Being a Regular / Boeuf Bourguignon

There is a man who lives up the street from OSG who embodies the definition of a "regular." Mr. Smith (really, that's his name) eats lunch everyday in the same place. Each evening you can find him and his wife eating at the local diner. Regular as clockwork. Are you a regular? Do you want to be? Grub Street offers some tips on how to be a regular (seen first on Kottke, of course).

I used to be a regular. Every Friday night my friends and I would descend upon the Syosset House diner and have something to eat before heading home for the evening. We had our own waitress (Jackie) and a regular seat in our favorite booth. There was another older gentleman who used to frequent the diner at the same time and we often sat with him while Jackie would take our orders and often talk with us during our stay. We were always greeted by the host with a friendly, "Hi guys!" before he would show us to our seats. Diners are like that, I think, by nature. If they're good, the experience is one to savor.

I would be a regular again. But when you show up now with two kids in tow, there is sometimes fear on the face on the host or hostess and the waitress may become concerned about her station getting disrupted. Not to mention that eating out is something that we do less frequently than when we were all unattached and let's say, more liquid in our assets.

Conference attendance is one of my remaining opportunities to try out restaurants in other cities (often unencumbered by children). Having toiled in the retail trenches and worked a job that also relied on tips (valet parking), I have a soft spot for waitstaff and will usually make sure they know that I will take care of them, provided they take care of me. When visiting a restaurant for the first time (or at a conference, with friends), I have a tendency to reward good service. However, my poor math skills nearly got us rubbed out at an SAA meeting several years ago in Boston. I went out to an Italian restaurant with OSG, Special K and another colleague in the North End. After the meal, the check arrived and we proceeded to divide it up according to what people had eaten and we collected funds to cover the check. We handed over the cash and sent it off. Moments later, the maitre d' / manager showed up at our table, asking, "Was there a problem? Is everything OK?" Confused, I told him there was no problem, we had had a great meal. So he asked, "I ask because you tipped very little on your meal." In doing the math, we had neglected to add a proper tip, coming up with only a few dollars over the check. Duly embarrassed, we all ponied up some more money to make up for our mistake, and left - quickly (so quickly that I seem to recall Special K walking into a tree - but that's a different story).

But enough about me. I know you're all here waiting for Monday's recipe. Here's one that might make an appearance at the Brave Astronaut launchpad this week (from the New York Times):

Boeuf Bourguignon
Adapted from “The Pleasures of Cooking for One,” by Judith Jones.

• 1 2-ounce chunk bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 pounds beef-stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/3 carrot, from the thick end, peeled and diced
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• Herb packet of 1/2 bay leaf; 1 large clove garlic, smashed; a handful of parsley stems; 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme; and 5 peppercorns, all tied in cheesecloth
• 3 or 4 baby onions or 4 (1-inch) pieces of leek
• 4 baby carrots, or the thin ends of larger ones
• 2 or 3 new potatoes
• French bread (optional)
  

1. Brown the bacon in a heavy 3 1/2-to-4-quart saucepan. When it has lightly browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a medium bowl, leaving the fat in the pan (ooh, fat, yum).

2. Pat the pieces of beef very dry with a paper towel, then season all over with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pan, and when it’s hot, brown half the pieces of beef over medium-high heat on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the bowl of bacon. Brown the remaining beef and add to the same bowl.

3. Keep the pan over the heat and sauté the onion and carrot until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the meats to the pot, sprinkle with the flour, season with a pinch of salt and pour in the wine and stock. Tuck the herb packet into the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook at a bare simmer until tender, 2 hours or more.

4. Add the baby onions, baby carrots and potatoes, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve yourself 4 to 5 chunks of meat with all the vegetables and a good French bread to mop up the sauce. The dish benefits from sitting overnight in the refrigerator.

Serves 1 or 2.