Malibu is Burning

Relaunch in May/June

Marissa — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:04:33 GMT

Malibu is Burning will be going through a major overhaul in the next month. The site will see a design revamp, a sharper niche, a focused marketing plan and much more interactive media. I look to launch the new Malibu is Burning by June 1.

Good Morning, Kona

Marissa — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:31:15 GMT

I've been a city girl all my life, and probably always will be. There's a primal urge inside me, though, that yearns to disappear from sprawling metropolises filled with people, lights and luxury commerce in favor of a slower, simpler life.

Tomorrow I will probably start to miss Hollywood and LA. But for today, especially for this morning, the sensation of waking up in complete silence--save for the early chirpings of tropical birds and the distant crow of a rooster--was irreplaceable. Here's the view of the shoreline access that's closest to our room:

There's supposed to be a small private beach on the other side of the rocks (this is looking left, but the beach is on the right side, just behind me, theoretically). We'll find out more about that today. No gorgeous sunsets last night--it was far too cloudy.

Travel Day

Marissa — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:04:24 GMT

Flying sure has changed since I graduated college. Then, a shoestring budget, airtight flight schedules, coach, public transportation and big, bulky luggage made flying downright miserable. I remember too many winter and spring breaks spent shoulder to shoulder on the R1 from University City to the airport, hustling to swing my suitcase full of dirty laundry—which typically outweighed me—off the train and onto the ice and salt-encrusted platform as a crowd bumped and pushed past, listening to stressed college kids and professors whine loudly on cell phones in security lines that stretched from one terminal to another, then listening to their whines rise to roars as flights were delayed or canceled. Stressed travelers, overburdened airline staff, crappy weather, too many crying babies…what a mess.

Today’s flight was far less stressful. Granted, who flies to Hawaii on a random Wednesday in early March, but still. I checked in online and printed my boarding pass for my connecting flight. This morning, my dad dropped my mom and I off at the Van Nuys Flyaway terminal, where I was able to print my boarding pass for my first flight for a paltry $3. Once at the airport, after a 40-minute ride on the 405, I was sitting at the gate in less than ten minutes.

My dad used to work at TWA, or Trans World Airlines. You’ve probably heard of them—if you’re my age, it’s probably unfortunately because of Flight 800, the disastrous crash from which the airline was never able to recover. He got standby tickets for unreasonably cheap prices, as all airline employees do, which enabled us to jet-set around the world for seven glorious years. Back then, the Van Nuys Flyaway terminal was literally a tiny ramshackle bus depot, where you’d wait on the sidewalk until the bus approached, pay your $3 at the bus door and off you went. Today, this behemoth is quite literally a terminal in itself, with automated ticket kiosks and the ability to check your luggage and print your boarding pass for additional fees. At $6 per round-trip ticket, it’s worth every penny to sit in an air-conditioned luxury bus, looking down at the cars around you in the parking lot that is the 405 at rush hour.

Also quite beneficial to the flight process is the addition of coffee shops and tiny bistro tables. These did not exist when I flew even two years ago. I was able to tap away on my laptop sipping tea until my flight began boarding, quite a comfortable change from sitting in cramped, uncomfortable plastic rows of seats. My flight was only 2/3 full, which would have been great had I been assigned an unsavory seat, but I’d chosen an exit row seat online so it didn’t matter much.

Now, for breakfast. Yes, breakfast! Delta is one of the few airlines that still serves hot complimentary meals to its passengers. We all got a small cheese omelet, two slices of fried potatoes, two tiny sausage links, a small blueberry muffin and a fruit cup. I also ponied up the $5 for a surprisingly tasty specialty cocktail—the ever-popular pomegranate martini. A balanced breakfast, to say the least.

I’ll have to MacGuyver up some kind of Internet connection for my stay in Kona. Until then…

20 Things I Love About LA

Marissa — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:22:08 GMT

This month's Los Angeles Magazine featured an article called The 64 Greatest Things in LA, an exhaustive list that featured well-known institutions and LA-isms like Pink's, the weather, palm trees, and Vin Scully. There are, however, seven points the writers missed:

Smog. Yes, it's technically noxious pollution, but smog feels like a warm blanket that covers you year-round. Our lungs are so used to its omnipresence that we cough and sputter upon entering cleaner air elsewhere.
Traffic. Another completely underrated phenomenon. How else would the next generation of aspiring Hollywood actors cram for their next audition? And businessmen! Why, they'd have noplace to talk on their phones and cut people off, screeching across four lanes of freeway sans turn signal!
The crazies. Every area has a few. Silverlake has "Five Dolla Make Ya Holla." Downtown has any number of homeless personalities, but my favorite is the one in the wheelchair who was relieving his bowels right there on the 6th Street sidewalk. Hollywood has all the singers, strummers, percussionists and breakdancers. Venice has the stoners and beach bums.
The Jewelry District. Deep down in your heart, you know that the three carat custom diamond your fiance gave you was really a cast-off from some rich divorcee.
The 405. It's almost never not crowded, and yet most people still think it's the only way to travel to and from the Valley, and to and from the airport. That clusterfuck, however, is what makes LA such a fantastic city to fly into. The sea of ant-like red dots one way and tiny white dots the other way is breathtaking. Who needs to travel to space to feel insignificant?
Tito's Tacos. I love Pink's, and the Apple Pan, and Spago too, all places mentioned in the LA Mag article. But damn, $5 gets you a dog and maybe a drink at Pink's. $5 feeds a family at Tito's, and feeds them well.
Mulholland Drive. Sure, PCH gives you an unbeatable view of the Pacific Ocean. But Mulholland straddles the Valley and Hollywood/West Hollywood/Beverly Hills, and there are plenty of curves to keep the ride interesting.

What else did they miss?

Sign of Our Times

Marissa — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:53:28 GMT

In case, as an LA resident, you've ever forgotten or lost sight of the city in which you live, I humbly submit the following not-so-gentle reminder:

Know what that is? I'll give you a hint: It's an enlarged scan of something I got in a fortune cookies. Yep, even fortunes are now bilingual. The reverse side says, "You will soon be involved in many social events." A great sign, considering Billy and I are less than two weeks away from our full-out launch of SoCalTonight.com. However, one more reminder of the politically correct age in which we live.

Media Industry Cutbacks

Marissa — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:08:46 GMT

No wonder my Google Reader has been quiet lately. Everyone in the media industry is getting fired. MediaBistro's article profiling the demise of snarky John Montorio leads with a pretty telling statistic:

Ad Age reports that the American media work force is at a 15 year low--only 886,900 employed, thanks to the slumping newspaper industry.

What's that? You mean fresh and seasoned journalists alike, with college or j-school degrees and portfolios full of hard-earned clips from unpaid internships and past gigs, don't want to work sixty to eighty hours a week, round the clock, for substandard salaries and paltry benefits so that they can be the first one to break the story of Britney's latest twilight Rite-Aid run so that in a few months' time they can be trusted to handle the really big news, like today's front page story on the weather?

You don't say.

Sucks for You

Marissa — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:55:34 GMT

Poor Chez. Chez Pazienza, producer of American Morning on CNN, got fired for writing his blog, Deus Ex Malcontent. Apparently CNN writers aren't allowed to write for anyone but CNN. While there are others I'd rather deport than the two names Pazienza listed on his About Me part of the blog, it's still a bad way to lose a good gig, even if no one's ever seen or heard of American Morning.

Reason #14,268 why corporate America's not for me: I don't particularly love being told what--and for whom--I am permitted to write. Welcome to the full-time blogosphere, Chez!

I'm Still Here

Marissa — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:31:59 GMT

I've been inundated with a few other endeavors this week, but I'm still here. I've been doing a lot of thinking about food, even if I haven't necessarily been writing, through books by Anthony Bourdain and MFK Fisher. Later today and this coming week should bring the usual inspired social food commentary from yours truly.

Wedding Gift Baskets

Marissa — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:52:36 GMT

Wedding season is nigh, and with every year that passes, more and more of my fellow twentysomethings are tying the knot. Many choose not to register, which makes the gift-buying experience a bit more challenging for attendees. My cousin gets married next month, and I've been looking around for an attractive gift basket that speaks to my interests of food and beverage. So far, many of the sites I've seen advertise lame baskets with bears and lavender soap. Or the wine basket with assorted random Napa slosh.

There are, however, a few gems. Not all are in my price range, but if you've got a coworker or friend to shop for, consider these baskets:

The Dom Perignon Experience - bottle of Dom, two Mikasa champagne flutes, $199.95. Mikasa glassware is great, but if they were Riedel I'd buy on the spot for myself. This one isn't a bad deal... '96 Dom is probably $174 right now.

Bubbles and Chocolate - Dom + Godiva chocolates = $183.95.

Engraved bottle of wine - $54.95, and it comes in a wooden crate. But it only comes in Columbia Crest Syrah. What if they drink white?

Opus One Gift Basket - $424.95. Opus One continues to receive rave reviews and is generally understood to be a decadent, discerning gift. But shit, with $424 I could set up my own damn gift basket, full of Opus!

And just for kicks, the best of the worst gift ideas on these sites:

Shotglass Chess and Checkers set - $40. Because I know when I drink or play drinking games, the first thing I want to do is play chess or checkers against someone. I give you an A for effort, but come on.

Engravable metal NFL can holder - $40.99. I know I'm not the demographic for this gift, but I can't help but wonder: Would someone who drinks beer out of a can be interested in an engraved NFL logo cozy to keep his can in? And if they are interested in such a thing, would they pay $41 for it?

Harley Davidson Care Kit - For $82.95, you get a decent array of products--wash, tire cleaner, gloss, a polishing/detailing cloth, bug remover, the works. What puts this arrangement in the toilet for me are the kit's other contents:

Brent & Sam’s Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookies (2.5oz)

Sparrer’s Gourmet Summer Sausage (4oz)

East Shore Dipping Pretzels (6oz)

Heart of Wisconsin Dipping Mustard (4oz)
Heart of Wisconsin Cheese Bar (5oz)
and some Fontazzi Carmel Popcorn (2oz).

Either you're a Harley gift basket, or a food gift basket. Pick one.

My generation's in a weird pickle. The divorce rate continues to hover around 50%, and while it's never appropriate to let these negative thoughts enter your mind while attending a friend's wedding, you and I both know that there's an unspoken question at the back of everyone's minds: Will they make it?

Only time will tell.

Kitchen Gadgets

Marissa — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:59:10 GMT

I'm no stranger to kitchen gadgets. In my family's kitchen, we have our fair share, from Vita-Mix to Cuisinart and Riedel. I feel fairly confident that I could be handed a recipe for nearly any food in the world and be able to drive to my parent's house and make the dish without going out to buy a tool or appliance.

Our gadgets are useful. Bread machines, food processors, electric bowl mixers, old-fashioned pasta rollers, garlic presses--these gadgets serve a specific purpose but have well paid for themselves in utility.

The new crop of specialty gadgets blogged about this week, however, is a mishmosh of kitsch so bizarre and utterly unnecessary that it all makes my head spin.

Take the Col-Pop, covered in Serious Eats, one of my new favorite blogs. A South Korean BBQ chain has devised a soda cup in which an insert holds fried popcorn chicken suspended separate from, but just above, the cup of soda. Because we need to make snacking on sugary, fried foods even easier, so easy that it can be done with one hand.

Or a cheeseburger in a can. Yes, you read right. So now you don't even need to get up and go to a fast food chain to get your greasy cheeseburger fix. All you have to do is walk to the kitchen.

And finally, the pen-top utensil. So you can eat lunch at your desk, depriving your mind of the change of scenery it gets when you take a walk outside to pick up lunch from a restaurant or eat the lunch you brought from home.

Why don't inventors focus on making healthy food easier to eat? Wait, they already have. Premade crudite platters and premixed salads. Oh, and yogurt cups. And premade sandwiches. Them too.

Here Comes the Sun

Marissa — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:15:00 GMT

It's going to be 82 in LA today. A far cry from the 48 in Atlantic City and 47 with rain in Philadelphia. Not to gloat or anything.

Miss. Bill Bans Unhealthy Restaurant Food

Marissa — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:52:02 GMT

Surely by now you've heard of the proposed Mississippi bill to allow restaurants to refuse service to obese diners. Although the bill will die, it's sparked some colorful conversation about a restaurant's rights to refuse service in general. We are what we eat, and from movies and books like Fast Food Nation, we know that fast food is just not good for you. On April 1, New York law will mandate all chain restaurants to post nutritional information. Tom Barlow of WalletPop comments on this measure:

...the National Restaurant Association and other restaurant representatives are coalescing opposition to such measures. I suspect they rightly fear that customers might reduce their consumption of high fat, high sugar, high profit, selections such as sodas and French fries if they knew their health cost.

But what about non-chain restaurants? Many Americans eat at non-chain restaurants more frequently than chains. From weight loss surgeon Dr. Neal Gorrin's blog:

Eating in restaurants has greatly increased over the past three decades. The restaurant industry will take in an estimated 558 billion dollars in 2008 as compared to 42 billion in 1970. In 1955, Americans spent 25% of their food budget away from home and today that rate stands at 48%. The Center for Science in the Public Interest found that restaurant food is much higher in fat, saturated fat, and salt than food prepared at home. We used to get only 19% of our calories away from home in 1977, in 1995 that rate was 35%, and I bet you now that rate is over 40%.

Obviously. Fat and calorie laden food tastes good. Try a taste-off at home with eggs fried in butter and eggs fried in cooking spray. Which tastes better, salty hot French fries or a crudite platter sprinkled in lemon juice? Restaurants have to serve salads to look like they care, but inside thick, creamy dressings--and even some vinaigrettes--and toppings are hidden calories that turn your appetizer salad into an entree. This is misleading and wrong.

There isn't an 'answer' to obesity. No one can pass a law and solve the puzzle. Restaurants and the American public have to take the blame together. Restaurants can change their menus, cooking practices and business models to make healthy food more affordable than rich food, fast food restaurants can become healthy, but it's not going to force us to work out. Stopping an obese person from entering a restaurant isn't going to make that person go home and say, "I should make a salad and a plain piece of chicken for dinner now." And a restaurant thinking that they have that kind of power over someone's life is, frankly, a bit exaggerated.

This is the exact kind of 'social responsibility' I hate about our 'modern, advanced' society. Centuries ago, when people died off because of disease and the plague, it was terrible. But not everyone died. During Ancient Greece, the Athenian plague during the Peloponnesian War killed tens of thousands, but there were survivors. In both plagues, doctors hesitated to treat the infected for fear of being infected themselves. Modern medicine has caught up with most of the ills to the human body. Does this allow us to 'play God' and save those who in previous centuries would have died under similar circumstances? Is modern medicine thwarting evolution?

I do not think that vegans will take over the world--at least, I hope not. But we've all gotten warnings about our diets from doctors, parents and other trusted individuals many times over. Isn't seeing a loved one suffer from obesity ills enough to implement an exercise routine? We can't keep passing the obesity buck around until the blame finally sticks on someone else--restaurants, fast food, the economy, television. That's not the attitude of someone in control of their life. You are what you eat. Get in the driver's seat and drive.

It's the Industry, Stupid: Why Lackluster Restaurant Service is Now the Norm

Marissa — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:28:36 GMT

Much of my subject matter is near and dear to my heart, but a few posts I've read recently have sparked a fire from within. I love restaurants. During college, I worked in the finest restaurants in Philly. After college, I was part of the opening management team of two restaurants. When I came back home to LA, I worked in another restaurant. Since my sophomore year of college, I have dined out two to four times a week, from hole-in-the-wall dives to four and five-star behemoths.

I haven't seen it all, but I've seen a lot of it. Unfortunately, many of the complaints you have as diners, I have too. Rather than rehash the same old gripes, however, I will instead comment on the present state of the restaurant industry, and why this means our dining experience will not change.

Poor Service Comes from Greedy Owners

Staffing. This is a big one. Service, unfortunately, is the trickled-down result of poor management, straight from the top. Owners care most about maximizing profits so they can fund their next venue. They hire management as cheaply as they can afford to, and expect their managers to work an unreasonable workweek, which sometimes results in an hourly rate that is below the poverty line. Next, they offer benefits, but only to those who regularly work more than 32 hours. Guess what's coming next? More hiring and fewer shifts for everyone, so only a few people will actually work 32 hours and legally have to be provided with benefits. And let's let the staffing issue come around full circle by understaffing the restaurant to save on labor cost. By staffing one server fewer per 8-hour shift, a California restaurant would save $64. Assuming two shifts in a day for a small restaurant open 365 days a year, that's a savings of $46,720 for two fewer bodies on the floor per day.

How does this affect service?

Managers are overworked and perpetually tired. As soon as they find a better venue with more pay, they'll jump ship. Benefits packages are unattainable, pay structure strict, and as a result, managers care less about their 'people' than ever. They are not paid to care. They are paid to pack the place with as many people spending as much money as possible. The revolving door trickles down to the line level, where the service team has no consistent base of managers to unify them for the long haul. Servers are overworked and undertrained, given a week's worth of training and then thrown onto the floor with a section of seven to twelve tables. After a few two-shift weeks, servers too will jump ship, perpetually in search of a restaurant where they will make the most tips and work the most shifts.

Take this quote from an article on Restaurant Rescue for hiring waiters:

If your waiter turns out to be not the kind of waiter you want, you can either re-train them or let them go.

Incidentally, this same article discusses how actual waiter 'skills' aren't as important as a good attitude, because the right person can be trained--a philosophy I agree with wholly. But take this 'hiring' philosophy and translate it to your office atmosphere. Yes, law, business, finance and medicine are similarly competitive and cutthroat, but their wages are higher, and many must go to college and graduate school to participate in these disciplines.

Unfortunately, improperly-trained servers bear the brunt of diners' 'expert' analysis on how a meal is to be served. I found a bit on this at How to Get Your Food Spit In that is similar to training I received in Philadelphia:

The restaurant I spent seven years working for had a number of benchmarks for service. The restaurant’s parent corporation engaged the services of a market research firm that asked people to outline acceptable amounts of time to wait for certain aspects of restaurant service. According to this research, that was to become corporate restaurant policy, customers liked being greeted in less than ninety seconds and served their drinks three minutes later. Appetizers should be on the table in seven minutes with entrees following eight minutes later. Twenty minutes after entrée service, the desert menu should be offered. Fifty-five minutes after the customer sat down, the check should be paid and the customer should be on his and her way. Research shows that this timetable should be escalated considerably for lunch.

Why is service so different now?

The old mom-and-pop restaurants we used to go to have been bought out or have gone out of business. Their profits have run dry because they haven't adopted cutthroat policies to minimize loss and maximize profits. The old restaurants that are still in business have undergone or will soon undergo changes in management, who will inevitably implement fail-safe revenue techniques that will create an environment so unsavory that seasoned professionals will leave. Menu and drink prices will rise, table turn times expedited and that 'old' restaurant will become new.

What's the answer?

Simple. Do not patronize restaurants with lackluster service. If you want to make your thoughts known, speak to a manager before you leave. Only patronize restaurants that value your business and create a positive dining experience. Period. Until we hit owners in their wallets, where it counts, the restaurant industry will keep swimming along and diners will continue to be dragged along for the ride.

Vino 100, Revisited

Marissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:37:37 GMT

In my first post about Vino 100, I mentioned their nightly tasting flights:

Between their business hours of 10 am and 10 pm—Vino 100 closes at 7 pm on Sundays—visitors can order a wine tasting flight. $10 per person gets you a sampling of five wines. Another $10 adds on a cheese plate that serves two.

I finally made it back to Vino and tried a tasting flight. The theme was "Wines from All Over the World," and here were the five I tried:

Laxas Albarino 2006, Spain

St. Lucas Torrontes 2006, Argentina

Quinta de Bon-Ventos 2005, Portugal

Tumara Pinotage 2005, South Africa

Philippe Devasaux Cabernet Franc 2005, France

I'll spare you my wine commentary and comment instead on the overall experience. Try the wines at Vino yourself and then we can talk about what the wines taste like.

One of the best ways, I've learned, to enter the world of wine is through wine tastings. You have the opportunity to try small portions of many different kinds of wine. If you're lucky, you also have the opportunity to talk about what you taste--and perhaps pick the brain of your wine pourer if you're not sure exactly what your taste buds are telling you. It's like playing a game with someone who knows the rules, who can help give you your next move if you're stuck.

At Vino, you get the best of both worlds. Jason and Katia Schwartz are ever-present, ready to describe the wines in succession. They won't spoil the surprise by telling you exactly what you'll taste before your first sip, but they'll help you unpack complex flavors and untie your tongue if words fail. They're adjusting the level of your outdoor heat lamp one moment, then helping a visitor find their new favorite wine the next. You turn back to your wine again, and when you look up the two are greeting, saying farewell, obtaining e-mail addresses for their e-newsletter, keeping up with the wine tasters outdoors, and schmoozing with the 70% of visitors that are locals. It's an effortless dance that is best seen rather than described.

If you're new to wine, try a tasting at Vino. Go when they're not busy, and ask questions. The Schwartzes are eager to teach and knowledgeable beyond reproach.

If you're a wine connoisseur, you can appreciate the challenge of finding a good, obscure label. Vino 100's changing selection ensures you're kept on your toes.

Has anyone else been to the Vino 100 in Hollywood? How do your experiences compare?

La Paella, Revisited

Marissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:51:17 GMT

As many food writers do, I try to dine at a restaurant as many times as possible before writing about it. For some reason, however, I wrote my review of La Paella after my first dining experience. And since it was so swimmingly positive, I thought I'd go back again with two more foodie friends and see if La Paella could match its December showing.

This time, it was a Tuesday, right at the peak of dinner service, and I saw the same two waiters from my first visit. The restaurant was about half full of middle-aged couples and groups engaged in pleasant conversation.

We immediately commenced the meal with a pitcher of blood-red sangria, a concoction that was as delicately sweetened as it was sneakily potent.

The meal was similar to my last visit--good food, and reasonably priced. The service, however, was markedly slower. On my last visit, I alluded to the service:

Oh, and the staff is all Spanish, which means that service is curt, understated and invisible. That doesn't mean I received bad service; I actually received quite good service. But don't go with the expectations of American restaurants that you create a camaraderie with your server. Nope. He brings things, takes things away, and maintains the table immaculately—silently. It was a breath of fresh air."

This latest experience, however, left much to be desired. When our server--incidentally, the same waiter as last time--appeared tableside, he was every bit as as curt, understated and invisible as before. However, these brief appearances occurred far less frequently this visit, with far greater time elapsed between check backs.

I can't fault La Paella for its slow service, though. On neither occasion did the staff appear hurried or busy. This leads me to believe that this is simply the level of service La Paella provides, no more, no less. This is still one of my favorite restaurants, one I'll return to frequently. A great meal can be had--alcohol included--for $40 or less per person, and the authenticity of the cuisine and selection of Spanish wine are both commendable.

I do recommend the following, however, if you're planning on dining at La Paella for the first time.

1. Come with your best friends, or your lover. This isn't the place for first dates; there's far too many opportunities for prolonged awkward silences, and no server to bail you out with inane conversation.

2. Order several menu items and share them all, rather than ordering individual appetizers and entrees.

3. Skip ordering cocktails or beer from the bar and have a bottle or two (or more!) of wine instead. The best value at La Paella is in its inexpensive but food-friendly wine list. If you really must have a cocktail, order a pitcher of sangria.

I'll post notes from my next visit to La Paella the next time I go. Maybe then I'll finally try the paella.

To Tip or Not to Tip?

Marissa — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:52:05 GMT

In the United States, tipping, especially in restaurants, is a given. It's a custom so well-worked into the grains of our society that even if you aren't sure how much to tip, you know you'll still tip. I think this is a practice that's also understood internationally. Foreigners who come to the United States understand to tip, but as those in the service industry know all too well, the amount given as a gratuity is often underwhelming.

This isn't necessarily a reflection upon one country or another, or businessmen versus those dining for pleasure. Rather, it's a mutual ignorance of another country's customs.

Sites like Tipping.org, Tipping for Success and The Emily Post Institute all exist so that we, in theory, can figure out how to tip to command respect--or maybe just deter disdain--from others.

I'm on the fence about this one. As a former restaurant manager and server, I've been on the other end of the dining room. I've been paid $2.83 and $2.13 an hour, and had to tip out 6% of my sales to my support staff, who received $4 and $5 an hour. Tipping out based on sales, not tips, ensures that the support staff takes home a proportional amount of money according to the work they did to help that sever attain his or her nightly sales. It also ensures that the server takes home the amount of money that directly reflects their tips. If a server had a couple of big tables that left large tips, he or she keeps the bulk of that money. If a server had a poor night, with several tables that left poor tips, it can result in a situation where the server is literally paying others--the house, the support staff--for the opportunity to work. I've seen hotel servers borrow money to get their cars out of the parking lot after a slow shift.

However, this isn't the responsibility of the diner. The diner comes to a restaurant to be waited upon, to receive food that is prepared and served by someone else. Guests pay to not have to do anything. This doesn't entitle them to treat their server or support staff like servants or minions. However, the guest shouldn't be made responsible for a business owner's decisions. Turnover runs rampant in a restaurant. Servers and managers alike understand that if the compensation is unfairly distributed, they can walk at will. It's not the diner's fault that he or she chose to eat at a restaurant that pays its staff well under the market average. How can they know these things, anyway?

So yes, tip, and tip well. If the service is poor, that's a conversation to be had with a manager, not with your wallet. If it is inexcusably poor, and the food subpar, let your business do the talking and simply never return.

Join the Olive Revolution

Marissa — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:07:27 GMT

Santa Barbara County is up to its elbows in tasting rooms dedicated to wine. Global Gardens is the SB wine country's only tasting room that focus not on wine, but on food. Its organic offerings span the globe, from house-made fig champagne vinegar to imported Greek Sparta Estate Peloponnese extra virgin olive oil. Part of the company's yearly profits support local and national literacy programs as well as general education in third world countries. Their Web site allows you to purchase their goods online and have them either shipped right to your door or pick them up in the store.

Two Upcoming LA-area Wine Events

Marissa — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:15:26 GMT

I'm beginning to put together my summer travel calendar, and two items from an e-mail I received this morning are sure to make the list.

April 19 The Santa Barbara County Vintner's Festival showcases the wines of over a hundred Santa Barbara county vineyards, the region's freshest cuisine and live outdoor music. Tickets to the festival are $75/person. Also available are Vintner's Visa tickets. $35/person gets you a four-day pass to the tasting rooms of twelve vineyards, all of whom are waiving tasting fees. Get your Vintner's Visa and tickets to the festival for $100/person. I'll be there, especially since $25 bus tickets take you from Santa Barbara, Santa Maria or Solvang to the festival and back. If you don't like the bus, your designated driver gets into the festival for $25. The visa sounds like a good plan. When I went last month, winery fees ranged from $6-8 each visit, so you'd have to go to five vineyards over four days to get your money's worth. On that particular visit, I went to three vineyards in a half-day, and many travelers hit five or six before calling it a day.

June 3 The Los Olivos Jazz and Olive Festival combines two of my favorite things. The $30 benefits the Los Olivos Rotary Club, which is neat, but I love olives.

Don't Patronize Me: Why Gender Marketing Won't Work with Wine at the Corporate Level

Marissa — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:03:54 GMT

Dr. Vino has again struck gold. His latest post, "What Women Don't Want," discusses a new French marketing tactic in which wine is specifically marketed toward women. According to Decanter, WineSight has put forth nearly thirty French wines under the label Sublimelle, available only online, that they say are designed to be enjoyed for "...a girl's night out, individual tasting pleasure, a romantic dinner, after love making, or a business success." I swear, that's right from the brochure. They are focusing on the British market in particular.

Here's why this is positively idiotic and perfectly representative of the wine snobbery I so vehemently despise.

1. Most of the advertising industry is comprised of men. Many men are incapable of figuring out what women want in their private lives. If A=B, and B=C, then A=C.

2. Women are just as capable of finding an appropriate wine to celebrate a special occasion as men are. These 'special occasions' include all the other patronizing life-affirming events that men think women's lives are filled with. Whether that's a box of Franzia White Zinfandel or 1996 Dom Perignon, for many women the wine doesn't matter.

3. Women that care about the wine they drink know what they want. They're aware of varietals, regions and vintages. Women that don't care about the wine they drink don't care to know what they want. They'll pick a grape they know and not care about mundane details. If you're marketing towards the latter market, WineSight, stop while you're ahead. The household vineyards that already exist have you beat.

4. The reason it's available online only is because it would be laughed out of any self-respecting wine store. God knows, women who love a good celebratory wine search for it online. Come on.

5. Leave it to the French to marginalize a potential market, pander to it and then patronize it. They're the original wine snobs. "Hey look, female Brits. We have a wine that's good enough for you, but too good for American women. And just forget French women, we pick the wine for them."

Does this incense you like it incenses me?

Listen up, advertising agencies. You know what women want?

We want a respectable wine that tastes good and gets us nice and tipsy. We don't care who makes it, so long as the producer doesn't pander to us and make us feel uneducated and cheap. A pretty bottle and fair price helps, but neither are important if the juice tastes good. When we find the right wine, we'll drink it for months or years, and we won't stray so long as we can find it in a store. We'll support you through weak vintages and label changes, so long as you keep us informed.

Let the boutique wine stores and local outlets handle marketing to women. They understand their markets far better than you ever will, winemakers. Stick to making grape juice into wine and let the wine stores figure out how to sell it.

Am I wrong?

All About Oysters

Marissa — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:49:41 GMT

I love, love, love oysters. Anything that tastes good enough to be consumed raw is truly special to me, which I suppose explains my affinity for sushi as well. I just read a post on YumSugar about these slippery, delicious morsels and couldn't resist the opportunity to post.

Here are some fun facts you may not have known about oysters, from CuisineNet:

Oysters are named for the region in which they were cultivated. Since oysters are filter feeders, external aspects of their environment like the mineral content in water, types of microscopic marine creatures, salinity of the water and temperature of the water can all affect how an oyster tastes when it's eaten. By becoming familiar with popular oyster regions, you can predict how an oyster will taste even before it's placed in front of you. This is why many restaurants carry different types of oysters.

Of all of the different types of oysters, we only regularly consume three species raw. Ostrea Edulis oysters are known in restaurants as Belon, Dorset, Whitstable, and Blue Hill oysters. They are also cultivated in the Pacific Northwest. Marennes oysters, immediately recognizable for their high chlorophyll content and subsequent green tinge, are regarded in France as the most superior in quality. Ostrea Lurida oysters are widely known as Olympia oysters and are native to the Pacific Northwest. They are tiny, about the size of a quarter, and possess a luscious flavor and aftertaste. Crassostrea Virginica oysters thrive throughout America, from Prince Edward Island down to the Gulf of Mexico. Northern oysters are considered preferable to southern oysters for eating raw, due to the colder northern climates. Crassostrea Virginica oysters are also known as Atlantic oysters or Eastern oysters, but have regional names that include Bluepoint (Long Island), box oyster (Long Island), Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteague (Virginia), Cotuit (Nantucket), Kent Island (Maryland), Malpeque (Prince Edward Island), Patuxent (Maryland), Apalachicola (Florida), Breton Sound (Louisiana), and Wellfleet (Massachusetts).

Apalachicola oysters are thought to be the original oysters used for Oysters Rockefeller, a dish created in New Orleans, La.

While we're told that pearls come from oysters when a foreign object works its way into the shell and irritates the oyster flesh, the type of pearls we string on necklaces are produced by a different kind of mollusk entirely. If you eat a raw oyster and feel a small grain or bit of gravel, that's the pearl an edible oyster will produce.

Oysters are best in months that contain an R--in other words, not during May, June, July, or August. These warm summer months are when oysters reproduce, and their flavor and consistency changes entirely.