Designated Drinker: Egg Nog

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Don't your guests deserve better than boxed nog?

(Note: With the Holidays around the corner, I thought this would be the time to share our resident bar expert’s Egg Nog recipe.  I am surprised that more restaurants do not server this during the holiday.  It is a easy sell and does more to put people in the holiday spirit than that tired old Bing Crosby album.  You can find Paige’s cocktails and many other great entertaining ideas in every issue of Tastebud Magazine. )

Once again the time of warm fires, white snows, pungent pines, and cherished memories enters our calendars. As we bring in the holidays our favorite traditions are upon us and we, whether knowingly or unknowingly, journey through the American holiday season.

December is quite the month; hosting Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, and New Year’s Eve it is jam packed full of elated emotions. With all of the holidays, it is as if we ignore the overall season. Yet, some seasonal beverage traditions shine through, beverage traditions such as eggnog.

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Designated Drinker: Harry’s Bar Bellini

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(Note: This installment of the Designated Drinker first appeared in abbreviated form in the February 2010 issue of Tastebud Magazine.  Full format versions of her articles appear periodically on this blog.  Today it appears because I have spent the day hiking around Colorado.  Ok, well mostly downtown Denver in flip flops.  I can see the mountains though so I call it hiking.  It also provides a convenient opportunity to remind everyone in KC to get out and support our very own Designated Drinker, Paige Unger, in the 2010 Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition this Sunday at the Uptown Theater.  For those not in KC, visit the site to find the recipe for her drink, THE Socialite.)

I only know a handful of famous bars. In fact, I suspect if I were to ask a random stranger the name of a famous bar I would most likely receive Cheers as my answer. Those of us addicted to the fun factoids of mixology, however, know there is only one true famous bar: Harry’s Bar in Venice.

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The Index

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This index was created in order to make this blog easier to navigate and allow you to get the most out of the information contained within.  Several of these topics overlap.  If you were sent here by a search engine or from another post and have not been able to find the information you were looking for please leave a comment.  I am always looking for new topics and want to make this as comprehensive a source as possible.

The best way to keep up with this blog is to subscribe on the homepage or join the Facebook Fan Page to receive noticed when it is updated.

Section One: The Rules Of Serving

The Rules: Rules 1-10

The Rules of Serving: Rules One and Two

The Rules of Serving: Rule Three

The Rules of Serving: Rule Four

The Rules of Serving: Rule Five

The Rules of Serving: Rule Six

Section Two: Selling As A Server

I Make A Mean Cherry Limeade

Using Words That Sell

The Most Important Phrase You Are Not Using

Selling Away and Selling Up

How To Sell More Desserts

In Defense of Selling as a Server (Part One)

In Defense of Selling as a Server (Part Two)

In Defense of Selling as a Server (Part Three)

Wine Descriptions That Sell

Selling, Upselling, and Integrity

How To Sell The Bottle

Section Three: Skills Of A Server

Three Ways to Describe Dishes

Budgeting for Servers

Foil To-Go: The Swan

Foil To Go: The Shark

Learning Restaurant Spanish (Nouns)

Five Simple Tricks

Five More Simple Tricks

Fruit Flies

How To Serve A Bottle Of Wine

Job Hunting: The Do’s and Don’ts

Spotting The Complaint

The Mistake and The Letter

Coupons, Discounts, and How to Deal

Making Tips on To-Go Orders

Extras and Upcharges

Memorizing Orders

How To Memorize Orders

Resumes For Servers

Making a Difference

What I Use

Server Safety Tips

Section Four: Food and Wine

Foodie Friday: Beef Made Easy (Part One)

Foodie Friday: Beef Made Easy (Part Two)

Foodie Friday: Beef Made Easy (Part Three)

Foodie Friday: Types of Crab

Foodie Friday: Salmon Basics

Foodie Fridays: Salmon Species

Foodie Friday: Health and Environmental Impacts of Farm Raised Salmon

Foodie Friday: Fact or Fiction

Pasta Name Origins

Cherry Limeade Recipe

Five Great Food Stories

Understanding French Sauces (Part One)

Understanding French Sauces (Part Two)

Espresso Drinks

How Wild Fish Is Caught

Introducing: The Designated Drinker

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Fun Crab Facts and Jokes

Supply, Demand, and Chicken Wings

Cost vs Profit

Seafood During Pregnancy

Regional Barbeque Styles

Designated Drinker: Harry’s Bar Bellini

Wine Apps for your Phone

A Food Critic Intervention

Ranch Dressing and Why We Love It

Dr Strange Salmon

Searches Answered

Lobster Facts and Trivia

The Stumpers

Prosciutto, Pancetta, and Serrano

Section Five: Motivating and Leading Servers

The Epiphany

Why Contests Don’t Work

How Money Motivates

What Motivates Servers: Autonomy

What Motivates Servers: Mastery

What Motivates Servers: Purpose

Sergeants and Generals

Ways To Motivate Servers

Management Mentality Mistakes

Love and Greed

Set Schedules As A Manager

Making a Difference

The Keys To Leadership

Leadership: Creating A Shared Goal

Leadership: Empowering Others

Leadership: Leading by Example

Leadership: Improving Others


Section Six: The Other Perspectives

Understanding Restaurants: The Other Perspectives

Understanding Restaurants: The Manager’s Perspective

Understanding Restaurants: The Guest Perspective

Understanding Restaurants: The Owner’s Perspective

Cost vs Profit

Independent vs Corporate Restaurant Priorities

Section Seven: A Bit Of Humor

Servers Vs Dentists

How To Flirt With Your Server

I Make Mistakes Too

Top Ten Songs About Waitresses

Retiring Jokes

The Evolution of Free Bread

The Card

Why Not To Date Co-Workers

The Upside of Dating Co-Workers

Awkward Moments

Story Time: Injuries

My Response: 25 Things Chefs Never Tell You

The Greatest Customer Complaint Response Ever

Aspirational Dining Defined

Aspirational Dining in a Recession

On A Good Night

Top 10 Songs About Dancing

Restaurant Etiquette: Pop Quiz

Restaurant Etiquette: Quiz Answers

David Goes To Dentist

Section Eight: Weird Restaurant Stories

Weird Restaurant Stories 8/21

Weird Restaurant Stories 8/28

Weird Restaurant Stories 9/4

Weird Restaurant Stories 9/11

Weird Restaurant Stories 9/18

Weird Restaurant Stories 9/25

Weird Restaurant Stories 10/2

Weird Restaurant Stories 10/9

Weird Restaurant Stories 10/16

Weird Restaurant Stories 10/23

Weird Restaurant Stories 10/30

Weird Restaurant Stories 11/6

Section Nine: Server Issues

Fighting For The Server Wage

Refuting Emmer’s Myths

A Few More Thoughts On Emmer

Remembering Labor on Labor Day

Monday Morning Recap

The Disadvantages of Set Schedules

The Advantages of Set Schedules

Set Schedules As A Manager

Five Stories Worth Reading

10 Reasons Why Serving Is Not Like Your Job

Serving Sober

Tipping On To Go Orders

Hot Schedules Reviewed: Part One

Hot Schedules Reviewed: Part Two

Recommended Reading 11/1

Section Ten: About This Blog

By Way Of Introduction

Top Five Posts You Probably Missed

A Bit of Publicity and the Response

Clip Show: Starting a Blog

It’s A Brave New World

100th Post Extravaganza

First 100 Posts Recap

Best of KC 2010

Plaza Art Fair

Calling All Experts

Thank You!

October Review

Introducing: The Designated Drinker

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One of the biggest mysteries for newer servers is the world of cocktails.  Most of us started out with a base knowledge of what jungle juice, Milwaukee’s Best, and Boone’s Farm taste like.  The upper end cocktails and liquors however remain a mystery.  For liquor questions I usually refer people to Teleburst’s blog.  I wanted to offer some spin on the topic here that covers some of the new and exciting creations as well as the classics.  I wanted also to provide inspiration to bartenders and exciting new post shift drink ideas as well.

The problem with this idea is that in October will mark five years since I last had a drink.  While I consider myself relatively book smart on booze, I have no first hand knowledge of some of the rising trends in cocktails.  Fortunately, a friend with a true passion for such things has offered to help.  She has been writing the articles for a while and has a style that I think you will enjoy.  I first introduced the vivacious Ms Paige with her recipes for cherry limeades.  Now she has agreed to help me balance out this blog in spite of my burdensome sobriety as “The Designated Drinker.”

Read the full post at Foodie Knowledge

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