‘Opie with Jim Norton’ recently treated us to an hour of uninterrupted, unfiltered Anthony Bourdain when they had the sarcastic chef on their show. There’s a ton of great stuff in the interview, from Bourdain’s nuanced opinions on Beirut to his less nuanced opinions on chain restaurants. We pulled out seven of the wildest or most interesting findings in case you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing — but if you do, it’s available right here.
His wife is hardcore. Whereas Bourdain is known for his verbal beatdowns, it sounds like his wife Ottavia could beat you down with her fists. She’s a competitive mixed martial arts fighter who sometimes trains for six hours a day, and apparently sticks to a diet of almost all meat. Bourdain told an especially great story about his friend staring in amazement/horror as Ottavia ordered a filet mignon as an appetizer and then a porterhouse for her entree at dinner.He also has a thing for Iranian women. When the guys got around to asking Bourdain the real, hard-hitting questions (“Which Middle Eastern country has the hottest women?”), their guest had a lot of nice things to say about the ladies of Iran. He called them beautiful, fierce, and confident — and not afraid to tell you their opinion.
He has strong feelings on shark meat. While discussing Iceland with a caller, Bourdain first suggested he try hákarl, or fermented shark. But then he backpedaled. Hard. In Tony’s own (extremely indelicate) words, “I’m going to guess that if I were to dig my dead Grandma up and eat her ass — that’s what it tastes like.”
He hates comped meals. Obviously Bourdain has people begging him to come to their restaurants all the time, but he really would like you all to stop offering him free food. It makes him feel uncomfortable and he’d “much rather eat at a place where they don’t give a f*** who [he is].” Make sure to treat him with appropriate scorn the next time he swings by your establishment.
He’s had “hazardous environment” training. Since he spends a lot of his time traveling to exotic places that aren’t always the safest, Bourdain has security advisers in tow when he’s walking the streets of a sketchy neighborhood. But just to make sure he’s extra prepared, Bourdain’s advisers sent him to “hazardous environment” training in the woods of Virginia, where he learned basic triage and chest wound care, how to get through roadblocks without pissing off the wrong people, and at least one flying kick move, presumably.
He enjoys sheep balls. TMZ miserably failed to rile Bourdain up one evening when he was out to dinner with Mario Batali. A cameraman asked the guys which balls they prefer, hoping their masculinities were so fragile they’d take a swing. But instead they had a lengthy discussion about the merits of different animal genitals. Bourdain endorses sheep balls for their texture and flavor, though he also thinks chicken balls are on point.
He thinks the best cheesesteak is in Jersey. For Bourdain, it’s all about the Camden spot Donkey’s. He insists it’s got the best cheesesteak anywhere, so hopefully he’s already increased his security detail to handle the mobs from Philly heading his way.
This article was originally published on Thrillest.com
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It’s that time of year again: the 10-day long event celebrating the Mile-High City’s vibrant culinary scene, when all of our gastro-wishes are granted. Yes, you guessed it, it’s the 11th annual Denver Restaurant Week, February 20th-March 1st, 2015! With 250 of Denver’s top restaurants offering multi-course dinners for $30 per person, it’s guaranteed to be a scrumptious, mouth-watering, succulent, bomb, fan-FREAKIN’-tastic, [insert your favorite yummylicious word here] ode to the food gods, and our stomachs, as there ever was. But choosing where to go and what to eat can be a bit overwhelming, so to give aid, we’re sharing the locales that we’re super stoked about!
Before we start, if you would like to see the full restaurant week menus for any participating restaurants including the ones we mention, click here!
To make reservations at the restaurants we mention, visit the website by clicking on the restaurant name or give them a call at the number provided.
The Gist: Offering tapas, of both the hot and cold variety, in a contemporary and sexy ambiance, The 9th Door is a great spot for date night as well as groups looking for a more social environment. Located near Coors Field in downtown Denver, it’s a great place to start a night out on the town.
Chow Down: To start, try the Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos -Fire roasted piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese and rosemary, next go with the Croquetas de Hongos -Risotto and mushroom croquette with truffle oil, mushroom sauce, and shaved manchego cheese, for the third course choose Callo de Hongos – Pan-seared sea scallops with truffled, mushroom
compote, and for dessert the Flan de Limon- Lemon-rosemary infused flan will be the perfect finale.
The Gist: For modern southeast asian cuisine with a twist, go to ChoLon, one of Denver’s most popular restaurants. Plates are meant to be shared, family style, so go with a big group to get a taste of as many of the unique flavors as you can! The atmosphere is upscale, so grab your crew and dress up.
Chow Down: Since you can choose three small bites, go with the Kaya Toast, Coconut Jam, Egg Cloud, Crispy Rice and Kale Salad, Candied Pecans, Coconut, Pomegranate, Beets, and local favorite Soup Dumplings, Sweet Onion, Gruyere (fyi, you’ll probably need to order at least 2 of the soup dumplings because they are the definition of fan-FEAKIN’-tastic!). For share plates, opt for Miso Marinated Cod, Cucumber Relish, Chinese Eggplant, accompanied by the Brussels Sprouts, Ground Pork, Kaffir Lime from the Wok. For the grand finale, Spiced Doughnuts, Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream, Condensed Milk will leave the perfect taste in your mouth.
The Gist: This sexy little lounge serving up nouveau american cuisine is situated just off of the DCPA, and is the perfect place to grab a bite before a show or end with a nightcap.
Chow Down: To start, try the Sashimi Sampler, then go with the Braised Brisket Tacos, and Lemon Goat-Cheese Cake to finish off the meal.
The Gist: If you’re craving homemade pizza and pasta, elevated, definitely go to Pizza Republica. This is a casual spot, great for hanging out with good friends and family.
Chow Down: For Il Primo, try the Lamb Meatballs, next you have to have the staple dish “9-inch Wood-Fired Pizza*, and finish off with the Salted Caramel Budino.
The Gist: Focussed on serving local and seasonal ingredients, this restaurant is the definition of farm-to-table. With an open kitchen design, simple but modern decor, and both community tables as well as individual tables, it’s a great place for all occasions.
Chow Down: For the adventurous, start with the Wild Burgundy Snails – roasted tomatoes, garlic butter, brioche or for those of us craving the more traditional, the Lyonnaise Salad – 62 degree egg, pancetta, garlic, Dijon vinaigrette. For the main, choose the Sweet Potato Gnocchi-toasted cauliflower, spinach, brown butter, sage, and finish with the Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta-peanut butter brittle, raspberry gel, cocoa nibs crumble.
The survival rate of new restaurants is slim to none nowadays, and just about anything from poor food, to sloppy service, to ill-favored decor can be the kiss of death. BUT there are precautions you can take to improve the odds, so do your homework and read up on some tips straight from the experts.
Have A Plan
“It’s way more romantic to think you can open a restaurant by the seat of your pants, but in reality, planning goes a long way. A business plan takes a ton of guesswork out of the startup process.”
Michael Curcio of Pyrogrill and Ray Sidhom of Four Food Studio
Stick to the Recipe
“A lot of restaurant owners or managers will deal with each task individually. Thinking through processes and standardizing is the key to saving time and resources. Write it down, and refer to the steps until it’s natural. This applies most to staff situations too. There is nothing worse than attempting to manage a bunch of individuals trying to do the same thing, each in their own way.”
David Koji of DineAbility
Be A Team Player
“Be willing to do the jobs of other people at your restaurant. Spend a few hours a week welcoming customers or working the reservation desk. Fill in for a server in an emergency. Show your staff you’re part of the team.”
Scott Maitland of Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery
Trust Your Employees
“Early on I realized that I had to hire people smarter and more qualified than I was in a number of different fields, and I had to let go of a lot of decision-making. I can’t tell you how hard that is. But if you’ve imprinted your values on the people around you, you can dare to trust them to make the right moves.”
Howard Schultz of Starbucks
Trust Yourself
“When creating or shaping your restaurant, think about what would attract you as a customer. Be honest with yourself – would you choose your restaurant over the competition? Until you can say “yes,” keep adjusting according to your own personal dialogue.”
Danny Abrams of The Mermaid Inn
Like Danny Said, Be Honest
“Sometimes these things that you care about so much, you look at them and go, “It’s just not working.” You’ve got to be honest with yourself. If you hear a pattern of things, especially early on, about things not working, you have to look at that and make a decision as to whether or not you should stick with it.”
Tom Colicchio of Craft Restaurants
Keep Your Enemies Close
“You have to know who you are up against. The best thing is to make sure you create a unique niche in the industry before you go forward.”
Steele Platt of Yard House
Learn How To Handle Stress
“Stress as a restaurant owner will never subside, don’t kid yourself! Learn some mechanisms to handle stress – create a strategy to stay on top of your mental and physical health.”
Damien Scoditti of Brio Downtown
Patience Really is a Virtue
“You can’t learn everything in a year or two. You have to learn the basics. It’s amazing how little people know!”
Wolfgang Puck of Cut
Laugh A Little
“Especially when dealing with customer complaints or more stressful issues at your restaurant. Knowing how to smile and not take things too seriously keeps a positive vibe. The customer avoids a tense situation, and you deflect some of the pressure from yourself.”
Nicholas Lander, Restaurant Correspondent for the Financial Times
Celebrate the Successes
“As chefs, we are our own worst critics, and we criticize ourselves to death. We don’t often champion our successes so sometimes we have to take a step back, have a glass of champagne and say, ‘look at what we’ve done.'”
Thomas Keller of French Laundry
Stay Hungry
“Hungry means to try to learn more, always try to work hard, try to understand more from others, don’t be afraid to ask questions, make mistakes and learn from your mistakes.”
Nobu Matsuhisa of Nobu
Know any other restaurant success tips? Let us know @gosirvo.
What drives behavior? Daniel Pink, authoritative career analyst, explores this question in his bestselling book “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”, on which he based his illuminating Ted talk “The Puzzle of Motivation”. The highlights are…
“There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.”
Said by Daniel Pink, this statement points to the fact that, while scientific research has demonstrated that intrinsic motivators, such as the desire to learn and feel fulfilled in general, are much more powerful than their counterparts, the current business operating system is built around extrinsic motivators, rewarding top performers and ignoring the rest.
So, what does “science know”?
The carrot-and-stick motivation scheme typical in most organizations, in which performance is incentivized with rewards, usually monetary bonuses, leads to increased performance ONLY when the tasks involved require mechanical skills.
When the tasks involved require rudimentary cognitive skills, the carrot-and-stick scheme is not only ineffective, but also DETRIMENTAL, leading to poorer performance.
Humans have an “inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capabilities,” which comprises the ”third drive”– the joy of the task itself.
The conclusion: extrinsic factors, such as material rewards, do not carry enough motivational weight to increase job performance when critical and creative thinking are required. Instead, intrinsic factors that contribute to how much we enjoy our jobs, are what drives performance in these instances.
A novel approach
Based on the notion of the “third drive”, Pink suggests a revised motivation scheme focused on three intrinsic factors that are vital to feeling fulfilled in the workplace.
They are:
Autonomy: permit employees to direct their own work lives by providing a few freedoms such as how and when a project is completed. Give guidance, but avoid micromanaging, and focus on output rather than schedule.
Mastery: provide employees with opportunities to develop and improve skills in areas that interest them so that boredom is not a possibility. However, include clear goals and feedback in order to support this form of professional growth, and ease anxieties about the learning curve.
Purpose: allow employees to fulfill their natural desires to contribute to a greater cause by emphasizing the organization’s overarching goals, not just profit goals, and ensuring that each and every individual understands his or her role in accomplishing these goals.
And about the $$$: pay employees enough so that the issue of money is off of the table, and work is at the forefront.
At the heart of the issue: the drive to work hard stems from the opportunity for personal growth. Provide this to your employees instead of the proverbial carrot-and-stick, and top-notch job performance will be a given.
How do you or your business provide autonomy, mastery, and purpose, as well as other factors contributing to intrinsic motivation?
Self-trained chef, James Beard Foundation award winner, head judge on Emmy Award winning reality-competition program “Top Chef”, world famous restaurateur, family man, mentor, and even life-saver (of cookbook author Joan Nathan, while choking on a piece of chicken) are just a few of the many hats worn by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio. So what are the secrets behind the success? A three ingredient recipe: “make people happy”, “remain flexible”, and “learn from everyone”.
”Make People Happy”
Eating out is about eating good food, of course, but it is also about convenience. When at a restaurant, whether it is fast casual or fine dining, we don’t want to worry about a tåhing. From the food, to the service, to the atmosphere, we want it wrapped up in a nice bow to be devoured as we please.
Tom Colicchio believes that the fundamental principle that is the foundation of every successful restaurant is that “everything has to work- food, service, and hospitality.” He understands that not only does the food have to be tasty and well-served, but the mood is crucial as well. When “no one is making you feel good”, you leave unsatisfied, with a bad taste in your mouth, if you will. And for Tom, it’s all about “the feeling when you’re walking out the door.”
”Remain Flexible”
What does Tom Colicchio, who has opened several extremely successful restaurants, believe is the most common mistake made when undertaking this notoriously arduous task? “Too much of a game plan.”But don’t misunderstand what he is saying. According to Tom, “always go into a restaurant opening with a great plan, but be prepared to make changes quickly.” On occasion, ideas which sound great in theory don’t always translate into reality as imagined. And this happens to everyone, including the greats. For example, Tom explains that when opening Craft, the menu was confusing customers. So, instead of saying “this is just how we do it,” he and his team realized that it was “causing too much confusion,” and changed the menu as to cater to the diners.In the end, as Tom explains, “you might have a plan… but if it’s not working, you may have to make a change to that plan. You have to remain flexible.”
”Learn From Everyone”
As a chef, restaurateur, and television personality, Tom Colicchio receives his fare share of criticism. What does he do with it? He listens, and then he learns. When considering reviews and the like, Tom doesn’t take it personally, and doesn’t necessarily equate a negative comment to a mistake made by him or his team. Instead, he takes his own advice to “learn from everyone,” and says “you have to start looking for patterns. And once you establish a pattern, then you can identify where there’s a problem that needs fixing.”As a judge on “Top Chef” and an expert on all things culinary, Tom also knows how to dish out the criticism. His advice: “don’t make it personal.” Most of us know that when feeling attacked on a personal level, what is actually being said, the critique itself, goes in one ear and out the other. There is no chance of learning, and improving. So, Tom suggests that we instead “focus on what people are doing as opposed to who they are.”
Sage Advice
Not one person can argue the success of Tom Colicchio, and as such, his advice is in all likelihood good advice. In essence, he’s telling us to stay true to ourselves and our intentions, and that we must be open to change, and adapt. Now those are two tactics we can all use!
Want more tips on how to hack the service industry? Find them @gosirvo.
