anonymous asked:


Alvin Starkman  M.A., LL.B.

Guadua ranks arguably as the best restaurant and bar in Puerto Escondido in terms of both ambiance, and quality and creativity of fare.   In fact for this reviewer it’s a full notch above the rest.

The restaurant’s designer has done an impeccable job of creating an atmosphere fitting a bistro on the beach, yet with class and subtlety, and a conspicuous lack of that all-too-prevalent and overpowering nautical paraphernalia. No walking over an arched mini-bridge onto these sturdy hardwood planked floor boards.  With its full open concept, there’s nary a wall to hang a dolphin, a net, or an oversized photo of the owner’s big catch. While structurally a palapa, the configuration is more than simply functional cross beams and uprights supporting palm leaf; posts are erected at aesthetically pleasing and unusual angles, worthy of note in Architectural Digest. Lighting, while somewhat dim for late night dining, is provided by bulbs dangling inside smartly strung over-sized patterned burlap balls.

Waiters are quick to welcome, take your drink order and arrive back with a basket of warm, multi-grain hand-sliced loaf. The recorded music consists of tasteful Latin-style new age, but only until the fifty-something Cuban-born troubadour sets up with his companion off to a corner to serenade with familiar soft rock and the odd Spanish tune.   Otherwise there’s the sound of the surf, with the sand virtually at your feet and ocean merely yards away.

Our first appetizer was tuna timbal with couscous, consisting of chilled and properly fluffed couscous lightly tossed with cucumber, purple onion, avocado and diced fresh tuna marinated in garlic ginger soya sauce. Each ingredient retained its distinctive flavor.  The soya was used sufficiently sparingly so as to not overpower.  Equally impressive for its ability to showcase each component was the eggplant bruschetta … a purée with roasted tomato, melted Roquefort and homemade mayonnaise, over the requisite thick rounds of toast. 

The seared white fish baked in rosemary butter was prepared to perfection, and arrived with sides of salad and mashed potatoes.  My long pasta with parmesan and cream cheese with cracked cardamom was cooked to the optimum degree of doneness, but required a bit of doctoring to bring out the Indian spice.  The tuna loin lived up to its “rare on the inside” billing, often a struggle to achieve when dining in southern Mexico.  Once again the marinade, a teriyaki, was well understated. 

We completed our cena with snifters of Torres 10 brandy, and shared the lemon pie frozen to perfect consistency, with hibiscus flower coulis, and then a personal size dark chocolate cake filled with melted white chocolate, accompanied by vanilla ice cream and cacao brandy sauce.

The menu selections at Guadua cover all the usual bases, so there’s little if any likelihood you’ll have difficulty finding offerings which call out to the palate. But the expected ends there.  Whether it’s the guacamole with grasshoppers or grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar from the appetizers; arugula salad mixed with slices of parmesan, fig and lemon olive oil vinaigrette; a burger or baguette; tomato dill soup with sautéed shrimp; a filet mignón basted with green pepper brandy cream sauce; or the more standard seafood selections, each is accented with its own Guadua touch.   

With tip and taxes included, appetizers, soups, salads and lighter fare range from 50 to 100 pesos; and entrées from 100 to 160 pesos.  Hard to beat?  I thought so too!

Guadua

Tamaulipas esq. con Zona Federal

Col. Brisas de Zicatela

Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

Tel: (954) 107-9524

Amy Nutt asked:


It is easy to become overwhelmed when planning the layout of a new restaurant. No two restaurants are the same. The type of clientele, the design of the building and the intended atmosphere can all influence the choice of layout. There are some basic fundamentals, however, which should be followed when planning a layout.

First, do not underestimate the importance of layout. Layout is one area which is frequently discussed in restaurant reviews. Not only is important to the diners at a restaurant, but it is important to the overall operations. If there is not adequate room for the servers to move in, the promptness of the meals can be impacted. On the other hand, there needs to be plenty of seating so that waits are minimized. A good layout can dramatically improve the revenue of an establishment, while a bad layout could have a strong negative impact.

Next, the restaurant should be set up to encourage people to visit the area in which the most money can be made. This will depend on the type of restaurant. Some restaurants gain a large amount of revenue from the bar. Others earn mostly from their seated food purchases. The goal is to move customers from the door to the areas which they will spend the most money. An effective layout allows this to happen without impacting service. There should never be a time where the aisles or walkways become crowded. A good way to handle congestion is to set up several areas in which customers can spend money. This allows you to maximize your space and earn the most revenue without compromising on atmosphere. Remember to allow diners approximately twelve square feet per person. Tables which are appropriate for large or small groups are preferred over rearranging and combining smaller tables.

Besides the main dining and bar areas, attention must be given to several other key areas. The customer service area in the front of the restaurant should be inviting. Simple is best in this area as you do not want it to detract from the flow of the rest of the restaurant. The waiting area should be comfortable and large enough to handle peak wait times. You do not want a large number of people gathered by the front door with nowhere to go. If possible, place the bar area near the front door so that it can also serve as a waiting area. In the kitchen, efficiency is key. An assembly line style layout often works the best. The less cluttered this area is the better. Make sure that your layout complies with all health department regulations.

If your budget can afford it, it is often best to hire an interior designer who has experience working with restaurants. They can often determine the best layout for the particular space. Do not be afraid to adjust your layout if you find that something is not working smoothly. Sometimes a small adjustment is all that is needed in order to increase efficiency and revenue.

Paul Schmitt asked:


Restaurant recipes are offered to you. That means that you can make your favorite dishes from your favorite location in your home. This helps to cut the cost down tremendously which can help you to trim your budget. Yet, you will not feel deprived because you still get to have your favorite foods. You can find these recipes offered right on the web through many of the recipe databases. Simply locate one, type in the restaurant name and the recipe name, and soon you will be in your kitchen cooking up these dishes.

If you are looking for American recipes, you will find plenty of the best restaurants offering their versions. If you love a great burger and a plateful of fries, why settle for anything less? Is there anything better than good old American apple pie? Maybe, if you make it al a mode! If you would like to find any of these American recipes the good news is that there are many databases on the web to offer them. Choose from meats, seafood, pasta dishes, and vegetables. Even desserts are available. You can locate restaurant recipes that are in this tradition as well.

The same thing goes for Mexican recipes. One of the best things to do when it comes to this type of food is to find an excellent spice blend that screams Mexican! There are many out there that you can easily pick up, bring home and use in your dishes to recreate a restaurant recipe or to help you to come up with that recipe that you remember your grandmother making when you were growing up. You can find recipes to help you make these blends as well.

Today, it is very costly to go to a restaurant for a meal. The more in your family, the more outrageous the prices are. Yet, for many, there is almost a craving for that special plate or that perfect dessert. If you are one of the many that has this problem, fear not. There are plenty of online recipe communities where you can go to get the best restaurant recipes out there to tempt your taste buds at home.

For more info please visit my website at Restaurant Recipes

Jake Joy asked:


Restaurant food critics can be a valuable tool when choosing an eatery. In March 2008 the entire restaurant review industry came under scrutiny from court case arising from a brutal but honest review of Belfastian pizzeria Goodfellas by the Irish News, the review which criticised the food, staff and atmosphere led to the restaurant being awarded £25,000 in libel damages. This decision went somewhat unnoticed by many, however its outcome could have changed review writing, opening the door for companies to take action when they feel they have been unfairly ‘done over’ by a review. However, upon appeal the case decision was overturned on the basis that the original jury was unfairly guided by the judge.

This case has brought to light many questions as to the relevance and validity of reviews; the main being that a review is a persons personal opinion it is not a qualified nor a mediated evaluation- it could be said that to curtail reviews would be to limit a persons freedom to speech, further to this, as unfairly as it is a review published is often tailored to the magazine and its readership expectations- the New York Times food critic reviewer is renowned for being tough yet is this their true opinions or do they go with the most fashionable option or what is expected? When in fact their favourite nosh secretly comes from the Hard Rock Café? Looking at reviewers who perhaps give out too good reviews; suspicion would lead me to think that opinions are swayed by advertisers and investors.

Reviewers should not be influenced by any external factors their job is to act as an independent ombudsman of sorts providing advice and guidance on where we should dine. From all the press coverage of the ‘Goodfellas case’ there seems to be a total disregard for the benefit readers got from the review, the words may have been excessive but the fact remained that the food was unsatisfactory according to the critic.

If you go online there is abundance of blogs that can give you a variety of restaurant reviews, online reviews are a useful tool for obtaining a perhaps more varied and honest review; the reasoning for this being that often bloggers are not swayed by advertisers nor limited by their readers demographics. Much like the newspapers and magazines, it will be one person who is writing the review but people can add to it, posting comments about their own experience with a restaurant. Once a restaurant review blog gains popularity and people are regularly leaving comments then it becomes a valuable resource for varied and honest opinions. As people are attending the restaurant socially rather than with the sole purpose of reviewing it the result will be different experience altogether and the retelling of their experience, for example taking their four children into a quiet bistro, may be of relevance to someone considering going with their own children. Therefore restaurant review blogs are very different to the reviews you read in the papers; and overall more useful.

Timothy Rudon asked:


Food has through history played a role in the way the world functions. Kings and Emperors used to pride themselves on their kitchens and exotic food made by the world’s best chefs had the same value as treasures.

A glance into the two volume compilation “The Cambridge World History of Food” shows how mankind developed exotic tastes how spices were traded like gold, and more. The volumes are standard references world –wide for social scientists, economists, nutritionists, and gourmets. A website www.foodtimeline.org/ has a wonderful time line of food which shows that fish, egges, and mushrooms were eaten as early as before 17,000 BCE and that bread, beer, and soup was in the diet as far back as 10000 BCE.

The modern world too runs on its stomach and world wide restaurants compete to gain the status of “best restaurant.” If a restaurant is listed by S Pellegrino in its list of “ the world’s 50 Best Restaurants,” then its like wining an honor and prize. The list each year is complied by Nespresso World’s 50 Best Academy consisting of food writers, critics, publishers, and commentators from all over the world.

So if you are a gourmet and world traveler here are a few restaurants you may wish to try the 2007 list included:

1. El Bulli in Spain chosen as the World’s Best Restaurant in Europe.

2. The Fat Duck in UK which was the Chefs Choice.

3. Pierre Gagnaire in France.

4. The French Laundry in the US adjudged the Best in the Americas.

5. Tetsuya’s in Australia adjudged the best in Australasia.

6. Bras in France.

7. Mugaritz in Spain.

8. Le Louis XV in Monaco.

9. Per Se in the US.

10. Arzak in Spain.

11. El Celler deCan Roca in Spain.

12. Gamero Rosso in Italy.

It’s all about quality reaching new heights. Detailed information on the best restaurants in the world and past lists can be viewed at www.theworlds50best.com/index.html . Chefs and food critics and aficionados from all over the world congregate to London for the awards functions each year. In a global world more and more people are expanding their minds and trying out the cuisine of other cultures and nations.

The World Wide Web is replete with information on cuisine, cooking, wine, and dining choices and trends. So if you want to be trendy and know how to eat what, which wine to select, and more then open your mind to new experiences and educate yourself in every direction using the knowledge highway the internet has become.

Deb Brown asked:


Do you like one kind of restaurant or do you enjoy several? I’m not one to go to fancy restaurants; I’m more of a casual person. I don’t like dressing just to go out to eat.

Well, things changed recently, when I had to do a restaurant review for a magazine. It was a casual fine dining type of restaurant. Not casual enough for jeans, but not dressy enough for a dress. Even though you didn’t have to really dress up, the atmosphere and service was first class. There were people to hold the door and your chair. If you got up to visit the restroom, someone magically appeared to refold your napkin. Can you believe that? My water glass never was anywhere near empty. My silverware was even replaced between courses.

The lights were low, the candles were lit and the table cloths were real cloths. It was such a delight to experience something a little different. The chef even came around to speak with the guest, to see how everything was.

I don’t think it was because they knew I was doing a restaurant review. I watched the staff and they were as attentive to everyone in the restaurant as they were to my table. The food was beautifully plated and politely served. Our server even raked the bread crumbs off the table cloth between the entrée and the dessert. Coffee was served after dinner and we felt like we could sit there as long as we wanted to. No rushing in this special restaurant. I think I’ve bee won over to the nicer side of fine dining.

 

Vikram Kumar asked:


Are you travelling to Adelaide, Australia? If so, you may be wondering what kinds of food will be available there. You are in luck, since Adelaide restaurants range from fine dining to fast food and you will find something to suit any taste or budget.

 

Fusion cuisine has become one of the largest movements in dining recently and Adelaide restaurants offer a wide range of dishes. Combining Asian cooking and ingredients with more western tastes, fusion cuisine can be a wonderful middle ground for food lovers and those who may be less adventurous. There are a number of amazing food guides that can help you find the style of dining that you want and will often give valuable information such as price and an idea of the menu choices.

 

Online restaurant reviews can also be a wonderful tool when selecting which Adelaide restaurants you would like to eat at. These can be great because they are usually written by people who have visited the restaurant and can be a wealth of information that may not make it into the published guides. They can also give updates on establishments which may be too new to make it into published guides. Keep in mind that when you are reading these reviews that you should take their advice as a guideline only. A restaurant may have improved or gone downhill since a review was written.

 

When you are looking for a place to eat in Adelaide Australia you should pay particular attention to any requirements such as dress code or the need to make a reservation. If you do not follow these guidelines you may find yourself disappointed if you are turned away at the door. Many of the popular restaurants may be heavily booked, especially during the tourist high season when there may be many more people trying for the same number of seats. If you are on holiday at certain times of the year it can also be good to know if the restaurant may be closed because of any national holidays and what their hours of operation will be since some may not be open for all meals.

 

Adelaide, Australia has a wide variety of native foods and wines to offer diners. From the world class vintages of the nearby Barossa valley to fresh seafood and amazing beef and lamb, Adelaide is a gourmand’s paradise. Adelaide restaurants offer cuisine from all around the world. There are a few areas in Adelaide Australia where many eateries are located. These include Hutt Street, Melbourne Street, O’Connell Street and Rundle Street. These areas also have a large number of bars and pubs as well. The Central Market also has restaurants located in it as well.

 

You may be a bit overwhelmed by the range of Adelaide restaurants that you have to choose from. Reviews can help you avoid surprises and find the eateries that suit you best. By knowing your budget and looking at restaurant guides you can find the best dining that Adelaide Australia has to offer.

Richard Saporito asked:


Restaurant Service Consulting, by definition, is a review or evaluation of the restaurant dining room service system. This means, “how the dining room runs” which includes all of the service tools provided (or to be provided) by the management.

These tools include readable floor diagrams, seating coordination, menu descriptions, properly done staff schedules, sidework postings and a whole host of other things.

There are two main aspects to the Restaurant Service Consulting field:

1) On-site Restaurant Dining Service Operations Evaluation and Review

2) Waiter Training

After the dining room service system is organized properly, the waitstaff is now ready to be trained. The big mistake is to train the waitstaff without having understandable and coordinated systems in place.

If there are flaws in the service system, then even the most highly trained and experienced waitstaff will make errors translating into unnecessary headaches and lost revenue. It is plain common sense to train a staff according to that particular restaurant’s procedures otherwise the balance and consistency of customer service will be thrown off.

At times, in my restaurant consulting experiences, I find that owners/operators can be very hesitant to let an outsider do the initial restaurant evaluation prior to waiter training for a score of reasons such as fear of embarrassment, dealing with egos being stepped on during the process, not wanting anyone to be very close to operations etc.

In truth, a restaurant and its dining room service cannot progress over time without experienced, objective, constructive criticism — whether it comes from the outside or within.

Restaurant service system flaws can continue on for years without being corrected

costing time, money, and headaches. And just the same, waiter service technique flaws can go on for years as well.

Sometimes, it’s not necessarily deep rooted flaws, but just a better, faster, more organized and streamlined way of going about procedures — no matter how small the solutions may seem to be. Time is money when it comes to the repetitive nature of dining room service and there are no two ways about it.

To improve restaurant performance, you need to know what areas are in need of improvement. The Restaurant Manager should ask for feedback from experienced staff and repeat customers as well.

Once you know what you are doing right and what needs work, you can develop systems and documentation to improve your establishment.

Many times, it’s simply a matter of confusion as the “left hand” doesn’t seem to know what the “right hand” is doing (or why). You’ll find that clear communication between all staff members and management goes a long way in helping you achieve your restaurant performance goals.

Rodney Munch asked:


ZAPATA

If you are looking for a restaurant in Tunbridge Wells, there are numerous options available to you to help  you fill your belly and have a good time in the process.

Weather your favourite taste is Italian, Mexican, English, Indian, Chinese or even Polish you are sure to find a restaurant catering to your needs. I have outlined a few options below.

For lovers of Latin American cuisine, Zapata, next to Nevada Bob’s golf superstore on the pantiles should be your first port of call. This lively restaurant is the perfect base to start a Friday or Saturday night, offering all the Mexican staples from Burritos to Tacos and everything in between and around. Why not wash down the food with a Margarita or a Mexican beer while taking in the themed decor and ambient Music all served by the very attractive and friendly staff.

Being on the Pantiles also offers the advantage of it being only a few steps from a number of great watering holes for you to christen your newly lined stomach.

If you like a bit of entertainment in the form of live music while you eat then you should take a look at the Grey Lady. Right across the pantiles from Zapata, the Grey Lady can be reached in less than a minute.

The Grey Lady is an asset to live music in Tunbridge Wells hosting regular blues and jazz nights. The atmosphere here is a lot more relaxed than at Zapata and an ideal place for a romantic night out.

The menu at the grey lady is centred around Mediterranean cuisine, featuring dishes such as Coquilles de la Casa – Fresh seared King Scallops with Prawns in Garlic, White Wine & Parsley Sauce and Grilled Chicken Brochette – Chicken Fillet with Peppers & a Greek Salad with Tzatziki. All appearing alongside the , quote-unquote, standard dishes such as Pizza and Pasta.

For a more traditional English affair, take a look at Woods. Woods is another restaurant which benefits from being situated in the Pantiles. This timeless place looks right at home, and you wouldn’t blink if you came across it a couple of hundred years ago at the inception of the pantiles.

Located just opposite the band stand, Woods is the perfect base to soak up the entertainments on a hot summers day. Pull your chair up, order a drink and take in the music. What could be better?

Not only providing good food, Woods has an extended wine list featuring wine from wineries in England, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Germany and of course France among others.

I cannot recommend enough that you go out and try some of the many restaurants in Tunbridge Wells.

Atlanta Restaurant Exchange asked:


I believe that any business will benefit from having a website.  I have worked with internet marketing for many years, and I have seen that people feel like a business has “validity” when they have a website.   I do not do this commercially, however it is a passion and hobby of mine. I have created many websites.

One main point is that it should not cost a fortune to have a website.  An excellent one page site and maybe a contact page is easy to accomplish.  Microsoft Office Live www.officelive.com/ is offering a free domain and hosting for one year, as well as providing an easy way to create your own website without any experience.

Keep it simple is an adage that works well here.  People need to only know the vital information about your business.  IE: Cuisine, address, contact info, reviews, etc.

There are many ways to promote yourself on the internet.  One example is the last restaurant that I owned.  Go to google and type in:  hot dog charlotte   

My place is the first that comes up. City Hot Dogs, or my site www.cityhotdogs.com ..   My site is still active, however it tells my friends in Charlotte that I have relocated to Atlanta! 

I would be glad to assist anyone who wants to increase their presence on the internet if you currently have a site.  Any GRA member is welcome to contact me, and we can meet at my office for 30 minutes and I will provide you with enough information and simple tips to get you started, at no charge!  I will provide this information on a personal basis, but not publish it here, because I support the small business folks who are making their living doing this type of work while supporting the restaurant industry.

If you don’t have the time to make your own site, look at the GRA website buyers guide and you will find great resources to create a website for you, and these people can help you optimize your site to be found on the search engines.  I would highly suggest that you use one of the GRA partners to do you site.  The main thing that you have with these folks is personal contact.   

Every day, every restaurant receives solicitation phone calls (especially during lunch hour, don’t they know they are calling a restaurant!!!) and many big companies try to sell you a site for more than 250.00 per month.  Once your site is up, their job is done.  Spend your money wisely, and preferably with a local designer who knows their stuff (and preferably a supporter of GRA)

So, in summary,   Yes, in my experience, a website is important, however, it does not have to cost an arm and a leg!

Doug Marranci

Atlanta Restaurant Exchange

Restaurant Brokers Atlanta Georgia

We sell restaurants in Atlanta and the Atlanta Metro Area