pet peeves.

i think i'm a reasonable person.  i think i have realistic views.  there aren't a lot of things that really get me steaming.  but two things really, really do.


1.  steak temperatures.


ok, let me fist start of by saying that i know i'm not perfect.  i strive to be, but know that i'm only human and mistakes are sometimes made.  however, i know how to cook a steak.  having over 15 years of professional experience, i can tell you what the temp of a steak is just by touching it.   and sometimes i can tell you by just looking at it.  now, i'm not bragging.  there are many of us professional cooks who can.  there are many who cannot.  i'm in the first category, just so we understand each other.


the other night, a guest ordered a medium steak.  meals went out in a more than reasonable amount of time, everything cooked to my liking.


a few moments later, the steak dish comes back because the guest felt it was overcooked...  like i stated above, i'm only human and occasionally make mistakes.  in this case, it was not my mistake. the guest had cut into the outer 1/4" of the steak.  (for those of you unaware, the proper method of checking your steak is by cutting into the center of the steak.)  so naturally, i cut into the center to see that it was indeed a perfectly cooked medium steak. ( had the person done the same, it would have saved us both a lot of irritation.  ) at that point, it was said that "the customer is always right." (see #2)


for those of you who don't know, and a refresher for those of you who do....

needless to say, i re-made the steak (cooked to medium rare) and everyone was happy again.




2. "the customer is always right"  


working in restaurants for half of my life, (literally) there are certain things you become accustomed to hearing.  one of those is things is that the customer is always right.  


the hospitality industry is about giving each and every guest a great experience, be it at the neighborhood sports bar around the corner... or one of the top fine dining restaurants in the world.  


here's a great article i read about the "customer is always right" philosophy, but to sum it up, the article pretty much says that the saying is out-dated and wrong..  i urge you to take the time to read it.


i whole-heartedly agree with that article.  the customer is always right, except when they're wrong.


take for example, the steak fiasco from above.


the guest wasn't mean or ill-tempered or horrible in any way (that i heard about anyway...) they were just uneducated on how to properly check the done-ness of their steak and what actually wanted.  its the guests that become nasty, and rude to the waitstaff where i would draw the line.  there have been a few times i have been tempted to stroll out into the dining room and pull a catherine zeta jones stunt from the no reservations flick. but alas, the customer is always right..  (see where it gets frustrating??)


i guess my point is this..  as a chef, it is my duty to educate.  it is my job to cook your food to your specified liking. so if you ask for a medium steak, you're going to get it.  (but if you actually prefer medium rare, and don't know it... see above diagram.)  it is my passion to bring you good food that hopefully sparks some sort of emotion.  and hopefully when i cook for you that passion is evident.  and hopefully my food makes you smile.


when that happens, a smile lands itself on my face.