I have a question........

We went to Cafe Emilie last evening with my Aunt and Uncle. It was their suggestion, and I jump at the chance to go there when I can.

My dinner was wonderful....had the Penne Gorgenzola, and it was HEAVEN.....not to rich, and very nicely flavored.

Mom had the Grilled Pork Chops, which in my opinion, HUGE and BEAUTIFUL. One glazed in a Dijon Mustard Bar B Q sauce, and the other in a Cherry glaze......a sweet and savory mix.

I noticed that about two bites into the meal, Mom was scraping off the sauce of both chops. She did not finish her meal, and took the chops home to "clean them" for a later noshing.

My question is this.....is it "tacky" or "offensive" to ask that something be left off or "on the side" when it's very obvious that a great deal of work went into coming up with menu items?

Would also like to hear from some of our "back of the house" forumites as to how they feel about such requests.

Great question, and I have wondered the same- just never got around to posting it.

I hate cheese. I don't eat it ever. If I'm at a casual restaurant and want a salad or entree that has cheese on it I request that they leave it off. But at finer dining establishments I don't know if this is appropriate. I would not want to offend the chef, but on the other hand would like to know if it's considered 'no big deal'.

In fine dining, I think it is a bit more taboo. Casual dining less so.

A good chef goes through a great deal of study and deliberation to develop dishes with exceptional flavor and I tend to trust their judgement. If they didn't want an ingredient in there, or if it didn't work with the dish as they see it, then it would not be in there. If a menu item has something I do not care for I tend to either not order that item, or I'll open my mind and my tastebuds a bit and see what the chef has to offer (maybe they can change my mind: I hate olives, but I love a good muffaletta!)

Bill,

First, thank you for your kind words. We are certainly glad your meal was very enjoyable. Second, and more importantly, she may eat her pork chops however she likes them! Some people like food plain and that is just fine with us. I promise you Chef Tim wasn't offended at all.

Again, thank you for dining with us and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

ego aside, the fact of the matter is that as the guest you are paying for the food & whether or not it offends me as a chef, i respect the request for my guests.

We went to Cafe Emilie last evening with my Aunt and Uncle. It was their suggestion, and I jump at the chance to go there when I can.

My dinner was wonderful....had the Penne Gorgenzola, and it was HEAVEN.....not to rich, and very nicely flavored.

Mom had the Grilled Pork Chops, which in my opinion, HUGE and BEAUTIFUL. One glazed in a Dijon Mustard Bar B Q sauce, and the other in a Cherry glaze......a sweet and savory mix.

I noticed that about two bites into the meal, Mom was scraping off the sauce of both chops. She did not finish her meal, and took the chops home to "clean them" for a later noshing.

My question is this.....is it "tacky" or "offensive" to ask that something be left off or "on the side" when it's very obvious that a great deal of work went into coming up with menu items?

Would also like to hear from some of our "back of the house" forumites as to how they feel about such requests.

I have no problem with dishes that are requested sans onions/peppers/pickles etc. Where I run into issues is when an integral part of the dish is removed (i.e. Reggiano from a carbonara). There is a point where changes can ruin a dish to the point where the original intent has been lost and what you end up with is a watery mass of poop. At that point, when a dish has been changed so much, the guest must understand that the onus is on them as to what they eventually eat. Granted, I will comply with ANY request as my purpose is to serve the guest but I will shake my head in the process....

We have alot of special request, due to the diverse menu. I am most of time, able to leave some chile or cilantro out of my dishes. It's amazing how many people dislike cilantro. If the request is something like, "Can I have the seabass sauce ( passion fruit) with my bistec de casa ( tenerloin topped with a fried egg) I will put the sauce on the side, and explain that this dish is no longer mine and that I wouldn't recomend it, but still honor their request.

At Melillo's, we constantly get special requests to leave a sauce off, add to a sauce, or even accommodate gluten intolerant customers. I have even had a customer bring their own pasta and ask us to boil it with our toppings. If, we can, which is almost always, we will please our customers and give them what they ask for. I don't personally take offense to any request that is different than what our menu offers.

I have found the chefs in Louisville to be extremely accommodating in this regard, much more so than a lot of other cities. It's one of the many things that making dining here so enjoyable. I have some very picky friends who have made some unusual requests, none of which were denied.

I find that if I don't like a particular sauce I will ask the server or chef to suggest something else that they think will go with my protein. I've actually done it with Anthony's seabass- love the fish but I HATE passion fruit. I told the server to substitute what they thought best and I had a wonderful meal. I 'm embarassed to admit I forget what I had instead.

I do agree that if a request is way off base that a verbal disclaimer is a much better way to go than a firm denial.

Bill, even though when I create a new item and every component is there to enhance that dish, ultimatley the goal is to please the customer. If I do not remove an item a customer does not care for, then my goal of making that person happy cannot happen. so what I am saying is i have never been offended about changing an item and would be happy to at their request. The only time it gets a little aggrevating is when a customer requests a major item removed from a dish and then complains that the dish was not very good, but that happens so rarely its not worth talking about.

Wow, you chefs are all incredibly generous in your willingness to change your foods- especially since I know how much hard work goes into those menus. Personally, I've never done it, except for possibly asking for the sauce on the side (if I'm dieting or not sure of the taste ) as I'd think it'd be a teeny bit like having some call your baby "ugly". It's nice to know that that's not (necessarily) the case.

I took a customer to Asiatique once many years ago, and try as I could, could not convince him not to order the ahi tuna if he was going to insist on it being well-done (he was appalled at the thought of there being pink on a fish. He did order it, Asiatique graciously agreed to cook it, and he was pleased with his meal. But all I could think was: but you have no idea what you missed by not trying it the way it should be cooked....

Deb

For any of you that know me personally, you're aware that I'm very picky. As a patron, I never hesitate to ask for sauce on the side, no sauce, no parsley, etc. I even ask for ketchup with a $30 filet because that's what I like. As a server, I was happy to accomodate my guests because I could relate to their needs. It's always been my feeling that servers/chefs are there to please the guest, not the other way around. There are plenty of patrons out there willing to enjoy the entree as it was meant to be prepared--there are just a few of us that are unable or unwilling to do that for one reason or another.