Bread boy is gone. I came into work one day last week in the middle of an argument between manager, L, and Bread Boy about cleaning the toilets. Since the Restaurant no longer has a cleaning service, we should have known this is our job. Bread Boy got sent home for being disrespectful and by mutual agreement between him and the Owner (there is only one now; no Owner 1 and Owner 2), he is not coming back.
This sucks for me. Not only will I miss him, but I prefer to have as little responsibility as possible there. The whole restaurant (or at least the part I work in) has been a downward spiral from the get go, and I try to do my best, and keep customers happy, but the plight has gotten ummm, just ridiculous, really. I don’t make enough money to spend my evenings cleaning toilets and waiting around for customers. The other server, J, is gone now too. Owner is on vacation, so I’m not sure exactly what the plan is, but we have hired a new server to work everyday. I think my plan is to pick up a couple shifts at another establishment and work at The Restaurant Fridays and Saturdays, or to help with bigger parties.
The other establishment is a strip club. I bartended/ served there before The Restaurant opened. I kind of miss it. I definitely miss the money. I didn’t like working late nights and couldn’t work during the day because of Grandma’s condition, but The Strip Club has recently made a new 4:00- 9:00 p.m. shift that will be perfect for me. Really, I am more confident recommending a stripper for your lap dance than a steak for your dinner anyway. And it will definitely provide better fodder for blogging.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Good Ole' Summertime
There’s not much to write about my restaurant world. Chef G has been fired. Manager, C, whom I liked and respected, has been fired. J, the cook, quit. We have hired another server, J. And a manager from one of the other establishments is now running the kitchen. His name is also J. I just hope server J works out because I am taking a week off in June to assist at the Sun Foundation Arts and Science in the Woods Camp.
That is my favorite week of the year. I have been doing it for about 8 years now. I help with a rocks and fossils class. Family members are going to help care for Gram and it is like a vacation for me.
Big E is 15. This is the summer after his freshman year. Really, we only have these next three summers left as a family before he is grown up. I really want to make the most of this summer and wish we could take a real family vacation. I worry my children will grow up and I will regret never having taken a real vacation.
I guess I survived childhood without a real vacation. And I have fond memories of the mini vacations we did, like going to Six Flags in the back of a pick up truck. Those are the kinds of things I do with my kids except they ride inside the vehicle in seatbelts. Back of the truck was not so much fun anyway, especially when it rained the whole trip back and we eventually squeezed all six of us, sopping wet into the cab. The vacations I take my kids on have to better than that.
So I am looking forward to summer. I like this cool weather easing into summer. I have a garden planted. The kids have music camps and we all have the Sun Foundation camp (with Jennifer's kids, the kids will be honing their survival skills). I have been buliding up my running again and hope to get in shape. I am going to enjoy the weather and enjoy time with my family and friends as much as possible. And hopefully blog a little more about all those good things.
That is my favorite week of the year. I have been doing it for about 8 years now. I help with a rocks and fossils class. Family members are going to help care for Gram and it is like a vacation for me.
Big E is 15. This is the summer after his freshman year. Really, we only have these next three summers left as a family before he is grown up. I really want to make the most of this summer and wish we could take a real family vacation. I worry my children will grow up and I will regret never having taken a real vacation.
I guess I survived childhood without a real vacation. And I have fond memories of the mini vacations we did, like going to Six Flags in the back of a pick up truck. Those are the kinds of things I do with my kids except they ride inside the vehicle in seatbelts. Back of the truck was not so much fun anyway, especially when it rained the whole trip back and we eventually squeezed all six of us, sopping wet into the cab. The vacations I take my kids on have to better than that.
So I am looking forward to summer. I like this cool weather easing into summer. I have a garden planted. The kids have music camps and we all have the Sun Foundation camp (with Jennifer's kids, the kids will be honing their survival skills). I have been buliding up my running again and hope to get in shape. I am going to enjoy the weather and enjoy time with my family and friends as much as possible. And hopefully blog a little more about all those good things.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
I had a lime thrown at me
Wow. I have been so busy, yet busy with boring stuff, I think all three of my readers may think I have fallen off the face of the Earth.
Well, auditioning for Deal or No Deal was not boring. Even though we stood in line for six hours, I don’t think I got bored at all. I was having fun with Jennifer and it I was excited with anticipation of the audition, which lasted 20 seconds.
Work has been mainly uneventful except for one night of waiting on a rock star and some TV celebrities. It was a lot of dealing with the attitude “Don’t you know who I am?!?” (No, I don’t actually, and even if I was big fan, I doubt I would know you didn't want a lime in your drink.)
Our chef, G, has still been putting out consistently good steaks and seafood. Yet she still has some….creative? ideas that I don’t quite understand. Our special last weekend was Seared Sea Scallops (say 5 times fast) and mashed potatoes. Plated together. With a White Sauce. I don’t eat meat and especially hate seafood, so I should not be pretentious enough to say these flavors would not go well together. How would I know? At some point the special did get changed to Sea Scallops and asparagus. I’m not sure of the details of how it was changed. I just know no one told me about it until I saw a plate come out of the kitchen with asparagus instead of mashed potatoes. Luckily it was for Bread Boy’s table and he was already aware of (maybe initiated) the change.
Something else no one told me was that our new dishwasher is deaf. So for the first few days he worked there, I went from thinking he was ignoring me, to getting frustrated over serious communication problems. Since seeing someone sign to him, and figuring out I need to make sure he is at least facing me if I want to talk to him, (He is a good lip reader) everything has been fine and he seems nice and interesting. I’m not sure if he will stay with us though, since our dishwashing machine has been broken since he has started, and he has to wash everything by hand and his skin is getting raw.
My husband got me a new notebook computer, which is cool. I have started another job grading the written portion of standardized tests which I can do online. Too bad it is temporary, just for a couple months. The plan is, that I can take my computer to work with me, and when we have no customers, I can grade tests.
Yesterday, I used my new computer for a few hours with it sitting on the kitchen table, which is several inches higher than my computer desk. Last night my shoulder was hurting me, from having my mouse arm higher than normal. I was complaining about it and my 12 year old, Little E, said, (in a slow, condescending voice) “Mom, it is called a LAP TOP so you can sit it on the TOP of your LAP, and you won’t need to reach up to use it”.
Well, auditioning for Deal or No Deal was not boring. Even though we stood in line for six hours, I don’t think I got bored at all. I was having fun with Jennifer and it I was excited with anticipation of the audition, which lasted 20 seconds.
Work has been mainly uneventful except for one night of waiting on a rock star and some TV celebrities. It was a lot of dealing with the attitude “Don’t you know who I am?!?” (No, I don’t actually, and even if I was big fan, I doubt I would know you didn't want a lime in your drink.)
Our chef, G, has still been putting out consistently good steaks and seafood. Yet she still has some….creative? ideas that I don’t quite understand. Our special last weekend was Seared Sea Scallops (say 5 times fast) and mashed potatoes. Plated together. With a White Sauce. I don’t eat meat and especially hate seafood, so I should not be pretentious enough to say these flavors would not go well together. How would I know? At some point the special did get changed to Sea Scallops and asparagus. I’m not sure of the details of how it was changed. I just know no one told me about it until I saw a plate come out of the kitchen with asparagus instead of mashed potatoes. Luckily it was for Bread Boy’s table and he was already aware of (maybe initiated) the change.
Something else no one told me was that our new dishwasher is deaf. So for the first few days he worked there, I went from thinking he was ignoring me, to getting frustrated over serious communication problems. Since seeing someone sign to him, and figuring out I need to make sure he is at least facing me if I want to talk to him, (He is a good lip reader) everything has been fine and he seems nice and interesting. I’m not sure if he will stay with us though, since our dishwashing machine has been broken since he has started, and he has to wash everything by hand and his skin is getting raw.
My husband got me a new notebook computer, which is cool. I have started another job grading the written portion of standardized tests which I can do online. Too bad it is temporary, just for a couple months. The plan is, that I can take my computer to work with me, and when we have no customers, I can grade tests.
Yesterday, I used my new computer for a few hours with it sitting on the kitchen table, which is several inches higher than my computer desk. Last night my shoulder was hurting me, from having my mouse arm higher than normal. I was complaining about it and my 12 year old, Little E, said, (in a slow, condescending voice) “Mom, it is called a LAP TOP so you can sit it on the TOP of your LAP, and you won’t need to reach up to use it”.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Osso Buco means "bone hole"
The weekend at work was pretty uneventful. I had a few tables each night. I like our new chef, G. She is making a new menu; She has been making a chef's special dish each day. She has even been making a dessert each day. This weekend she made cute creme brulees in cappuccino cups, which was a nice dessert and also made good use of the cups since they have been going unused since the cappuccino machine is broken. (Also, for awhile, when Bread Boy and I were contemplating making desserts, C hid the kitchen torch from us, so I was glad he returned it and we can have creme brulees again.) So, overall, it has been great having her, but I have noticed that sometimes she seems , umm, unknowledgeable about things I think a chef should know.
I am not a culinary expert. I am still learning A LOT about food and wine. So I do not want to sound critical. But it is odd, how she could NOT know some things and it may affect some customers' satisfaction. When Owner 2 told us about hiring her, he said she went to a Cordon Bleu school, she cooked him a "ballsy" dish, and the dessert she made looked "very homemade, but had an incredible flavor". He seemed pleased, but hesitant.
G has contributed a lot so far, adding some sauces, demi-glaces, and other additions to some of the dishes, improving the presentations, and making desserts. I felt surprised one day, though, when she came across some Cappicola in the cooler and didn't know what it was. But again, I wouldn't have known either, had we not had it on a previous menu. This weekend, she had bought some precooked "Osso Buco". We have also had Osso Buco on a previous menu and were told Osso Buco was a veal dish. When I did some research about Osso Buco, it always referred to veal. The dish G made was a pork dish. Which, apparently you can have pork Osso Buco, (in fact a customer this weekend told us she had just had pork Osso Buco in Florida). But G had never heard of Osso Buco before and didn't think to specify to us it was pork. I finally figured it out and asked. Also she decided to serve the pork Osso Buco with "Risotto". I served one early in the evening and could tell though that the risotto was not risotto. She just cooked plain Arborio rice and called it risotto. I did not want to question her about it. (I am just a novice server and she is a trained chef.) I just adjusted the way I was describing the dish to customers and said it was served with rice.
I wish I was more assertive or had figured out a way to question her about it though, because it turns out that some customers were really looking forward to actual risotto. G was talking to the party of 6 (who had just had a pork Osso Buco in Florida)and told them she was serving it with Risotto. One woman started going on and on about how much she loves risotto, and maybe she would like risotto even if she doesn't have the Osso Buco. Then another woman said "me too, I am going to get risotto too". This was Bread Boy's table, so I pulled him aside and told him I was worried that these people were really excited about having risotto, and I was pretty sure G had just made rice. So, he went and confirmed this, and had to explain to her what risotto actually is and she tried to "whip some up real quick". Needless to say, the customers were not very pleased.
I just feel so frustrated that it seems we continually take a few steps forward, only to take a few steps back. Luckily, G is very friendly and "down-home" and maybe in the future I will feel more comfortable questioning her if something doesn't seem right to me.
I am not a culinary expert. I am still learning A LOT about food and wine. So I do not want to sound critical. But it is odd, how she could NOT know some things and it may affect some customers' satisfaction. When Owner 2 told us about hiring her, he said she went to a Cordon Bleu school, she cooked him a "ballsy" dish, and the dessert she made looked "very homemade, but had an incredible flavor". He seemed pleased, but hesitant.
G has contributed a lot so far, adding some sauces, demi-glaces, and other additions to some of the dishes, improving the presentations, and making desserts. I felt surprised one day, though, when she came across some Cappicola in the cooler and didn't know what it was. But again, I wouldn't have known either, had we not had it on a previous menu. This weekend, she had bought some precooked "Osso Buco". We have also had Osso Buco on a previous menu and were told Osso Buco was a veal dish. When I did some research about Osso Buco, it always referred to veal. The dish G made was a pork dish. Which, apparently you can have pork Osso Buco, (in fact a customer this weekend told us she had just had pork Osso Buco in Florida). But G had never heard of Osso Buco before and didn't think to specify to us it was pork. I finally figured it out and asked. Also she decided to serve the pork Osso Buco with "Risotto". I served one early in the evening and could tell though that the risotto was not risotto. She just cooked plain Arborio rice and called it risotto. I did not want to question her about it. (I am just a novice server and she is a trained chef.) I just adjusted the way I was describing the dish to customers and said it was served with rice.
I wish I was more assertive or had figured out a way to question her about it though, because it turns out that some customers were really looking forward to actual risotto. G was talking to the party of 6 (who had just had a pork Osso Buco in Florida)and told them she was serving it with Risotto. One woman started going on and on about how much she loves risotto, and maybe she would like risotto even if she doesn't have the Osso Buco. Then another woman said "me too, I am going to get risotto too". This was Bread Boy's table, so I pulled him aside and told him I was worried that these people were really excited about having risotto, and I was pretty sure G had just made rice. So, he went and confirmed this, and had to explain to her what risotto actually is and she tried to "whip some up real quick". Needless to say, the customers were not very pleased.
I just feel so frustrated that it seems we continually take a few steps forward, only to take a few steps back. Luckily, G is very friendly and "down-home" and maybe in the future I will feel more comfortable questioning her if something doesn't seem right to me.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Comfortably Numb
I had Wednesday night off work. I went out to Sully’s open mike night to watch my friend, T, play. I got a text message from Bread Boy, saying, “Happy one year anniversary to us, taking tomorrow off, we have no resos”. So, the Restaurant has been open a year. We still have a very inconsistent crowd. Most nights, it is very slow. The past couple Saturdays have been really busy.
We have a new manager and a new chef. Our manager, C, seems very detail oriented and assertive. He has initiated a lot of changes to make things more consistent, which I appreciate. Our new chef, G, is working on a new menu. She seems very down-to-earth and practical. I like her. Our cook, M, is leaving us in a couple weeks. I will miss him.
I am still feeling (inexplicably) hopeful that The Restaurant will be successful. I am also pretty indifferent about looking for anything else right now, though, and am content to work only a few days a week. I hope for customers, but when we have none, I take advantage of the quiet atmosphere to work on my book club book. My schedule is working out in regards to taking care of Grandma and I also have a temporary work from home job starting in April. This slow complacency is feeling pretty comfortable right now. I know that feeling will soon pass, however, when I balance my checkbook or pay my overdue CILCO bill.
We have a new manager and a new chef. Our manager, C, seems very detail oriented and assertive. He has initiated a lot of changes to make things more consistent, which I appreciate. Our new chef, G, is working on a new menu. She seems very down-to-earth and practical. I like her. Our cook, M, is leaving us in a couple weeks. I will miss him.
I am still feeling (inexplicably) hopeful that The Restaurant will be successful. I am also pretty indifferent about looking for anything else right now, though, and am content to work only a few days a week. I hope for customers, but when we have none, I take advantage of the quiet atmosphere to work on my book club book. My schedule is working out in regards to taking care of Grandma and I also have a temporary work from home job starting in April. This slow complacency is feeling pretty comfortable right now. I know that feeling will soon pass, however, when I balance my checkbook or pay my overdue CILCO bill.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Spring E- Cleaning
I have been putting off cleaning out my inbox and changing the settings for my email groups, or unsubscribing to them. After reading this post, by Eyebrows McGee, I realized that my inbox situation is dysfunctional. I am an e-hoarder.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Doughnuts & Donuts Commercials
Last weekend, we made a family event out of making homemade doughnuts. I made the dough; the kids and I rolled and cut them; the husband fried them; then the kids and I glazed and/or sugared them. It was fun and tasty.
I have not purchased a doughnut for years. I think they are “OK” but I am not a huge fan and worry about them being filled with unhealthy fat and sugar. I just looked up the nutrition info for a Dunkin' Donuts cake doughnut and was surprised to see it did not list any trans fat in the nutrition facts.
(Although it did list Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil in the ingredients.)
Some Dunkin' Donuts commercials have caught my eye (ear) recently. My husband really likes “Doing Things Is What I Like To Do”.
I have just started seeing this fairly recently, but this commercial was apparently part of a 2006 ad campaign featuring the band, They Might Be Giants. I really like TMBG, but that commercial annoys me because of the line, “I'm slightly more productive now than previous because I'm slightly more efficient than I previously was". It just doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know if it is grammatically incorrect, and realize that music does not have to be grammatically correct, but that line just bugs me.
I really like this commercial.
I identify with that frustration. When I go to a bar, and want a big drink, I order a “tall”. When I go to Starbucks and want a big drink, I have several times ordered a “tall” and gotten the smallest drink they serve. At Starbucks “tall” means small. What I need to order is a Venti Latte. OK. So this commercial is kind of funny too. Another They Might Be Giants.
I have not purchased a doughnut for years. I think they are “OK” but I am not a huge fan and worry about them being filled with unhealthy fat and sugar. I just looked up the nutrition info for a Dunkin' Donuts cake doughnut and was surprised to see it did not list any trans fat in the nutrition facts.
(Although it did list Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil in the ingredients.)
Some Dunkin' Donuts commercials have caught my eye (ear) recently. My husband really likes “Doing Things Is What I Like To Do”.
I have just started seeing this fairly recently, but this commercial was apparently part of a 2006 ad campaign featuring the band, They Might Be Giants. I really like TMBG, but that commercial annoys me because of the line, “I'm slightly more productive now than previous because I'm slightly more efficient than I previously was". It just doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know if it is grammatically incorrect, and realize that music does not have to be grammatically correct, but that line just bugs me.
I really like this commercial.
I identify with that frustration. When I go to a bar, and want a big drink, I order a “tall”. When I go to Starbucks and want a big drink, I have several times ordered a “tall” and gotten the smallest drink they serve. At Starbucks “tall” means small. What I need to order is a Venti Latte. OK. So this commercial is kind of funny too. Another They Might Be Giants.
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