Rant: Who The Hell Sent You?

Every month, a significant number of local restaurants close and you can check out Boston's Hidden Restaurants Closings & Openings to view which restaurants shut down each month. It's not an easy industry and restaurants need all the help they can get to survive. Consumers have so many choices and restaurants must compete and try to stand out. Restaurants seek out ways to draw in new customers and it can be tough to know what works and what doesn't.

Maybe they should be asking their customers, Who The Hell Sent You?

Okay, they probably shouldn't phrase it that way but the sentiment is valid. Restaurants would love to know the reasons why their customers first come to the restaurant. What brings them through the doors for the first time? Did they read a review in The Boston Globe or Boston magazine? Did they read a blogger's review, like one of my own? Did they see a Facebook post or Tweet about the restaurant? Was it word of mouth from a friend? Knowing the answer would immensely help restaurants determine the best ways to attract new customers.

Unfortunately, most customers seem to fail to tell anyone at the restaurant the reason that brought them there. A small number do speak up and it is well appreciated by the restaurants. When I used to write a local newspaper column with restaurant reviews, some of my readers would subsequently check out a restaurant I reviewed and tell the owners it intrigued them to visit. The owners were pleased to know the reasons for the increased traffic, and it helped them understand how many people read the local people. With my blog, I know some of my readers have done the same, telling the restaurants who recommended them.

In this regard, maybe restaurant servers could ask new customers what led them to dine at the restaurant. In addition, customers should take the initiative and tell the restaurant personnel about the reasons that led to the restaurant. Not only do you do a small favor for the restaurant, but you do a small favor for the person who recommended the restaurant. I know I greatly appreciate anyone who reads my reviews and lets the restaurants know my words led you to check them out. Let your voice be heard and speak up at the restaurant. It will cost you no more than a few moments of your time.

Please, tell them who sent you.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) On Tuesday, April 12, Bar Boulud, located at Mandarin Oriental, invites guests to welcome Chef Daniel Boulud for two exclusive events, both of which will be hosted at his French-inspired bistro and wine bar in the city’s Back Bay.

From 5PM – 7PM, Chef Daniel Boulud and Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Kilroy will meet, greet, and eat with guests at the “Bar Bites with Boulud” event. As guests enjoy stand-outs from the restaurant’s recently launched Bar Bites menu, like Petite Croque Monsieur boasting warm house-made ham, gruyère cheese and béchamel on toasted white bread, Fried Belly Clam Bites featuring Ipswich belly clam, tartar sauce and lemon on toasted brioche and Charc Bites, an introduction to the restaurant’s house-made charcuterie selections, Chef Boulud and Chef Kilroy will mix and mingle amongst the crowd.

As the evening continues, at 7:30PM, guests looking for a more intimate experience are invited to enjoy a four-course “Spring Supper” menu paired with wines in the restaurant’s private dining room. Chef Boulud and Chef Kilroy, alongside Bar Boulud’s exemplary culinary team, will serve guests a memorable menu of spring-inspired dishes like Ricotta Cavatelli featuring prosciutto, grilled spring onion, pistachio, Romanesco and mint, and Pan-Seared Salmon paired with morels, asparagus, black garlic and onion aigre doux, complemented by wines that will be expertly selected by the restaurant’s newly appointed sommelier, David Bérubé.

COST: $35, Bar Bites with Boulud (includes light bites and a complimentary glass of beer or wine). Cash bar will be available.
              $125, Four-Course Spring Supper with Wine Pairings
TICKETS: Available on EventBrite.com
Bar Bites with Boulud: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bar-bites-with-boulud-tickets-23910074677
Spring Supper: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-supper-with-chef-daniel-boulud-tickets-24236255292

2) Chef/Owner Michael Schlow and the Doretta Taverna team invite guests to join them for an upcoming wine dinner featuring Ktima Gerovassiliou wines. On Monday, April 11th, at 6pm, Doretta Taverna and Raw Bar will be hosting its first-ever wine dinner featuring the Greek wines of Ktima Gerovassiliou.

The evening will include pours of Ktima Gerovassiliou wines, a five-course, signature tasting menu  complementing the Greek vintages, and conversation with Ktima Gerovassiliou Assistant Winemaker Thrass Giantsidis about the indigenous and international varieties produced at the winery.

Tickets are $125 plus tax and gratuity and can be reserved by calling (617) 422-0008

3) In celebration of Passover, Cook Newton is offering the neighborhood a selection of special dishes on Friday, April 22 through Saturday, April 30. Executive Chef Paul Turano will serve three unique takes on traditional Seder fare including Matzo Ball Soup ($8), Red Wine Braised Brisket with cauliflower mashed, carrots and pearl onions ($23) and Almond Macaroon Torte with chocolate frosting and berries ($8). The regular menu will also be available.

RSVP: Reservations recommended by calling 617-964-2665.

4) Choul Chnam Thmey, they say! This Khmer (Cambodian) New Year, The Elephant Walk in Boston’s South End neighborhood is celebrating by offering additional Cambodian features from April 13 to April 15. Known for her French/Cambodian culinary fusion, Chef/Owner Nadsa de Monteiro spices up the three-day affair with standout dishes that are reminiscent of her childhood in Cambodia.

Enjoy traditional Cambodian cuisine including Lamb Saraman, lamb shoulder slow cooked in Khmer curry spices with cardamom seeds, stars anise, cinnamon, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, coconut milk, shrimp paste and sweet yam ($23), Nom Banchok Namya, rice noodles with red coconut sauce of ground catfish with Khmer spices and prahok with green beans, cucumber sprouts, mint and Asian basil ($11), and N’Sahm Chaek, sweet banana enrobed in coconut sticky rice, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed, served warm with coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds ($8.50).

To make a reservation please call 617-247-1500.

5) Chef/Owner Will Gilson is excited to announce the launch of a new bar menu at Puritan & Company. Kicking off spring in a tasty way, the bar menu now offers a variety of delicious bites and is vailable to bar patrons Sunday through Thursday from 5:30pm-11pm. and Friday through Saturday from 5:30pm-12am.

The new menu includes:
Dry-Aged Beef Patty Melt with rye, Swiss cheese, American cheese, special sauce ($18)
Bluefish Pate served with fine herbs and hardtack crackers ($8)
Potato "Spuddies" with parmesan, black pepper, and onion dip ($8)
Buttered Lobster Buns with brown butter, lemon, and sriracha aioli ($17)
Fried Skate Sandwich with remoulade, cabbage-pepper slaw on brioche ($18, buffalo-style for additional $1)
Rosemary-Maple Bar Nuts ($5)
Scallop-Linguisa Dumplings with piri-piri, garlic, paprika ($13)

Japan Has Sake-Flavored Kit Kats

Why is America so boring?

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Kit Kat, a candy which consists of chocolate covered wafers. According to Kit Kat stats from 2012, about 650 Kit Kat fingers are consumed every second worldwide. As Kit Kat bars usually have two or four fingers, that means about 180-325 of them are consumed each second. In the U.S., Kit Kats are the 5th most popular chocolate candy while in Japan, Kit Kats are their most popular choice. This might be a reason why Japan has so many more flavors and types of Kit Kats than the U.S.

Americans only have basically three Kit Kat flavors/types available to them, including the Original Kit Kats, Kit Kat White Chocolate and Kit Kat Miniatures. In Japan though, there have been over 200 flavors/types of Kit Kats, with new flavors being created all the time. That's quite a gap and the U.S. needs more than just two different flavored Kit Kats. Maybe if there were many different flavors, the popularity of Kit Kats in the U.S. would rise.

In Japan, you'll find Kit Kat flavors including more unique ones such as Purple Sweet Potato, Edamame, European Cheese, Match-Green Tea, and Adzuki. Check out this list to see many of the other flavors that have existed and may still exist in Japan. Certain regions in Japan even have their own Kit Kat flavors, which are not available in the other regions. Part of the reason for the great popularity of Kit Kats may be that they are viewed as good luck, because the name sounds similar to kitto katsu, which roughly translates as "you will surely win" or "win without fail."

Some of the unique Kit Kat flavors are popular with foreign tourists, such as the Green Tea Kit Kat. Due to its popularity, Nestle decided to create another unique flavor that they thought would appeal to tourists, one using Nihonshu, or as known in the U.S., Sake! This past February, the new Sake-flavored KitKat was released in Japan. It is not available in the U.S.

I was fortunate to receive one of these Sake Kit Kats as a New Year's gift from Deborah Fleig, one of the owners of The Floating World, an excellent small Sake importer based in New Mexico. I've previously raved about a number of the Sakes they have imported.

The photo at the top of this post shows the packaging, a box with a pink sakura cherry blossom design and a bottle & glass of Sake. It costs about 150 yen, roughly $1.34 U.S. The photo above indicates the contents of the box, three packages, each containing a two-finger Kit Kat. They also sell a min-piece box for 700 yen, or $6.27 U.S. These Kit Kats are created with a Sake powder which is added between the white chocolate and wafers, and the candy actually has an alcohol content of 0.8%. That alcohol content prompted Nestle to provide a warning: "Children and lightweight drinkers are kindly requested for refraining from consuming this product."

The Nestle website states that this Kit Kat possesses:  "The elegant taste of Sake, wrapped in the gentle sweetness of white chocolate. You can enjoy the mellow, full-bodied flavor, and a refreshing aftertaste of Sake." From the outside, I couldn't detect any Sake aroma but once I broke it open, I could detect a subtle aroma of Sake, a hint of steamed rice and melon. And once I tasted it, I got a mild Sake note amidst the sweet white chocolate and crispy wafer. However, the more I ate, I realized there was a bit more of a Sake aftertaste. It was a pleasant Sake flavor, making this a tasty and interesting candy. It may never be sold in the U.S., so if you have a friend visiting Japan, ask them to pick you up some of these Sake Kit Kats.

Thanks very much to Deborah for sending me this special Sake treat.

Rant: Battling Burgers & Mediocrity

It is a tale of two restaurants, one part of a chain with over 65 locations and the other a small, independent restaurant with a single location.

It is a tale of a $13 meal, a burger and fries, offered at both restaurants.

It is a tale of mediocrity against quality, an illustrative tale which I hope will make consumers more carefully ponder their restaurant choices.

Last week, I made my second visit to A&B Burgers in Beverly and my first visit to Smokey Bones in Peabody. During my visits to A&B Burgers, I've tasted two of their burgers as well as their Mac n' Cheese dish. At Smokey Bones, I also tasted one of their burger as well as their Mac n' Cheese. I tasted a few other dishes at Smokey Bones too, but those are not part of this post's comparison, and I'll note they were all mediocre.

Both restaurants offer a burger and fries for approximately $13 so which is the better value?

At Smokey Bones, that $13 gets you 8 ounces of grilled Angus beef, topped with items such as BBQ sauce, cheddar, bacon, BBQ'd onions and onion tanglers. You can have french fries, or choose a different side, from cole slaw to a baked potato. And there is a small extra charge for certain sides, such as onion rings or big cheese macaroni. I opted for a burger with a fried egg atop it and chose the big cheese macaroni as my side.

At A&B Burgers, that same $13 gets you 7 ounces of locally sourced and sustainably farmed beef, which is first slow cooked, for almost two hours, in their new C-vap oven before it is then seared on the grill. It can be topped in a number of ways, such as with BBQ sauce, cheddar, onion strings, and bacon. It comes with sea salt fries and for a small extra charge you can substitute for items like bacon truffle fries or fried pickles. On my first visit, I had the Sweet & Salty with burrata cheese, fig jam and bacon with the bacon truffle fries. On my second visit, I had their 7X Wagyu burger with cheese, bacon and a fried egg.

Though you get 1 ounce more meat at Smokey Bones, the quality of the beef is better at A&B Burgers, as well as local and sustainable. At Smokey, the burger is just grilled while A&B uses a slow cooked method, with their C-vap oven, as well as grilling. You have a greater choice of sides at Smokey but that is only important dependent on the quality of those extra side choices. The true test though is obviously the taste of the burger.

The Smokey burger was mediocre, a serviceable burger but it didn't excite my taste buds. It is a burger you would eat and immediately forget. It wouldn't be something you would rave about to your friends. I was irked though that the fried egg atop my burger had a hard yolk. When I get an egg on my burger, I want a soft yolk to drip over the meat. It is messier but I love the taste of the yolk mixing with the meat.

The A&B Burgers though stood out, tender and juicy, with a meaty burst of flavor. They were the type of burgers that woke up your taste buds and which became part of your memory. They were the type of burgers which you would tell your family and friends about. They were the type of burgers which would draw you back to A&B, time and time again. And when I had an egg on one of their burgers, the yolk was soft and gooey, flowing over the meat.

For $13, you could order a burger and fries at either restaurant, but your choice should be simple. The taste of the A&B burger far exceeds the mediocrity of Smokey's burger. So why would you get the burger at Smokey? You should be going to a restaurant which delivers the best bang for the buck, which delivers the best tasting burger at such a reasonable price. Peabody and Beverly are fairly close and the two restaurants are only about 5 miles apart so there is little reason not to make the trip to A&B.

Far too many people opt for mediocre food when much better alternatives abound, even at a similar price point. You should care about the food that goes into your stomach. You should be seeking food that delivers exciting flavors. I went to Smokey because I hadn't been there before and wanted to try out their food. And now, after my experience, I'm unlikely to return. And even if I did, I wouldn't order a burger there again. With A&B though, I will definitely be returning there soon for another burger, and to check out more of their menu.

Don't opt for mediocrity!

(Disclosure: Of my two visits to A&B Burger, I paid for my first visit and the second visit was comped at the end of the meal. I was unaware that the second visit was going to be comped and simply ordered as I would normally.)

An Alternative To Tipping

Numerous restaurants, including several in Boston, have decided to eliminate tipping, partially as a means to pay all of their employees better, especially those back of the house employees, the cooks, dishwashers, and others who normally do not benefit from tips. The problem then facing those restaurants is how to generate sufficient income, without tips, to properly compensate their employees. Some restaurants add a service fee, such as 20%, to their customers' bill while other restaurants raise the prices of their food and drink.

A local chain of seafood restaurants (though they don't like to be called a chain) will soon be eliminating tipping at all of their locations, instituting a more unique way to increase their income so they can properly compensate all of their employees. It is their hope that their new policy will also help educate consumers as to all of the hard work that goes into a restaurant, including many elements that most diners never think about.

This new policy is being tentatively called "A La Carte," a phrase that many diners may already know. However, this restaurant chain is expanding that concept far beyond the usual practice. Diners will now individually pay for all aspects of their dinner, from their silverware to their service. You will only pay for what you use, but individual prices will better indicate the effort that goes into providing you your meal.

For example, you will be charged a fee to make a reservation. You will also have to pay an hourly fee for use of the table. If you linger far too long at a table, the restaurant loses money so the hourly fee is justified. At your table, you have a couple options for utensils and plates. It will be a cheaper fee for plastic silverware and paper plates rather than actual plates and silverware. Paper & plastic can be discarded, without the need to wash them, incurring water costs, dishwasher labor costs, etc. Condiments, such as salt & pepper, ketchup, mustard, and such, will also cost a small fee.

You will also pay a server fee for each time the server must stop by your table. Some diners are more demanding of their server, having that server go back and forth multiple times from their table. That will now cost those diners more to do so. And special orders, such as substitutions, will also incur a fee. Catering to food allergies, real or alleged, will also incur a special fee.

All food will be charged a la carte, and individual items may also incur an extra fee for longer cooking times. For example, if you order a steak well done, which takes longer to prepare, you will have to pay more than if it were ordered medium rare.

The beverage program will also see some necessary changes. For example, you will pay an extra fee for the type of glassware you select for your wine. Paper cups will be the least expensive and Riedels will be more expensive. You will also be charged if you need a decanter.

I asked a few local food & restaurant personalities for comments on this chain's elimination of tipping and their new fee policy:

Mucus Howitzer of Boston's Favorite Chain Restaurants: "I like the fact none of these new fees are hidden. Hidden is bad, very bad. I do love paper plates and cups and think it's great I can pay less for the pleasure of using them. I will be writing about this in the near future, an article titled My Top Ten Favorite Restaurant Fees."

Pattycake Magoo of I'm Your Slave Not Your Server: "I'm glad to see more restaurants trying to better compensate all their employees. If cooks are paid a better wage, then they will no longer spit and urinate in your food out of anger and frustration. And servers who get paid a better wage, and who are no longer reliant on tips, can buy better quality drugs and be much happier people."

Mr. Hanky Aaron Levee of Insuring A Full Belly: "A brilliant financial move though I would never eat there as I hate seafood. The employees though need a better financial future so I hope this new policy helps them. And then I can show them how to handle all their new money so they can afford to eat well for the rest of their lives."

Willright Fourfoud of The Foodie's Foodie Food Blog: "I am all for this new policy to help all those poor restaurant employees. I don't mind that restaurant prices will be increased for all those a la carte items. As I never have to pay at any restaurant, this new policy won't hurt my wallet in the least.  Sucks to be you."

Drool Starkist of Bagels, Bagels, Lox & Spam: "Why the hell does anyone care about this crummy chain? I hope this policy fails, they go out of business, their restaurants are razed, and the lots become food truck plazas."

As you can see, 4 out of 5 of these people were supportive of the new policy. In an informal poll on Twitter and Facebook, 85.27% of the respondents were also supportive.

What are your thoughts?