Food Notebook

Dining with Notebook #1 -- Declaring the Manifesto: Get the Best Experience!

2008-03-15T14:00:30Z

Editor's Note: The Dining with Notebook Manifesto is the core of Food Notebook’s raison d'être. Today, the original “Declaring the Manifesto” is being updated and links to each principle included.

There are two groups of restaurant guests that get the best service and special treatment: regulars and restaurant critics. And for the rest of us? Well, the experience is not always the top of what the establishment can offer. This is, of course, incredibly short sighted of the restaurant establishment because we are all potentially highly-profitable regulars and – with blogs, on-line review sites and word of mouth power – critics.

We all deserve to be treated like the most favored regulars and powerful restaurant critics. But how can we achieve this status? Helping you achieve that status is the goal of The Dining with Notebook Manifesto. Dining with Notebook is a powerful tool for communicating to the establishment that you deserve the best experience. It is also a great device for breaking the ice and getting the staff to engage with you, which can accelerate achieving "regular" status.

The Dining with Notebook affect was discovered quite by accident. I used to travel extensively for work and would often go places with great restaurants. Because I love to cook, I would try to get a counter seat overlooking the kitchen in order to observe what was going on, combining entertainment with my meal. Because I’m a bit of a food-geek, I always had a notebook to take down my observations in text and drawings. I semi-noticed that the chefs and staff would become aware of my scribbling in the notebook and that the level of dialogue and service would go up – but it never quite surfaced in my mind why this was happening. It was not until one chef finally asked me what magazine I wrote for that the light bulb clicked on – they thought I was a critic. Cool. I then started experimenting with the technique by incorporating deeper than normal questions about the ingredients and the chef, discussions about the philosophy of the restaurant and so on. With each iteration of the technique, the dining experience became better and better. More additions to the technique were added like challenging the staff, asking their opinion and eating at the bar to engage the mixologist. Again, the restaurant experience became better and more fun.

Here are the operating principles and techniques of the Dining with Notebook Manifesto so that you too can leverage this powerful approach to getting a better dining experience. Misti asked if I was concerned that if many people started using this technique, whether its effectiveness would fade. The answer is no. If many people are using the Dining with Notebook techniques, then the restaurants have to be on their toes all the time, because they would never know when a potential “critic” might be in the house.

Dining with Notebook #2 -- Principle: The Powerful Notebook
Dining with Notebook #3 -- Principle: Engage the Staff
Dining with Notebook #4 -- Principle: Challenge the Staff
Dining wtih Notebook #5 -- Principle: Eat at the Bar
Dining with Notebook #6 -- Principle: "What's your signature…"
Dining with Notebook #7 -- Principle: Talk knowledgeably without being Pompous
Dining with Notebook #8 -- Principle: Clap for and tip the musicians
Dining with Notebook #9 -- Principle: Ask about the chef and owner
Dining with Notebook #10 - Principle: Great questions to ask
Dining with Notebook #11 - Principle: Where does the staff like to go to eat?
Dining with Notebook #12 - Principle: How does the restaurant build its wine list?
Dining with Notebook #13 - Principle: Please building me a tasting menu
Dining with Notebook #14 - Principle: It's you and not just the paper and pen
Dining with Notebook #15 - Principle: Pose a dilemma
Dining with Notebook #16 -- Sit at the kitchen counter and chat with the chef
Dining with Notebook #17 - Principle: Take a photo
Dining with Notebook #18 -- Principle: Tip heavy for great service
Dining with Notebook #19 -- Principle: Bring a high-end food magazine

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photo by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.

©2006 and 2007. Carter Lusher. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The Sport and Techniques of Restaurant Hopping

2008-01-31T14:00:00Z

This is a Food Notebook classic that I think I will republish for new readers.
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One of the great ways to put the Dining with Notebook Manifesto and Principles – especially principles 3, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 16 – in action is restaurant hopping. It is a pretty simple technique, simply go to a part of town where there are several interesting restaurants within walking distance (a dining destination). Then go to three restaurants – you can do as few as two, but I do not recommend more than four – and sit at the bar or kitchen counter. You can go for a theme (e.g., nouveau Indian in downtown Palo Alto) or contrasting styles (e.g., Cuban, Cal-French, Italian on Cal Ave).

When chatting with the server or bartender, explain that you are trying out a number of restaurants and ask him or her to please recommend an appetizer or small plate (you can’t fill up on an entrée) that demonstrates the best values of the chef’s philosophy and skill. Then you ask them if they could you recommend a glass of wine that perfectly pairs with the dish? For true pros, this is a challenge they love. Alas, some servers will freeze like deer in the headlights, but that can tell you a lot about the establishment.

To get you kick started, here are a few suggestions for dining districts and their restaurants that you could check out via restaurant hopping. In the future, there will be a "Food Notebook Guide to Dining Destinations" with a more complete list of suggested dining destinations. Do you have a favorite dining destination that Food Notebook has left off the list? If so, leave a comment with suggestions for readers to try.

Silicon Valley

San Mateo
231 Ellsworth		Contemporary American cuisine
Kingfish		New Orleans
Viognier		Seasonal, Cal-French

Palo Alto -- Downtown
Junnoon		Hip, Contemporary Indian
Lavanda		Mediterranean
Saint Michael's Alley		California

Mountain View -- Castro
Cantankerous Fish		Seafood
Cascal		Pan-Latin
Zucca Ristorante		Mediterranean

San Jose -- Santana Row
Consuelo Mexican Bistro		Hip, Contemporary Mexican
Straits		Singaporean and Southeast Asian
Thea Mediterranean Cuisine		Mediterranean

San Francisco

The Ferry Building
Hog Island Oyster		Oysters
Marketbar		French Bistro
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Bar		Caviar-centric cuisine

800 Block of Folsom
Lulu		Mediterranean, Modern
Azie		Asian Cal fusion
Oola		New American

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher.

Gurgle gurgle... swooosh

2008-01-23T05:00:00Z

So here is what my friend Robby from Valhalla said in an e-mail:

“Okay so I initially thought the wine regurgitator was gimmicky and perfectly ‘Carter’ but I have to admit that we use it now ALL the time and it does seem to work!”

Triumph! There is nothing like turning around a skeptic. Misti and I discovered the Vinturi Wine Aerators during our Day trip to the Carneros wine region - fine wines, good food and fascinating stories. However, the one story we did not tell you was about these aerators because we had bought a boatload to give out as Christmas presents and we did not want the recipients to know in advance because they might buy their own!

We ran across these in the Acacia Winery tasting room. Margaret, the Queen of Conviviality – her official title – was using one and we had to ask what the heck it was. It’s sort of an elongated egg made of acrylic and rubber that she poured wine through into the glass and it made this weird slurping sound. Our question put a big smile on her face and she said a demonstration was in order. Luckily we were the only folks in the tasting room at the time, a benefit of a mid-week trip to the wine country. Margaret pulled out two exact bottles of unopened wine and six glasses. Six because wanted to join in like the good Queen of Conviviality she is. The bottles were opened and one wine was poured directly into three glasses. Then she used the wine aerator to pour from the other bottle into three more glasses. Tasting proceeded. It was amazing the difference the aerator made. The wine poured through the aerator had opened up and was quite pleasant. The other wine was tight and nowhere near ready to be consumed.

Like Robby and Dave, we use our wine aerator all the time. It is a gadget that will actually be used and not collect dust in a drawer. Highly recommended. You can probably fine these in upscale wine stores, winery tasting room and you can buy them here on Amazon.

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Tip o' the hat to Margaret for putting on such an effective demo.

A food video that really does a good job teaching a technique

2008-01-20T14:00:00Z

I don’t know about you, but I have seen many a chef on TV shows say to test the doneness of meat by pushing on it and comparing it with the part of your hand between thumb and forefinger. Well, it never quite clicked in my mind. That is until I saw the Epicurious.com (mothership of Bon Appetit and Gourmet) vodcast Testing Meat Doneness.

What made this really effective is that they have five pieces of meat at various levels of doneness that are used with the instructor’s hand to show you the connection between the tension of your hand between thumb and forefinger and the resistance of the meat when you push on it. Bingo! I get it! You can find the vodcast on iTunes or on the Epicurious website here.

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher.

I'm back! Sorry for the silence...

2008-01-20T03:55:00Z

Gosh, it's been nearly six weeks since I posted to Food Notebook. Thanks to all the folks who asked "What's up?"

What has been up is not one of the periodic blahs that many food bloggers go through. Rather I have been involved in the launch of a new firm, SageCircle. And I have been very, very busy with this new day job. So what is this SageCircle that took me away from my rightful place at the helm of Food Notebook?

SageCircle provides members of the IT analyst ecosystem with best practices, expert opinion and actionable information to ensure that every analyst interaction is effective. We help clients, from startups to global enterprises, rapidly identify and resolve critical business issues concerning the IT analysts, while providing a foundation for continuous improvement.

“Say what?” Hmm, ok, if you are in the tech industry, no doubt you have heard of IT analysts like Gartner, Forrester, IDC and so on. These analysts impact over a quarter of a trillion dollars of technology spending every year. We help the technology vendors who educate with the analyst and the IT managers who are clients of the analysts, get the most value of their interactions with the IT analysts. Oh, I do a little blogging over there as well, check out the SageCircle blog. Alas, it is not nearly as much fun as Food Notebook. >>grin<<

I have so much to update you on. A visit to International Marine Products with Chef Ewa-san to see where he gets his fish and other supplies for Naomi and Kanpai. New restaurants to review like Jin Sho, the new high end sushi joint on Cal Ave. The place where The Greek and I saw a steak on the menu for $250! Yowza! Some restaurant gossip and so much more. Check back a few times per week and I promise to you’ll see more news, views and reviews of the Silicon Valley dining scene.

Got some tips? Send them to me!

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher.

Oaxacan Kitchen - a new joint coming to the Cal Ave Dining District

2007-12-05T03:11:16Z

The Oaxacan Kitchen, which bills itself as Auténtica Comida Mexicana, is going to be opening in the spring of 2008. The folks behind the new restaurant already have related catering, prepared foods and culinary education businesses:

“Currently, they both own Oaxacan Foods, manufactures of authentic Moles, Chocolates, Antojitos and Tamales sold at the farmer's markets and retail stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. They also lead culinary tours to Oaxaca, Mexico. Ron, is the executive chef at Middle Earth on the Stanford University campus. Both Ron and Zaida are culinary educators.”
2323 Birch St., Palo Alto, CA * 650 321 8003 * website

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.

389 tequilas and counting

2007-12-03T15:00:00Z

Last night I was chatting with Sergio, an ace bartender at Consuelo Mexican Bistro. Sergio casually mentioned that Consuelo has 389 tequilas. Amazing. Then he said that they were in the process of adding more because they wanted to have over 400. Well, I asked, are there a lot of tequilas to pick from? Why yes, as there are over 5,000 on the market. Yowza, I did not realize that there are so many. Drop by Consuelo to check out one of the fine tequilas with some guacamole made fresh at your table. (Click for the Food Notebook's Consuelo review.)

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher.

The most fabulous kitchen is on the market!

2007-12-02T16:00:00Z

Dave and Robby of Valhalla, contributors to Food Notebook, are moving out of state, which means that their spectacular Santa Cruz Mountains house is for sale.

Of course, what I am absolutely lusting for is the kitchen. Incredibily stylish, while also being totally a working kitchen. Robby is a former professional chef so he knows what does and does not work when it comes to kitchen layouts and equipment. Dave has designed and built six kitchens (five with Robby) so he has an eagle eye for what is practical to build and maintain.

Misti and I would buy Valhalla in a heartbeat if she was not starting a high tech job in Silicon Valley on Monday.

There is an open house today, Sunday December 2nd. For more information, check out http://www.460hawkshill.com/ for more information and lots more pictures.

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher.

Ya gotta love a place that specializes in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches

2007-12-01T16:00:00Z

During my recent visit to Denver, Amy and I stumbled across Meltz while exploring a little arts district. Meltz is part of the historic Oriental Theater and offers a nice menu of salads and sandwiches. Alas, it was closed for the evening so we could not try it out.

I can't wait until my next visit to Denver in order to experience this gourmet grilled cheese sandwich.

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.

Bistro Basia on Cal Ave is now open

2007-12-01T05:00:00Z

After the typically long remodeling period, Bistro Basia opened on Thursday, November 30th. This was a recomplete re-do resulting in a much lighter and airier space that has a more upscale feel than the previous Nora's Cafe, which was all dark wood and shadows. Basia has French bistro style cuisine.

I dropped in on Friday and had a duck salad and a glass of Prosecco. I won't be mean and do a review based on a single visit on their second night. However, my first impression was very positive and I look forward to returning a few times with Misti to gather information for a full review by the end of December.

Contact: 201 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA * 650-322-4500 * no website

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11 am to 2:30 and 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

There is plenty of parking in the California Avenue Dining District .

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.

Dining with Notebook #19 -- Principle: Tip extra heavy during happy hours

2007-11-27T04:00:00Z

This Principle is a follow up to #18 about tipping. Nothing elevates a restaurant patron to the status of favored regular faster than recognizing great service with a great tip. Remember that wait staff get a sub-minimum wage because of the assumption that they will supplement their wages from the restaurant with tips.

Unfortunately this assumption crumbles during happy hours. Happy hour pricing is deliberately low, which negatively impacts tips -- most patrons calculate tips based on the check, not what the meal would have cost during normal hours. This is especially true after the diner has had a drink or more. If you plan on going back to this restaurant, double the size the of the check before calculating a generous tip... the future excellent service will more than pay you back.

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The Dining with Notebook Manifesto and Principles are a way for every restaurant patron to get the best experience possible... the same as if you are a regular or a big city newspaper critic.

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photo by Carter using an HP R967 digital camera and edited using HP Image Zone software.

©2007 Carter Lusher. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Good grief, those buffalo ribs are HUGE!

2007-11-23T17:00:00Z

One of the fun aspects of my sister moving to Denver is that I have another locale for exploring food. Thus on a recent trip to the Mile High City, we – along with Sarah and Steve -- went to The Fort restaurant. The Fort is a local institution that combines interesting “frontier” food with a slightly cheesy but fun Disneyfied Davy Crockett Frontierland ambiance. The food is primarily upscale steakhouse with a fair number of game dishes, e.g., buffalo, elk and quail. The wine list is quite good and there is a diverse set of cocktails served in mason jars.

Wanting to go for the full Fort experience, I got the Smoke House Buffalo Ribs Platter, which has buffalo ribs, slowly braised, smoked and smothered with the house tangy Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. It is served with “historical” BBQ heirloom beans and chef's choice of vegetable. There were two sizes to pick from: half rack of four ribs for $28 and a full rack of eight ribs for $46. I went for the full rack, thinking that my companions would each have a rib leaving me a good meal. The waitress asked me three times if I really, really wanted eight ribs, which I thought was a bit odd.

When the plate was brought out I saw why she kept checking on the number of ribs – they were enormous! Each rib was at least three, maybe four, times bigger than the typical beef or pork rib one would get at a local BBQ joint. Amy, Steve and Sarah ended up sharing a single rib instead of having one each. I was left to struggle with this mound of beast. BTW, the portions on their dishes were large as well, so we all shared extensively and took large boxes of food home.

Bottom Line: The Fort is recommended as a fun destination dining event if you are visiting the Denver area. Good interesting food, well selected wine list and an atmosphere that is a hoot.

Contact: 19192 Highway 8, Morrison, CO * 303.697.4771 * website

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.

Pasta Moon - nice, but we did not get a "wow" [Coast / Half Moon Bay]

2007-11-22T15:00:00Z

(November 3, 2007) There are some restaurants that you can’t stop talking about because there was something spectacular about them. And then there are the restaurants that become almost immediately forgotten because while they had quite good elements – ambiance, food or drink – that did not quite click for the diner. For Misti and I, Pasta Moon falls into the latter category.

I had suggested to Misti that we check out Pasta Moon because a) it was highly rated on Check, Please! Bay Area; b) it is Italian, which Misti loves; and c) we had done a number of other restaurants in the Half Moon Bay area so this would add another one to the list.

Our reservation was for 5:30 pm on a Saturday evening. We have now learned that heading over Hwy 92 late in the afternoon is not a wise idea as it takes twice as long to get there. Next time we go over to Half Moon Bay we try for a 7 pm or later reservation. Luckily we had given ourselves plenty of time and arrived a few minutes early. Parking was no problem on Main Street. While waiting for Pasta Moon to open we browsed Moon News bookstore in the same building. Moon News is an extremely nice bookstore, well worth giving yourself some extra time in Half Moon Bay to visit.

The entrance to Pasta Moon is inside 315 State, which houses a couple of small stores. The bar is actually not in the restaurant proper but a few steps down the corridor. The ambiance is very nice, with a quasi-rustic feel to an upscale space. There are a number of large format photos of local farmers who supply Pasta Moon with produce and meats.

The server was helpful and friendly, quick with recommendations and information. When asked to pair a dish with a glass of wine, she had no hesitation even though the wines-by-the-glass list is quite long at 50.

We started with the Quintale Pumpkin Fritto ($9) with house-made apple butter. Thin crescents of pumpkin had been lightly breaded and deep fried. Once plated the fritto was topped with shaved Parmesan cheese and served with apple butter. While all the components were excellent, as a dish the sweet pumpkin and sweet apple butter did not complement each other. Perhaps a more savory element could be added to the dish to round it out, e.g., adding some spice to the breading batter or a savory dipping sauce.

Misti’s entrée was the Butternut Squash & Mascarpone Ravioli ($18) with brown butter sage and crushed amaretti. Her feedback was that while executed quite well, the ravioli was not “special” and could have been had at any number of Italian restaurants. At the table next to us, three of the four people were having the Nilda's Lasagna with house-made Sicilian sausage. Misti asked why and we learned that the lasagna was the best item in the pasta section and that they rarely ordered anything else. Hmmm.

My Grilled Pork Chop ($26) stuffed with pears and Prosciutto and served with mascarpone mashed potatoes, escarole and midnight tomatoes was dynamite. This was in part because Misti is not a fan of pork chops so I never cook them at home so getting a chop out is a treat for poor me. The chop was thick with stuffing that was perfectly paired with the meat. It was cooked properly, done but not dry, in fact it was quite juicy. The mascarpone mashed potatoes added a little sweetness to dish and were silky smooth. Highly recommended.

Bottom Line: Maybe Misti and I were a little grumpy from the longer than expected drive over the hill and that is why Pasta Moon did not quite click with us. It was good enough that Misti wants to return to try out the Nilda's Lasagna. Perhaps the second visit will be the charm.

Contact: 315 main St., Half Moon Bay, CA * 650.726.5125 * website * Open Table)

Hours: Lunch Monday - Friday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, Saturday - Sunday 12 pm to 3 pm.
Dinner Monday - Thursday 5:30 to 9:30, Friday - Saturday 5:30 to 10, Sunday 5:30 - 9:30

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.

The Sunday New York Times highlights vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco

2007-11-22T06:00:00Z

In last Sunday’s Times Travel section Expanding the Frontiers of the Vegetarian Plate looked at the vegetarian dining scene in San Francisco. The article is a useful round up and worth checking out if you want to expand your selections in this cuisine. Restaurants mentioned include:

Greens (www.greensrestaurant.com * 415.771.6222)

Millennium (www.millenniumrestaurant.com * 415-345.3900)

Herbivore (www.herbivorerestaurant.com * 415.771.6222)

Golden Era (www.goldeneravegetarian.com * 415.673.3136)

Bok Choy Garden (415.387.8111)

Cha-Ya (415.252.7825)

Café Gratitude (www.cafegratitude.com * 415.824.4652) Food Notebook review of Café Gratitude

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher

Fleming's Steakhouse is now open

2007-11-19T14:00:00Z

More than a year and a half after the first “Coming Soon” sign was posted on the old Piatti Italian restaurant location in the Stanford Shopping Center (see this article), the Fleming's Steakhouse & Wine Bar is now open. Looks very upscale with a promise of 100 wines by the glass. Hmm, how they can have so many bottles open and still maintain quality?

Contact: 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto CA * 650.329.8457 * website

Hours: Sunday – Thursday 5 pm to 10 pm; Friday – Saturday 5 pm to 11 am

Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera