Text 1988, 97 rader
Skriven 2008-02-08 00:10:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Food and booze
======================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-

 JW> In the bad old days, in Ontario, it was difficult to get a tavern
 JW> licence and taverns had to shut down on Sundays. A licence for a
 JW> licensed dining room, where food was served, was easier to obtain
 JW> and the place could be open Sunday but you had to order a meal
 JW> before getting served.

 ML> There's a town at the edge of Cape Ann, in Massachusetts, called
 ML> Rockport, which until recently forbade alcohol sales - until it
 ML> was discovered that the restaurants in Gloucester, the adjoining
 ML> town, were booming while the Rockport ones foundered.

Not surprising.

 ML> now it is possible to get a liquor license in
 ML> Rockport, but (as with the situation you describe) a "meal" must
 ML> be ordered by anyone wishing to be served alcohol. A meal is
 ML> described as, at a minimum, two appetizers (French fries for $3,
 ML> for example) or a sandwich.

I remember a place in Ottawa with a licensed dining room licence. It
became a popular and profitable drinking hangout. But the liquor
board threatened to shut it down if they didn't get their food sales
up to 50% of the gross revenue. They tried everything: they lowered
liquor prices and raised food prices but customers just drank more
and ate less. Then they reversed things: raised liquor prices and
dropped food prices and people stopped going altogether, even though
the food was good. Lastly they tried medium-low drink prices, a $10
cover charge to get in and a $9.99 meal discount coupon which they
charged to food sales whether food was ordered or not. The people
came back but the liquor board said such bookkeeping tricks didn't
count. I loved it while it lasted; I could get a great steak there
for $9.99 ie. free. Hard drinking friends would give me their meal
coupons so I could have a free appetizer and dessert with my steak
dinner too. I remember at one time having about 20 such spare
coupons in my wallet.

Eventually they applied for and, after several appeals, got a
coveted tavern licence. Now it makes tons of money serving booze but
the food is no longer any good.

Another enterprising guy who discovered he couldn't do BYOB and
charge corkage had an imaginative wine list. It listed a total of
one house red and one house white but stated that with 48 hours
notice he would supply anything the massive LCBO main warehouse
carried for a mere $6 mark-up. So when you made your reservations,
you ordered your wine. Very successful. Barrie Lax introduced me to
that last place.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Garlic Marinated Lamb with Garlic Chive Mashers
 Categories: Garlic, Lamb, Vegetables
      Yield: 6 Servings
 
           GARLIC MARINATED LAMB:
     12    Lamb loin chops
    1/4 c  Dijon mustard
    1/3 c  Minced garlic
    1/4 c  Thin soy sauce
    1/3 c  Canola oil
    1/2 c  Red wine
      1 ts Coarse ground black pepper
           GARLIC CHIVE MASHERS:
      6 lg Yukon gold potatoes; washed
      8    Garlic cloves
      1 c  Chopped garlic chives
      1 c  Heavy cream
      1 tb Butter
           Salt and black pepper
 
  LAMB: Mix all ingredients together and marinate chops for at least
  4 hours, preferably overnight.  Grill to desired doneness.
  
  POTATOES: Bake the potatoes until fully cooked (about 45 minutes
  at 350 degrees).  In a saucepan, saute half of the chives and
  garlic in a little butter.  Add cream and reduce by 50 per cent.
  With a hand blender, mix well and check for seasoning.  Add the
  remaining chives. Hand mash the potatoes, skin and all.  Add the
  cream, butter and check for seasoning.
  
  EAST MEETS WEST (TVFN)
  Recipe by: Ming Tsai
  From: Pat Hanneman
 
MMMMM


Cheers

YK Jim


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