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interview with the owner of belleville... — Brooklynian

interview with the owner of belleville...

Comments

  • peanuts
    peanuts
    Thanks for posting...I haven't been back there since they made me wait 45 minutes and I never got my food - I thought I would be because that was the first time that had ever happened there but there's other places in the neighborhood where I know I'll be served.
  • booklaw
    booklaw
    Had brunch there yesterday, at 11 am. When we (party of 4) arrived, perhaps five minutes passed before any of the waiters came by to seat us. We had a reservation, but the place wasn't crowded and the reservation was probably superfluous.

    The food was excellent, and the service was quite acceptable.

    My only quibble is that when we asked for cream for our coffee, the waiter responded that they didn't have any cream... only milk. When she brought the milk, and I put it in my coffee, I'm absolutely certain it was skim or at best 2% milk.

    What kind of French restaurant has no cream, at least for cooking??

    So aside from that little bit of weirdness, the experience was completely enjoyable, and I recommend that other Brooklynians try the place again.
  • veets
    veets
    Booklaw.. I know your criticism is a "detail" but I am on that detail. The cost to any restaurant to have cream, whole milk and half and half in stock at any given moment is so little considering that the shelf life on all these dairy products is so long. Any place that makes a decent cup of coffee should have the choice to provide.
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    Veets, if a restaurant is cooking with milk and cream then they should be able to supply them to customers. Half and half though is really only used for coffee, and if a place isn't serving it regularly, it will sit on the shelf and go bad. For most restaurants, the margins aren't high enough to purchase items that are going to be thrown out instead of used. I know it seems like its not a big deal, a couple of bucks here or there, but those couple of bucks for items used by a minority of customers start to add up.

    Now if there is a regular customer that's requesting it, and you know you are going to sell it that's another story.
  • jamzer
    jamzer
    homeowner wrote: Veets, if a restaurant is cooking with milk and cream then they should be able to supply them to customers. Half and half though is really only used for coffee, and if a place isn't serving it regularly, it will sit on the shelf and go bad. For most restaurants, the margins aren't high enough to purchase items that are going to be thrown out instead of used. I know it seems like its not a big deal, a couple of bucks here or there, but those couple of bucks for items used by a minority of customers start to add up.

    Now if there is a regular customer that's requesting it, and you know you are going to sell it that's another story.
    I'm with Veets on this one. If you serve coffee you really should have half and half on hand. I only make one cup of coffee at home a day and I have never had to throw out my little half-pint container. It is a small detail that can make a difference between a great breakfast and a "just ok" one for me.
  • pastoralia
    pastoralia
    Or a really good restaurant would send someone over to Compare Foods that's two blocks away to get it for the customer.
  • opossumqueen
    opossumqueen
    I *love* their desserts (I've raved other times here), but it seems like almost everyone I see in there has coffee, esp since they serve brunch. With coffee as a common beverage I would expect them to have cream of some sort other than milk. And if they ran out, I'm with pastoralia that they should send someone out for some.
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    I'm definitely with you on the cream, just not on half and half. I've seen places where the staff simply mixes milk and cream to make it, but as I said, carrying it in addition to milk and cream is an added expense, and one that not every restaurant will undertake. Your one cup of coffee a day may mean you go through a half pint in a week, but if only one customer is ordering it a week, its a different story.
  • booklaw
    booklaw
    When I ask for "cream" in a restaurant, I don't really care whether I get half and half, light cream, or heavy cream.

    But I sure don't expect or want to receive skim milk in response to my request.
  • veets
    veets
    This is getting silly, right?
    But I wouldn't put skim or 2% milk in coffee at home and I don't want it served in a restaurant.
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