Regional Cuisine

When I travel, I try to eat like a local.

I will ask the hotel's front desk clerk or the clerk at the makeup counter/department store where he or she would recommend to eat. They are typically quick to offer up suggestions of fresh, affordable, non-franchise restaurants. This is the kind of information I love.

Recently in California, I sought out tacos and other Mexican - influenced dishes. I had fish tacos, beef tacos, spicy enchiladas and also a corn/bean/pico salad. I enjoyed the local beer (Blue Moon, Shock Top) and California wines.  For me, they were the right choices.

If I was on the Canadian prairies I would seek out meals using bison meat. On the coast I want seafood and shellfish.  I love food that is regionally unique and representing the creativity of individual restaurants and their chefs.  This to me, is one of the great aspects of travel.

Every time I try something new, it inspires me to get more creative at the retro diner I own!

Another Hassle

Why do restaurant owners go out at 3AM?  To check their store alarms, of course!

That's exactly what happened to me tonight. We were having a big 'ol summer thunderstorm and wouldn't you know it, the store security alarm went off. The alarm company calls my cell phone and the next thing you know I'm driving in a wicked storm back to the City to check things out and meet the attending police officers.  And let me tell you, passwords and security questions are not the easiest answers to find in your head as you wake and try to distinguish reality from a bad dream.

Nevertheless, it was a false alarm and all was fine. 4am and I can crawl back into bed.

Just another one of the little "joys" of being the boss.

Golden Rules of Dining Out

As a restaurant owner, and a patron of other restaurants, I really believe there are a few golden rules of being a good guest. Whether you are at the neighbourhood burger joint, or a fondue house, or 5 star celebrity monikered eatery the same rules apply.

1. Only order what you can pay for.  Walking out on a bill, or trying to scam a discount is plain wrong.

2. It's not your house. It's a place of business and shared with countless others. Keep your clothes and shoes on, your feet off the furniture and your language clean. Seriously.

3. Keep your hands off the staff and your personal comments to yourself. Telling the waitress how to fix her acne, or that she looks tired, beat up or the like is out of bounds.  She might be working two jobs to pay her rent or having health issues... your personal criticisms solve nothing. She is there to work and do her job. (Believe it or not, I have personally suffered through a patron insisting he has seen me stripping at clubs. I am not, nor ever have been an exotic dancer or the like. Having others hear this conversation was very demeaning and ruined more than that day whether he was just kidding around or not.)

4. Do not deliberately damage restaurant property. Accidentally tipping over a glass or breaking it is not what I'm talking about. That's truly an accident.... happens all the time. No big deal.  Kicking in bathroom stall doors, ripping a paper towel dispenser off the wall, gouging a table with your keys, slashing a fabric booth with your pocket knife for fun.... that's VANDALISM and should be punished in the court system. It's not a joke, nor is it "the cost of doing business." Because you were bored or your "food took too long" is absolutely no excuse.

5. Do enjoy the chef's creations, house specialties and the regional cuisine. You are dining out to experience someone else's expertise, their efforts and their style. Just because they don't make it the same way you do at home doesn't mean it isn't "right." All I'm saying here is be open to trying menu items prepared as the chef intends... not with this or that "held", "on the side" or this "added instead."  You're the guest, you don't need to be the author and creator of the dish. You can do that at home!  (This isn't intended to sound harsh, simply when you have the ingredients at hand for a menu item and then you are tasked with finding new ingredients, and preparing things differently it takes much longer and can throw off your kitchen rhythm. That's when food starts to take "too long" and some diners receive their orders out of sequence etc. Recipes are more than ingredients, they are about timing and cooking methods too.)

DO enjoy yourself at the restaurant. We are happy hosts. We love having you as our guest! That's why restauranteurs do what they do. It's a craft of love. We love to make people happy and care for them with good meals and in a warm, positive environment.

Tips for Getting Hired

So you want to work in a restaurant.... hmmm. Well, here are a few tips from someone with more than a decade's experience in the biz.

5 Tips to get that restaurant job:

1. Know what you're getting into.  What kind of restaurant is it? What's on the menu? Are the restaurant hours compatible with your schedule? Is the place thriving or on its last legs? You need to know all these answers before you apply.

2. Don't stop in during meal times. I would never hire someone who doesn't have the sense to stay out of my way on a Friday during the lunch or supper rush. Those resumes go straight in the garbage. It just tells me you have no clue.

3. When should you stop by with a resume? Tuesday after lunch. Or Monday, or on a rainy day. Any day that is slow. OR.... immediately following a long weekend. I can guarantee there are job openings after existing staff call in with "long weekend sickness" or the boss has had another rough weekend of doing everything her/himself.  I typically find myself in a hiring mood after busy weekends.

4. Know when you CAN work. Don't go on and on and on about the days off you "need" during an interview. Be honest and positive. When can you and when are you willing to work?

5. Be a multi-tasker. Have that "CAN DO" attitude in the interview and be that person in real life. Don't be the whiner. Restaurant patrons expect cheerful service. If you get the job someone will always be asking for a glass of water, a new fork, more gravy, increased air conditioning, a better table, a last minute reservation.... you get the picture. If you can't handle the heat.... stay out of the kitchen!

Caribbean Summer Salad

This gorgeous summer salad was presented to me at Bimini, a beautiful restaurant in the Marina Village at the Atlantis Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas.

The huge shrimp were complimented with a fruit and balsamic vinegar dressing. The "breadstick" was a spiced bean paste on the inside of a deep fried and rolled tortilla.

Fresh greens and grilled pineapple rounded out the salad.

It was as delicious as it looked.

The Milkshake Machine

At the Diner we make a lot of milkshakes. We do them the old fashioned way, a stainless steel cup, fresh ice cream plus fruit and milk. Our banana shakes are made with real bananas. Our strawberry shakes are made with fresh frozen strawberries. You get the picture!

For 40+ years, the same Hamilton Beach Blender has been kicking out the shakes day after day. But finally 2 out of 3 motors quit and instead of a working 3 head machine, we were flying with just one blender. Knowing that it too would quit and we are too busy a shop to make milkshakes just one at a time we sought out a brand new blender.

Direct from the factory we received a 3 head Waring brand model. Long story short, the staff hated it. I have never had the girls feel so strongly about a piece of equipment. And for me, each time it fired up it sounded like an underpowered engine. It struggled to blend ice cream and milk. That's a HUGE problem since it's ONLY purpose is to blend ice cream and milk! So it went back to the supplier.

The old machine came out of retirement for a bit and we searched for a "new" old Hamilton Beach 3 Head. It didn't take long to find one as they are quite coveted and so well made they last and last.

Cleaning it up and getting it ready for service and the staff were glowing! Again, I didn't expect so much emotion over a machine. We fired it up, giggled and made 3 shakes at once. Success!

Since this machine will be cherished and well used, we christened her with a name... BETTY. Hamilton Beach "Betty." We are hoping for many great years, and thousands of shakes together. The Retro Diner feels completely right again!

It's a team thing

You know how in baseball you have different players that specialize in different areas? Well, the Retro Diner is certainly no different!

I have a distinct preference as to who I want beside me (cooking) on a Friday at dinner and I know who I like to leisurely start Sunday mornings with.  It's like baseball, you're not going to ask your third baseman to pitch, and you're not going to get your left fielder to play first base.  Different people are better at different things. This is my mantra. I tell my kids this all the time. Each child (or person) has a gift, you just need to find it. And sometimes, those people need outside guidance to find their skills.

In my kitchen, I like a second baseman who can cover "first" if called upon.  I like a second baseman who is going to step up and make the play if I can't. And I like having someone at my side who will back me up if I should happen to drop the ball.

My assistant manager, Desiree used to say, "if you only show up with half a brain, and I do the same, we should be fine today." It makes me smile to think of that.  We coasted through many a Monday that way. I'd make the salad, and she'd do the entree. No chit chat, no discussion. She would go left, I'd go right. If I forgot to start the take-out order, she'd start the chit chat at the register. (Kill some time.) It worked soooo well!

It's a team thing!