Posts from — March 2009

While in PA – I went shopping with one of my best friends Pam.  Pam is one of the few souls who doesn’t really have internet at home and therefore doesn’t spend much time on the computer.  She was a friends house one day and decided to go on their computer to google some sale items at Dick’s Sporting Goods.  She asked her friend the name of the web site and they said just google Dick’s.  Pam did as instructed and BOY did she get an eyefull.  And we definitely aren’t talking about sporting goods.

That is Pam’s story for now and she is sticking to it.

Claire

HI,

I am about to release a new service which I will discuss more in a later blog.  I have been working with Tiffany at Allegheny Graphics to get the visual ready for this new service.  When I went to her office the other day she had a new addition.  Ok a new addition is good – a new addition mostly means small - but not in Tiffany’s case  a new additions comes in the size of a GREAT DANE PUPPY.  Small for now, nnoooottt so much later. If you want a definition of a love bug – meet Dante.  I was able  to hold Dante in my lap and love on him while Tiffany was making a million changes to the new flyer for the millionth time – oh and did I say patiently?  I have to give Tif a lot of credit she was extremely kool about my loving all over her puppy like a fool!

Enjoy the pictures

This is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

Hi,

We are seeing on banqueting menus – Selection of Teas at lunch time.  Yet when I ask catering folks about this that I am doing a lunch and it needs to include iced tea they readily agree.  Be careful folks and make sure you ask about this.  The time is going to come where it may not include iced tea and you will be SOL.  HOTEL’s PUT ICED TEA on it for lunch and once again do what I have been asking you to do – COMMUNICATE properly to your buyers.

That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

Claire

Ok, the same Hyatt that I was talking smack on a minute ago – I owe a touch of an apology. I am writing my last menu of the evening when I came across a pasta with a Puttanesca sauce. I didn’t know what this sauce was so I decided to Google it.  Boy did Google give me an eyeful of an explanation.

The name originated in Naples^[2] after the local prostitutes^[3], Pasta alla Puttanesca meaning “Pasta the way a whore would make it”. The reason why the dish gained such a name is debated, though the most obvious contrast— with alla casalinga, simple “home-style” tomato sauce which has been “tarted up”, as the English would say— is ignored for livelier original legends. One possibility is that the name is a reference to the sauce’s hot, spicy flavour and pungent smell. Another is that the dish was offered to prospective customers at a low price to entice them into a brothel^{[citation needed]}. According to chef Jeff Smith of the Frugal Gourmet, its name came from the fact that it was a quick, cheap meal that prostitutes could prepare between customers.

I am sitting here doing menus for a client who is doing an event in Minneapolis, MN. The month is early March and what is interesting to me is on the Hyatt’s menus they have Local Farm Fresh Organic Whole and Sliced Fruit. I am curious and need to ask them – who is is this local organic farm and what does fresh mean in winter time in one of the coldest states?  As I said I will need to ask about this one as I am having a hard time visualizing it yet alone paying what they are asking for this. I am probably paying extra because it is the dead of winter for Farm Fresh.

That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.
Claire

When in PHX we did site inspections at some old Western restaurants.  This was a sign inside one of the eateries.  It cracked me the hell up.

I was in PHX last week doing pre-planning meetings with a client when we were talking about fruit trees in yards. I am always fascinated with people who have citrus trees.  I can’t imagine walking out to my back yard and having an orange tree or lemon tree and just helping myself.  That is when Mara  – my client piped up and said she had a cocktail tree in her yard.  A cocktail tree what the heck is that?  Mara politely explained it is a rare type of tree that spouts lemon, limes and oranges. Like how kool is that.  It doesn’t do all 3 fruit at the same time but on her tree and I did go see it she had lemons and oranges. Mara was so kind as to let me take a bag of fruit home. The oranges were over the top sweet.  The lemons incredible with the scent and they too are sweeter than what you get in the store.  She said once one of the fruits is done then it will spout limes.  It did look like lemons were the dominate fruit on her tree.  Thanks for the fruit my dear Mara.

If additional staff or seating is required,

 Look if I am buying any type of food of you and paying 24% service charge then you folks should have the courtesy to allow people to sit down at a table with their food.  That is what service charge is for.  What type of equipment do you have at a 24% service charge. Because you have a fancy platter and a couple of risers to place the food. It definitely isn’t because of your linens and interesting looking buffets I can promise you all that.

 Hotel’s it isn’t my fault you aren’t making your numbers. Don’t suck it from your clients by raising service charge. How about this for a concept. Do you JOB charge FAIRLY for your services and the amount of business that you get will take care of itself.  With this type of service charge you are going to see people start negotiating it because too much of their money is going back to the house and not enough is being allowed to spend on the group – which by the way is the reason why we are there. Hotels you are doubling dipping as you are making your money off your crazy pricing so you need not to make money off of the service charge.

That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

Hi,

In PHX – one of my favorite places working the next couple of days and got treated to Roy’s for dinner tonight.  The food was overall pretty good the wine – Justin’s that my client picked out was amazing and the company the best. 

Food – This was interesting. Here we are at this Asian Fusion restaurant and what are the salads – BORING! why is it that at this restaurant they would have traditional salads with traditional dressings. I am freaking ROY’s for G-dsakes – give me a cute ginger soy viniagrette dressing or a  Pineapple Yuzu Viniagrette not a creamy buttermilk ranch dressing.  That makes no flipping sense to me.  I did get a grilled butterfish which was a light tasting fish that was quite delicious. I will say at $29.00 for the plate the portion size was very small  not giving a decent value for the money.

My client ordered wine called Justin’s and that was wonderful. This wine comes in many different varieties.  I would recommend using it for banquets and she said the price value is good.

My Rx for Weddings brochure is almost done.

This is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

Claire