Bartending Pro Tips Part 2:
December 31, 2007
Bartending Pro Tips Part 2:
by: Steve Landen
This article is a continuation of Bartending Pro Tips Part 1: How to Make Money and Have Fun With a Career In Bartending
8. If there is trouble or violence try, at all costs, to avoid coming out from behind the bar. Raise your voice and attempt to take control verbally, while you are dialing 911. Many bars do not provide security. A personal friend of mine came out from behind the bar and hit an assailant with a full bar bottle since the assault was against a woman. That bartender (who owned the bar) is still in prison not because the bad guy died days later, but because the bartender “came out from behind the bar.”
9. Tip jars are sort of an optional thing, depending on the type of bar. If you follow the sort of relationship-building techniques I have suggested, then when your customer is cashing out it should be a face-to-face, handshake-to-handshake experience They are a lot more likely to deal with you fairly (maybe show off a little bit too) than if they can sneak a few quarters and a dime into a tip jar when you are busy. If you have waiter and waitress staff, one surly server can easily cost you a considerable amount, and that is only if you ever even see their tips. Tip and bar/service accounts should, in my opinion, be kept separate and are in many establishments.
Rib-Eye Steak with Mushrooms and Bleu Cheese
December 31, 2007
This is a mouth watering steak. Every time I serve this in the restaurant the customers rave. The best part, it’s so simple you can make it at home for the family.
Serves 2
- 2 ea. Rib-eye steaks (each about 1 inch thick)
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- ½ tsp. Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
- 1 ea Onion - thinly sliced
- 1/2 lb Mushrooms - thickly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. Garlic - chopped
- 3/4 cup Beef broth
- 1/4 cup Brandy
- 1/4 tsp. Fresh rosemary - minced
- ½ cup Bleu cheese - crumbled
Place steaks in shallow dish. Drizzle with oil; rub oil all over steaks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add steaks to skillet; fry until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Using tongs, transfer steaks to plates and place in a warm oven.
Add butter and onion to sauté pan then sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushrooms are just tender, about 4 minutes
Add broth, brandy and rosemary and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce until liquid by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Add cheese; stir just until cheese melts, but still has bits of bleu cheese visible, about 1 minute.
Restuarants that Deliver in New York and Los Angeles
December 30, 2007
Restuarants that Deliver in New York and Los Angeles
by: Eden Byrne
What is the easiest way to order in food?
Many people cannot find a menu and waste time looking for it while others waste money calling 411. At the end, it often becomes a tedious task to place an order.
What makes OrderInFood.com unlike other services is that its visitors can view actual color menus of restaurants that deliver; and can also dial a local number to quickly search for the nearest places that deliver.
OrderInFood.com is a website and phone directory of restaurants that deliver in the Los Angeles and New York and has over 1500 listings and 1000 color menus. Visitors can quickly search for restaurants by zip code and cuisine, such as pizza, Chinese or Mexican, or simply search by restaurant name. The website has features such as viewing menus, reading and posting reviews and mapping restaurants.
Our phone service, (310) 659-5595 in Los Angeles and (212) 582-5100 in New York, allows users to search for restaurants by zip code and cuisine when on the go. This phone service also lets callers enter a restaurant extension from the website. All users are then transferred and connected to the restaurant they choose.
Australian Wines
December 29, 2007
Australia’s wine industry has boomed in the past ten years. Employers have had to triple their staff numbers to cope with the demand for Aussie wine. Considering the lower average national population of Australia, compared to say the United States or even South Africa, 30,000 (2001) workers is pretty high.
One of the main reasons for the demand on this skillful industry is that it has won an international reputation for quality and value. Australian wines have won many highly sought after international awards and labels and many innovative Australian winemakers are sought internationally for their wine making expertise.
Wine regions throughout Australia have continually had high ratings especially over the past four years. Most of these regions and especially the East and South coasts (New South Wales and Victoria) are averaging 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Second to the brilliant winemakers, and a close second, is the great climates / weather that certain regions have for cultivating vines.
Wine is very much a part of the Australian way of life, closely associated with both business and leisure. Wine consumption is often linked to the country’s outdoor-oriented lifestyle as well as to the cosmopolitan urban way of life of the bulk of the Australian population.
10 Easy Ways To Protect Your Family From Food Poisoning
December 28, 2007
Do you realize the many ways that bacteria can contaminate the food YOUR FAMILY eats? Do you know how to tell if your food is THOROUGHLY cooked to keep YOUR family safe from Food Poisoning? Do you know what to do if you or SOMEONE YOU LOVE gets Food Poisoning?
When it comes to food preparation and storage, “Common Practices” could be POISONING your family!
Here’s how to avoid the problem entirely:
1. Plan For Safety
Make sure you have the right equipment, including cutting boards, utensils, food thermometers, cookware, shallow containers for storage, soap, and paper towels. Make sure you have a source of clean water. Plan ahead to ensure that there will be adequate storage space in the refrigerator and freezer.
2. Shop Smart
Prevention of food poisoning starts with your trip to the supermarket. Pick up your packaged and canned foods first. Buy cans and jars that look perfect. Do the cans have dents? Don’t buy canned goods that are dented, cracked, or bulging. These are the warning signs that dangerous bacteria may be growing in the can. Are the jars cracked? Do they have lids that are loose or bulging? The food may have germs that can make you sick. Look for any expiration dates on the labels and never buy outdated food. Likewise, check the “use by” or “sell by” date on dairy products such as cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, and sour cream and pick the ones that will stay fresh longest in your refrigerator.
Brew Pubs Today: The Revival Of A Proud American Tradition
December 27, 2007
Brew Pubs Today: The Revival Of A Proud American Tradition
by: Keith Tomlinson
Remember the one-on-every corner dimly lit brew pub or tavern, beer-soaked carpeting and Joe the Bartender, a long row of customers with their glasses of watery mass-produced beer, all staring at a flickering television? Versions of these drinking establishments certainly still exist but their heyday as the gathering place of choice is over. In fact this rather depressing era was only a hiatus in America’s rich brew pub history.
In 1634 the Puritans licensed the first brew pub in New England with ale brewed on the premises. Their idea was to steer drinkers away from the higher alcohol content of rum and whiskey. During this period, they also passed legislation ensuring the quality of the product. This tradition of local beer brewing paired with brewing excellence continued until the time of prohibition in the 1920’s. European immigrants were the driving force behind this tradition, not only in transporting time-honored recipes and methods, but also in flavoring the atmosphere of their taverns with the customs and décor of their home countries. The Dutch and the English, then the Germans in the 19th century brought the family atmosphere of the old world to their adopted land.
Spinach Salad with Mango and Papaya
December 26, 2007
This is a great summer salad, leaving you refreshed even on the hottest days. For those who like to have a little protein with there salad, both grilled chicken or shrimp go well with this dish. Don’t let the number of items scare you, this is a simple recipe and well worth the extra time. Great for the family or summer parties.
Spinach Salad
Makes 1 salad
- 4 oz. Spinach ? cleaned and stem removed
- 2 oz. Mango ? peeled, seeded and diced into ¾" pieces
- 2 oz. Papaya ? peeled, seeded and diced into ¾" pieces
- 2 oz. Mandarin oranges
- ½ oz. Red onion ? julienne
- 2 Tbsp. Slivered almonds ? toasted
- 2 oz. Lime vinaigrette (recipe follows)
- 1 ea. Lime slices
Combine spinach red onion and lime vinaigrette in a bowl and toss. Place on plate and top with mango, papaya, mandarin oranges and slivered almonds. Garnish with lime slice.
Lime vinaigrette
Yields 4 cups
Cheese Making Through the Ages
December 26, 2007
Cheese Making Through the Ages
by: Jean Feingold
The many different types of cheeses available mean there is something to suit every taste. It is generally believed that cheese was first made in the Middle East. Legend has it that a nomadic Arab made cheese by accident when a saddlebag filled with milk fermented due to the hot sun and the galloping movement of his horse.
Early cheeses were not the solid products we eat today. They were simple curds and whey, like what Little Miss Muffet ate. The curd is the solid part while the whey is liquid.
Workmen making cheese are depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. In ancient times, the whey was eaten immediately while the curd was salted or dried for preservation. The Roman Legion helped spread the art of cheesemaking throughout Europe and England. The monasteries and feudal estates of Europe made great improvements in cheesemaking during the Middle Ages. Many of the classic varieties of cheese enjoyed today were developed by monks. During the Renaissance, cheese decreased in popularity because it was considered unhealthy. By the nineteenth century, sentiment had changed and cheese production moved from farms to factories. No one involved in the early history of cheese could have imagined that today people would buy cheese online.
Regional Indian Cookery - The Punjab
December 25, 2007
Regional Indian Cookery - The Punjab
by: Liz Canham
The Punjab is situated in eastern India and is divided by the Indian/Pakistani border. It is very fertile because of the rivers that cross here and as a consequence, agriculture is central to the economy. Wheat accounts for a large proportion of the crops, along with corn, mustard greens, sugar cane and rice.
Buffalo milk which is 3% higher in fat than cows milk, is also important to the Punjabis, who are not prey to worries about cholesterol. Every bit of the buffalo milk is used in some way or other. Some is used in tea or evaporated into a much thicker richer milk known as bhadoli, which in turn is set into yoghurt. The thick cream will be removed from the top of the yoghurt and churned into butter. Some of the butter will be saved as is and the rest will be warmed slowly and turned into ghee (clarified butter) by pouring off the clear butter and discarding the solid sediment. Yet more of the milk will be made into paneer, the Indian equivalent of cottage cheese. The milk is boiled then curdled by adding lime juice then strained of whey, leaving the curds which can be shaped into solid rounds.
10 Deadly Bacteria That Can Get In Your Food (And How To Stop Them From Getting There)
December 24, 2007
Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. Not all bacteria cause disease in humans (for example, some bacteria are used beneficially in making cheese and yogurt). However, the prime causes of food-borne illness include parasites, viruses, and bacteria such as:
1. E. coli O157:H7
2. Campylobacter jejuni
3. Salmonella
4. Staphylococcus aureus
5. Listeria monocytogenes
6. Clostridium perfringens
7. Vibrio parahaemolyticus
8. Vibrio vulnificus
9. Hepatitis A virus, and
10. Norwalk and Norwalk-like virus
Bacteria that cause disease are called pathogens. These organisms can become unwelcome guests at the dinner table. When certain pathogens enter the food supply, they can cause food-borne illness. They’re in a wide range of foods, including meat, milk and other dairy products, spices, chocolate, seafood, and even water. Millions of cases of food-borne illness occur each year.
Most cases of food-borne illness can be prevented. Careless food handling sets the stage for the growth of disease- causing “bugs.” For example, hot or cold foods left standing too long at room temperature provide an ideal climate for bacteria to grow. Proper cooking or processing of food destroys bacteria.
