"I have worked with the same machine for the last five years and developed an incredible sense of hearing for the annoying noise it makes when it spits out a cocktail ticket."

"I can hear it beckoning for me over a loud band, back in the kitchen, in the bathroom…in my sleep at home. On a slow night, when the Micros grows quiet, I will caress it with gentle words and pet it…hopefully it will start talking. On a busy night, when it clicks away seamlessly for hours on end…I curse at it and abuse it…yes, I beat my Micros."

(h/t: DJ Hawaiian Shirt)

A Bartender In Action

I have a deep admiration for photography. As a writer, I rely on pictures to fill in the details that writing can't. Unfortunately, I have neither the formal training nor the equipment for professional photography.

One photographer, Corey Thompson of Photoleer, took some great pictures of me in action behind Last Exit's bar one Wednesday night. I'm still adjusting to the fascination that folks continue to have with craft-bartending. So when Thompson wanted to take some shots of me building cocktails, I couldn't resist the opportunity. My favorite image is of me pouring him a healthy Jameson whiskey shot with the slight smirk on my face. I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking at that moment but must have been pretty amusing.

By the way, Photoleer has an impressive catalog of photographs. I'm a big fan of Thompson's "Breakfast With..." photo series so I recommend you spend some time checking that out.

Anyway, Corey was nice enough to let me post these images for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

"When [Emily Alexander] moved to Massachusetts in September, she said, she was 'very surprised' to find out happy hours were forbidden here."

"'I’m a grad student; I can’t afford a bunch of drinks,' said Ms. Alexander, 23. 'So I’d love it if they [lifted the ban]. I have a ton of friends in D.C., and that’s what they do after work."

Indeed they do.

(h/t: Reason)

Mount Pleasant's Tonic Fills Up to Take A Bite Out of Breast Cancer

Lightning struck again for Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer last Tuesday evening. Only this time, the crowd filled Tonic in Mount Pleasant - sister to Tonic in Foggy Bottom.

Once again, Lisa Shapiro of Dining in DC made it through along with Rick Amernick and his DC Captial Striders Running Group. The group, which often gets involved with volunteer or charity races and events, has over three thousand members. 

I haven't seen the numbers from that night yet. But it seemed like every corner of Tonic was occupied by customers.

There's a heap of pictures posted for your viewing pleasure after the jump.

And I want to thank everyone again for coming out to both Tonic's for the Take a Bite events. Thanks for showing your support.  

Foggy Bottom's Tonic Welcomes Take A Bite Out of Breast Cancer

If you were one of the unlucky ones who didn't get a chance to visit Tonic at Quigley's Pharmacy this last Tuesday for Take A Bite Out of Breast Cancer, all I can say is that you missed something special.

Dining In DC's Lisa Shapiro, who is the Chairwoman and founder of the campaign, was among the many guests who participated. 

Others bloggers included Kate Michael of K Street Kate and Bindesh Shrestha of Desigrub. Bindesh actually served as the co-ambassador to Tonic with me and came through with a congress of friends who were a pleasure to meet and dine with.

Thanks to everyone for coming out.

I've compiled pictures of the evening after the jump.

Oh, and if you missed this past Tuesday's event you still have an opportunity to contribute through Tonic in Mount Pleasant this coming Tuesday, October 18th. That day, 25% of sales (including alcohol) will go towards the charity.

There are other restaurants and bars participating throughout the rest of the month. So if Tonic on Tuesday doesn't work for you check out the other participating restaurants at the Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer website.

Washington DC Foodies and Drinkers Will Be Taking a Bite Out of Breast Cancer in October

In the month of October, DLDGLG will be proudly participating in the Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer campaign.

Take a Bite partners with Washington D.C. area restaurants and bars to help raise money for Pink Jams! - a DC-based non-profit that helps bring awareness and advocates early detection for both women and men.

Individual restaurants and bars will take a day, week or more and donate a portion of their sales to the campaign. 

Lisa Shapiro of Dining in DC is the chairwoman for Take a Bite and has been working tirelessly to organize the month-long effort.

She's gathered her fellow food bloggers to help spread the word. In doing so, each blogger will be tethered to a participating establishment acting as an “ambassador."

When Lisa approached me, there was no question I had to get involved.

Two of my aunts, Liz and Annie, as well as my grandmother, Mary, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. My grandmother was a twenty-year survivor but not without having gone through life-altering surgery.

In September 2008, my aunt Annie went through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In 2009, her doctors discovered that both of her BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes tested positive. With this knowledge she elected to undergo major surgery.

Since then, she's had numerous operations between March 2010 and June 2011, and is still undergoing reconstructive procedures.

My aunt Liz was diagnosed in 2008 and underwent chemotherapy, radiation and surgery that year. In August 2011, the cancer returned and she underwent major surgery again this past September. She too will be enduring major reconstructive procedures like her sister.

Despite it all, both Liz and Annie have remained steadfast and courageous.

As you can see, there was no question that I had to contribute to the Take a Bite campaign. 

Like my aunts, countless individuals around the country must interupt their lives in order to save it. I believe participating in this charity can help others beat this cancer.

And if Take a Bite accomplishes it's mission with only one person, without a question it would be worth it.

As an ambassador, I will be bringing my own readers’ attention to the contributions that both Tonic locations are making (Foggy Bottom on October 11 and Mount Pleasant on October 18).

Friends and acquaintances are encouraged to visit the other restaurant locations that are participating as well.

View Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer in a larger map

So next month, please help drive up sales and, thus, increase the amount that particular eatery or saloon will be donating. It's a worthwhile cause.

Note: This post has been revised since its original publication

"When Boccato co-founded [Dutch Kills] in 2009... he wanted the place to be self-sufficient in ice production... This past spring, however, Boccato, 35, made good on that dream when he co-founded Hundredweight"

Richard Boccato is getting some attention from Forbes Magazine:

“'Economists call what Boccato did 'backward integration,'” says Susan Clark Muntean, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and management at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. Clark Muntean defines it as going back one step in the production process and claiming control over it. For example, she says, instead of buying tires from a supplier, an automobile manufacturer might decide to buy a factory that makes the tires."

They say Boccato is clearly a serial entrepreneur and an astute one in the craft cocktail world:

“'Although all entrepreneurs should constantly be on the outlook for increasing their revenue streams, it’s often serial entrepreneurs who can spot opportunities because they’ve had more experience,' says Joel Shulman, a professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, who also owns and manages EntrepreneurShares, a publicly traded mutual fund.”

“'Serial entrepreneurs get better at cutting costs, such as buying refurbished, rather than new equipment, and exploring new ways to make a profit,' he says.”

Kitty O'Shea's: “Saturday, August 27, is our last day of operation..."

"Feel free to express your displeasure with Schupp Companies – Park Street Development.”

(hat tip: ARLnow.com)

Is There More Than Meets The Eye in Tipping?

NPR ran a segment yesterday that attempted to get at the heart of American tipping culture. Planet Money's Caitlin Kenney examines the more visceral questions that are typically underlying the discussions about gratuity. 

Bartenders know all-too-well the various forms that question can take, such as, "why, for the love of all that's holy, do some customers give less than 15% tip on perfectly good service?" At first, Kenney seems interested in providing an answer here:

"Studies show that the size of the tip doesn't have much to do with the quality of service. The weather, how sunny it is, what kind of mood people are in, these factors matter just as much as how satisfied the customers are with the service they receive."

Jessica Gibson, a waiter at an Irish pub in Tulsa, Oklahoma, believes that the harder she works, the greater her tips are. Yet she also admits that when she's a customer, she always leaves a 20% tip, even if the service is terrible.

Like most people, Jessica tips pretty much the same amount no matter what."

This revelation is not new. Anyone in the service industry can tell you that seemingly frivolous circumstances can have a disappointing result on one's tip jar. That's why many seasoned FOH staff in restaurants across the country likely bank his or her income on a synthesis of great service and customer volume.

But Kenney isn't actually interested in how clientele tip. She really wants to know:

"if we don't tip to get better service, why do we it?

"Michael Lynn, a professor at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration and [I love this] a former waiter at Pizza Hut, says there is another explanation: We tip because we feel guilty about having people wait on us. It's a way of saying: 'Here, have on drink on me when you're done working.'

This is the social pressure theory of tipping, an idea first put forward by anthropologist George Foster.

This theory explains why we tip some people but not others. We tend to tip in places where we're having a lot more fun than the people who are serving us: bars, restaurants, cruise ships. But we usually don't tip in grocery stores or dentist's offices."

That last part made me think back to the scene in Resevior Dogs where Steve Buscemi's character, Mr. Pink, refuses to leave a couple bucks for the waitress and Harvey Keitel's character, Mr. White, attempts to convey a sobering perspective to convince Mr. Pink otherwise (NSFW).

Incidentally, who the hell drinks six cups of coffee? Anyway,the implications of Foster's hypothesis seem to suggest that guilt, empathy, or even pure altruism, was a significant element to the formation of the tipping culture Americans are familiar with today. That would seem to contradict the idea that the market forces influenced the American tipping system (i.e. good service begets a good tip). 

What are your thoughts on Foster's theory? When you stop to think about it, do you truly determine the appropriate gratuity based on some instinctive performance evaluation at the end of the meal? Is it even possible to keep a full tally of mistakes or exceeded expectations during the visit? If this theory is true and you worked in the service industry, would this change your perspective on why you are tipped in the first place?  

Say It Ain't So...

One sight that I would liked to have seen was Sax lounge's blasphemous and taboo murals. I read the reviews and the place seemed devilish and fun.

Unfortunately, pressure forced the owners to tone down the vivid images significantly. I guess it was fun while it lasted.

"Oh You Must've Been A Beautiful Baby..."

Cause baby look at you now.

(hat tip: TG)

So This Happened Today...

Sláinte!

Good for Ollie Hayes Pub. Reddit has the entire Ireland trip.

The Monster That Mixology Created

Camper English mulls over this headache that the craft-cocktail movement has probably created: snobbish and boorish clientele. His dissent finds a bright side:

"Bartenders can celebrate: They’ve succeeded in educating their customers."

But, he warns, that haughty customer attitude may be better explained as a mirroring of pretentiousness among some bartenders:

"Snobbery goes both ways, however. The customers may simply be reflection of — and comeuppance for — the pompous attitude some bartenders have assumed lately. It just goes to prove that he who offers many bitters will eventually get a taste of them."

The truth of Camper's assessment, I suspect, is hidden and scattered somewhere in the middle of these awkward bar moments. As an aware customer, I have encountered rude responses to what I thought were innocuous questions. This harshness has even come from mixologists that I have admired. 

At the same time, I've caught myself uttering my own arrogant reply to customers - and I'm not even working in a craft-cocktail type of place. My guess is that a majority of aspiring cocktailians find themselves confronted with similar circumstances. We're all a work-in-progress.

I love Camper's blog and articles. I admire his desire to discuss ideas that are normally tossed around in a bartender's mind and yet he's never been a full-time barkeep. Impressive.

Your Local Government at Work

The DCist reports that the D.C. Council voted on emergency legislation to extend drinking hours for bars on March 13th. The measure was introduced ostensibly to recuperate revenue that will be lost as a result of the daylight savings shift on March 14th. Obviously, if your favorite saloon is participating, this extension will provide you with more quality time in front of some hooch. Start carb-loading now folks.

2011 Extended Hours Calendar

Incidentally, I wonder if the DC Council will insist that the subway remain open for those late-late night folks who will get sloshed and try to venture home? Well, if you are one who agrees with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority general manager Richard Sarles, people shouldn't even be drunk on the trains in the first place.

The Ohio Restaurant Question

Washington City Paper had an interesting piece on an H street property that has gone through a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I don't normally burrow into commercial real estate on this blog. However, this particular space was going to be the newest addition to the Tonic family, according to a former general manager. Now, it seems, the old Ohio Restaurant is very much up for sale. I guess the only question now is if there be any suitors.

Church & State: Gimmick Alert?

A new craft-cocktail saloon has emerged in the district. There's little doubt, after reviewing initial reports by CityStream, that the owners of this establishment have confected either an amusingly blasphemous gimmick or a murmur of ironic genius. Church & State, as it's called, serves classic cocktails the likes of which are being advocated by many of today's mixologists (with their own personal touches). CityStream profiled the new saloon this week after attending a media preview.

The article was informative and definitely worth a read. I only took issue with the writer's assertion, in an attempt at clarity, that the reader "just remember, this is an American joint, so you won't find scotch or tequila." I can only assume the staff of Church & State did not contribute to this slight mistake.

To clarify, it is true, scotch is not an American spirit and tequila is Mexican. But neither is gin (British) or vodka (Russian) which are both served in a few of the cocktails that were listed. A distinctly "American" tavern of spirits would exclusively focus on rye, bourbon, moonshine whiskies, et cetera. And that would be fine as long as one didn't consider any liquor produced in the rest of North or South America as being American. Technically, I feel these spirits are "American" but I could be simply trying to square the circle. I took no real issue with this confusion as it's quite easy to forget or be mistaken on these details.

With a menu heading like the Bill of Rights, I found myself chuckling slightly.  It is fairly usual for District of Columbia bars to allude to such political ideas as constitutional democracy, the federal system or a capitalist economy (e.g. Founding Farmers, 51st State Tavern, or Recessions). I will not lie: I fear a clumsy attempt at cleverness here. There's nothing quite as tiring as the hackneyed DC satire bar.

But the passion to charmingly poke the flanks of the perpetually offended and yet risk the chagrin of the city's moderate believers has won my interest. I'm gripped with the idea of dashing in briefly for a drink. I hope to visit the newest kid in the neighborhood and provide some insight as to the success of the place in the coming week.

"We have had people phoning up asking to get trapped in, but it's kind of boring now and I would like to go home..."

says Mr. Butterworth, chef of Kirkbymoorside in the UK, who was stranded in a bar with four other staff members and two customers because of a debilitating snow storm.