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Richard S.

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Re: Salt on the table?

by Richard S. » Mon Jul 14, 2014 1:41 pm

Kristina J Addington wrote: I've heard Henry Ford would take prospective employees out to lunch for interviews, and wouldn't hire them if they salted their food before tasting it.


I've heard a similar story, except it was Hyman Rickover interviewing prospective nuclear submarine officers.
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Deb Hall

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Re: Salt on the table?

by Deb Hall » Mon Jul 14, 2014 1:49 pm

I'm with you, Ronnie, but that's my experience. At both fine dining places and non-white tablecloth. In fairness, even when they do have great service, it still takes time to have them come to the table, ask if everything is okay, go back to get the salt and come back to the table with it- leaving me ( and my polite dinner companion) waiting. I swear at some places they are being kept hidden in the kitchen- I've had servers tell me " they'll have to see where they can find it". So much more customer-centric ( rather than Chef -centric) to have it on the table.
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Bill P » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:16 pm

I've had the opportunity to taste wine in both business and social settings with a number of people who considered themselves accomplished professional chefs. In almost every instance, their wine palates seldom matched their perception of their tasting acumen. Not terrible palates, but as a group not much better than the average wine enthusiast. So maybe, just maybe, a chef's seasoning might not always be as perfect as they think it is. :roll:
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Marsha L.

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Re: Salt on the table?

by Marsha L. » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:14 pm

Good lord, every single restaurant in the world has salt shakers at the ready, even if they are not present automatically on the table. If you're eating somewhere that it takes them 10 minutes to bring the salt shaker, someone's doing something wrong. I would lose my mind if I asked for salt and my food was cold by the time the salt was brought.

NO!
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RonnieD

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Re: Salt on the table?

by RonnieD » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:59 pm

Bill P wrote:I've had the opportunity to taste wine in both business and social settings with a number of people who considered themselves accomplished professional chefs. In almost every instance, their wine palates seldom matched their perception of their tasting acumen. Not terrible palates, but as a group not much better than the average wine enthusiast. So maybe, just maybe, a chef's seasoning might not always be as perfect as they think it is. :roll:


They should maybe have some fermented grapes at the table in case the wine doesn't match my palate as well, that way I can squeeze them in there... :roll:

Wine palate and food palate are different animals that sometimes have to play together.

There is such a lack of respect for the culinary arts that is just not seen in any other field and I don't get it. I don't tell the surgeon what size thread to use when sewing up a laceration. I don't tell the contractor which length screws to use when building my house. Why do I think I know better than the chef how food should taste? In any other field, if I am not satisfied with what I get, I just choose a different professional next time. I don't go in there and demand the screwdriver or the scalpel and insist that I know which way is best.

You people just love to push my buttons, don't you? :D
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Jay M.

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Re: Salt on the table?

by Jay M. » Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:49 pm

Robin Garr wrote:...But it does seem a little bit like a #FirstWorldProblem ...

It's not a first world problem; it's a one-percenter's - no a 0.5 percenter's problem.

We had plans to dine out for Bastille Day this evening and rerouted to Bistro 1860 because this thread intrigues me and I wanted to test my hypothesis. They had a surprisingly large crowd for a Monday night. We ordered dinner and immediately upon the entrees hitting the table, I uttered the five words suggested in my original response here: "Please bring us some salt". Then, I discreetly started my stopwatch. After 50.53 seconds, the salt appeared. It was salt you might expect from a place with Bistro 1860's pedigree: fleur de sel (that's the big, flaky stuff - right?) in a ceramic dish with a silver spoon (see photo). Our opinion was that nothing suffered from too little salt, so we didn't use it.

I'm really sorry that the OP's evening was ruined because there was no salt on the table, but I maintain that a simple request and less than a minute could have remedied the situation. We had a wonderful dinner and will return.
1860_salt.jpg
1860_salt.jpg (25.76 KiB) Viewed 3587 times
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Robin Garr

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Re: Salt on the table?

by Robin Garr » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:51 am

Jay M. wrote:I'm really sorry that the OP's evening was ruined because there was no salt on the table, but I maintain that a simple request and less than a minute could have remedied the situation. We had a wonderful dinner and will return.
1860_salt.jpg

"Like" :mrgreen:

I'm also impressed to hear this and other highly positive reviews of Bistro 1860. Quite frankly, we visited fairly early after its arrival, and I was pretty disappointed. I'm glad to hear that time has been on its side, and probably ought to get back over there one of these days.
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Bill P » Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:27 am

RonnieD wrote:

There is such a lack of respect for the culinary arts that is just not seen in any other field and I don't get it. I don't tell the surgeon what size thread to use when sewing up a laceration. I don't tell the contractor which length screws to use when building my house.


Ronnie-
Perhaps it is just me and my "need" to micro-manage. In your example, I am a vital part of the management team when it comes to my healthcare. I actively help make the decisions based upon options the physician lays out before me. What is the best course of treatment? Choice of medications and side effects? Where to go for a second opinion? Etc. Does this mean I don't respect my doctor? Absolutely not! She has earned my respect, by allowing me to feel a part of the process. Does she get upset with my participation? Nope. Quite the opposite, she encourages it.

And just to bring this full circle, I almost never salt at a table. Instead of asking for the salt to be brought to the table, I far more often wish I could ask them to remove some of the salt from my dish.

Some other day, we can get into the discussion about synergy between wine and food palates. It's too early and too little caffeine to go there right now.

Cheers.
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Jeff Cavanaugh » Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:34 am

RonnieD wrote:There is such a lack of respect for the culinary arts that is just not seen in any other field and I don't get it. I don't tell the surgeon what size thread to use when sewing up a laceration. I don't tell the contractor which length screws to use when building my house. Why do I think I know better than the chef how food should taste? In any other field, if I am not satisfied with what I get, I just choose a different professional next time. I don't go in there and demand the screwdriver or the scalpel and insist that I know which way is best.


Isn't there room for taste to be a subjective element? When I receive a dish that's a bit bland, but the flavors perk up nicely with a dash of salt, I don't necessarily assume the chef is incompetent. It's just as possible she was salting it to her taste, which happens to vary slightly from mine. I don't see why that means I should choose somewhere else to dine. If I've added a little salt and now have a perfectly enjoyable meal, I will still be just as full of appreciation for the chef's skill and creativity as if the dish had come out perfectly seasoned to my taste. I don't sit there congratulating myself that I've fixed a defective dish.

Not trying to push any buttons. Just a little friendly discussion!
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Deb Hall » Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:42 am

Jeff Cavanaugh wrote:Isn't there room for taste to be a subjective element? When I receive a dish that's a bit bland, but the flavors perk up nicely with a dash of salt, I don't necessarily assume the chef is incompetent. It's just as possible she was salting it to her taste, which happens to vary slightly from mine. I don't see why that means I should choose somewhere else to dine. If I've added a little salt and now have a perfectly enjoyable meal, I will still be just as full of appreciation for the chef's skill and creativity as if the dish had come out perfectly seasoned to my taste. I don't sit there congratulating myself that I've fixed a defective dish.

Not trying to push any buttons. Just a little friendly discussion!

Ditto, Jeff. Unless it's severely under-seasoned, my assumption is that my palate prefers some foods saltier- no disrespect for the chef. That's my issue- not the restaurants. I have huge respect for the profession. I also like my food with alot of flavor- lots of garlic, up the spice, etc and order accordingly.
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Mark R. » Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:32 pm

I'll just remind everybody that when you ask for salt, or have it on the table, Please Don't Steal the Salt Spoon!! :lol:
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Marsha L. » Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:48 pm

Mark R. wrote:I'll just remind everybody that when you ask for salt, or have it on the table, Please Don't Steal the Salt Spoon!! :lol:


This is ringing a very faint bell - what restaurant was it? Heh.
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Mark R. » Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:50 pm

Marsha L. wrote:
Mark R. wrote:I'll just remind everybody that when you ask for salt, or have it on the table, Please Don't Steal the Salt Spoon!! :lol:


This is ringing a very faint bell - what restaurant was it? Heh.


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Re: Salt on the table?

by Margie L » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:31 am

I get irritated if I have to ask for it and wait for it while my meal cools.
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Re: Salt on the table?

by Antonia L » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:54 am

Jay M. wrote:We had plans to dine out for Bastille Day this evening and rerouted to Bistro 1860 because this thread intrigues me and I wanted to test my hypothesis. They had a surprisingly large crowd for a Monday night. We ordered dinner and immediately upon the entrees hitting the table, I uttered the five words suggested in my original response here: "Please bring us some salt". Then, I discreetly started my stopwatch. After 50.53 seconds, the salt appeared. It was salt you might expect from a place with Bistro 1860's pedigree: fleur de sel (that's the big, flaky stuff - right?) in a ceramic dish with a silver spoon (see photo). Our opinion was that nothing suffered from too little salt, so we didn't use it.

I'm really sorry that the OP's evening was ruined because there was no salt on the table, but I maintain that a simple request and less than a minute could have remedied the situation. We had a wonderful dinner and will return.
1860_salt.jpg


I love everything about this post. Excellent work, Jay.

To Robin's point about being surprised at the positive reviews of Bistro 1860, I'll add one more positive to the pile. I've loved everything I've had there. I also really appreciate how they have different sizes of everything. It suits how I like to eat to a tee.
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