Som Tom Burger

I made a great find yesterday. I think the Som Tom Burger at Thai House has to be the best burger on Saipan. The burger is mixed with Thai seasoning, grilled and then topped with provolone cheese and sauteed portabella mushrooms.

It is served with a side of Som Tom papaya salad. Outstanding!

Saipan Server Training II

I've worked at several high end restaurants in my hospitality career and they all had their own version of the 10 Steps of Service. Just like everyone else in this world, I have my own version of what I think would work. I want to share those ideas with the 10-12 people who read this blog. I'm doing this as a free service to the people of Saipan because I find the hospitality and service at our restaurants abysmal. If I ran a restaurant, this is how I would train my servers.

In Saipan Server Training I we went over the Initial Greet. This second section will deal with Describing the Menu.

Goals:

1. Describe and recommend an appetizer and two entrees.
2. Tell your table that you'll be back to answer any questions.

This step can begin as soon as step four in Initial Greet is complete, order drinks. However, keep in mind that the server performing the Initial Greet can not do anything else until they finish all the steps. So how can they roll into Describing the Menu before they finish the Initial Greet?

Simple. Have another server do it.

The focus of any good restaurant should be the food. Period. Service, hospitality, decor, magic tricks, karaoke, and whatever else it is that restaurants use to get people to patronize them is secondary.

With that understanding, this second step is the most important one. This is where you showcase what your restaurant has to offer. This is the most difficult, yet at the same time the simplest step. All you have to do is describe your food...and explain your restaurant's philosophy, style, and so on.

For example, if you have an Italian restaurant on Saipan, the server should explain that an Italian dinner might consist of separate appetizer, soup, salad, pasta, entree, and dessert courses. If you have a Japanese restaurant with small entrees, the server might want to suggest that the table order a number of different menu items and share them all family style.

During this step the server should keep in mind that this is where the sale is made.

Are you recommending the cheeseburger or the filet mignon? The chicken sandwich or the grilled salmon?

The difference between a $15 per person average and a $60 per person average is going to be made here (and in the cocktails and wine the server sells).

It is also the chance for the server to tell the table something about a dish that isn't printed on the menu. At one restaurant I worked at we had a noodle dish with shrimp. The menu failed to mention that half a pound of shrimp was used in this dish. That's a lot of shrimp. I recommended that dish every day, talking up the half pound of shrimp, the garlic, ginger and everything else that made the dish unique. If I remember correctly, this dish was $22.95.

Cha Ching.

The second step of Describing the Menu is simple. After you describe the menu, tell the table that you'll be back to answer a few questions. Don't tell them when you'll be back. Don't tell them to take their time. Just tell them that you'll be back.

Try not to do it in an Arnold voice.

After you walk away from the table you've got time to clear that other table's dishes, do sidework, run some food, refill a soda, or order another cocktail. Take advantage of that time, because the final step is coming up, Taking the Order.

Giovanni's at the Hyatt

When it comes to hospitality and service, nobody beats the Hyatt. Last night's dinner with David and Mara Khorram at Giovanni's was outstanding.

I had a caprese salad and the mushroom soup to start and had lasagna as my main course. I don't think I've ever seen bufala mozzarella on Saipan before. I wonder if Hyatt makes it?

The fast went well. I was a little irritable in the afternoon, but as sunset got closer it got easier. I told myself that I was going to wait until David or Mara took a sip or a bite of something before I broke the fast.

Right.

As soon as the bread was put in front of us I took a bite out of a bread stick. Oops. I forgot. The sun had already set, right?

The food was outstanding. With all the fish and soy sauce in my diet, I'd forgotten how much I liked balsamic vinegar, pesto, and olive oil. This is the kind of food I would make for Alex, Tiana, and Sandra when we all lived together. What a satisfying meal.

EJ Lee's Going Away Party

Saipan's #1 Korean Party Girl will soon be morphing into Seoul's #1 Korean Working Girl.

I'm throwing a going away party for her at her home away from home, Godfather's Bar, this Saturday night from 8 PM until her curfew at midnight.

...unless of course her Mom lets her stay out late.

There will be food and happy hour prices all night long. We're still working on the theme, but EJ is leaning towards grass skirts and aloha shirts.

Disney Bans Kids

From CNN:

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- The home of Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Tinkerbell has banned kids from its fanciest restaurant.

Beginning this week, children under 10 are no longer welcome at Victoria & Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Victoria & Albert's is Walt Disney World's only restaurant with an AAA five-diamond rating.

"We want to be the restaurant that's available for that adult experience," said general manager Israel Perez.

Only about three families a month ever brought young children to Victoria & Albert's, said Rosemary Rose, Disney's vice president for food, beverage and merchandise operations.

Men are required to wear jackets, and women must wear dresses or pantsuits. The hushed atmosphere features live harp music, and the menu, which changes daily, offers seven-course dinners that can last as long as three hours. Prices start at $125 a person.

Rose noted that there are plenty of dining options for families at Disney World, which has 97 other full-service restaurants.

I've never eaten at Victoria & Albert's, although Alex has. I have, however, dressed up like a cartoon character and walked around one of the Grand Floridian buffets. Good times.

Saipan Server Training I

I've worked at several high end restaurants in my hospitality career and they all had their own version of the 10 Steps of Service. Just like everyone else in this world, I have my own version of what I think would work. I want to share those ideas with the 10-12 people who read this blog. I'm doing this as a free service to the people of Saipan because I find the hospitality and service at our restaurants abysmal. If I ran a restaurant, this is how I would train my servers

I'm going to start with the Initial Greet.

After a table sits down, the host hands everyone a menu and says something like, "Jose, will be right with you."

This is where we begin.

The Initial Greet

Goals:

1. Immediate Hafa Adai greeting
2. Recommend and describe two drinks
3. Take drink order
4. Order drinks
5. Serve drinks

Sounds pretty simple, right? The caveat to this is that all five steps must be completed in order by the same person. Let's say you just got double sat and you have to greet two tables at once. Not allowed. You have to ask one of your fellow servers, food runners, or managers to greet your table. They, in turn, know exactly what that table needs and where they are in their meal.

That way you don't have to say things like, "Table 14 just sat down. I walked over and said I'd be right with them and they asked for a round of waters. Can you get the water and I'll ask Juan to take their drink order."

By saying, "Please greet my table" you've just communicated everything that table needs. You've told your co-worker exactly what they need to do and what that table expects.

This cuts down considerably on mistakes.

So now that you are ready to greet your table, you walk up, give them a big Hafa Adai!, and recommend and describe two drinks.

I recommend suggesting a martini and something else.

It can sound something like, "Alright, let's go ahead and get a few cocktails before you even look at the menu. Our bartender makes a great Hafa Adai Martini. It has [fill in the blanks]. We're the only restaurant in Saipan that serves it. We also make a killer margarita. You can have it frozen or on the rocks and it comes with salt on the rim and a lime wedge. So, what can I get you?"

Then you go around the table taking the drink order. After you take the drink order say, "OK, I'll be right back with your drinks" Then walk straight over to the bar for the drinks and walk straight back to the table to serve the drinks.

This is not a time for sidework. This is not a time to clear your other tables. This is not the time to tell the story about drinking in the bar last night. You are in the middle of a service step. You are getting the drinks and that is all. Nothing else.

Now, if you are serving wine and you have to put the glasses out, that is allowed. If you have to get an ice bucket for some champagne, that is allowed, too. But you are not allowed to run food, take another order, or do anything else.

When the drinks are ready to go, you take them back to your table and serve them using your right hand, saying the name of the drink out loud as you place it above the knife, on the guest's right hand side.

When the drinks are down, you are ready for the next service step, Describing the Menu.

I'll post that in the next couple of days.

Appetizers at 360

I had the chance to check out 360 today. We only stopped in for a few appetizers, but what we had was very good.

We ordered the cheese sticks, calamari, bacon wrapped scallops and beef kelaguen.

The beef kelaguin gets the award for best beef kelaguen on Saipan. That honor originally went to AJ's, but they closed and their former owner is a co-owner of 360. Coincidence? Doubtful.

Do not change this recipe!

The calamari was prepared as strips rather than rings. I've only seen this done at one other establishment. The batter was peppery, making them very good dry or with the accompanying aioli. Some marinara and a lemon slice would have been a nice touch for the dish.

The cheese sticks were great. Was that a tempura batter? Very good. These came with a marinara sauce. For $5, one of the best deals in town.

The scallops weren't all that great. It was more like scallop stuffed bacon than bacon wrapped scallops. They only served three to an order, cut in half to make it look like more. I'd cut down on the amount of bacon and thrown in a couple extra scallops. Jack up the price a bit to cover food costs and they'd have themselves a winner.

I thought the service was unenthusiastic, which is sad for a new restaurant, but the food was pretty good. I plan on going back for a full meal.

The prices seemed really cheap, as did the paper napkins. I guess they want to be affordable rather than exclusive. Given Saipan's economy, that's probably a good idea.

These are just some random thoughts. Look forward to a full post after I dine there.

Truong's Vietnamese Restaurant

Truong's Vietnamese Restaurant
Between Grand Hotel and World Resort in Susupe, Saipan
(670) 235-8050

Truong's is located in that small space between Grand Hotel and World Resort in Susupe. I used to go their often, but now that I live in Garapan I usually opt for the Vietnamese restaurant near my house.

Now that I've spent 10 days in Vietnam visiting Hanoi, Ho Ain, Halong Bay, Hue, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City, I wanted to see what I thought about Truong's.

The menu at Truong's is a mix of Vietnamese, Filipino and Chamorro. All of the menu items have a Vietnamese name listed, but for the life of me I don't remember seeing any kelaguen or lumpia when I was in Vietnam.

EJ and I stopped in for dinner tonight. We ordered the Pho Bo (beef soup), Beef Salad and Chicken with lemon grass. Pardon me for not remembering the Vietnamese names for Beef Salad and Chicken with lemon grass.

The Pho Bo ($8.95) came out first. Big enough for two people, it was served with a pair of small bowls and spoons. The soup had flat noodles and grilled beef in beef broth. Basil, bean sprouts, chopped romaine lettuce and a lemon wedge were served on the side.

There was more than enough to fill two large bowls. One serving could easily serve as a light appetizer for a party of four.

The Beef Salad ($9.95) and the Chicken with lemon grass ($8.95) came out next. The beef dish had a generous portion of sliced sauteed beef with onions, pepper and a tasty marinade served over a bed of diced romaine lettuce. This was my favorite dish. I could see myself making a weekly visit to Truong's just for the Beef Salad.

We didn't have as much luck with the Chicken with lemon grass. It was made with strips of chicken breast sauteed in a spicy sauce with onions. The sauce was tasty, but the chicken tasted old. It was dry and flavorless.

The portions of both dishes were very generous. Two people could have shared each one, unless it was the Beef Salad, in which case you'd probably have to order two, especially if I'm at the table.

I was happy with my Diet Pepsi, too. One of my pet peeves on this island is restaurants that only sell cans of soda. Troung's offers the diner a nice big cup of soda along with unlimited free refills.