The latest in interactive engagement of the customer – build more flavor into your meal.  It looks a little like an an experiment rather than a dining experience.  But, as Faith Popcorn predicted, people will migrate to anything “custom.” LH

Geschmackslabor, German for Flavour Lab, is a new restaurant located in a former school in Bremerhaven. The ‘lab’ part of the name doesn’t refer to molecular gastronomy or food served in test tubes. Experimentation at the restaurant is all about letting customers add flavour to their meals.

Dishes are served ready-to-eat, but diners are encouraged to enhance them by adding one or more of twenty custom-made seasoning oils that Geschmackslabor has on offer. The seasonings are all based on very pure olive oil, which is infused with flavours ranging from Arabica coffee and rosemary to papaya and coconut. Geschmackslabor’s menu suggests which seasonings go well with which dishes, but the whole point is for customers to experiment and find their own delicious combinations. The restaurant supplies plenty of bread for trying out different oils before adding them to food, allowing customers to sample a full range of spicy, sour, salty, sweet and bitter. The oils are also sold separately at EUR 4.90-5.50 for 100 ml.

Adding olive oil to prepared food may not appeal to every consumer, but Geschmackslabor’s DIY approach to ‘finishing’ a dish definitely adds a new level of experience to eating out. It’s an adventurous, taste-focused alternative to the usual ketchups and hot sauces, and should appeal to those daring consumers that our sister-site trendwatching.com calls trysumers. If you’re in the restaurant biz, this is one to experiment with! http://www.geschmackslabor.com/

Discover, Savor & Taste Some of the Finest Chocolatiers & Confectioners in North America.

The first annual Chicago Luxury Chocolate Salon will be held on September 7th from 11 am to 5 pm.

Anyone who is a chocolate lover will be happy to experience some of the finest in artisan, gourmet and premium chocolate.

Featured “chocolatiers” include Ghiradelli, Chocolate Company, The Chocolate Traveler, Diving Chocolate USA, Katherine Ann Confections, Coco Delice Fine Chocolates and many more.

I’ll be there on the tasting panel (would you say no to this opportunity?).  I am ready and willing to lend my palate!

For more information go to http://www.chicagochocolatesalon.com/

Due to the state of the economy, I’ll be posting good discounts or deals to help those who want to obtain a value when they dine out.  In the month of September, Sweet Baby Ray’s helps familys with kids and anyone who enjoys ribs.  LH 

800 E. Higgins Rd.
Elk Grove Village, Ill.
(847) 437-9555
Kids Eat Free on Tuesday
On Tuesday nights at Sweet Baby Ray’s in Elk Grove, kids ages 12 and under receive a complimentary children’s meal with the purchase of one regularly priced adult entrée. This offer is available each Tuesday after 5 p.m. This deal sounds just as good as the Sweet Baby Ray’s Cherry Rum-a-Nades ($5), a very-adult drink special, made with muddled Maraschino cherries, Lemonade, Black Cherry rum and a splash of Sprite. The Cherry Rum-a-Nade is offered as a Tuesday drink special throughout the month of September.

Wednesday Night All You Can Eat Ribs
The Sweet Baby Ray’s team is so proud of their first prize Best Ribs win at Naperville 2008 Ribfest that they can’t help but share the good fortune with their customers. Every Wednesday, the All You Can Eat Baby Back Ribs ($16.99 per person) packs the fans in, and the Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Restaurant Sangrias ($5) keep the customers thirsting for more.

Smoked Prime Rib Dinner Weekend Special
Every Friday and Saturday evening, Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Restaurant features a Smoked Prime Rib Dinner, complete with favorite side dishes ($18.99 per person).

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. Calvin Trillin

I had some business near Portland a few weeks ago, so I got in touch with an old friend who lives in Vancouver.  We spent the weekend tooling around and I requested that we make the 2 hour trip to the Oregon coast.

My friend Rebecca had discovered a quaint little eatery right on the way to the shore that’s become her favorite: 42^nd Street Café in Seaview, Washington. 

Chef/owner Cheri Walker has an eclectic background – she’s played in several symphonies, is honored for her culinary skills, and for relaxation she rides her horse London Fog.

Cheri has created just the kind of café Calvin Trillin would love. 

Everywhere we ate in the Oregon/Washington area stuffed me with “really good” seafood.  When I reached 42^nd Street, I let Rebecca slide down the famous oysters, and eyed choices from the Roadhouse menu like “eight hour pot roast, mashed potatoes and brown gravy (served with a salad, baked bread, marionberry conserve and corn relish.  A featured entrée: New Orleans style Muffaletta Penne Pasta.  How bad can that be?

Care for some of those seafood tidbits: fried razor clams breaded with flour, buttermilk and crushed saltine crackers served with parsley caper mayo on the side!

For dessert, try French Cream infused with lavender and topped with raspberries tossed in rose water, and cinnamon!

I could not help describing all of those dishes – please leave your computer now and go there!

I loved the tomato soup with blue cheese (recipe shared below).  I absolutely will make this.  Don’t you love when a recipe has surprise ingredients that you would never think of that bring up a subtle flavor?  For me, in this dish, it was the brandy and brown sugar.  None of that was overt, but truly present is the quietest of ways.

If you are ever anywhere near Seaview, set the GPS for the 42^nd St Café.

360.642.2323
42nd Street Café
4201 Pacific Way • Seaview, WA 98644

http://www.42ndstreetcafe.com/

Cream of Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
Makes 8 cups

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 ea 29-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp dill weed
• 1/2 c brandy
• 1/4 c brown sugar or anise syrup
• 2 tsp chicken base with 2 c water <OR> 2 c chicken stock
• 2 c heavy cream
• 1 c blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 tsp white pepper

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the blue cheese and white pepper and bring up to a boil. Turn to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to cook off the alcohol in the brandy.
2. Add the blue cheese crumbles and stir until dissolved. Add the white pepper to taste and serve with hazelnut croutons.

 

The other day I stumbled upon Dave’s post below (www.czmarketing.com) about which is more important – good food or good service.  I pondered and came to my own succinct conclusion.  GREAT FOOD IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GREAT SERVICE. Bad service is very annoying, and can even cause anger.  Anger is the certain emotion if the food NEVER comes (in that one case, service would be more important).  I could withstand fairly lousy service (although I really do covet service).  But to withstand lousy food, well I’ll just say no to that! LH

 ”The owner is Greek, the restaurant is Italian. And it serves the best Chicago-style stuffed pizza in the Chicago area.

That’s saying something, given that there’s a pizza joint on the four corners of every major intersection. This restaurant is not a franchise. Not a carry-out-only place. And while it serves other Italian food – I don’t know that for sure, since I’ve eaten only the pizza.

To beat the rush weekend evenings, we order in. That is, my wife or I call about 40 minutes ahead and place our order. We arrive with our three kids, two of which head to a playroom with video games and other toys.

We put our name in with the host, who most often is the grumpy, squatty gray-haired owner-grandma. She barely looks up when you walk up to the podium that she peers over to take your name. We remind her that we’ve already ordered. I don’t think she smiles. She plays no favorites.

The service is slow, the waiters and waitresses are never around when you want another drink. You wait for your check. You wait for the box to take home the leftover pizza. It’s the place to go if you want to test your patience.

In short the restaurant violates pretty much every marketing principle of the last quarter century.

Yet, I suspect that the owners fit the profile of the rich folks in the best-selling book, The Millionaire Next Door. The restaurant mints gold, the pizza is gold.

So I wonder what there is to take away from their success, and the only thing I can think of is this: Great pizza trumps great service. That is, if your product is really, really good, then your service can be average.

That doesn’t sound right to me, but I’m stumped.  Thoughts?”