Hoo City Jump

Food & Spirits

Food & SpiritsWon't you be delighted to learn the restaurant has become more efficient than the family kitchen? Even more affordable! Check out restaurants and entertainment in the pages of HOO KNOWSâ?˘ Food & Spirits. With more than 60% of moms working outside the home, restaurants make sense for those who don't have time to cook. And, dining out gourmet without the kids is rated high on moms' list of recreational indulgences.

Food & Spirits
in your city

Don't see HOO KNOWS™ in your city? Click here to learn more about publishing opportunities!

HOO's Going Out

Dining Out? Test Your Restaurant Etiquette
Casual dress and attitudes shouldn’t replace good
manners. Here’s a HOO Quiz to see if your
restaurant behavior earns you four stars? Correct
answers follow.

  1. When making a reservation, what piece of information do people often forget that can earn them better service?
    a. a comment about the excellence of the restaurant
    b. their name
    c. their phone number
    d. their seating preference
  2. In lieu of demanding the best table in the restaurant, what is a better tactic to take to get the ideal location?
    a. settle for whatever they have
    b. just say, "not by the kitchen"
    c. tip the maitre d' enormously
    d. tell the maitre d' what type of evening you'd like and have him suggest the best seat
  3. To ensure great service at a restaurant, what should you do?
    a. be rude to your server
    b. be polite and thank your server
    c. leave a big tip each visit
    d. ask to speak to the chef or owner before ordering
  4. If you're running late for a restaurant reservation, what should you do?
    a. call if you will arrive more than 15 minutes after your reservation time
    b. no call is needed
    c. only call if you'll be an hour or more late
    d. just don't show up at all
  5. If you're not sure of the restaurant's dress code, what is the best option?
    a. call the restaurant and ask
    b. dress conservatively
    c. stake out the restaurant and see what everyone else is wearing
    d. don't worry about it and wear what you want
  6. True or False: If your silverware or another item at the table setting is dirty or broken it is rude to request a new one.
  7. What should you do if you expect a cell phone call during dinner?
    a. take the call but keep it brief
    b. talk as long as you want
    c. keep your phone on silent mode and let the call go to voicemail
    d. excuse yourself and leave to take the call
  8. It is customary to tip the wait staff 15 to 20 percent of the bill, but what should you tip the valet?
    a. no tip is required
    b. $2
    c. 2 percent of the bill
    d. $5
  9. If you have not been happy with the service, what should you do?
    a. communicate your feelings with the waiter calmly
    b. leave no tip and leave
    c. make a scene
    d. grin and bear it
    10.. True or False: Dining and dashing is the practice of eating and skipping out without paying the bill.

Answers:
1. a 2. d 3. b 4. a 5. a (although b is a close second) 6. False 7. c (there's a time and a place for phone calls, and during dinner is not one of them) 8. b 9. a 10 True

HOO's Reviews

Artisan foods are no longer exclusive to gourmet chefs and urban sophisticates. American consumers are now looking for high-quality ingredients, shunning overly-processed, artificially flavored foods.

While many breads, cheeses and wines are mass-produced, their artisan counterparts are handmade using traditional methods that create differences in taste and texture. “For years, Americans have consumed ‘imitation’ products that substitute color and flavor for the genuine article,” said Scott Conant, author and award-winning executive chef at two of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants
— Alto and L’Impero.

“Many of these products have very little nutritional value and contain high levels of sodium and preservatives to compensate for the missing flavor and to lengthen shelf life.”

Demand for real taste and quality are growing. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, or IDFA, American taste is branching out into specialty and artisan cheeses, such as Havarti, Asiago and Gruyère.

So what’s involved in creating “Old-World” style? In some cases, the processes are centuries old.

In France’s Franche-Comté region, village dairies and family farms have worked together to produce artisan cheese for over 800 years.

Comté cheese is created exclusively from milk produced by Montbéliarde cows in the Jura Mountain locale and aged in a special cellar for a time period ranging from four months to well over a year. The cheese was one of the first certified by the French government to guarantee high quality, true place of origin, and traditional methods.

The extra care that goes into making any artisan food can help to make gatherings seem more special.

“It says something when you serve specially prepared foods at a party for many or during an evening for two,” said Marilyn Harris, a radio and TV personality, cooking teacher and food consultant. “You’re signaling to your guests that you care enough to do the little things to make your time together more enjoyable.”