It was as innocuous as a day could be; a late morning, a poolside visit. There are some times when working the night shift is the best thing in the world. To complete my sweet summer day I swung by the deli counter at the local market before heading into work. When you work in [...]
'WHAT DO YOU think of the (insert mass-produced wine name here)?" a man asked as he took a seat at the bar. The wine in question was the cheapest wine by the glass that we had. In fact, it was the absolute least-expensive option in the entire restaurant. It was so inexpensive that it actually cost [...]
THE STORM CLOUDS are gathering on the horizon. The air of change hangs heavy, pregnant and far reaching. Things are going to change in the cocktail world, probably for good, and not necessarily for the better. The coming month will be one to remember, especially with Cinco de Mayo only four weeks away. Mark my [...]
HE ARRIVED EARLIER than most. He carefully selected a seat facing the TV, adjusting his position several times. He then sat down and ordered dinner, carefully and well planned. "In 10 minutes can you put the game on?" he asked politely. It seemed to be the beginning of a perfect evening. He, by virtue of [...]
I NOTICED the couple immediately, but it wasn't because of her chestnut eyes or his stylish suit. It was because both of them appeared to be in their early 20s. How early remained to be seen. In a busy bar, things don't always break down to first come, first served. "Be like water," Bruce Lee [...]
'A BELVEDERE, dry, twist of lime, super cold; a Ketel One, wet, three olives; two Bombays, one on the rocks, one with a twist and one with a blue cheese-stuffed olive; a Makers Mark old-fashioned, no sugar, add extra bitters and a lemon; and a Don Julio," the man said without taking a breath. "Are [...]
'YOU KNOW WHAT you should do?" a man I had never seen before asked me, unsolicited I might add. "What's that?" I said, looking around at the milling Wednesday night crowd that indicates a bar doing well. "You should use agave nectar in your margaritas." "We have agave nectar if you want it." "No," he [...]
IT WAS ONE of those social gatherings where everyone stands around holding a glass of white wine in one hand while simultaneously balancing a small plate of pasta salad and cocktail shrimp in the other. I had done my best with the shrimp and had almost secured a mouthful of pasta salad when a woman asked [...]
8 p.m. on Friday night. The busiest time of the busiest night of the week. And this wasn’t just any Friday night; it was the busiest Friday in the busiest month of the year. In the time it took me to register those thoughts at least half a dozen people began waving their arms frantically, [...]
Called in to work on a Tuesday morning. What a drag. One of the drawbacks of the restaurant business are the odd hours. Of course that is also one of its many advantages too. When you work in the highest grossing restaurant in the nation ($37 million) you are going to have to make some [...]