bibi rose's Profile
hoffman estates
Is Glenview within 20 minutes of Hoffman Estates? If so, I recommend Periyali (Greektown level food with pretty nice outdoor dining) and Cafe Lucci (Italian with great service and wine list). Both are on Milwaukee just north of Golf. You are also within reach of Mitsuwa, a Japanese supermarket with a fun food court, which is on Arlington Heights and Algonquin.
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Cafe Lucci
609 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview, IL 60025
Kombucha!?
According to the sign up at my local Whole Foods, it seems like it's more than one brand affected, and it's not just WF; it's their distributor(s). I am also thinking of starting to brew it at home. I saw two culture packs online for about $40; not bad considering the price of a bottle.
OP, please do report back if you see cases anywhere.
Approaching the topic of "friend of the restaurant/staff" with a restaurant.
Yes, I am sure they are aware.
Just guessing, but the extra attention may partly have been an attempt to keep on top of things. I am a regular at a restaurant which has a lot of (also regular) patrons who drink a ton. The owners always spend a lot of time at the tables of regulars, drunks and people with kids.
Crazy supermarket check-out experience
And then there are the ones who are trying to use expired coupons or to get a price from another supermarket matched or just get a better deal than the price that's marked. Or trying to return some old crap that they obviously didn't even buy at that store in the first place. It gets better when they act like they don't understand why they can't get whatever it is, in the hopes that the cashier will give it to them to make them go away. They get more and more indignant until the manager is called, and on and on.
acceptable "spur of the moment" vegetarian offering?
Chiming in late here-- I don't know if plain buttered spaghetti is acceptable but vegetarian meals like this are very common even at banquets where there is a vegetarian option announced. Vegetarians I know often eat beforehand.
Healthy/decently fast lunch in Evanston?
Foodstuffs on Central has wonderful take-out items.
Discount tipping on early bird..a nuance
How about split the difference? Your normal percentage on the bill, then half the percentage on the discounted amount.
Best Food Market Chain
Agreed, don't waste your time on TJs. Go to F&O twice instead. I am also fond of the Spice House. The Vosges chocolate boutique on N. Michigan is fun.
An easily overlooked Chicago product you can find at F&O: Nicole's crackers. The owner used to make crackers for the Palmer House and now sells them. They come in a wild variety of flavors and are all excellent. I put them in gift baskets and EVERYONE mentions them.
Looking for a restaurant in the North Suburbs for a wedding reception
I went to a wedding at Seasons of Long Grove last summer and it was really nice! The ceremony was there as well as the reception. It wasn't a very formal affair-- the couple getting married were very young. I especially liked the covered outdoor area they had for the ceremony and dancing. The food didn't knock my socks off but it was just fine. I remember the appetizers being very nice and extremely energetically passed and replenished. I'm trying to check their website for menus but can't get it to load at the moment.
Agreed that it's a good idea not to choose a place with zero banquet experience. I've been to enough rehearsal dinners with far fewer than 100 people where the restaurant was really unable to handle it.
Non Parishable Gift from Chicago
Probably too late for this person, but for further reference, Terry's Toffee:
http://www.terrystoffee.com/
"It's Coming Right Out" - Why say it if it is not true?
I'm assuming you are asking because you've waited too long and/or suspect that something has happened to your order. If so, they may say it because they really believe it. They may say it because they've had so many people asking the question after an unreasonably short period of time and they no longer take the question seriously-- that's wrong of them, but it may be why. It may be that they know a more acceptable response would be to walk right back to the kitchen and check on your order, but they are under the gun to get something else done. Again, not optimal but you're asking why and that may be it. They may be afraid (rightly, in my opinion) to give an estimate in numbers of minutes because that is so often wrong and to miss a deadline infuriates people even more than an indefinite wait. Doesn't matter why they say it if you don't like it.
You might get better results by asking a more pointed question. "It seems like my order is taking a long time. Could you go back and check on it?" If that is what you mean, of course. You could even tell them how long it's been; if they are busy, they may not be sure and may think it's not been as long as it has.
When a guest brings his/her own SALT to a restaurant.
On the upside, you didn't like the guy to begin with, so you haven't lost much. There is nothing worse than the kinds of differences that can emerge amoung family members at a time like this. During my mom's illness and death I saw stuff I couldn't believe-- and, to be fair, may have done things other people couldn't believe. I tried to cut slack for people I otherwise cared about, but there are some people I just don't like very much any more.
So sorry you are going through this.
Very tired question - Thanksgiving in the NW burbs?
I haven't had Thanksgiving at Cafe Lucci, but it's a nice place with excellent service:
http://www.cafelucci.com/
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Cafe Lucci
609 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview, IL 60025
Need Recs For Catered Cocktail Party Food in North/Northwest Burbs
Foodstuffs, various locations.
Dave's Specialty Foods, Mt. Prospect.
did you change your mind
Yeah, I think tipping is an example where someone can be swayed by new information; many people are somewhat unaware of how it works in different instances. (However, people trying to do this sort of persuasion have to be careful that they don't sound condescending-- "You must not be aware.."-- or like they think the general public has an obligation to know about the innner workings of the industry.)
did you change your mind
I find that I change my mind on issues where you can be persuaded by a preponderance of logic or new information. On the types of issues you get here, not so much, because they are more matters of etiquette and/or preference. Most of these kinds of preferences are pretty deeply ingrained; I find it hard to imagine someone starting to stack plates or something because someone has persuaded them it's better than not doing it.
Stacking dishes, WTF?
IMO, etiquette is about making the people around you feel comfortable. Many rules are arbitrary and/or have become archaic and deserve to be dismissed. But the stacking thing has the potential to make people uncomfortable by giving the impression that you are trying to hurry the end of the meal. My aunt starts clearing up the table when we're in a hotel having breakfast or something, and it drives everyone crazy. It has the appearance of a nervous habit and people wind up watching her instead of talking. It would be much more social if she would just sit and take part in the conversation. If you are habitually stacking stuff while people are still socializing, you may be a wet blanket.
Also, am I the only one who if waiting on a table would be nervous about picking up a pile someone else has stacked? You may be great at it, but the server doesn't know that and may be worried about picking up a precarious unbalanced pile of stuff. They have their own routine and you are disrupting it.
"That's What You Ordered!"
Please don't tell people you have a food allergy when you don't. This is the sort of thing that leads to people with real allergies not being taken seriously. Saying that you can't stand the food in question works just the same. Maybe say it makes you vomit copiously and offer to take a bite and show them.
Strawberry etiquette question
If you are removing ingredients from a communal dish to the point where it alters that dish, hell yeah you are being rude. Remember that scene in "You've Got Mail" where she takes him to task for eating the caviar from around a mousse or something? It was funny because her reaction was so over the top and self-righteous, yet on the other hand it was a bonehead thing to do. There is little more icky than eating food someone has picked over in that way. I hate watching my aunt work a bowl of nuts, eating only the almonds while blabbing about how good almonds are for you. We always throw away the bowl when she is not looking. Picking a lot of food out and then not eating it? That's just gross and wasteful. If these people's kids are so delicate they have to be fed like baby birds, they should be doing it a few strawberries at a time. Then there would be no problem. This would annoy me enough that I would probably hand the parents a plate with a couple of berries on it jut to give them a hint that they don't have to take them all at once.
In answer to the question whether it matters: no, such things ultimately don't. It's not like they are bringing a gun to the party and opening fire.
Are you a sample abuser?
At the Costco near me, the sample carts have signs saying kids under 12 or 13 (can't remember which) have to be with a parent to sample. This doesn't stop customers from yelling at the sample ladies for not giving their kids samples when they set them loose to run around the store.
I wouldn't do that sample job without a can of mace and a baseball bat.
Todai buffet in Schaumburg
I went to Todai once ages ago. It wasn't bad that day-- they had pretty good poke, for instance-- but I couldn't eat enough to feel like I got my money's worth. If you want to pig out on inexpensive Japanese food in that area, you can go up the road to Mitsuwa and eat in the food court.
"That's What You Ordered!"
OK, if the server is being that irrational, the perfect response is the one that limits your exposure the most. You repeat your order once and if that doesn't work, you ask for the manager.
Dealing with strangers who get irrationally angry like that is weird and it leaves one feeling, "Surely I could have done something better to prevent it/handle it/whatever." Doesn't matter if you do the perfect thing, you will feel like that anyway. IMO, best thing to do is refuse to engage. Once you see they are acting that way, ask to talk to someone else and if that doesn't work, leave.
"That's What You Ordered!"
If this happens to you a lot, you might be speaking in a way that's hard for the server to understand. You don't want to overenunicate either; that drives servers crazy. But I think the first step is to figure out if there's a legitimate reason they misheard you, or if they are blaming you for something that was entirely their mistake. If it is indeed the latter, and it's happened to me or my party a few times, I've just said, "Nope, I didn't order this and I wouldn't have ordered this." That takes care of it. If it didn't, I would call the manager. If I thought they really heard wrong, I'd say, sorry I wasn't clear and ask for the dish to be replaced. But again, if this happened to me chronically I would make a big effort to speak more clearly AND verify the order. Avoids a big waste of time and food.
Bad Hosts: Invites you and, after you accept, asks you to bring dessert for everyone.
Assuming that "we all know" anything is a good way to get yourself in trouble socially. If you ask a question, some people will take it literally. In a similar vein, some people mean it when they say, "We must have lunch" while for some people it's just a thing to say. You never know when something can cross from a slight difference in rhetoric to a place where someone gets offended. Don't say something, especially to someone you don't know well or (as it turns out in thise instance) you have a problematic relationship with unless it is acceptable to you that they take it literally.
Weight Watchers
Congrats to everyone who's been successful! I found WW quite effective but had to tweak it to keep from starving to death. I did it online and basically cheated whenever I was too hungry; just kept track of how much and tried to offset it by getting more exercise. I seemed to lose one pound/week that way rather than two, but that was fine. I also felt they penalized you too much for using fat so I used a little more olive oil than I said I was using. Also, instead of using those flex points, I just took one day a week to eat whatever I wanted, like it I was going out to dinner or something. Just tried to keep my food choices on the healthy side that day. I really believe the rumor that doing that gives your metabolism a little bit of a boost. Although I was barely on WW by the end, it did help me change habits in terms of eating low-points fruits and vegetables, and avoiding unnecessary fats. Oh, yes, and the journaling made it clear to me how many calories I was consuming in wine and how much alcohol seems to throw a monkey wrench in dieting, even beyond the calories consumed. Sad to say.
Bad Hosts: Invites you and, after you accept, asks you to bring dessert for everyone.
Almost every time I have asked that question the host has said yes, bring dessert. To some, that's just the polite answer.
Why is dessert for 19 such a big problem? If you don't want to make brownies or cookies, buy two angel food cakes, serve with berries and whipped cream.
Gjelina's attitude [Moved from LA board]
>>It is well known that if unsure, you make reservations for more rather than less and until now, that if you have fewer, you call as a courtesy to adjust the party size. >>
Well known according to whom? And does this authority give any limit? Like is it OK to reserve for 6 and downsize to 2, and call ahead merely as a courtesy? What about downsizing from 8 to 4? I don't have a problem with attempting to downsize, but you are in effect asking for a whole new reservation, last minute.
I'd like to know exactly what was said in this case. If it was anything like the poster reported, they blew it big time. I still don't understand the assumption that a restaurant should always be able to downsize a party just like that on a busy night. Most places I go to could not split a four-top in two, at least not without a fuss.
