Checking the Lists

By The Editors -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/1/2003

Sommeliers and wine buyers earned applause and plaques last month at the Monterey Wine Festival in Monterey, Calif. Twelve restaurants were named as winners in the second annual America’s Best Wine Lists Awards, sponsored by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Among more than 500 entries, nearly double last year’s number, judges looked for lists that exhibited quality, appropriateness for cuisine and concept, value and user-friendly appeal.

Winning were Roaring Fork Club, Basalt, Colo., (private club); Johnny’s Half Shell, Washington, D.C., (casual dining with 100 selections); Incanto, San Francisco (casual with 100 to 250 selections); Passionfish, Pacific Grove, Calif., (casual with more than 250 selections); Trattoria No. 10, Chicago (fine dining with 100 selections); and Cashion’s Eat Place, Washington, D.C., (fine dining with 100 to 250 selections). A tie for fine dining with 250 to 500 selections brought accolades for The State Room, East Lansing, Mich., and Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, Calif. Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco, won for fine dining with more than 500 selections. Other winners were Café Tu Tu Tango, Coconut Grove, Fla., (casual-dining chain) and Kincaid’s Fish, Chop & Steak House, Seattle (fine-dining chain). A special innovation award went to Walt Disney World Co., Celebration, Fla.

“Winning in California with an all-Italian list came as a surprise’’ to Peggy McAtamney, Trattoria No. 10’s wine buyer, while Roaring Fork Club Sommelier Steve Humble credited his victory to members who “like an adventure.’’

Menu Focus

Mushrooms deliver flavor and texture, whether on their own or mingled with components such as chicken or steak. Button mushrooms are a familiar favorite while more-exotic types—including domestic porcini, chanterelle and shiitake—can deliver as well.

BAL HARBOUR, FLA.
Elia: Herb-roasted chicken breast with celery-root mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach and porcini mushrooms

CALABASAS, CALIF.
Saddle Peak Lodge: Grilled asparagus with creamy morel mushroom reduction

CHICAGO
Caliterra: Grilled ostrich loin with morel flan and garlic-and-spring-herb vinaigrette

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Maggiano’s Little Italy: Beef tenderloin, roasted-garlic mashed potatoes and portobello-tomato sauce

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.
Rutgers University: Black trumpet mushroom-crusted filet mignon with red-beet purée

NEW YORK CITY
Tabla: Crispy veal loin with roasted Jerusalem artichokes, honshemeji mushrooms and apples

PHILADELPHIA
Jake’s Restaurant: Yellowfin tuna carpaccio with shiitake mushrooms and watercress salad

SAN FRANCISCO
Millennium: Sesame-crusted oyster mushrooms with kimpira (carrot and burdock) and kecap manis (Indonesian soy sauce)

Which Tables are Tops?

Restaurants can bolster bottom lines simply by selecting the right table configurations, according to a recent study from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. The Ithaca, N.Y., institution found that while a mix of combinable tables works best at restaurants with about 50 seats, larger operations with 200 seats or more generate maximum revenue with dedicated tables built for a variety of specific party sizes.

Associate Professor Gary Thompson, who authored the study, notes that restaurants using small, combinable tables often must wait for adjacent tables to empty before pushing them together to seat larger parties. “You’re better off having some vacant seats at larger tables than having smaller tables sit idle,” he recommends.

Thompson says an operation that takes time to calculate the mix of tables that best matches its customer base can significantly increase capacity—and therefore revenue—without adding square footage.

NRA Show Time in Chicago

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (r.) will deliver the keynote address for this year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show at Chicago’s McCormick Place, May 17-20. He will speak May 18 at 2 p.m. in McCormick Place South.

More than 75,000 attendees are expected this year, including nearly 2,000 exhibitors representing 860 product categories. More than 50 educational seminars and panel discussions will be held during the show. Among this year’s sessions are a roundtable on nutrition issues facing foodservice chaired by Sheila Cohn, manager of nutrition policy for the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association (NRA), and a presentation on how to inspire people to do their best by S. Truett Cathy, founder and CEO of the Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A quick-service chain.

The American Culinary Classic, co-sponsored by the NRA and St. Augustine, Fla.-based American Culinary Federation, will pit U.S. and international culinary teams against each other in hot- and cold-foods competitions.

The American Food Fair, a partnership between the NRA and National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, will showcase the nation’s regional specialty foods. The Technology Pavilion once again will provide attendees the opportunity to view the latest in foodservice equipment and technology.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation will present several scholarships to high school seniors and undergraduate students during its Salute to Excellence Awards Banquet on May 17. New this year is the James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Award, named in honor of the co-founder and chairman of Raleigh, N.C.-based Golden Corral Corp. and recognizing an industry educator who has demonstrated excellence in the restaurant and foodservice industry.

For more information on the show, visit www.restaurant.org.

New Hue

Dining at Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts in Napa, Calif., has taken on a new patina. Los Angeles-based The Patina Group, founded by Chef-restaurateur Joachim Splichal, recently was awarded a catering contract for the museum and educational center. The firm, owned by New York City-based Restaurant Associates, operates several restaurants—including Pinot Blanc in St. Helena, a few miles north of Copia—and handles catering for many museums and performing arts centers.

Named Copia’s executive chef was Victor Scargle, an alumnus of Bay Area restaurants Grand Café, Aqua and Jardiniére. He oversees three venues, including the 75-seat Julia’s Kitchen, named in honor of Julia Child, American Market Café and Wine Spectator Tasting Table. Splichal will add some new items to Julia’s Kitchen but retain its focus on seasonal ingredients and the use of produce from the center’s gardens. A daily special from Child’s repertoire will be featured.

IVY Idea

Harvard University’s (Ivy ’96) first Entrée Preference Survey, conducted last fall, asked students to rate 50 randomly selected entrées of the 250 that were evaluated. Responses prompted dining services to fine-tune recipes and adjust the frequency of menu items and also confirmed the popularity of vegetarian options, says Crista Martin, publications and communications coordinator at the Cambridge, Mass., campus. “The biggest surprises were significant requests for tikka masala, pad thai and sushi,” she says.

Plate Appeal

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association has announced this year’s winners of its Silver Plate Awards, recognizing enduring and outstanding achievement and innovation. Winners were selected by a jury of 2002 winners and foodservice trade press editors and evaluated on qualifications in the areas of management, marketing, human resources and industry and civic participation. One of these nine winners also will receive the Gold Plate Award at the awards-celebration dinner on May 19 at the Hilton Chicago hotel.

This year’s Silver Plate Award honorees are:

Dennis H. Barrett, executive manager, food and child nutrition services department, Dallas Independent School District.
Mike Bradley, director of physical plant, Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio.
Lee Cockerell, executive vice president, Walt Disney World Resorts, Orlando, Fla.
Bert Cutino, co-founder and COO, The Sardine Factory, Monterey, Calif.
Steve Ells (above), founder and CEO, Chipotle, Denver.
Todd Foutty, director of foodservice operations, The MetroHealth System, Cleveland.
Ted Fowler, president and CEO, Golden Corral Corp., Raleigh, N.C.
Julienne T. Stewart, food service manager, SAS Institute, Cary, N.C.
Joe Wancha, vice president and general manager, Historic Mission Inn, Riverside, Calif.

For information on the Gold & Silver Plate Award Celebration dinner, contact IFMA at (312) 540-4400.

Training Wheels

Blimpie Subs & Salads brings new meaning to the term “training wheels” with its latest effort to teach top-notch customer service. Through July, six Blimpie training specialists are driving around the country in special “hospitality vans,” visiting each of the Atlanta-based chain’s nearly 1,800 locations in 44 states. The mission: to provide face-to-face training for every franchisee and more than 8,500 front-line employees.

The program is designed to demonstrate to franchisees and customers the company’s dedication to “Blimpie hospitality” built around great service, great taste and great surroundings. These three goals are part of Blimpie’s Next Great Step initiative, which also includes remodels of existing stores and introductions of new menu items.

“It’s important that franchisees understand that this is a partnership and that we are going to help them as much as we can,” says Jeff Endervelt, Blimpie president and CEO. He says the goal is to evolve the company into a more upscale, fast-casual position in the sandwich market.

Contributors: Scott Hume, Allison Perlik, Margaret Sheridan, Laura Yee.