Blonde Granny
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Post by Blonde Granny on Feb 20, 2015 22:21:38 GMT -5
Moist and delicious with spices and pineapple and nuts and amazing cream cheese frosting? Yep. I can do that. Dairy free, gluten free, nut free and vegan. Not so much. Keep the cake, just give me the frosting!
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Feb 21, 2015 1:57:56 GMT -5
If I ask questions they are related to my food allergies. I don't want to barf up my meal later or end up in the hospital. WVU, You're one of the people I think would accept when I say "I can't guarantee no cross contamination." You can't eat here. We use every known allergen in the bakery except actual peanuts. But we order and use stuff that is made in facilities with peanuts. Think M&M's. And we are an open facility. There is no door between retail and the main baking area. The cake room is open to the main baking area, although there is a door to the retail area. Which is frequently opened. We put nuts in lots of things and sell them out of the same case as the items with no nuts. Celiacs beware. There is flour in the air. You may not see it, but every single day, we dust every single surface because it's covered with flour. There is dairy, eggs, nuts, coconut and soy. So we tell people this from the outset. I can tell you my ingredient list. I can tell you my source. What I can't do is promise you that it wasn't contaminated when it gets to me. I can't promise you that we didn't accidentally contaminate it ourselves. Case in point. Coconut is a (not well known) tree nut/allergen. The shredded coconut I use on cupcakes is in the basement until I fill my bin and take it upstairs. I forgot the lid today. So I walked and uncovered known allergen throughout the whole facility. But that doesn't really matter because we use it in every area of the bakery. Even as a food service "professional" for the past 30 years, I don't see how any restaurant/food establishment can guarantee your safety. And no I can't change my recipes. Baking is chemistry. If you upset the balance, the end result changes. So no, I can't make you a single carrot cake with no nuts or pineapple. The first ingredient on the recipe card is 30 pounds of carrots... Moist and delicious with spices and pineapple and nuts and amazing cream cheese frosting? Yep. I can do that. Dairy free, gluten free, nut free and vegan. Not so much. I appreciate people who are honest. I gave up on eating most seafood out because they tend to be clueless about whether it was frozen. For some reason wine is fine but sulfites in frozen shrimp will make me puke. And yeah soy will do me in which is another tricky one. I almost got the turkey chili at Panera. Good thing I asked what the green things were. I was thinking lima (not sure why) and it was soy.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Feb 21, 2015 1:59:22 GMT -5
Moist and delicious with spices and pineapple and nuts and amazing cream cheese frosting? Yep. I can do that. Dairy free, gluten free, nut free and vegan. Not so much.
You don't happen to be in Maryland, do you? 'Cause now I want carrot cake moist and delicious with spices and pineapple and nuts and amazing cream cheese frosting.
I think Sugarbakers in Catonsville has carrot cake. Not sure if it has pineapple. Everything I've had there is delicious.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Feb 21, 2015 10:12:59 GMT -5
You don't happen to be in Maryland, do you? 'Cause now I want carrot cake moist and delicious with spices and pineapple and nuts and amazing cream cheese frosting.
I think Sugarbakers in Catonsville has carrot cake. Not sure if it has pineapple. Everything I've had there is delicious. Cool, thanks! I'll give them a try when the Siberian air mass goes away. Even carrot cake (with or without pineapple) isn't going to tempt me to venture out any farther than I have to when it's this cold. Oooo, maybe they will have almond and/or chocolate croissants! There used to be a French bakery in the Columbia Mall that had the best almond croissants and pain au chocolat, but they are long gone. Thanks for the recommendation. Something fun to look forward to!
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Feb 21, 2015 10:18:47 GMT -5
I don't ask questions. I'm not a picky eater. If it's something I like I'll get along just fine provided the cook isn't drunk, or just masquerading as a cook. If it's decently prepared I'll eat it. My favorite place to eat breakfast in New Orleans was a little hole in the wall - open 6am close 2pm. The cook always sipped wine while cooking but turned out one hell of a breakfast. Place closed a while back but I have years of fond memories chatting with "tipsy" cook
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Feb 21, 2015 10:57:08 GMT -5
They have a website with their menu. www.sugarbakerscakes.comIt's our go to for special cakes for work celebrations. The carrot cake does include pineapple. I don't see croissants. I'm not a real fan of lemon but their lemon mousse cake is devine. I've been wanting to order a red velvet one. They do Groupons for cakes. It's not available right now but it comes around fairly regularly. Carrot is one of the options and it's $25 for the 10 inch cake that is normally $40.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Feb 21, 2015 11:05:31 GMT -5
We used to have a girlfriend like that. She THOUGHT it was cute. We don't hang with her anymore and none of us, at the time, had the guts to tell her to knock it off or we'd start excluding her. I feel a bit guilty about that now but I was younger and more foolish. Now I'd just lean over and say it isn't cute, you're almost 60 with no food allergies, knock it off.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Feb 21, 2015 12:02:17 GMT -5
Not really. I never ask them to change a dish, but when I go to Peking Gardens, I ask for the crab and corn chowder instead of the hot and sour soup the special comes with. I LOVE their crab and corn chowder.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2015 13:30:04 GMT -5
And yeah soy will do me in which is another tricky one. I almost got the turkey chili at Panera. Good thing I asked what the green things were. I was thinking lima (not sure why) and it was soy. Darn, that's really disappointing- I thought Panera's food was more "real" than that. I'm fine with soy as long as you tell me what it is (tofu, tofurkey, textured vegetable protein, soy sauce) but don't tint it green so it looks like a vegetable or quietly stretch real meat with soy fillers to save money.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Feb 21, 2015 13:43:15 GMT -5
It has edamame in it. I couldn't think of how to spell that last night and I was on my phone. It has other beans and ground turkey but then you get that stuff in it so I won't be ordering it. I swear edamame is this new trendy thing and I'm like NOOO!!! I do appreciate people who are honest like Malarky. Some places you ask and either they don't know or the server doesn't bother asking someone who would know. Likely because they've had one too many picky people who claim allergies when really they are just picky!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2015 13:55:41 GMT -5
It has edamame in it. I couldn't think of how to spell that last night and I was on my phone. It has other beans and ground turkey but then you get that stuff in it so I won't be ordering it. I swear edamame is this new trendy thing and I'm like NOOO!!! OK, I take it back about Panera! Edamame is naturally green so it's just another veggie unless you're trying to avoid soy.
Thanks for the clarification.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Feb 21, 2015 14:00:56 GMT -5
It is naturally green, it's just a naturally green vegetable I can't have unless I want to lose my lunch a couple hours later.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Feb 21, 2015 16:02:29 GMT -5
You don't happen to be in Maryland, do you? 'Cause now I want carrot cake moist and delicious with spices and pineapple and nuts and amazing cream cheese frosting.
I think Sugarbakers in Catonsville has carrot cake. Not sure if it has pineapple. Everything I've had there is delicious. I just Googled that. We will be in that general vicinity later this year! My brother is in the Baltimore area.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Feb 22, 2015 22:21:25 GMT -5
I try not to be a bother to our waitpersons .... but I almost always ask a few questions and often ask to have things left off (sauces, gravy, things like that). I try to order things like grilled fish when we go out ... and it's inevitably served with rice (which I can't have) ... so I just ask if I can have extra veggies or some other side. And I almost always ask for my salads with no dressing.
We do tend to go to the same few restaurants where I know the menu well, and then don't need to ask questions ... but that's not always possible.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Feb 23, 2015 6:50:24 GMT -5
Why can't we "bother" the waitstaff? Isn't it their job to be "bothered"? Not sure I get what is wrong with customers asking questions about the menu? I mean, I rarely do because it isn't hard for me to pick out what I want to eat. But, some people like to discuss the specials, etc. I don't see a problem with that.
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on Feb 23, 2015 6:56:10 GMT -5
I am omnivorous and have no food allergies. I cannot think of a time I 'quized' a wait-person. As others have said: some places/meals are or have been better than others. I tend to NOT go back to places where I had a disappointing experience. I just crossed an ethnic place off my go to list because they have altered their menu SOOO much.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Feb 23, 2015 6:59:43 GMT -5
I really don't like a lot of interaction with the waitstaff. I don't really want to chat it up with them. SOmetimes you get some chatty types.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Feb 23, 2015 8:32:59 GMT -5
DH doesn't usually ask a ton of questions but he's always got a few - but he's gluten and dairy free. So he's trying to determine if he can eat that dish or not. Like others, we've got a couple of 'go-to' places and they know us now. DD will ask if the french fries are orange. She likes sweet potato fries better than regular potato. I try to avoid mushrooms (it's a texture thing) and meals that are too spicy but I can usually figure that out from the menu. But if I'm ordering Chicken Marsala, I'm not going to tell them to avoid the mushrooms. I'll just push them to the side.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 8:37:37 GMT -5
I try to avoid mushrooms (it's a texture thing) and meals that are too spicy but I can usually figure that out from the menu. But if I'm ordering Chicken Marsala, I'm not going to tell them to avoid the mushrooms. I'll just push them to the side. DH is the same way about mushrooms- he just gives them to me and we're both happy!
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Feb 23, 2015 8:52:27 GMT -5
I try to avoid mushrooms (it's a texture thing) and meals that are too spicy but I can usually figure that out from the menu. But if I'm ordering Chicken Marsala, I'm not going to tell them to avoid the mushrooms. I'll just push them to the side. DH is the same way about mushrooms- he just gives them to me and we're both happy! We used to do that too. But now that DH is gluten and dairy free, it's usually not an option but he's happy to eat them when it is. I've asked for them on the side already so he can have them.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 9:10:50 GMT -5
Why can't we "bother" the waitstaff? Isn't it their job to be "bothered"? Not sure I get what is wrong with customers asking questions about the menu? I mean, I rarely do because it isn't hard for me to pick out what I want to eat. But, some people like to discuss the specials, etc. I don't see a problem with that. I have no problem with people asking questions about what is offered but it drives me nuts when they order a specially made meal that isn't. Restaurants are off the rack. That is why it is as economical as it is. If you want a custom meal hire a personal chef. Don't try to cheap out and turn the cook into one for you.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Feb 23, 2015 9:15:23 GMT -5
Why can't we "bother" the waitstaff? Isn't it their job to be "bothered"? Not sure I get what is wrong with customers asking questions about the menu? I mean, I rarely do because it isn't hard for me to pick out what I want to eat. But, some people like to discuss the specials, etc. I don't see a problem with that. I have no problem with people asking questions about what is offered but it drives me nuts when they order a specially made meal that isn't. Restaurants are off the rack. That is why it is as economical as it is. If you want a custom meal hire a personal chef. Don't try to cheap out and turn the cook into one for you. So, where is the line between saying "hold the Mayo" versus turning them into your personal chef?
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milee
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Post by milee on Feb 23, 2015 9:28:50 GMT -5
I have no problem with people asking questions about what is offered but it drives me nuts when they order a specially made meal that isn't. Restaurants are off the rack. That is why it is as economical as it is. If you want a custom meal hire a personal chef. Don't try to cheap out and turn the cook into one for you. So, where is the line between saying "hold the Mayo" versus turning them into your personal chef? Lots of factors go into this, it's not simple.
Some of the things that would be considered in that question are: price, style, complication of requested mod, degree to which food is pre-prepped, setup of the menu and kitchen and how busy things are.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Feb 23, 2015 9:30:36 GMT -5
I just want to eat dinner, not examine all the "variables" of dining out.
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milee
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Post by milee on Feb 23, 2015 9:38:08 GMT -5
I just want to eat dinner, not examine all the "variables" of dining out. Yeah, I hear you. But it's a little like the office politics thread - whenever you're interacting with others it's never a bad idea to keep in mind that your actions (or choosing to refrain from those actions) directly impacts other people.
And in the case of waitstaff, failing to recognize that you're being a PITA is not just rude, it can result in (at best) long delays for you and (at worst) nasty things happening to your food.
So being mindful of getting an appropriate level of service and quality while not being a selfish jerk is a win/win.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 9:50:22 GMT -5
I have no problem with people asking questions about what is offered but it drives me nuts when they order a specially made meal that isn't. Restaurants are off the rack. That is why it is as economical as it is. If you want a custom meal hire a personal chef. Don't try to cheap out and turn the cook into one for you. So, where is the line between saying "hold the Mayo" versus turning them into your personal chef? You know it when you hear it
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 10:09:10 GMT -5
Some of the things that would be considered in that question are: price, style, complication of requested mod, degree to which food is pre-prepped, setup of the menu and kitchen and how busy things are. I agree. The cheaper the restaurant, the more food prep is done in advance- maybe even off-site. Even in a high-end restaurants, soup stock is probably prepared in advance and then used as a base for individual dishes. They can't go back and remove the cumin, or whatever. Sauce for the chicken Marsala, mentioned earlier, may be in a giant pot in the refrigerator. If you ask for it without mushrooms, someone's gotta pick through a portion of it and remove the mushrooms. I generally restrict my "special requests" to things that can be done when they're plating or serving something- dressing on the side, skip the fries, etc. Fortunately, I'm not dealing with any allergies.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Feb 23, 2015 10:14:50 GMT -5
I have no problem with people asking questions about what is offered but it drives me nuts when they order a specially made meal that isn't. Restaurants are off the rack. That is why it is as economical as it is. If you want a custom meal hire a personal chef. Don't try to cheap out and turn the cook into one for you. So, where is the line between saying "hold the Mayo" versus turning them into your personal chef? Apparently around 10 questions or so!
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Green Eyed Lady
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Feb 23, 2015 10:23:32 GMT -5
Acceptable:
I'd like eggs over medium, crisp bacon and toast, please? Wheat if available.
Unacceptable:
I like 1 1/2 eggs over medium....no white runny stuff....take them off just before the yellow gets hard. Turn them please so that both sides are cooked. I'd like my bacon just browned. Put it on, turn it, put it on the plate! And please use a press otherwise it doesn't get done evenly. Toast? Do you have Italian Marble Rye with Sesame? You don't? Jeez...what kind of place is this? Ok. I'll take wheat. Just a very hint of butter and make sure my toast is just lightly browned. I don't want it so done that is crumbles. And could you please put just a bit more butter on the side in case there isn't enough? Thanks!
Example one - you are asking for what you want. Example two - you are a pain in the ass and should just stay home and cook for yourself.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 10:37:22 GMT -5
There is definitely a line, I get asking a couple questions, it is when someone has a couple questions about 5 different dishes holding the order up for 5 minutes where I get a bit irritated.
I'll say hold the onions on burgers or something simple, but if it is a complicated dish with onions I'll order something else.
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