by Andrew Pascal on March 7, 2011
Chef Darek Tidwell and his crew are up to some amazing things in the kitchen at Sequoia DC. Having had the pleasure of spending a few days with him and getting a great look at the beautiful and delicious menu items he has coming out of that kitchen, it is with absolute certainty to proclaim that Sequoia at Washington Harbour has indeed, “a new sheriff in town”.
Developing an early love for the kitchen and for food, Chef Darek cut his chops in some of the finest eateries in Upstate New York. Fresh from High School, Darek took command as chef at a local Irish pub, creating daily specials and gaining a reputation for pushing the envelope of what pub food could be. At 21, Darek stepped out of the restaurants and into the sales in Syracuse, New York for a local food purveyor and USDA meat cutting facility. There he learned the trends in food service and widened his scope, exploring foods and ingredients and their journey from farm to plate.
Darek returned to New York to train at the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation, Chef Darek was offered the position of Executive Chef of the Trois Canard Groups Arielle and charged with resurrecting the Belvedere Mansion, in Rhinebeck NY. There he gained notoriety in local and national publications for his food and presentation in reviews, serving celebrities and foodies alike such as Micheal Batterberry of Food Arts .
The articles and reviews caught the eye of his former professor and mentor and was lured to Washington, D.C. where he joined the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Although it was a diverse experience and he was gaining momentum with his superiors and peers alike, hotel life was not the same pace as restaurants. A mutual friend introduced Chef Darek to Sequoia at the Washington Harbour. His determination to make the food and the experience as breathtaking as the restaurant and its views of the Potomac were, lead Chef Darek to join Sequoia, bringing in the best of his culinary teams from his past with him.
Spring brings an exciting new menu from Chef Darek and his crew of miracle wokers. Make sure you stop by Sequoia at Washingtone Harbour to sample the best dining experience by the Potomac River. Plus, stay tuned for more information on “Swine and Wine” events and “Porkapalooza” throughout the Summer.
by Andrew Pascal on March 4, 2011
Now that the NYC Health Department have been rolling out the letter rating system in NYC eateries, what’s your take? It seems that what was first hailed as the doom of all New York City restaurants (“they can’t do this, they’re gonna shut down half the New York restaurants and all of Chinatown”), has, in fact, turned into a blessing of sorts, a sense of validation for others, (“see we are clean”).
Of course, the true test is how the public reacts to it. Unless you’re in the restaurant industry or from L.A., do you even notice? Would it make a difference in your choices? If you see a “B” at your favorite neighborhood place, do you keep walking or simply shrug, walk in and hope for the best? Do regular folk even know what the letters or points mean? There were reports and anecdotal evidence that the Health Department were lenient to most but unforgiving to others (Union Square Cafe getting a “B” is a bit of a shocker) with a high number of restaurants scoring just below the cut-off for an “A” rating. And no, Chinatown did not shut down. It just got cleaner.
And in the end, isn’t that what the rating system was supposed to do? Make us “up our game”. Make us cleaner. Yes it was a pain in the ass. I once congratulated an owner of a local restaurant on their “A” rating as he walked by. He suddenly stopped, turned to me and said, “you have no idea how hard it was to get that.” But in fact, I do. The staff at our restaurants have worked diligently to earn their “A”s and that sense of relief is well deserved. (Full disclosure: We have earned “A”s on all but 2 of our restaurants in NYC, as we are still waiting on the Health Department visit). Yes, it is and continues to be hard work. But shouldn’t that be as it should always be?
So, what’s your take now that we are on the other side of this magilla? Worth it? Waste of time? Will it make a difference? Will it kill business? Let me know.
by Andrew Pascal on July 2, 2010
I am on a personal mission to do away with the phrase, “Do you have reservations?” from the lexicon of restaurants. Here’s why:
If you’re a customer without a reservation and you walk into a restaurant that’s busy and you ask for a table, inevitably, the question you are countered with is, “do you have a reservation?” Seemingly innocent, yes? But in that most insidious of questions, you (the customer) are suddenly put on the defensive. You are now beholden to the restaurant and they now have control of the exchange. Which is a good place to be if you’re the restaurateur, bad if you’re the customer. It tempers the rest of the experience. As a customer, if there are no tables available why not be told, “I’m sorry, we don’t have anything available at the moment, but if you’d like, I can put your name on a waiting list, etc”. It’s bad news, but it’s the reality. If there are tables available, then why ask the question at all?
Ah, but you may ask, what if you (the customer) have reservations, how would the restaurant know this without asking? Simple, you (the customer) tell them. And frankly, with all the years I’ve gone to and worked in restaurants, people with reservations always open the exchange at the host desk with, “I have a reservation.” The matter is settled.
As a business, restaurant owners have very little power in the exchange with customers. They are the reason why you are in business and therefore yes, the customer is almost always, right. Putting your customer on the defensive at the outset of their meal sets the tone for the rest of the meal. The customer feels as if, now you’re doing them a favor by seating them without a reservation. Most people don’t even notice this, but there is always a slight and subtle begrudging.
So, let’s do away with, “Do you have a reservation?’ It’s off-putting and honestly, unnecessary.
