[Sca-cooks] A new job

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Stefan li Rous:
>La Madeline must be at least a regional chain then since there are 
>at least two down here in Austin. Their decoration is interesting. 
>Kind of like the SCA at times. They try very hard to give the 
>impression of a 19th or 20th C French Bistro but starting from, and 
>being in the middle of, usually a suburban strip shopping center, it 
>is hard to escape the fact of where you are. They are heavily 
>decorated with wood and brickwork and numerous knickknacks.
>
>Admittedly, not having been to many French restaurants, the 
>impression I get is working rather than high class French.

That's pretty much what a bistro is, though. The French equivalent of 
an English pub, with wine instead of beer. The food is generally 
regional cuisine, except for the universal language of Steak and 
Fries.

>  Also typically French, or what I've seen as "French or Continental 
>style", small portions with high prices.

Europeans often tend to eat for a long time, in multiple, small 
courses. Factors for why this is might range from differences between 
European and American weather patterns, The Puritan Work Ethic, and a 
bunch of other stuff. The pricing is merely a function of market 
forces; just like McDonald's, they're going to charge as much as they 
can get away with, until a drop in business suggests they may be 
charging too much.

A typical bistro meal might consist of seemingly small servings of a 
starter such as a pate, toasts and cornichons (pickles), followed by 
a soup, an entree (still small by American standards, maybe a 
four-ounce steak, which is plenty of meat, but definitely not the 
Texas Total Steak Immersion Experience), followed by a small salad, 
followed by coffee, then dessert, then maybe cheese and/or fruit. 
It's actually quite a friggin' lot of food. Plus wine. Think what it 
must cost to hire dishwashers... ;-).

>  The food items though have been consistently well done and they 
>have trays of freshly baked breads with butter and jams 
>complimentary with your other purchases. Items are served buffet 
>style.

Okay, that's a departure from the classic bistro format, but direct 
service isn't my department. Once it gets to the plate, I stop 
worrying about it...

Adamantius
-- 
  "Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
	-- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry 
Holt, 07/29/04