I do like fine food, as long as I don't have to put up with an attitude.
how about you just shut up and make me some pancakes? nobody cares what bothers you. everyone has problems.
If someone asks you what your favorite thing to make is, you should be flattered. Seriously get over yourself, most people don't go to culinary school and they're just trying to be nice and get the best. If they ask you how you make something, don't get cranky about it they may be trying to avoid an ingredient that they're allergic to or just trying to make polite conversation.
Read "Kitchen Confidential" (Bourdain) and you will understand all you need to understand about restaurants.
The pretentiousness being displayed here is amusing.
Keep it coming!
That's funny because Mr. Ramsay just scolded restaurant personnel on one of his shows for not accommodating whatever changes the diner desired including changing the order after they received and tasted the dish. He seems to believe that the customer is always right, as long as it isn't at his restaurant.
Ramsay is a D-bag hack.
and you are who? utterly forgettable and worth 1/100th of Ramsay's net worth.
My specialty was developing new recipes and menus. I once had a customer get extremely irate with me when I wouldn't write down one of my more complicated recipes so that she should make it at home for her friends. I once had a customer call me from clear across the country pleading with me to reveal a recipe that she had at our restaurant while on vacation. I gave it to her because I knew that she wouldn't be able to have it unless she could come back to the restaurant.
Now that I'm out of the business, I'm always amazed that friends expect me to cook for them and have extremely high expectations because I used to be a chef. They don't realize that I don't like cooking anymore or I would have stayed in the business. Cooking at home for friends is totally different than for customers in a business setting. At home, you are always having to make compromises because certain ingredients aren't readily available at the local grocery store.
Asking the chief for the recipe is unreasonable. Getting irate when the chief does not share his or her recipes is down right rude.
Chiefs have their own recipes. It is, in fact, the value of the chief. It is what makes this specific chief good (or bad). It should be expected that chiefs want to keep some of their recipes to themselves
I'm surprised this question didn't make the list, "Is it fresh?" No matter the real answer, what do you think the answer you'll hear will be?
Especially fresh fish. Fresh out of the freezer.
That's why I would never ask the server. Why put them in a position of lying? It is not their fault.
I have to say that these list of 5 things are a bit weak. I mean seriously...
First of all I would like to point out that the customer is not always right. It is probably that "logic" that have given people that snotty attitude; one of the contributing factors mind you.
1.) When they ask "Are you any good" it's probably based off of a past experience they had with someone else. People have every right to question. Why? Because its pretty obvious we don't trust one another. Just look at these comments. Trust is earned not given, and to be honest this chef like any other will not be trusted until the food is served. If you don't like it maybe you shouldn't be in that business.
2.) "What is good on the menu" Just like how you said, everyone's tastes are different. Everyone words things differently as well. One person's "Whats good on the menu" may be the same equivalent as another's "What do you recommend". And why would it be "what is good for me"? You don't know this person at all, so you don't know their tastes. But if you can't read the meanings behind the people's words, again maybe you should be in another business. Have you ever wondered why people may treat you rudely? Just askin..
3.) Why would being asked "what is your favorite thing to make" irritate you? You didn't explain that in the article. It sounds as if you don't even know why. Maybe you're just as picky as your customers..
4.) Just because you have a piece of paper that says you can cook doesn't mean others can't cook. I have a grandmother who cooks some awesome dishes all made from scratch. Even the noodles. You know what? She doesn't have that degree. Maybe you should stop seeing people sharing reciepes as an insult but rather to get to know the person who is making their food...
5.) People who switch an item for another may have certain allergies to certain foods. Maybe they don't like chocolate. As you said before just because you worked out YOUR flavors of perfection doesn't mean it is THEIR flavor of perfection. Again as you said...Everyones tastes, flavors ideals etc are different. So guess what...Get over it.
Thank you
cory get over yourself and ask,
1) how insulted you would be if every other customer of whatever business you do , asked the are you good question? good compared to ......what exactly? other chefs? your grandmother?
2)a server is a sales person, if the guest cannot articulate what they mean when asking a question the answer will not be what they expected. but also the question implies that the servers eat the their workplace constantly, which gets old. it also implies that the server must enjoy all the food that they sell. ( the best sales person i've ever worked with was a vegetarian that worked at a steakhouse. being ex-military, she wasn't bothered by the deceased animals on the plates she sold, she just did not like the taste of flesh.)
3)most chefs do not like this question. mostly i believe because they want to maintain a mystique about what they eat, but mainly because when at home, cooking for themselves, they do not do things like they do at work. i've heard wolfgang puck state that his personal favourite thing to make for himself at home is a peanut butter sandwich. if the dish is a mit more complicated, the follow up question is 'why is that not on the menu?"
4) he ever implied that not everyone could cook delicious food, and even state states that he can learn things by asking such a question, he just finds it annoying. probably in the same way that question number one is also.
5) he also states that he will not make the ice cream substitution, he just finds it annoying.
Thank you the recommendation. I don't have to. If you misread my message and took it as "I'm better than you" then that's not my fault. I was merely giving HIM (not you) an opinion of mine whether you like it or not.
Would I be annoyed by that question? No. Why? Because I can understand the possible reasoning behind each and every question. I myself am an artist, of course of a different kind.
And to be honest it's like Actors and actresses complaining of the violation of privacy, when they purposely put themselves out there for the public to see.
In the commissions I do for people, I get irritated when they aren't specific on what they want. Its like going up to a chef and saying, "Eh, I don't care. Whatever u got." Even as a cook at home, that pisses me off.
As I said, my initial comment was for him and possibly any other chef that may have come across it. Not you.
This seems like a classic arrogant chef. All of us professionals get everyday people sharing their opinion, its just part of friendly chit-chat, looking for a connection. You don't have to get all snotty on people. Likewise, its simply a bad choice of words when someone says "what is good?"...someone with half a brain or heart would know they simply mean "what would you recommend?" or "what do your customers seem to rav about most?" or "what is your restaurant most known for?"
I expect this kind of arrogance from someone like say, I dunno, a brain surgeon. But come on man, you just make FOOD. Usually in a way that looks pretty. Big whoop, don't let it go to your head.
okay, let's get down to brass tacks shalls we? Let me put it this way...If I want vanilla ice cream on my dessert...suck it. That's what I want. I care little if you are annoyed. I don't care if you think it's "ART'> I have to eat it. I am PAYING FOR IT. There fore, shut your gob and slap on the vanilla. It' s my stomach. If you are going to get your feelings hurt, you shouldn't be working with the public. I get one meal a month where I get to eat what I want...and if I want chocolate chip mint ice cream on a steak for some inexplicable reason...why do you even care. Just sayin'.
You got it. It is a simple concept.
Would you tolerate a hotel maid putting vanilla scent all over your sheets and towels if you didn't like vanilla?
"But she's a professional. How dare you question her. She knows what's best. You are just the person paying. You can't possibly know what you like more than the professional does. She went to a 6-week cleaning class. She knows how to pair scents with the feng shui of the room."
You are uncouth for even considering having an opinion. You monster.
An important thing that I don't think has been brought up...if you have food aversions or allergies or other health problems, often a call to the restaurant in advance of your reservation (a reasonable advance, that is...not a couple of hours before) will find you a chef and a staff that is willing to work with you and to make something that will work for you.
As far as portions go, all I can say is, if it's too much for you to eat at one sitting, take part of it home. If the problem is that you're too cheap to pay for the dinner portion, maybe you need to eat in a cheaper restaurant.
I cook a lot. I can slightly alter a dish to accommodate everyone in the house. People like to visit my house. I cook great meals, that accommodate everyone! You can saute vegetables in separate pans that can be added into the MAIN dish. In other words, not everyone may like peppers and onions, but they can be cooked to add in later.
Chefs should be the first to realise that not everyone likes everything.
When you order something on a menu you've never had and don't like it, don't blame it on the chef, it's on the menu because there of those who do prefer it. If one just has to complain, stay at home and cook your own food.
I live in a cuisine capital. Our chefs here don't often have interchangeable dessert items like the ice cream that goes with the chocolate cake. I mean, add on a scoop of ice cream for the poor soul if you can. It's not like your dessert menu is diversified or sophisticated if you've got chocolate cake with an ice cream scoop–and next complain about all the work of putting a flavors together. What's good? I know, annoying, but people are not all cuisine heads who know where their palates are at in the moment before dining. It's just a conversation starter. I find it disturbing that sevice industry professionals whine so much. Here, they have it good. 20% is a bad/normal tip. And bartenders make a ton. Our biggest problem is foreigners who don't tip. Chefs are notorious dysfunctionals, addicts and the like. And most have piss poor attitudes. Here, we have a ton of sweathearts, and the ones who hold contempt for diners or neurotic ideals don't make it.
#5 might be legitimate if the customer has food allergies or really HATES (or loves) a certain flavor. I'd try the new combination myself in private to see if there is some inspiration there! Restaurant customers often request a little tweaking and that should be accommodated within reason. After all, they are there to enjoy and they pay for it!
This entire thread reminded me of why I left the restaurant industry. Restaurants are not your personal slaves. They offer a menu and the expectation is that you will order off the menu. Some substitutions are reasonable, especially for health reasons, but once you start recooking the dishes you are in the wrong place. Yes, the restaurant is making money off you, but you don't go to a theater and ask people to start acting differently. You don't go to a computer store and start asking people to rebuild the computer for you. You can modify in some cases, but if you want it built a certain way, you usually have to do it yourself. You don't tell your mechanic how to fix your car. I don't know why people think that going to a restaurant means that they have the right to tell everyone there what they want how they want it, and the inconvenience and cost (or impossibility) of it be damned. If you go to a restaurant to tell people how to cook and have them do exactly what you want, hire a personal chef and stay home. No your demands aren't reasonable because you're "paying for it." You are paying for what's on the menu, period.
Actually–restaurants are not in the business of REPAIRING anything. They are in the business of SERVING people. Like a masseuse, or a hair stylist, or a tailor. I am not being a classist...but it is what it is....a servant position. From cleaning the tables, to filling the water glasses to cooking the food to wiping the menus to rolling silverware.
Sorry to burst your bubble. A mechanic tells YOU what is wrong with your car. A chef most certainly DOES NOT tell ME what I want to eat. He cooks it for me. For a price. And then serves it to me. And if I approve....I tip.
YOU are the one who sees it all wrong. Sorry 'bout that.
And I guess you have not been to Dell or Apple's web sites where you can custom order your computer in any way you like. Because after all....you are paying for it.
Your arguments are just....well...wrong.
There is this wonderful restaurant in Boston called Taranta. The chefs will customize a vegetarian order according to available ingredients and the customer's tastes and palatal mood. That's not on the menu. Nothing beats a pub that substitutes fries for salad. But the bottom line is that if you work at Applebee's, the menu is the menu I guess. And if you work at a place like Taranta, which is Peruano-Italo fusion, you can't alter a dish, because that would ruin it. In the middle, it is a minefield. You have way too much contempt to work in the service industry. It's all about setting limits and expectations. There is nothing worng with a polite NO to a customer. I personally stick with the menu, but here in Boston, they are all posted outside, so you pretty much know what you're in for. 98 Italian places in my neighborhood alone. And they are all very different. Good luck!
So..the menu, posted outside, has my favorite dish in the whole world. I have the time and money to go inside and eat it. But I typically order/make/eat it without almonds/capers/tomatoes/fill in the blank.
I am pretty certain I have the right to visit that establishment, order my favorite dish in the world, and ask to leave off the almonds/capers/tomatoes/etc if I want.
(BTW–I rarely change menu items. I love food. I love new food. I love chef's ideas (usually). As a return customer I may prefer a slight modification to suit my individual tastes. Again... I have that right. Even though I rarely use it. I find that I don't need to change menus often. But I demand the option.
jg-Like I said "spin." These are services offered. You don't expect your masseur to give you manicure (unless it's part of their services.) No you cannot get a computer anyway you want it at Dell or Apple. You can choose from a list of compatible parts that they offer. You can't buy customized computers on the spot and walk home with them, they usually take days or weeks extra. And if you want things they don't normally offer, you WILL have to build it yourself or pay through the nose.
Every thing you SAY is classist. And the sort of "nouveau riche" classist that is most pathetic. "When my tab is $500 for three people....the chef better come out and cut up my steak and feed it to me if I ask for that service." You seriously think THAT's a reasonable expectation? "Traveled on yachts many times." Oooooh. You MUST be well-bred. You are completely classless AND clueless. Someone who got a little money to spend and think that makes them better than other people. Or someone who spends all day as a secretary and just goes out so they can treat someone else like the second class citizen they're treated like all day. Saw it a million times. You have only re-affirmed my belief that you are exactly the type of person that makes working in the service industry a pain. "Service" is not the same as "servitude." A server is not a slave.
I expect my hair stylist to color my hair red and shave a mohawk....even if they disapprove.
I expect my masseuse to spend the whole hour on my injured neck, back and shoulder and not waste my money rubbing my toes. My toes don't hurt.
And I want my chef to cook my food the way I order it.
You are just wrong on this and each post you write makes you look more wrong. Just stop.
You are angry at your lot in life because you are stuck in the servant class. Well....I PAID MY OWN WAY through graduate school by working construction. I made my life better. I am educated. I am traveled. Sorry you are so angry. I can pay you to clean my toilets and wash my sheets if you want.
BTW–I am also a servant. A professional, upper level educator. I teach what the curriculum calls for. It is not up to me. I have the skills. I have the degree. And I do what I am told.
Welcome to life. Grow up.
jg-I'm not angry at all. I went to graduate school and got my ph.d. in mathematics. Didn't have to pay my way, of course, since I made the grades to get fellowships. I'm not stuck anywhere. I can't help it if you feel the need to be catered to left and right.
LOL–I just saw this part -"I am educated. I am traveled. " I must have passed over it. Totally reaffirms it. You can't be that traveled. Most restaurants in most other countries won't put up with that kind of cr@p. Unless you only eat at American chains when you travel. LMAO, thanks. That was too funny. Every word out of your mouth (or keyboard) just keeps reaffirming that you think traveling to a few states and eating at Outback is "cultured." It's been fun. Enjoy your high-class Crown Royal for the night. Later.
I guess I'm a different kind of restaurant customer. When I go to a Chef Owned restaurant, even on a first visit, I will ask my waitress if the Chef will serve a soup to nuts meal (picking the experience). I will only request the base plate meat, ie beef, chicken, fish which would suit my mood that day.
I am a very good cook myself but without enjoying others talent I fall into ruts. Enjoying a night out of the kitchen at the hands of a professional is a treat I can not pass up at least once a month.
I agree 100%. Which is not to say that a person can't leave the capers off of the salmon if they don't like capers. Which I think is the point.
I happen to like capers and salmon....
But yeah....why go about changing every menu item? The other day at a mexican joint I overheard a lady order fajitas..with out peppers, onions, guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes.....I was thinking...what's left? Meat and lettuce in a soft tortilla? Just order soft tacos and save money.....
If you cannot ask these 5 questions of a Chef, then WHAT is left to talk to them about???? Ask them about recall ratings on Toyota cars? Who won the Indy 500?
Honestly, this Chef is pompous. He should STAY in the kitchen and NOT mingle with the guests.
No..you have it all wrong. His 10-month culinary arts program and white hat make him an expert. He knows more than all the peasants who simply eat food. After all.....he CREATES food. Sort of how a god creates life. He is all-knowing when it comes to pairing flavors. How dare you have your own taste buds....or prefer your shrimp without the garnish. You have personally insulted the chef. Took a bite from the forbidden apple as it may be.
You MONSTER. Take your ideas of what you like and how you like it to Burger King...where all the other proletariat dine. You don't DESERVE his food.
Baby goat? Seriously!?
Does a mother goat not care about its own child? I think it would and maybe it's because I'm a father.... But seriously. I know this isn't against what you wrote or said mr. chef. Just in general do we really not see a baby goat as a baby goat with a mother that would be worried about it? Oh well maybe I'm just too sensitive at the moment....
I do love goat though don't get me wrong.
Well here is the thing, chef. If I pay 20 bucks a meal, I don't expect the cook in the kitchen to be the best in the world and they wouldn't mind if I switch things up a bit. If I'm paying 100 bucks a meal, the chef better be ready to give me vanilla instead of chocolate because I don't like chocolate. Unless there is a chef who is super experienced but charges very little for his/her food, I don't see how he can even have a say in what the customer asks for. If you are so picky about things, just have a prie fixe menu.
You got it. When my tab is $500 for three people....the chef better come out and cut up my steak and feed it to me if I ask for that service. What are these self-serving idiots thinking?
They go to a 1 year (or worse....10 week) cooking program....get a certification...not even a college degree....and suddenly they are upper-crust, upscale artists?
No..they are stoned cooks in white hats. Ask Anthony Bourdain. Read Restaurant Confidential. Ask your friends who work in kitchens. I am not being ugly. I am being accurate.
Wrong again! Most culinary programs are 18 months, and to become a top chef you have to hone your skills over many years!
Many are I can't lie, but not all and based on your statement you don't dine in too many fine dining establishments. The better the restaurant the less the Exec can afford to have some coke head fk up his menu. Anthony Bourdain is a shmuck, crack head who got lucky. If I remember it right, he was the one snorting coke when he was on the service line. Great reference by the way, was Kitchen Confidential the only book you read all year or only the best one?
Know what? All artists have to answer stupid questions. Be grateful people are interested and STFU.
With the rate that restaurants are closing in my county, I think they would be grateful to have customers.
It does not take much word of mouth for a restaurant that was booked for months in advance to go out of business.
People have for restaurants. The cliche of the arrogant artist wears thin in these economic times.
I totally understand where the chef is coming from. I don't go for fine dining all too often, but when I do, I understand that the food preparation is an art. The whole point is to be adventurous and try new things – with the exception of allergies (which I'm thankful I do not have to worry about), its good to keep an open mind and who knows – you might end up loving it.
No...art is sold in galleries. Each piece is an original. Food is sold from menus. Each dish is exactly like the 1,000 dishes that came out before it. It simply is not art.
Cooking food as fast as you can and shoveling it out the kitchen is simply not art.
These chefs do not have college degrees. Most are on cocaine. They went to some "culinary arts" program and got a white hat and now they are some sort of upscale expert. No....they are SERVING upscale experts....who actually have college degrees.
jg – you are a troll!
because you pay for the product that make you an expert? no, that makes you a customer.
and you keep upping the ante in your insults; first chefs did not go to school ,then it was a short certificate program. then they are all stoned, and now they are on cocaine. as you seem to never have worked in the industry, how would you know about the condition of the workers? do you ever watch any of the chef shows on tv? the chef that won top chef masters this season, had a degree in molecular biology, enjoyed being a chef more ad went back to school to become a chef.
also, by the one comment you made about prices, you obviously do not eat out often as the prices you list for meals and alcohol do not match. a place charging $12 for a drink, the entree will not be $30, the appetizer maybe, especially in NY or LA.
you keep becoming more and more vicious in your attacks when anyone points out the flaws in your argument. you are a troll.
Honestly, most restaurants have been reviewed, if not you can ask around, plus most will have their menu posted outside or in he window. If you don't like whet you read/hear/see then go someplace else. I waitressed through high school and university and could not believe what people expected: they seemed to think they were in a private kitchen with unlimited choice and supply of food. One man was furious we did not serve his favourite dessert: it wasn't on the menu but he still argued and ranted that 'it should be." Check first, that way your will not go to a French restaurant and expect lasagna and tiramisu
LOL. I worked for a certain italian chain for years. You would not believe how irate some people would get because we didn't have burgers.
Question 1 is totally legit, Mr Butler– I've eaten at a few places that had crappy food, ergo, a crappy chef. ( I think the owner must've been desperate and hired what he could afford.) Perhaps your customer would like to know if you have ever won an award for your food or if you're fresh out of cooking school. You should be pleased your customer even gives a crap about you and doesn't think you're the server.
Lighten up, dude– it's food, not rocket science.
Go fix ma sammich, Ginger !!!
The instant a dish transitions from a single, lovingly created masterpiece.....into a mass produced, consistent dish offered on a menu.....the dish stops being art. There is very little difference between a perfectly made Double Whopper and perfectly made poached salmon from an upscale restaurant-other than scale, price, and attitude.
It is simply FOOD. Now I love food. I cook food. I buy food. And I love good food. But, as a customer....I refuse to lose sight of the fact that a kitchen, in any restaurant, is stamping out dishes as fast as they can....for a price.....for a profit. That is the math. Nothing more. Nothing less. Now stamp it out the way I want it and shut the h3ll up.
your ill-bred obnoxious attitude is enough to kill anyone's appetite
No–I come from a relatively wealthy family. I have a graduate degree. I have traveled the country and outside of the country. Traveled on yachts many times. I am not ill-bred.
Chefs....with no college education, who are nothing more than glorified cooks....who get all uppity with their dishes thinking people are granted favors by being allowed to eat in their restaurants....that is ill-bred and boorish. I am the normal one. The people VASTLY agree with me. Vase is pronounced with a long "A." Get it?
jg-From a relatively wealthy family, but you worked construction to pay your way through graduate school. I guess your family knew enough to throw you out anyway.
jg -by you insult about the word vase being pronounced with a long A, you show that all the comments about your wealth and education are just trying to make your point without the information to understand what you are writing.
vase with a long A is pronounced as written, your insult is trying to advocate for a short a pronounced, vahse. check with a linguist if you doubt that statement.
JG you are a real TOOL. I have worked in the Hospitality industry for 18 years. I have a Masters Degree in Administration as well as a Bachelors in Accounting. I don;t use drugs or alcohol. My Chefs create an experience for you when you visit our place. It seems to me that you think because you visit us we should be your servants. Do everyone that busts their backs in this wonderful industry and learn a little more about food and service before you tell us how to do our jobs. i would like to come watch you at work, you know give YOU a couple of tips.How to improve your customer relations perhaps.
To those who complain that the portions are too big, or better yet the rude person who claims that is why Americans are so fat. The solution is simple. If the portions are too large for you and you do not wish to take them home, leave the rest on your plate. Why complain or insult, other than to have something negative to say.
Because I'll tell you right here as someone who has seen it first hand, too many complaints during your meal and something will get spat in.
i never complain in a restaurant. I order. If it is as expected/advertised....I eat, enjoy, pay and tip 20%. If it is improperly cooked or crappy or otherwise poor....I refuse to eat it, pay for it, or discuss it. I pay for my drink. My app. And I tip 20% of what I pay for. Fix it right. First time. Or I won't pay for it. End of story. No reason to complain.
I really hope you don't think that makes you a good customer. They offer you choices. But aside from improperly cooked, if you ordered it then that's it. Most places will comp something or offer to make something else, but you shouldn't expect they will pay for it. If you return other products, they can be repackaged and resold unless defective. The attitude that somehow they screwed up because you didn't like what you chose and that they should compensate you just seems a little childish.
YOU said "Because I didn't like it." I never said that. I said improperly cooked or otherwise screwed up....indicating something is WRONG with the dinner. I don't do re-cooks. If the steak was ordered medium or rare....it better not come out charred and grey in the middle.....which happens about half the time. I won't discuss it. I won't eat it. I won't pay for it.
I am a very good customer. We enter into a contract when I sit down. If the restaurant does it's job properly I will do mine. My personal TASTE has nothing to do with it.
Don't put words or ideas into other people's statements. You have done this twice to me. Perhaps you deserve people being a jerk to you....just saying.....
jg-Then what does "crappy or otherwise poor." mean? Improperly cooked is a description. These other two are opinions. Something can be properly cooked, perfectly fine and "crappy" in someone's opinion. I don't put words in your mouth, I respond to what you write. If you don't want to be misinterpreted, then be clearer.
jg- you are just a troll.
you did say 'if i did not like it", you just used the words "crappy or otherwise poor"; judge by what standards? yours? well that is the same as saying i did not like it.
you have insulted the restaurants SALES people (that is the function of the server) and then insulted chefs education based on a book by a tv personality who openly admits that even with his degree, he cannot handle the speed and stress of working in a restaurant? it is in the book, you must have not read that closely.
it is obvious from your posts that you have not worked in a restaurant, and despite what you write, i have doubts about your history and education. if you were as wealthy and travelled as you claim, you would know that your understanding of what is art is so far off, that no one would be considered an artist and there would be no such thing as art, since most of the famous paintings and sculptures of the world have reproductions and smaller first drafts (maquettes, and sketches) before they reach the stage at which they became famous.
You don't have to complain, we remember you...Don't piss off people who handle your food...
Those negative, anger ridden posters had better not show up at my table. Their lack of manners and taste don't qualify them to set their forks to even a simple dish of carefully crafted corned beef hash.
I agree 100% with the chef. Especially if you're in a higher end restaurant, you're paying the big bucks to eat what the chef intends for you to eat. Customers can have it their way at a Burger King. The customer is always doesn't apply in this case. If you think you can cook it better, why did you come in the first place.
When you are charging me $30 a plate and $12 a drink....you da mN well better bring it to me the way I order it. If that means blended in a glass with milk and chocolate chips....that is what you do.
I am a liberal. I am a civil servant for a career. You seem to forget your place that you are also a servant. Nothing more. Artists sell their work in galleries....you sell yours off of a menu. That is not art, my friend.
Why mention you are a liberal?
'cause people were saying that all the people complaining were probably conservatives and liberals would never do that. Well...I am a liberal and I support fine arts, etc. But I am not gonna put up with some snobbish chef who thinks cooking 3 dozen plates of lamb with mint sauce in 45 minutes is somehow "art."
You have an inferiority complex and it is fully justified. Stuff it fat boy.
Don't piss off the people who handle your food...
why would you PAY your hard earned money so someone tells you what to eat?
Working in a restaurant, I get question #5 constantly. I wonder why people read a menu when they want 3-4 things changed from the description on the menu.....Usually at peak hour they ask for some ingredient left out that can't be done because it's in the sauce or something
If you want it your way go to BK
& no the customer isn't always right, if fact they can be pretty unreasonable
Your average customer is not so stupid that they want the red taken out of the ketchup. Come on. Or the salty removed from the salt. You are being as ridiculous as the guy in the article.
I had a steak house steak that came, standard, with sauteed onions and mushrooms in a BUTTER sauce over the steak. I was like...."Seriously? You pour butter over the steak? Gross. Give me the steak....leave off the butter." I am certain I have that right. And the more I am paying for the meal the more I have that right.
jg–You may be surprised to know that most steakhouses at least brush their steaks with butter. I gives it a better browning and enhances the flavor. Not the same as pouring it over the steak, but it is commonly used.
I cook. I use butter to brown lots of things. Especially baked things. However...in my world.....you don't POUR a butter sauce over red meat. That is simply disgusting. Maybe a red-wine sauce with onions and possibly fresh mushrooms....that may be quite tasty. But a butter sauce? Poured over a steak? As a garnish? This is what I am describing here. Gross. And I have the right to say so. That night...BTW-a guy at a neighboring table got the steak with the butter sauce right after I ordered mine. It looked even more disgusting than it sounded when described to me. I suppose they could have poured melted cheez-whiz over it.
Are you getting the appropriate mental picture now?
I had the picture in the first place. I'm just saying that most places put butter on their steak. Thus you "butter over steak" comment didn't make sense in the context since most steaks have butter on them. The butter sauce sounds a little over the top, yes. But you don't have to be a jerk about it.
Was not trying to be a jerk. Sorry.
This chef got my goat. I am seriously annoyed at his attitude and the attitudes of the other "cooks" here who are all "It is a menu...it is not optional...blah blah."
It just gets under my skin. My money. My order. My food. Do it they way I want it. Seems simple enough.
Didn't mean to be a jerk. Really.
I keep seeing where people think it is wrong to ask a waiter "what is good on the menu?"
I don't agree. It seems reasonable to me that a place may offer, as an example, chicken, salmon, ribs, steak, and lamb. Every dish may be very good. But the salmon may have a special reputation as a particularly dish. If I like all the dishes offered, but one stands out over time with the customers.....I think I have a right to know that information.
If the waiter is to have no input whatsoever....just give me a microphone to speak into and let's skip the whole tipping process.
I very much disagree with 5. Sometime I want to change items on a dessert not for personal palette but not to make a big deal about a food allergy. I'm allergy to peanuts, as well as one of the colorings that is used in food. For this reason, I am careful of food that are certain colors. At any restaurant they should be willing to change items and suck up their pride. We do it in other professions as well.
If you don't want people to go to your restaurant, just say it. Don't make people feel like you are above them because you are chef.
Len–You are asking for trouble if you go by color or menu listings if you are allergic to anything, ESPECIALLY peanuts. Allergies can escalate quickly and if the chefs don't know they can't be extra careful. A lot of times, saute pans are just wiped out between cooking. You should definitely let them know, even if you aren't ordering anything with peanuts in it. Most places don't want the bad press or the liability (and many of them really don't want you to die) and they WANT you to let them know about allergies. They can also steer you away from things that could be dangerous better than the color can.
Off topic but I would like to say, people stop b i t c h i n g about how people spell stuff. They know how to spell the right words, they just spell it incorrectly on purpose because its faster to type when you leave out a few letters and ect but seriously. Who gives a s h i t if they misspell something?Get a life people.
When communicating in the written form, such as on this forum, one way readers can evaluate the intelligence of the writer is by the writing. If the writer is too lazy to correct spelling, why would I think that what they are writing is worth reading?
Correcting spelling errors is not difficult. A good place to start is the words with the red line underneath them. In the twenty first century, spell checking browsers are pretty common and easy to use.
Rule #1 – The customer is always right, period.
Rule #2 – If the customer is wrong, please refer to rule #1.
Learn it, know it, live it, or find a new profession.
We have a local "real" restaurant that actually cooks food. They don't have a veggie plate. I routinely ask for a plate with my favorite side dishes on it. They darn well better make it for me if they want me to come back to their establishment. And shame on them for not having a veggie dish in the first place.....
I am pretty sure the person paying the tab gets to set the rules.
BTW–they have never complained (to my face) when I ask for a veggie plate. Besides...they make more case. Entree price with no entree.
make more *casH...not case.
God what a whiner. Maybe he should just cook for himself.
Newsflash: Chefs work FOR the customer. It is a SERVICE job. They COOK FOOD for people. Let's not get too full of ourselves.
Silly guy thinks his plates are works of art and "How dare a common peasant dare to question the all-knowing chef?"
This guy is a joke.
Exactly. There is not a chef on the planet who is bigger than the customer, period.
I don't know, I have seen some pretty chubby chiefs
It's not that simple. Restaurants provide both products(food and drink) and services(hosting/waiting). The customer is a patron, not the boss. You can request additional service, but aside from holding the peanuts, don't think you can just modify the chef's recipe.
Real chefs know their food *is not for everybody.* If you don't like it, don't order it, or don't come back. You think an elite sushi chef will cook your sashimi for you?
Again: kitchens are in the business of stamping out dishes, as fast as possible, for a profit. It is NOT art.
Art is sold in galleries. Food is sold off of menus. And that is simply NOT art.
Stamp out my dish. The way I want it. If that means blended in a tumbler and presented with a bib and a straw....do it. Now and shut the h3ll up.
See how that works?
jg-Maybe some kitchens and maybe all of the kitchens you go to. But not all food places are that way. We used to go to a quiet family owned German place. People would sit there for hours at dinner. They made terrific food and the elderly mother would spend the evening at the front decorating all of the dessert plates with beautiful designs. They weren't stamping out food. I agree that there should be some consideration on both sides of the plate, but the customer doesn't have the right to be a jerk. As a former server having seen some things at the places you describe, you better hope they throw you out if you complain and demand. Because if they don't, if you push your server far enough you better check your plate really closely. Those aren't myths about server sabotage. Never did it personally, but I stood next to a loooooot of people while they did it.
gremlinus: no offense....but you are just plain mentally challenged. You create your own ideas based loosely around people's posts. Every time you have replied to a post of mine you have been off-target of the main idea of the post. You have, what we call in the profession, reading comprehension issues.
I am not making fun of you. It is actually sort of sad. Obviously you were a server. Obviously you spit in people's food. I would expect nothing less.
Since you can't comprehend simple ideas. Put words into people's mouths. Etc. You being a server (right up there with hotel cleaner and toilet scrubber on the dignity scale) explains a lot.
jg-I think I get you just fine. You go to a restaurant and expect everyone to do and say everything you demand with no questions asked. Every post you've posted on this board has spoken to that. And somehow you think that is "reasonable" as a customer. And you are wrong. You are the worst kind of customer. I was a server for 4 years, yes, and I left because I got tired of dealing with petty, demanding people that seemed more interested in micromanaging the meal than enjoying a night out with their friends. That's why I left and became a mathematician. Serving is consistently rated as one of the highest stress jobs and it's often because of "reasonable" customers such as yourself. You seem to have a certain knack for respinning what you say once someone calls you out on it. I don't think I've misinterpreted a single thing. I think you just can't admit that your view of what a restaurant is and what a restaurant should do isn't quite as reasonable as you seem to think it is. I don't care how you act honestly, since I'm not a server anymore. But I'm here to tell you on their behalf, they'd rather lose your business than have to put up with you.
the restaurant has a MENU: if you don't like what is served then go elsewhere: its not your kitchen and he's not your private chef
Jg
not exactly, the chief works for the owner of the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant is interested in making an overall profit based on satisfying the most customers for the least cost. If an owner can make 95% of the customers happy, he or she is doing a great job and will make money.
So yes, the restaurant owner is reliant on the customer, he or she is not exactly working FOR the individual customer, but providing a service, for pay, to the entire customer base.
This is no longer the 80's. Truly great chefs/restaurants know how to cater to their customer's needs. And a truly great chef (e.g. Gordon Ramsay) appreciate customer feedback and will accommodate changes to the menu (e.g. providing a vegetarian option/twist).
Don't like those question, too bad, get into another line of work. This moron would never last a day in my restaurant with a pathetic attitude like he has.
Most chefs aren't into to working at chain restaurants, unfortunately.
Every time my friend and I try a new restaurant, he does the "what do you recommend?" question to the waiter. I can't stand it and it drives me insane. It also makes the waiter hang around longer having to explain every detail of the dish causing his job to be even more difficult. Just order what sounds good to you and be surprised!!!
I bet dollars to doughnuts that the folks complaining about the "snobby pastry chef" are all conservatives.
Says the biggest loser who posts at CNN.
OH NOES!!! Not an ad hominem attack!! That's the most destructive logical fallacy ever!!!
Oh groan......
Sorry, but you would loose that bet!!!
I guess I don't mind the chef complaining about a customer proposed alteration if the customer hasn't tasted what the chef envisioned ... but as has been pointed out to death, we're all different and we all perceive taste slightly differently. If I've tried it the way the Chef would ordinarily cook it and I know what would make it better FOR ME, then I certainly see no reason why not to ask.
Yes, I understand that any kitchen operates with economy of scale – they make a bunch of things the same way so they can do it more efficiently ... but if a diner can handle no tomato on a hamburger, a 5 star chef can handle Chocolate instead of Vanilla.
Well said, and agreed.
I'll never forget the time I was at a nice italian place and the guy at the table next to me asked for a caprese salad off menu. The waiter told him the chef specifically would not make that. I wanted to high-five the chef and tell the guy at the next table to go back to Olive Garden in the suburbs. Don't ask for generic food when you're at a $30/plate restaurant dude.
Oh, but an excellent Caprese salad is a work of art!
If I want a scrambled egg and a piece of bread with milk....that is what I expect. I probably have my reasons for ordering it. Every kitchen has eggs, bread and milk. If the chef can't make me that meal.....well.....I guess I would be unhappy.
So there!
It's unlikely a burrito bar has those ingredients.
here's the thing – when a true chef prepares a dish; each ingredient is key to the overall flavor. removing or changing any of these ingredients can significantly alter this flavor. so if a chef just changed up his compositions to suit any customer's whim – at best he'd be serving a sub-par dish that may no longer be a representation of his work and worst case, someone doesn't like it at a result of this change and later tells a buddy "oh yeah, that place sucks, don't go there."
much like my clients come to me for my work and trust me as a professional to provide the best product i can; i go to fine dining establishments with the trust that what the chef prepares will be the best product he can prepare. the best meals i've had; we weren't even handed a menu – just asked how much we'd like to spend and if we had any allergies.
How many "true chiefs" are out there as opposed to how many think they are "true chiefs"
And how is the public supposed to tell the difference?
And what does "true chief" really mean?
I understand some of these complaints, and while a chef certainly does go through a lot to put together complimentary flavors, asking for ice cream on your desert doesn't seem out of line. I say, if you are paying for it, you should have some input in to what you are getting.
Agreed. This guy is too arrogant to field silly questions from paying customers??? Who does he think he is?
i AM a pastry chef and none of you idiots know what your talking about
Making the soft serve cones at Jack in the Box is not a pastry chef position Max
I believe you are a chef since you have not mastered the basic English usage of "you're", instead using the incorrect "your". Keep cooking, dude.
This is the problem with the new breed of Chefs to come from CIA, LCB etc. They are arrogant and have not proven their worth. Although I do understand customers being a pain in asking for ever change possible on the menu. This is evident in our lack of dining etiquette though as a culture. Some customers feel that their dollar spent entitles them to change things how they want. Zero tact for what is given unless there truly is a dietary restriction.
Do you need to look up the meaning of the word "tact"? Your sentence is nonsensical.
if you're going to interact with the public, get used to questions. otherwise, go work in a isolated cubicle.
that's AN isolated cubicle.
Glad to finally read a republican article on CNN!
no one like repubatards
I'm sick of the "foodies" and "diners". So called "chef's" who pair flavors and do just the right this and that are complete crap. I'll tell you what... Anything with enough salt, fat and sugar will taste just great. It's not rocket science that Bacon Icecream is somthing people like (fat, sugar, salt). You can get food that tastes great at places that don't even have a chef. Chef = overpirced meal. In our ecconomic times I think most of us can agree that a $100 plate isn't twenty times better than a $5 burger.
Just for future notice, if you are sick of foodies, diners, and chefs you may want to steer clear of the Eatocracy section of CNN.
The articles here will just raise your blood pressure, which if you are only eating $5 burgers and bacon ice-cream might be a tad dangerous.
Then, Robita, you should not post here. A $100 dinner almost always is better than a $20 dinner and us foodies understand that pairing specific foods and creating new fusions is an art.
@CO and Thia......AMEN!
"A $100 dinner almost always is better than a $20 dinner "
Oh I would not agree with that. Even with the qualifier of almost. Just because the dinner is expensive does not mean it is better. Even almost.
You'll be pleased to know that Cinco Farms now offers Ham'bster – 17% cheaper than lamb and with artificial pork juice. Right up your alley!
I am sure you have plenty of choices within 500 yards of your trailer.
Sometimes when a restaurant tells you that you cannot have a menu item without mushrooms, onions, scallions, or any other ingredient, its because they made up 300 of them last week and pull them out of the freezer one at a time. This was the case with a fine restaurant I used to eat at quite a lot. If you ordered Steak Pizzaiola you could make no substitutions. Kind of weird. But for calzones, the same thing. I asked, you mean I can't have a calzone without the mushrooms? NO. So I found out they were premade. But the kicker was the apple pie. How can you mess up an apple pie? Well they did, they always pulled it out of the oven before it was done. The chef said that's how you serve an apple pie. Really? You serve it with raw dough in the middle. He said, "That's how you are going to get it here and if you don't like it, go somewhere else." So, we did.
I think you have a strange idea of what constitutes "fine dining." That restaurant may have been expensive, but it was clearly NOT a "fine dining establishment."
I think that was his point. Many restaurants claim to be "fine dining" and certainly wish to appear to be fine dining establishments, but are in reality not.
"What do you recommend" is not the same as "What's good.".
Sometimes people ask for things to be switched because they may be allergic or sensitive to one of the usual ingredients in a dish. It is not always about taste, or thinking our combo would taste better than what the chef picked.
This is a very real fact and, if explained, I doubt any chef would be upset in the least about it. They may, in fact, make a suggestion about a substitute which would offer a similar – but non-deadly – taste.
I have a severe food allergy and have had chefs come to my table to make suggestions of dishes that are off the menu, but that they would love to create because of my allergy. Explaining a food allergy (except at one chain restaurant, where I had a horrible experience), never upsets anyone. They know if their restaurant is "safe", you will continue to dine there and bring all of your friends with you.
#4 just kills me....
Someone going to a Chef owned restaurant and trying to make a change to the menu reminds me a lot of the cesspool which is the AllRecipes comments section. "This recipe is perfect ,I just substituted Tofu for chicken, beans for potatoes, onions for the tomatoes and I cooked this in a pan instead of on the grill." Don't try and tell the recipe-creator how to make their dish. You want something different, order something different.
Haha. Totally.
EXACTLY! I have seen that a million times. Lol!
I'm glad people enjoy that type of experience where it is about the chef's creation. Just not my cup of tea. I prefer to pay someone to cook to my tastes, not theirs. Personally, I don't feel like I am missing anything. So, I agree with those who say just don't go to that kind of place and that is why I don't. I find that kind of arrogance as bad as the doctor who won't listen to your needs, the hair stylist who won't do your hair the way you like it, etc..... And artists don't have the degree of freedom we think they do. Even Michelangelo had to cater to what the Catholic Church commissioned him to paint- so even the masters have to cater to the customer's tastes.
Re: Michelangelo...
You are right, but he was commissioned. Chefs at restaurants aren't commissioned. The chef is offering his expertise and a specific product – the foods on the menus, as listed. This is much more akin to shopping for art at a gallery. If you don't like the painting, don't buy it. But don't ask the artist to change it, either.
As a purely artistic clarification, Michelangelo did NOT cater. He was "commissioned" but really couldn't refuse the Pope. And he would take themes, but he never let his patrons tell him what to paint or sculpt. I'm pretty sure he kept everyone away from his works until they were finished. He wouldn't even let his best friends see them incomplete. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I don't think he's a good person to use as an example of someone catering to their patrons.
OK. I admit the analogy wasn't a great one. In the end, if you enjoy that kind of experience, great. I'm glad we all have places we can enjoy and that we are all not the same. I am not into "fancy" food and have plain tastes. Meat and potato kind of thing. For those with a finer palate, enjoy. I still personally think that no matter how fine the chef, in the end it is all about pleasing the people you cook for. I suspect most would agree in general, but disagree on the best means to please those one is serving.
Arrogance is never palatable. Neither is a lack of graciousness. As a chef, I am your guest for the evening. I fully understand that you have carefully considered how flavors complement one another and that's why you've chosen to put A with B. I'd rarely want to challenge that. HOWEVER, if I want the ice cream from A with the pastry from B, that's what I think works for ME- maybe I had a scary caramel experience as a kid, or am allergic to chocolate, or whatever. I don't see how you can answer, "Everyone has different tastes and preferences" to one question, then forget that a couple of questions later when you insist the customer shouldn't be allowed to tamper with your supreme judgment about what works. In the final analysis, I am the judge of the food for me – not you. They should have taught you that in chef school before they let you touch the pastry dough.
Then, Brian, you do not have to select the option on the menu, but one of the other options on the menu or – perhaps – forgo the dessert at that restaurant altogether. A fine restaurant will accommodate for allergies within reason, but as a chef you know – or ought to know – that any accommodation will need also to fall within the business model of the establishment. If you want to make the judgment on the flavors you wish to savor, might I suggest staying home and practicing your culinary skills yourself?
Shut up and cook. I'm not paying you to hear what your complaints are. You are the help.
And people wonder about the effect of a declining education in the arts...
Any reputable dining establishment that would hear you say those words, well, you'd be out on the street in 30 seconds.
Then why did you click on an article title 5 questions...
Working with the public today is no doubt a thankless job. I'm a veterinarian of 30 yrs. experience and all people do is complain about the prices and I'm the cheapest vet in 3 counties. They have no idea how expensive, hard and stressful our job is. We do much more than most Drs. do at 1/10th the price. Plus we have to really figure out what is wrong. I read the other day we have the highest suicide rate of any profession while being the hardest working and lowest paid.
I'm not sure about the suicide rate, pediatric oncologists are up there in the suicide rate too...
As for expense, the general public complain about the price of an asprin, we'll not go into the cost of a dentist or physician in our gripes. So, of COURSE there is a complaint.
But, many do not realize that you have to pay off your student loan sharks, pay for your equipment to operate your practice and that your medication costs YOU money. They only see the painful bill.
If you think they squeal for you, you should see what clients say when they see MY bills. I'm both a senior network systems administrator and an information security professional. My rates START at $185/hour and go up, for they're paying for my experience and specific knowledge in a specialty field and protect their business from loss and legal problems.
And yes, I have CE's to track too. :/
Swear you stated in another post that you were in the medical field for the military. Must have been the other Wzrd1.
j3ses, i think youre right lol
Thanks for the fascinating peek into your lives, guys. Not.
Makes me thankful I run a septic service...Always happy customers and if any grief is given over the bill. I tell the customer, I can put it all back where I found it. They usually hand over the check or credit card and cheerfully wave goodbye as I drive off!
Too funny. Life is short. Enjoy it.
"Mr. Warhol, I'd like you to take this painting back. I ordered one with no blue, but exactly three splashes of red on the right hand side."
...right.
CO, exactly
if repetitive questioning is the worst that ever happens to you, your life is pretty good. just live with it.
That's funny. I avoid prison at all costs. That's why I am not a chef.
Great comment. If answering these harmless questions is are his peeves, he has a great job.
I wish I had problems like this in my job.
This Chef is a (t00l) and an insignificant gnat in the culinary world. #5 is a no-brainer and any GOOD kitchen manager or owner realizes that sometimes substitutions may result from an intolerance or allergy to a particular ingredient. If this Mary Queen of Snots prep-cook were to decline my request, he would EAT the bill for the entire meal and for my entire party. He may be good in the kitchen, but he fails the business management portion of the exam!
Indeed? So, the chef's construction and consideration of the melding of flavors is unimportant to you? Then, eat at home, you can have anything you want, any way that you want it.
If you have a food allergy or sensitivity, DO make the chef aware of that fact. They can recommend something or modify the dish and stay within the business model and needs, little princess. Because, as wonderful as you seem to be, to be brutally honest, lacking a food allergy or sensitivity, you'd be shown the door and warned to never return. For the good of the business. Drama belongs on the stage, not in a dining establishment.
Dude, you're a d i c k. Read his comment again.
Little Princess??? I must say there is a first time for everything...and being call a little princess is certainly an improvement from what most folks who know me would call me. In fact, I am just a-blush with giggles that someone would say something like that in response to one of my posts. Thanks
Just had to say again, WZRD, you have extremely weak reading comprehension. Your comment only embarrasses you in light of the relatively benign comment to which you are replying. You are clearly going off on your own thing and ignoring the content of the comment that you are attempting to reply to. Lame.
Good restaurants, like the one where this chef works, are usually booked for weeks or months. I worked at such a place and if we declined your request and wanted to get huffy, you would pay the bill and the auto gratuity on it or we would call the cops for theft and then you weren't welcome back. Once you order food you are liable for it even if you don't like it. Top restaurants do not want people like you eating there.
Big talker mach, you do know at a fancy place like that you would never get to the door without paying, youd have the police on your snobby rear for "thieft" so shut your ranting pie hole, and go back to village inn
chef..lolol..is that like a sanitation engineer??
In a lot of southern Diners they have a saying, "the customer is always right". New York never got the message. Too bad for Ryan Butler PR manager, this is laughably distasteful. Pun intended.
Of course, Ryan Butler doesn't work at a diner. Or a McDonalds, or a chain restaurant like Chile's or Applebees. He works at a proper restaurant, where people pay to eat *his* food, not just food.
For five bucks.......i'll tell you what to eat........
You must not own a dictionary, because you do not understand the differance between a diner and a restraunt. Oh wait you did say you were from the south, dont you want some hawg maw and grits?
Ahem – we have fabulous cuisine by great chefs down here too. Crap diners are everywhere, even *gasp* up north.
You can't be serious. Do you honestly think all southerners are hicks? Pathetic excuse for a human!
that's funny! "Mr. Butler, may i have some more mayo with my carrots please?"
I am sure this chef is not running a diner, nor a fast food make it your way type of establishment. If you go to a restaurant, order from the menu and do not choose an item if it is not palatable. If you don't want something, don't try and create a new item, just don't order, or better yet, leave. Good restaurants are for people who appreciate whats being offered, not always what they want. You don't like it, then don't patronize it. May sound arrogant, but I appreciate a Chef who will not comprimise his food or reputation, by catering his menu to an single individuals needs. Pastry Chef's are miracle workers.
I prefer a middle ground. Some people (like one of my friends) has a medical condition that as a side effect causes his taste buds to be messed up. He thinks mackerel sushi tastes "delicate" and chocolate tastes bitter. He makes substitutions because things just taste different to him. I have things that just make me ill if I eat them. It's not an allergy so I don't want to scare the chefs (my seafood allergy does that enough usually,) but if I ask them to take something off, it's not because I think it tastes bad, it's because I don't want to be on the floor of their bathroom in a few minutes. You try going to a restaurant and avoiding raw tomatoes without specifically asking they be removed some time.
I feel your pain. I HATE raw tomatoes and they make me sick ( I mean literally sick, as in a rash and vomiting.). I don't understand why people have to put them on everything. I actually had a Cesar salad served to me with tomatoes in it - urp!
If you think phyllo dough, some fruit filling, powdered sugar, and a drizzle of caramel sauce is a miracle, your taste-buds are stunted and underdeveloped! Pastry Chef = Disappointed Sous-Chef with aspirations to one day run a kitchen but lacks the talent!
Go back to your Master Chef station, Christian, I think you have a pressure test to fail.
you obvously do not watch food network do you. The pastery chiefs are always the most respected, becasue it is by far the hardest job in the kitchen
HAHAHAHAHA Mach – if you think pastry chef = no-talent disappointed sous-chef then you know NOTHING ABOUT CUISINE.
Diluted much? Pastry is harder to master than you think. it is balanced calculations and timing, I have cooked for many years on a professional level and could never do pastry.
I can't do pasties either.
@mickey1313 – Because obviously watching food Network will make you an expert on the food service business
Some of you guys are acting like the chef is providing some sort of noble service. The restaurant is being paid and should be willing to accommodate reasonable requests. I understand that there are several horror stories of extremely unreasonable people, but choosing to be rigid and unreasonable even in response to minor requests is a recipe for lost business. Restaurants are a business, the chefs shouldn't act as if they are too good to accommodate reasonable paying customers.
The first thing I noticed in this article was the chef's earring on his right ear lobe.....
Are you so much a coward that you can't just say you are a homophobe?
For all you know, he may have another on his left. And what year do you live in where that makes a difference, anyhow?
Yeah and so does my husband. Your point?
Big deal, Columbo. Are you congratulating yourself for your keen powers of observation, or apologizing for letting your attention lapse from what's really important?
I find the comment that he is a chef and not a short order cook ridiculous. If that is how an uppity "chef" is, then I will stick with the short order cook and be very content. I don't give two cents if you are an artist, the paying customer's needs should be the priority. If it is someone who's tastes are not as sophisticated as the chef is used to, that person still deserves to reasonable requests. Kudos to you who like a system where the chef is "god" and not to be questioned. Life is to short to put on airs and not treat people kindly, even if they don't fully appreciate the artistry of your work. A good chef is one who only cares about a satisfied customer.
Clearly, you are not looking at good food as anything more than something that tastes halfway decent. Chefs take the time to go above and beyond that by combining ingredients in interesting ways to create something new, or at the least, something excellent.
It depends on the level restaurant you are patronizing. There are some exclusive places that if the chef doesn't like what kind of customer you are, he will ask you to leave. If you are going to a higher end restaurant, often it is to experience the creativity of a star chef. If you bring a burger king mentality such as yours into one of these places, you will embarrass yourself and other patrons you dine with. Let me guess, you snap your fingers when your drink is low, right?
you should stick to diners SB, because you do not understand fine dineing.
Asking "what's good?" on the menu is a perfect question. I'm personally tired of servers answering a glib "it all depends on you." Every restaurant should have main dishes that are the reason people keep returning. Mr. Butler, let me enlighten you. When people ask "what's good?" they are giving you an opportunity to explain in food the reason your restaurant exists.
Of course, one could argue that if something wasn't "good" it wouldn't be on the menu. Everything on the menu should be good, so it's a pointless question.
@CO
By that line of thinking, there should only be one thing on the menu. After all it's good, right?
No, the idea is that different people have different ideas of good. Hence multiple offerings – fish, chicken, beef, veal; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry.
Asking a waiter "what is good" is like walking into a music store and saying "tell me what kind of music I like".
If you have good wait staff, they'll tell you that the "shrimp bisque" is good, but sometimes that just means they made too much and need to push it. It's perfectly acceptable to ask if the waiter has a particular favorite, on the menu.
@CO Asking a waiter "what is good" is like walking into a music store and saying "tell me what kind of music I like".
Perfectly said.
Most fine dining restaurants are have several dishes they are known for or have menu's that change daily or weekly.
Maybe you would be more comfortable ordering at places that have numbers, Joey.
That is a good post.
Okay, I get that somethings are annoying. Especially #5, because that's sort of like telling the chef how to do his/her job. I have a couple of food allergies and a couple that my stomach won't tolerate, so I try to avoid ordering things with that in it. I specifically tell the person what I'm allergic to and I try really hard to avoid it. If you're at a nice place, at least try the dessert the way it's intended. BUT. As a chef, this guy should know that tastes are different. If you get a number of people or even a few that want to make substitutions or change something, why not look at it as an opportunity to discover something that you didn't think of because of your own personal preferences or that (surprise) you can't think of everything. People are learning their entire lives, at least the ones that don't think they know everything. Stop looking at it as an attack on your abilities. Yes, no one likes being told how to do their job, but when your job involves creativity and anticipating other peoples' tastes, it might be a good idea to listen to what your customers are saying.
And as for the other comments, it's all in intent. If some pretentious idiot comes in asking if you are any good, sure that's annoying. But if some wide eyed tourist comes in and has no idea what to get, when they say "what's good here" you KNOW they mean "I'm probably only going to come here once, please help me." They are your customers, they chose you and they are asking for your advice. Are you really going to make them say it eloquently? Try focusing on them and not yourself for a change.
If youi're at a real restaurant that has a good chef, you can tell them you are, for instance, gluten free and they can put something together for you. Most are happy to do it. I'm not sure about this guy, though. Sounds like he'd just make fun of you and maybe throw some wheat in there for s&g.
I will also take this opportunity to make fun of your supposed gluten free requirements, ye old band wagoner hippie freak of nature. All in jest.
Every chef I have ever met has been a complete narcissist, self-absorbed and over-estimate their own importance. You are not a god. You are simply one-step above the lunch lady at the local elementary school. You are the help.
A chef is an artist. The Sodexho troll shovelling premade swill at the local public school is not. You have apparently not sampled cuisine which has permitted you to discern that difference, which is truly unfortunate.
I agree the chef is an artist. Substitutions, unless for intolerances and allergies, would be annoying for me too I think. But the other pet peeves on here reveal someone who has a bit of a chip on their shoulder and I would say is a bit insecure. If you get annoyed when someone asks "what's good here," you've got issues. They know you're thinking "everything." So they didn't say it right. They want to know what's the one thing they shouldn't miss. I went somewhere today, told them it was my first time there. The server immediately said "oh, well you shouldn't miss these, it's what we're known for." That's what the person wants. Get over it.
Maybe they over compensate or have a chip over it because they get tired of hearing their passion minimized by people who don't understand it?
If that were the case, then as a college math professor I would have a chip the size of Wisconsin on my shoulder. I love my students as much as I love my research. If you are secure in what you do, then it shouldn't matter. These people chose to go into a line of work where criticism is the norm. If they want to elevate to the level of artist, then they should expect they will be critiqued like an artist. And there will be people who "don't understand them." The "you just don't get my work" is an insecurity mechanism that puts the burden of the disconnect on the observer/taster not the artist.
Both of them?
If you feel that way make your own darn food. I bet if you call a chief "the help" they beat you with there big mixing arms.
that was for bart
You are an idiot and you should stay at home.
I hope the next "just the help" that serves you food takes a dump in the pot before you shovel it on to your plate at the OCB.
I'm also in the business, and if this guy thinks those questions are bad, he should try working in a private club. The requests and complaints in the club world would drive him to insanity.
And to whoever said "he's just a pastry chef..."- top end pastry chefs are probably the mostly highly respected craftsmen(and women) in the business. Besides having their craft very well honed, the really great pastry chefs are also extremely well organized and are typically the best teachers you'll every be around, which translates into being able to "homegrow" the next line of good pastry chefs. Pastry chefs have a rep for being a little eccentric- and i think anyone who devotes their life to desserts and pulling sugar for showpieces probably has to be a bit weird compared to the norm- but any one of them that are good, and I mean really good at what they do, are very much revered by their customers, underlings, and everyone else in the organization they work for.
some good points
BUT there is nothing wrong with asking a question like "what is the specialty of the house?" or "what dish do your regular customers seem to like the most?"
on a first visit, these questions should be answered courteously and helpfully by the staff. If they're arrogant (or stupid) and answer with "EVERYTHING is good here" or give attitude – I walk OUT and never come back.
What he said was accurate. How does the chef know what kind of food you prefer? He has put a variety of options on the menu, you need to narrow it down. When people have asked me this same question (over and over again throughout the years) I answer with: "What do you like to eat?" We are not clairvoyant. The description is on the menu and can be further described by the server. If you can't sort of grasp what you can expect after that I suggest a feeding tube be inserted in down your throat pumping your favorite blended goo 24/7 and you staying out of restaurants.
I dont think that asking about the specals counts as "whats good?" one is a spesfic question, one is the vaguest question you could ask in the food world. And I asure you, that if you dont like the atmosphere, and it is not dead, then they will not be bothered with your lack of a return.
@Dover: Ok–so in our perfect, equal world...it is only about personal tastes.
But in the real world....Maybe I happen to like catfish....and they offer it...but their rack of lamb is a better received dish over time. If I also like lamb....I have a right to know that while both dishes may be good, customers prefer the lamb. This is just totally reasonable to me.
Why have a professional if they can't offer a professional opinion?
As CO stated elsewhere on this blog, it is like going into a music store and asking THEM what kind of music YOU like to hear.
He never said that he wouldn't make a suggestion! If a chef takes pride in all his meals and you ask him what's good, he'll probably say "everything" . Why would he create and serve something that is not good???
@jg... but what if all those people order the lamb because they don't like catfish? personal preference.
I can understand getting annoyed by these questions, but they're kind of what you sign up for when you become a chef. You don't just cook in a vacuum. You deal with people, and doing an interview with CNN only makes it so you deal with more people. This a like celebrity going out of his way to be photographed by TMZ then complaining about how he hates having his picture taken.
He was asked what 5 questions annoy him the most. He answered the question. He didn't say that he'd yell at the next person who asked one of them or plaster them on the wall of his restaurant. You chose to read the article...so you see what annoys him. Nothing more than that.
Great point, Kirstyloo. He was specifically asked what his pet peeves are. We all have things that bother us at our jobs. That doesn't make us arrogant or rude. It just makes us human!
Why do all chefs smoke?
because too many people ask those 5 questions.
They don't.
Because of the amount of stress Involved in cooking. Have you ever cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for family and relatives by yourself? Try that with dozens of different types of plates for 100's of people every day. Most drink too.
Remember we carry BIG sharp Knives! ;)
Because you should always smoke before you grill. Gets the bark a good headstart.
A better question is "why do all chefs snort coke?"
Haw haw. I kid, I kid.
Mostly.
Actually if you want the truth:it is the waitstaff that have all the coke, the kitchen that has the weed. Economic divergence.
This guy is a wanna be chef. c'mon pancakes? really.
Yeah, really. Pancakes? Why, the next thing you know the French will make pancakes their way, but maybe thinner with savory or sweet ingredients. Or the Japanese will make them with rice flour, seaweed and fish sauce. Or the Moroccans will make them. Or the Peruvians with make them. Or.....I think you get the idea, you narrow-minded snob.
+10 to Dr.PepperRules! :-)
yeah, you rule! huhuh.
This guy sounds kind of arrogant - #5 especially. Maybe they don't want the chocolate dessert dude. We're sure you're highly qualified and put a lot of thought into what you do, but at the end of the day sometimes people just aren't craving the dish the way YOU WANT TO MAKE IT.
If they don't want a chocolate dessert, don't order it.
If you want it your way, go to burger king.
no restraunt has just one desert, if you dont like one pick something eltse. Expecally deserts are prepaired with a spesfic formula, and changing that changes the dish, so it would no longer be what it was said to be. Then if it didnt taste good, someone would complain about it not being "RIGHT" People are to into wanting exactly what they want when they want it. Why dont you just trust the master makeing your food?
WOW, there are a lot of elitist idiots on this board. I full agree with Andrew - sometimes people simply want their own edits. Is it really a problem to sub one ingredient out for another, especially something like ICE CREAM? I guess it is.
If your tastes are so crude that you are incapable of appreciating the creation of the chef, maybe you're just better off going somewhere else. Like Denny's. Or Burger King. Or the Old Country Buffet. Save yourself the embarrassment and skip the good food.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOP! #SWAGGG WOOP WOOP SWSWSWAAG!
Here's my pet peeve. and inane chef who thinks they no what's best for me. I want my steak cooked the way I want I don't see the chef paying for my meal so, how I want it is up to me.
I do not care for the chef's opinion there job is to cook not make decisions for anyone. "COOK" and leave the thinking to the customer who PAY's your salary
Your tact and intelligence are obviously commensurate with your spelling and grammar skills.
My pet peeve is terrible grammar
There's a wide gap between a chef, a cook, and eating at a buffet versus a restaurant with dedicated professionals. You're completely missing the point of a structured menu if you try to force 'customer rights'. Don't like it, eat at Sizzler.
Judging from your grammatical skills, you're probably ordering your steaks at Outback. There's a difference between "chef" and "cook."
..but, of course, you no best!
You are obviously a brute and a bore. Stick to restaurants that cater to your palate. Anything beyond mickey d is off limits to you.
What's best for you is more English classes. He never mentioned he wouldn't cook a steak to your preferred temperature so why are you crying.
Wow... just wow. Clearly, you're at a Burger King ordering level. No worries, they'll make it your way.
First off, that is THE differance between a chief and a cook. If you want a sweaty hack to sling the food your way go to BK, McDonalds, or at the most IHOP. If you want crafted food, made by a master they way it is suposed to be, then dine in a fine restraunt, but dont expect the people makeing the food to be the same "no problemo" cook that work the grill at the dennys.
Your argument makes no sense. It is like going to an art gallery and saying that you want to artist to paint a scene that you want to see, painted the way you want it painted. You might as well ask Van Gogh to paint Playboy centerfolds.
IMO, you are going to a fine restaurant to taste food prepared according to the interpretation of the chef. If you don't like their interpretation, that's fine. If you just want to have someone prepare your chow the way you are accustomed to having it, just go to a diner and order your steak the way you want it. Save yourself some money and the embarrassment of showing people how little you really know about food.
You would be much happier eating at Dennys because you obviously know what kind of food is best for YOU and how to prepare it the best way. Right? Never mind, maybe you should just stay home.
Stupid article. Except for the first question, the others could be asked by anyone out of genuine interest or personal preference. You are a stupid chef Mr. Butler, and I don't think you're any good. Maybe you shouldn't talk to any of your customers because it'd tick you off too much.
You have made the decision that he is not a good chef just based on his answers to a few questions?! Thankfully owners of great restaurants (many of them chefs themselves) base their opinions on TASTING THE FOOD. My best recommendation is for you to get over yourself. He is entitled to the opinions in the article, and I find his answers to be much more useful than your feeble retort.
+1
You must be an arrogant pastry chef. LOL
lacpeb +2
FRANK -1
ANOTHER stupid chef/sympathizer who thinks they're too elite for common folk. As far as I'm concerned, your scores are all inflated. At least -50 for all of yas. +1 FRANK. YEAH.
I totally understand the frustrations, but one time I asked for the sauce to be left off due to food allergies and I was told I was offending the chef! I never ask for anything out of the ordinary, just a simple request so I don't get sick. I certainly wasn't questioning the chef's choices.
I cant believe they were peeved about a food alergy, that is whak
It seems to me that any good restaurant would make accommodations for health issues (allergy, diabetes, etc.) just because it's good business. The idea that a chef can dictate what a diner should eat (and like!) is pretty amazing, considering the cost of dining at a high end place.
No chef or restaurant worth their salt (or who wants to stay in business for long) will refuse to accommodate an allergy or health-related request. I have yet to see one that would not be willing to consult with the customer to determine what would work best for them on the menu, and make whatever accommodation is necessary.
I ask for the sauce/dressing on the side, as most places tend to drown the salad with dressing.
Hmmm Gretchen, I always ask for *extra* dressing because it seems all I end up with is a plate full of dry lettuce and greens. Next time, can I have your extra dressing?
Did you TELL the server that you wanted the sauce left off because of an allergy, or did you just ask to have the sauce left off? Did you ask if something else might be available for someone with an allergy? Most restaurants will go out of their way to avoid giving a known allergic person something that might make him/her sick (and get the restaurant sued).
Seriously, if you have allergies, you really should call restaurants beforehand and find out if they can accommodate you. Often, with sufficient warning, the chef can put together something wonderful for you...a much better solution than ordering something without the sauce.
It's really is not the servers or the chefs business why he wanted the sauce left off. He doesn't owe them an explanation. He wasn't asking them to create a whole new recipe, just leave off the frigging sauce!
I am also not understanding why the server needs to know the reason for the "on the side" request.
I understand that a lot of food is prepared ahead of time or in advance and that the sauce may have already been added. But if the chief can prepare a meal with the sauce on the side for someone with an allergy, why can't they make the meal with the sauce on the side for someone without an allergy?
It almost sounds like the person needs to ask permission from the chief "please, sir, may I have the sauce on the side"
"Depends, what is your reason and it better be acceptable"
Bullocks. Chiefs need to get over this creating works of art mindset that they were taught in expensive schools.
They are cooking food to be eaten. That's a highly skilled and appreciated job. But let's not elevate it up to an inappropriate level.
What a jerk. On the one hand he doesn't like people asking what is good because everyone's tastes are different. On the other hand, he complains if someone wants to switch the flavor of ice cream on a desert because he carefully chose what flavors go together. Can't have it both ways. And what's the big deal if the customer wants a scoop of vanilla, say, instead of chocolate ice cream? What happened to service and the idea that the customer is always right?
We're talking 'chef' here... not short-order cook. Chefs, REAL chefs, spend a lot of time, energy, and creative power to create what amounts to art with flavors and food textures. Why not ask a painter to use blue instead of red? Seriously... if you don't like what's in the dish, order something different.
Still doesn't mean they succeed 100 percent of the time, does it? Just sayin.
'Why not ask a painter to use blue instead of red?'
Well, if I'm commissioning a piece of art... I am well within my rights to request that.
If the 'artist' refuses–which is his right–I can simply find another that will do what I want.
So I shouldn't order a dish if I don't like that topping? What if I'm allergic to that part?
This is just ridiculous! Everybody has different tastes and no chef can expect that everything he makes is going to appeal to every person who eats it. If a person doesn't like chocolate, then a dessert with chocolate ice cream will not taste good to them no matter how wonderfully the flavors go together. Instead of acting like a spoiled 10-year old with hurt feelings, why not just give them vanilla and let them enjoy the dessert the way they like it?
@bacos They'll give you what you want at Burger King. You can have that, while I will let the true chef surprise me with amazing things.
Who said the customer is always right? In today's society, people feel that they are entitled to complain until they get their way just because of that notion. In all reality, business don't have to cater to your every whim..If you don't like something that a business is offering, odds are that there is another business out that that is offering what you want. Stop being so arrogant in thinking that you are always right because you are a customer and appreciate what that business is offering, and if you don't like it, go somewhere else.
I agree with you there... It's like getting mad at McDonalds, because they won't serve you pizza. If you don't like the way a business does things, then why are you spending your money there?
I have to agree with the idea that the customer isn't always right...after all the customer is paying to be there but the employee is paid to be there.
What ever did happen to service? You know, the next time I go to the theater, I think I'll ask them to throw in a couple of Cole Porter songs instead of the ones they had planned to go along with the show.
Brilliant!
"What do you recomend" is not the same as "what is good". Read again the substitute complaint. It is not what you read.
The customer is usually wrong. If you don't know how to go out to a higher end restaurant, there has to be a Denny's near you.
Whatever happened to the customer is always right? Seriously? You do know that was only a Gimbal's Dept Store marketing campaign directed against their main competitor, Macy's, in the 1920's? Quite frequently, the customer is not only wrong, but like you, being a jerk. If you don't respect the craft, you should at least respect the person who is providing service. You're probably a little whiner who wouldn't dare say anything to a person's face, just post anonymously online or yell at customer service over the phone. Get a life, loser.
I agree that the customer should be able to ask for reasonable substitutions (equivalent). When a waitress says no, it causes great pain to her tip and If I don't like the way I am treated I don't go back.
When it comes to food I get what I want.
That may be suitable at a casual dining establishment or a neighborhood family restaurant, but when you're dining at a fine restaurant with a clear culinary vision, the menu has been selected specifically to meet that vision and its choices are considered works of art. To demand at such a restaurant something off the menu is not merely considered bad form among those who respect the culinary arts, it almost _guarantees_ that, if you are able to get the substitution, you will not get the best-quality effort or materials as a result. The bitterest pill for you to swallow is that you will not know the difference. If you do not have a taste for anything on the menu, you're better off going somewhere else.
Seriously? Do you think the server makes the food? Do you think the server determines what you have to pay for and what would be an equal exchange? Or are you suggesting that the server give you things for free or not upcharge you and cost them their jobs? Most places are very particular about what their employees are charging. If you have a problem with being charged extra or not being able to create your own meal, go somewhere else. It is not the servers fault. They are only the messengers.
Yes, because its the waiter's fault. You are just cheap and should not be allowed to dine out. Do everyone a favor and just stay home.
But why penalize the waitress for something that management enforces?????
hence his line that it is not a diner, that means, if you want it "your way" go to dennys perkins or IHOP, if you want masterfuly crafted food prepaired by a professional who cares about his craft, go to a classy restraunt and order something on there menu
That would be "their" menu, there, slick...
One of my favorite things is to go to a restaurant and give the chef free reign to choose the courses. Luckily, I have a broad palate and I've been served some truly AMAZING meals!
I do the same thing, and 99% of the time, it turns out amazingly. I've also been served things that weren't on the menu but that the chef liked to make. I am more than happy to admit that I'm not a chef and don't know ingredients and techniques, so I don't tell them how to do their job. I let them do it the way they think is best.
This chef seems so annoyed. I can understand why though
I have a friend who tries to sub side items for main items, like instead of the fried rice, can I get a side of beef and brocoli? and then give the waitress ISH when she says no, or there would be an additional charge.
And I will bet is also a lousy tipper as well. It always seems to be the cheapskates that ask the most. And by most I mean most idiotic things.
@Dover, you hit the nail right on the head! for an "infraction" as that, she will leave no tip, I on the other hand have worked both the front and back end of a restaraunt and tip 20% plus
people that stupid don't deserve friends
How arrogant, and just a pastry chef, too!
if you think somehow that pastry chef is a lesser form of chef, you don't know much
cause you're a pastry chef.
lol@the pastry chef.
JUST a Pastry Chef?? What may I ask do you do???
Excuse me?! JUST a pastry chef...Talk about arrogant.
Whoa! You don't know food if you're dissing the pastry chef!
He has probably forgotten more about savory cooking than you have the capacity to learn.
The sign of someone who does not know what they are talking about. I worked as a chef for over 15 years before I finally gained enough knowledge and skill to attempt being a pastry chef. It is very complex, at times bordering on scientific. When dealing with food, you can fudge a little here and there on ingredients, even estimate how much of what goes in a dish. In patisserie you use exact measurements in volume, temperature, humidity and time. Techniques are also pretty delicate. Try making puff pastry or croissant (correctly) from scratch. If you have flour that has the wrong percentage of protein, you will fail.Try decorating a cake without making it look like you bought it from Costco. Try commenting on something you know a little bit about.
Personally, I would LOVE to be a pastry chef. If the whole computer thing doesn't work out for me, I want to be a pastry chef. I'm not sure I'm quite cut out for it, but the challenge about it is really enticing.
Honey, you DON'T use exact measurements by volume if you're a professional pastry chef - you use exact measurements be WEIGHT. If you measure flour in a measuring cup and not on a scale, you are baking like an amateur. Which is, I'm sure, what you really are.
I'd say you're the amateur, breed. You don't use exact measurements by weight with liquids, which are also used in pastries.
"Hmmm, this recipe calls for 1 cup of water", but I better make sure it's exactly 1/2 pound on the scale, instead of 8 oz in a measuring cup."
Moronic.
Actually Mr Republican, the reason most recipes use volume for liquids is that a volume measurement of any particular liquid always weighs the same; not so with dry ingredients like flour, sugar, etc. But when developing or scaling a recipe up or down, a percentage system is used, and all ingredients must be in the same unit, therefore weight is always used. Including liquids. So be careful who you call an amateur.
I've been an Executive Chef for more than 20 years, and in the bakeshop I am a peasant. Its a whole other level of technique, talent, artistry and science. It demands your respect.
I've been a professional server for 19 years and all these comments in reference to just being a pastry chef reminds me of some of the best advice my father ever gave me... "Never argue with an idiot". These people are just ignorant and haven't the slightest inkling into what it's like to work in a fine dining restuarant, the preperation, the blood sweat and tears basically needed to be successful. It's not Betty Crocker folks. If you're so sure that being a pastry chef is simple or being a fine dining server is for morons who can't make it in the real world with a "real job", you probably also think Champagne is grown in California.
@Breed Of course you measure some ingredients by volume and some by weight. I provided several restaurants with a wide variety of patisserie items working as the companies main pastry chef. I was paid 50K per year almost 20 years ago. Not a ton but not a paltry amount either. You want to shoot someone down on the internet then get your jollies but YOU have never been there. My range of items ran from traditional European breads, to pastry items, to desserts. I didn't do candy, I did do chocolate. I competed in events with some of the top pastry chefs in the US. I have experience in many levels and techniques and I have been trained by Italian and German pastry chefs in regional techniques. I have trained other chefs to become successful pastry chefs. Please take the chip off your shoulder and talk about something you know....like...I don't know....video games?
It is ok, Ginger's don't have souls and no one likes them anyway.
Are you talking about redheads? If so, s u c k a f a t one dude.
What's the matter Speedro – were you accidentally fed your parents at a chili cook-off?
Yes, but it was intentional and very traumatizing....
just a pastry chef. Wear your ignorance with pride nitwit
Sphincter says what?
What?
HAHAHAHAHA@sphincter I spit my Capt and coke all over my laptop.
Idiot. Pastry chefs have a far slimmer margin of error than savory chefs. I admire them, I don't have the patience for it.
Any chielf (who is not a sham) will tell you that bakeing is way way harder then cooking. Bakeing needs to be presice and perfect, or it fails, cooking can be "to taste"
Any fourth grader will tell you that Baking is the way to spell Bakeing...
INTERNET RULE #104 - If you can't ridicule someone's logic, ridicule their spelling or grammar.
Internet rule @ 2 - spell check is just a right-click away.......
Life Rule #1: If you write like crap, your writing will be received as crap.
mickey1313 is obviously an uneducated moron. The logic is flawed, as well, as baking can be done in a WIDE variety of ways. But the fact that mickey1313 cannot spell even the simplest words means that everything he or she says will be taken as the rantings of an imbecile.
Yeah, but he distracted you from "precise".
Just a pastry chef? Have you ever had something created by "just a pastry chef". They create food that neither you or I could begin to know how to cook.
Pretty sure there are lots of pastry recipes out there. Just sayin...
True, but try using the recipe and ingredients to produce something that other people will want, let alone be able to eat.
fillo dough "just" unleavened flour dough rolled out into paper-thin sheets.
Easy recipe, yes?
Lets see you do it.
I'm not a pastry chef, but I can make professional-quality cookies, cakes, pies and other desserts. It doesn't require a rocket scientist (which This obviously is not). All it takes is a recipe and patience. I guess Thia never heard of these things called recipes.
Once again, Breed, anybody can make "professional" cookies and cakes and pies. Those are *EASY*. Try something a bit more difficult that isn't found on the back of cereal box and simplified for the masses.
Following a recipe actually can quite complicated. We aren't talking about a meatloaf or carrot cake. Dough, delicate crusts – not as easy as it looks.
@Breed, no, I'm not a rocket scientist. I'm spend my days writing software apps. What do you do for a living, aside from living in your mother's basement?
GinLo...you'd probably be surprised to learn that it takes 10+ years before a sushi chef can weild their own knife and earn the title of professional. You clearly have no appreciation of what goes into your pie hole and the words that come out are trollish and unforgivable.
Ginger you have a very bright future in restaurants... as a customer!
Ginger, your ignorance is jaw-dropping. Let's see YOU go through the training and experience required to be an accomplished chef of ANY SORT, let alone a pastry chef, and still make that comment. Idiot.
Aah Ginger- Sorry but it looks like u missed the boat on this one- LOL
hahaha.. i think its soo hilarious everybody is getting upset at someone dissing a pastry chef.. ahh hahahah
Really, what do you do??
Night shift at Wal-Mart?
Again, ChefSteve? What is your interest in what other people do? It is as if you believe it has relevance in this comment thread. It does not.
haha, WOW. I only wish I could cook a decent pastry
About as arrogant as your comment.
Big deal he has been cooking for 10 years, I have been cooking for 60 years and the lady (my grandmother) that tough me cook was a chef for Queen Victoria of England.
ps. bet my pancakes are better than his ;O)
Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort?
You must not know much about cooking/baking or ever worked in a professional kitchen if you are dissing the pastry chef. They usually have much more specialized training since baking really is a science. Restaurants tend to brag about their pastry chef because the bread they make starts the meal and the dessert they make ends it and is usually what people remember most.
A lot of the time Pastry chefs are paid more than regular chefs and require more schooling and training. They are not any less than a chef then the guy who is cooking your dinner. Got to remember they make your bread, your desserts, if you have pizza they make the dough. They do a lot more than make cookies and cake.
I used to have a friend who would try to order off the menu at a place like Applebee's. He thought he was cute and endearing, when in reality, everyone thought he was an imbecile. And everyone was right.
#5 bothers me too. My mother tends to be that person. "Can I just have the lunch size portion even though it's dinner time?" Ugh. I usually hide behind the menu instead of screaming out, "NO! IT'S NOT LUNCH TIME!! TAKE THE LEFTOVERS HOME!"
#2 is far better asked as, "What do you recommend?". Rather than the demeaning "What is good?".
Granted, many times, it'll be the special, but some chefs will recommend a favorite or something in season.
Man. What dumb a$$ kitchen help he is.
I always want to ask that question as "Is there anything the chef feels they completely nailed tonight?" The ingredients were spot on, they are in the zone and getting everything right, the new sauce worked out, etc.
There's a problem with asking what is "recommended," though. Often, the waitstaff is told to recommend items that the kitchen is trying to get rid of. And often, those items are foods that are nearing their expiration date. I know many "specials" are just dishes made out of soon-to-expire meats, just as a way to get them out of the fridge.
@breed – this always irritates me when people think that's what's going on... like you've figured out the big trick. unless you're in a crapy restaurant, that's not the case. i worked in nice restaurants for years and was never encouraged to recommend something that was about to go bad. "this isn't a dinner"
Pffft. More often it's what the kitchen staff and waitataff were told to push that night. I was in a very expensive restaurant not long ago, and heard our waiter give the same spiel about a specific fish dish to every one of his tables...that it was his favorite fish and so hard to get because fishing for it is controlled, bla, blah. He was just trying to push what they had a lot of.
@Fifi – You're making a pretty powerful assumption there. Isn't it possible that the chef happened to score a nice deal on that variety of fish that day at the market and wanted to share something that isn't commonly available with his/her customers? "Trying to push what they had a lot of" is an unnecessarily negative spin on something that a lot of us view as a positive – the chef actually goes to market and selects fresh items to feature.
Well, if a restaurant would serve a reasonable size "dinner portion" then we wouldn't have to ask. Besides, some things do not reheat well. Plus, I don't think the chef was referring to portions at all rather, he was saying that he is an experienced, professional chef and he put a lot of thought into crafting something wonderful for us to taste and he doesn't want the plebes mucking with his flavors.
Kake, you raise an excellent point. I live near an Italian restaurant that serves so much food, you would be eating the leftovers for the rest of the week. I prefer smaller portions and don't want all that food. This is why America is fat.
Thia...You blame America's gluttony on oversized portions? So you're saying that if someone puts 20 lbs of pasta in front of you, you must eat it all? You have control over your own body. No one is making you eat the whole plate, and no one is making you take the food home for a second meal. Trust me, as a server, you save me an extra step by making the health conscious choice of only eating the one fatty meal instead of making me box up the rest for your second indulgence. This is like saying, "Well, I came across a cliff so I just had to jump!" Stupid.
To be fair, a lot of American's were raised on the concept that you have to "clean your plate" or in other words eat all that was given to you.
Up until the 1940's malnutrition was a major problem in the US, our diets have shifted faster then our culture. The initial shift was because the Government did a lot of food education, but today we call that Communism.
I agree, I find it pathetic when a restaurant gives you 3-4 servings worth of food and calls it "dinner." Its usually a sign that the restaurant has no idea what they're doing, an almost always true rule of thumb: the bigger the portion the worse the food.
Why would I be able to eat more food at dinner time than at lunch time? Especially when I and 90% of the country skip breakfast? Heres the answer: I can't and I don't want to. Its a waste of food and a waste of money.
I find it especially funny when they talk to me about desert when Im shoveling 75% of my dinner into a styrofoam container. Are they really that stupid?
Alf, you must not have worked in the service industry. The servers are often required to offer desserts. As for portion sizes, most people wouldn't find value in the proper portion that most higher end restaurants serve.
Heath11: What a load of krap. I've eaten at plenty of places that serve a reasonable amount of food. There is no reason to shovel it onto a plate with a front end loader, and you know it.
Anywhere that the portions are so big that it is an issue is not a restaurant where a chef this good would be working in the first place.
@Heath11:
"You blame America's gluttony on oversized portions? So you're saying that if someone puts 20 lbs of pasta in front of you, you must eat it all? You have control over your own body."
Large portions, if not to blame, certainly don't help the situation.
And you don't really have as much control over your body as you think. You should really read the book "Mindless Eating." They've done a lot of studies on appetite and eating behaviors and you may be surprised to find out what people's evolutionary instincts and brains can trick them into doing–and how bad they can be at estimating how much they've eaten.
One of the more famous experiments involved bowls of soup that could refill themselves from below. People who's bowls always stayed at the same level eat 73% more on average than those with normal bowls, while simultaneously miscalculating how many calories they consumed by more than 110% (estimating on average 127 calories when they'd really consumed 267). In other words, some good portion of eating control is visual and without visual clues, one with the best of intentions could well eat more than intended...while thinking they ate less.
Point is, the science disagrees with your blanket statements of self-control–even for those who do wish to exhibit such self-control and wrongfully think that they are.
He does, however, want the plebes to PAY for the meal and his restaurant, staff, salary, etc. Quit being such a gomerel.
@alf:
"I agree, I find it pathetic when a restaurant gives you 3-4 servings worth of food and calls it "dinner." Its usually a sign that the restaurant has no idea what they're doing, an almost always true rule of thumb: the bigger the portion the worse the food."
To a point. But what most restaurants do is meet market demand. More food for the same (or less) money drives traffic. That is a plain and simple rule of economics. It may not apply to "high end" restaurants, but the vast majority of restaurants aren't high end. If you are a small shop and the competition down the street gives customers two sides to your one and offers burgers that are 4 oz larger, I guarantee you that you would either move to match them within six months or be facing possible closure due to decreased sales.
Two anecdotes to this effect:
First, I know a guy who owns a sushi restaurant. He has a button on his machines that tells the chefs to make the sushi "Japanese style" for Japanese customers. This is because customers from Japan expect sushi to highlight the fish. This button basically means to make it with less rice. But when Americans are given the same thing, they complain about the small portion sizes. So, as a matter of course he makes the rolls and whatnot with MORE rice so that Americans don't feel ripped off. But then makes it with LESS rice so his Japanese customers don't feel ripped off (thinking he's trying to fill them up on rice over fish). He's tried giving Americans more authentic sushi and they complain when he does.
Second, a Chipotle-like store in my area decreased the product sizes a few years back on a wave of rising food costs, especially cheese. Customers went ape-$#!&. The restaurant did some focus groups and found that their customers, even in a recession, were happier with a price increase and the same size portions than reduced portions for the same price.
Restaurants serve big portions because big portions bring in customers who think they are getting a bargain. Most restaurants would LOVE to cut overhead by serving less food, but market demand tells them that they can't unless they are perceived as high end or have no competition in their food category.
There is an awesome Vietnamese place close to where I live. The guy who runs it will place the pan he cooked your food in right in front of you to imply that he made enough for you to take home and have another meal. For some reason, they way he does this seems sincere that he appreciates you like his meals and he wants you to be satisfied. I'd rather frequent a restaurant that gave me a good amount of food rather than a small questionable size. For starters, restaurants throw away a lot of food, most of it could be added to a person's meal and sent home with them. Another thing, if one is paying a decent price for a decent meal, to serve a measly small quantity seems cheap. If the meal was good then it's nice to have something you can enjoy again, it reminds me of the good food I had and makes me want to return. The reason why America is overweight has as much to do with the quality of food as the quantity. People go to fast food places and gorge themselves or buy cheap, crappy food that's been modified with corn syrup. The food you get in a quality restaurant is far different. Most chefs take tons of pride in what they make and use the best ingredients they can get a hold of. I don't eat out at nice restaurants as often as I would like but when I do I want what I pay for; making a large portion that I'm almost expected to take home what I don't eat just seems like a nice gesture. If I pay a large price for a meal and it's some little portion that's been dolled up to look posh I feel like a snob has taken me for a ride.
But sometimes it's not about "flavors," what about dietary restrictions, or maybe a pregnant woman has a craving for a certain combination of flavors etc etc. Diner or not, the customer's pref should be the priority.
LOL @ you ladies complaining about "too much food." HINT: They're not *making* you eat everything they put on your plate. Get a clue.
@Pity...it's a waste of food. And huge volume usually equals bad restaurant. I don't want to sit at a table that is loaded down with food. It's just gross.
I think the reason Americans are fat is because they eat out too frequently! Learn how to cook and you will lose weight, and may even gain more respect for the work that goes into developing a menu. Simple substitutions never bother me, but re-writing a chef's recipe or telling him/her the portions are too big, are just insults.
Thia – you're not going to save anyone a damn thing by asking for a smaller portion. The "it's a waste" argument holds no water.
If you think portions are too big, then get a doggie bag and take the rest home with you. No one is forcing you to eat everything on your plate in one sitting.
We can blame a lot on our parents (no personal responsibility needed).
My Mom and Dad would constantly tell us, "you can't get down until you eat everything on your plate".
Early parental scripting is hard to break.
There's a new diet plan. Only eat at expensive restaurants; the portions are so small you'll never be full, but the prices are so high, you won't be able to eat anything else.
they may not make me eat it all but they sure as hell make me pay for it all
Pithy, your point would have been conveyed much better if you had said "people" instead of "ladies." Sexist.
"My Mom and Dad would constantly tell us, 'you can't get down until you eat everything on your plate.'"
What do you mean, you can't "get down"? Did your parents make you eat in the attic? Or was "get down" a euphemism for rapid dancing? No dancing at the table?
C'mon pants, don't be dense. You know what the saying means, but for your perfected little isolated bubble of perfection, it means – you "can't get down from your chair at the table" until all the food on your plate has been eaten.
Yes, many of us had parents that didn't waste food. I know that's a new concept, but it's true.
@exchef: I think it depends where you eat out. Eating out in and of itself does not necessarily lead to obesity. I eat out more than cook at home for several reasons, but the primary one is since I am single, it is very inefficient and wasteful for me to cook meals at home due to the amount of residual food left over. There are several establishments here in Houston that prepare low-fat very tasty meals for purchase and home consumption. One local grocery chain sells "On the Go" meals that are fantastic: tonight i had grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, and rosemary roasted potatoes.... yum; and the portions were modest and I had no leftovers.... and the cost at less than $8 was reasonable.
If I have leftovers that I don't feel like eating for whatever reason (like if I'm staying in a hotel), I will walk around the block until someone asks me for spare change, or a cigarette, and give them the doggie bag.
I know a lot of places that gives the old portions to goodwill or other homeless shelters. So maybe giving less than a whole crap load is better. Try thinking next time.
I choose to eat out ONE night a week and enjoy a home cooked meal the other 6 nights, so on my ONE night in a restaurant, I would like to be served just ONE portion of food. I do not wish to pay to eat re-heated leftovers for the next 3 days, nor do I wish to pay for food that is going to be thrown out. Why is that so hard to understand?
I choose to eat out 1 or 2 nights a week and enjoy having leftovers for another 2 nights thereby saving money and time that I don't need to cook. Face it, they are not going to charge less if they serve you less; the cost of the food is the least of their concern. They are trying to stay in business and they need to cover their overhead and wait staff. Therefore, they are trying to appeal to the masses by serving a generous portion. Eat what you want and leave the remainder on your plate if you so desire. To each his/her own, so quit trying to tell the restaurant how to do their business. If you don't like what the restaurant is doing, then don't eat there.
I've taken to ordering from the children's or senior's menu even though I'm in my 30's. Most restaurants will let you do this if you ask. Both the prices and portion sizes are much more reasonable.
Why do these chef s come across as arrogant cooks? Maybe you do run a diner....
Because in a quality kitchen, the Chef is Master, Lord High King and Executioner; you better obey immediately or you are out of a job.
This feeds his ego and even the owners or managers dare not challenge him/her, it is their Domain to run as they see fit.
I was thinking the same thing.
FD, you make the best point of all. The snotty chef is making it all about diner's stoopid questions, rather than taking care of them. It's their first time in your restaurant. Smile and entertain them and their questions; they bought your house for you and pay for the gas that you cook with. Lowering yourself to the level of suffering through a few ridiculous questions to earn a living is a pretty high-class problem, eh?
Arrogance doesn't make a chef "special." I work in Patent and Trademark law and our clients all ask the same questions. I remember that it isn't the same question for THEM. They are paying the bills, a little civility is in order. Time to stop equating arrogance with excellence.
my thoughts exactly.
Specially #5:
"This is one of my pet peeves. Of course we want people to have what they want, but when plotting out dishes I put a lot of thought into what flavors complement each other." as opposed to #2... , so what it boils down is that people go to him to taste his preference of taste.
I was thinking the SAME thing!
I'm not sure why that comes across as arrogance. If I go to a doctor, I want his expertise- he knows more than I do. If I ask a chef to make me a meal, I want her expertise. I'm no food expert, so why would I want to muck around with the dish since I've just paid the chef for her hard work and creativity?? *Caveat- allergies or dietary restrictions trump this, and a good chef should work around them. Maybe I wouldn't have thought to combine certain flavors, or maybe I need to eat a little more open-mindedly. And it's a high-stakes game for the chef- if I don't like her work, I'm not going to come back.
Because we spend 12-15 hours a day in a kitchen, most of the time with little to no breaks. It takes passion to do that work 6 (sometimes 7) days a week. We have a right to be a little arrogant. If you want to have everything your way go to Burger King, but if you want to trust trained professionals to take you on a culinary experience then take our suggestions. I'm not talking about altering food due to allergies or general dislike of an order...but to ask us to take parts of one dish and put it on another is just with out merit and rude to the people who have spent hours crafting a menu and hours or days making sure the recipe and flavors work and pair well with each other.
I also have a problem with #5. My 10 year old just picked out the misspelling of compliment.... "complement " who checks these articles!!
"Complement" = A thing that completes or brings to perfection.
"Compliment" = A polite expression of praise or admiration.
^ via a Google search
Your 10-year-old is apparently unfamiliar with the word "complement", which in fact was used correctly in the article.
Actually, complement is correct! Compliment and complement are two different words.
You and your 10 year old may be able to spell, but your vocabulary is limited. Complement is the correct word and spelled correctly. It has a different meaning than compliment. Flavors complementing each other means they enhance or make each other better. Flavors complimenting each other would mean they are telling each other how yummy they are.
Garlic&Butter, if you read these replies I'll bet you feel real silly about now.
compliment – to say something nice to someone
complement – to add something that works well with something else
It isn't a spelling error.
Wow. Between your little snowflake's limited vocabulary and your smug arrogance, you've got a real peachy family there.
The mere fact the about 80%of the people who replied should tell you that they didn't know what it means eithor. Cudos for your son for (in the summer time ((aka no school)) no less!) finding the "error" Even though I didn't know that complement and compliment are different words, I still didnt pick up on it and I am able to admit it
you spelled "kudos" wrong
I agree, picky eaters drive me crazy. Pick something from the menu and eat it, and be thankful you didn't have to cook it. If you don't like a specific aspect of an item, then don't pick it.
Most picky eaters aren't picky by choice. I should pay good money for food that I won't eat?
Being a picky eater IS a choice. 100% a choice. If you don't like something, don't order it, but don't ask the chef to change his or her way of preparing the food just because you don't "like" something. That is simply insulting. Better yet, learn to appreciate a wider range of foods.
People who are "picky" are just spoiled brats who have no gratitude for the fact that we live in a time and place where a wide variety of foods are available to us. If you were growing up in a third-world country or living below the poverty line, you'd be damned grateful for whatever you could get. So grow up and quit acting like a three-year-olld.
Actually, picky eating is a eating disorder, just like anorexia or bulimia. Go educate yourself. http://www.dukehealth.org/services/eating_disorders/about/index
I agree– shut up and do what you are told.
If a salad looks great but only comes with ranch dressing, how DARE you ask if you might have a nice, simple vinaigrette instead. It's not questioning authority that made this country great, so I completely agree with you.
I am on of those who asks about ingredients and substitutions. I have a digestive disease and eating the wrong thing can result in a day of pain and illness – ruining the whole reward of a nice meal out. A substitution request on my part is usually for this reason. If I get a vague answer, I order something else. If it's a problem, I'l order a salad and eat some bread.
Just a guess... picky eaters are rebelling against being told to shut up and do what they are told?????
Everything on the website you gave the link for is a load of C, R, A, P!!!!! (This is not including the REAL eating disorders such as anerexia or bulimia that it gave information on.) Picky eating is when you DONT LIKE MOST FOODS! Guess what?! My sister is a picky eater, but she eventually learned that my mother WAS NOT going to make two different meals, so she started eatibg just like the rest of us.She was the baby and we spioled her. Ask anyone who has a picky eater (btw, they have to be willing to be honest with you and themselves) if they let their kid have a lot of snacks when they where younger, or if they gave in when the kid decided they "only like freeze-pops" (to use my friends current issue). if they say yes, i have nothing more to say. If they say no, but have a picky eater, they are most likely forgetting the time or two when they went crazy and gave in.
Actually, people with aspbergers are picky eaters due to unappealing textures. It is not a choice in that case.
@Sidney, Sorry but picky eaters are self-indulgent, spoiled and clueless. Spend some time out of this country and see (or better yet, experience)real hunger and few choices and then try and convince us that it is an eating disorder. Hunger is an eating disorder, you are spoiled.
@ the @Sydney- at least you were able to spell my name right. However, if you're going to use hunger, poverty, and other countries as reason that finicky eaters can't have an eating disorder, you should also realize that the food allergies that we see in developed countries are extremely rare in third world countries. Therefore, by your logic, those are "C R A P" too. Also, Duke University is a reliable website, which you would know if you paid attention in school.
As for the other guy, who couldn't spell my name right (even though it was on the screen), I'll take your opinion into account when you learn to read.
I am absolutely a picky eater, and it's not a choice. I wish I could stomach more foods, but for whatever reason the smell and texture of most cheeses is nauseating to me. The smell of ranch in anything actually makes me gag. Creamy sauces, anything like that, and I feel sick to my stomach. I've tried eating these things on several occasions throughout my 30 years of life, and each time I get the same results. I didn't choose this. It certainly makes eating out more difficult because cheese is on almost everything. People think I'm weird because I can't stand cheese, or mayonnaise, or alfredo sauce, etc. Why can't you just accept that some people are different? Not everyone can take all foods. And don't give me that crap about how I should go to a third-world nation and see what hunger really is. I don't live in a third-world nation. That's not my reality, so you cannot fairly compare the two. And I'd be willing to bet if you actually traveled to some of those places you would find just as many picky eaters who can't stomach the texture of grubs, or who think the idea of a Big Mac is disgusting. Quit judging people you don't even know.
I'm shocked that "did you spit in this" wasn't on his list.
No, that's for the waitress after you've hit on her lol
Agreed with the OP here...
My advice to chefs: Keep it coming cookie, you're replacable.
I agree ... this chef is an ass ... if we want to meld OUR OWN flavors ... get over it! pompous a$$
Burger King got it right – "have it your way!"
If you want to do your own melding, then why don't you stay home and do your own cooking? I'm not a chef, but I believe that if you're going to go to a restaurant for a meal cooked by a chef then let them cook it their way. If you don't like how they do it, then don't go back.
Here's the thing about "special requests". If the customer wants say, sauce on the side or low sodium it's never a big deal as long as the customer is polite. If a customer wants to mix and match the menu and is rude, demanding or sends food back multiple times, they may get more than they bargained for. I do not condone this and have never done this myself ever but If you think your steak may have been dropped on the floor, it probably was, if you're wondering what that "thing" is floating in your soup assume the worst, don't get lemon with your water, the waitstaff work with money and cut the lemons and don't always have time to wash their hands. I go out to eat often, I am always polite and I make it a rule no matter what is wrong with the meal, NEVER SEND FOOD BACK TO THE KITCHEN!!!
Chef, Female, 20 years experience in dozens of high end and low end kitchens.
Just curious . . . Could your mom just not want to spend the extra money? If so, why are her money concerns yours? Why are you so concerned about what a waitress cares vs your mom. Grow up . . .
FOB don't you think you are over reacting? Not all food travels well and older women often have smaller appetites. Asking for a smaller portion is not asking for a recipe change. Not all people have the same sized appetite and the answer isn't to force the smaller appetite to purchase, overeat, or leave food they didn't want.
Being a professional server for 19 years I have many pet peeve questions asked pretty much daily. One of my favorite (if that's the right term) is being that my restuarant is located in Florida and summer is always rockin' with business. We do have outdoor seating available (why someone would want to sit outside in 95 degree temps and 99% humidity is beyond me) it never fails... When they enter the restuarant and enquire if we have any tables outside, and our answer is "of course", the very next question they always ask 99% of the time is "is it hot out there"? Seriously? Was it hot out there just before you walked in? "No, our outside defies quantam physics and it's actually wintertime temperatures in our outside". Think people!
Loved that one, Tim
In my experience, some restaurants provide a cooling mists etc in their outdoor dining area.
I'm thinking #5 had more to do with substituting x for y, not portion sizes.
However, I have a couple weird food allergies, and I find myself every once in a while in a situation that I have to ask for a substitution because of an allergy. I know that a lot of time and thought goes into designing meals and menus, while I appreciate that, I frankly do not care when eating certain foods give me anything from hives to breathing issues – I cannot eat them, not matter how much time was spent paring it with the main dish, no matter how well it complements the other items etc. And when I'm eating at an expensive restaurant (where the portion sizes are often small) I do not think I'm being rude if I really want to try (or really enjoy) a certain dish but cannot eat 1/3-1/2 of the food on the plate because of an allergy to ask for a replacement item from the menu.
I've tried to explain this to people too. I'm sure it tastes better with x, but since I throw up approximately an hour after eating anything with x in it, I'd rather have the substandard version that won't actually cause vomiting.
Thanks for your reply, and I agree with you. People have dietary restrictions, allergies, illnesses, religious reasons, if it's such a pet peeve for a cheff to make his/her customers happy, perhaps (s)he should just cook for him/herself rather than cooking for others.
To anyone defending the attitude of this chef: please remember that, at least in the United States (and many other countries), times are tough economically. You cannot have the job you want (i.e., chef) without customers, people who pay their hard-earned money to eat the food you make. Also, it's not just about the quality of the food. Eating out is an experience. Some of us like to feel pampered once in a while, eating good food and having some say in the matter, though apparently some posters here claim to not care what they are served. Rude responses from the chef will result in my never returning. Turn away enough customers and see if you can keep your job. And many of us have food allergies or sensitivities and we do not really want to talk about them. So, we'll gracefully ask someone to hold the peanuts in the dessert, maybe. The world is not all about you the chef. If you have no interest in what your paying customers want, and simply get annoyed at your customers when they have opinions or requests, then you have no business being in any service industry.
In the majority of the world there is no to-go "doggie bags" at sit down restaurants. Portions are half of what is found on an American plate and drinks come in 0,2 Liter glasses. There's a reason America is obese; I think asking for small portions or a flavor that you would prefer is one of the many freedoms that life should include.
I love my wife, but she kills me every time we go out to eat. I just grin and bear it now. She always asks to change what's on the menu or change a special, always takes leftovers home and often takes the dessert home. And she ONLY puts the food in the box herself, as she doesn't trust the kitchen staff to not spit on it or give her the wrong food. She got the wrong leftover food once, yikes, never again !
What's the problem with that?
Regarding boxing up the food yourself – i started asking for the box and packing up my own leftovers when i found a bit of something in my SIDE of pasta that wasn't part of what I ordered AT ALL... i mentioned this to a friend of mine, whose college education was in hospitality, and she said that for sanitation reasons, one should have the leftovers boxed at the table at a minimum.
Kinda makes you wonder what broccoli is doing in your spaghetti & marinara when there wasn't broccoli in anything ordered at the table, doesn't it?