Nice ice, baby

Ice has been a hot — er, cool? — item on trend watchers’ lists for some time now, and it all comes down to choosing the right cube (or chunk, or spear, or sphere) for the task.  Variety is the ice of (eau de) vie, it would seem:
 

While it’s anticipated that Grant Achatz’s forthcoming Chicago bar Aviary will be the forerunner in ice cube culture with 14 shapes and varieties available come opening, Forty Four at The Royalton comes pretty close.  This sleek, midtown Manhattan lounge features about five different ice offerings nightly.

What’s the big deal about solid water, you ask?  According to Serious Eats’ Cocktail 101 column, good ice is at the chilly heart of a great cocktail:
 

Not only does it chill a drink, but it also releases water into the cocktail, binding the ingredients, smoothing out the flavor, and taking the edge off the base spirit.

Today, many craft-cocktail bartenders are getting fancy with ice. In some bars, giant blocks of ice are chiseled and carved into large chunks, tall cylinders (for highballs), spheres, and cubes. In the hands of a deft bartender, ice becomes an element of showmanship.

(The article goes on to note the hidden advantages that plain ol’ tray-to-tastebuds ice cubes may have over fancier ‘cuts’ for home use, so if you’re not a bar pro, don’t worry that you’re missing out.)

Still, those who charge large for their bar menu offerings would do well to consider the cube.  In With ice, size matters, The Wall Street Journal’s Food & Drink section echoes the importance of the right ice:
 

When it comes to ice, size does matter, not to mention shape, density and clarity. If you prefer your Scotch on the rocks, beware:  small, brittle ice will quickly dilute years of cask aging. No one wants a Bruichladdich slushie.

But large cubes or spheres of ice will melt more slowly, bringing your drink closer to the temperature of the ice without over-diluting it. Larger pieces, such as spears the length of a glass, are ideal for keeping tall, carbonated beverages chilled. And there’s a place for pebbled and crushed ice, too: mint juleps, swizzles and many tiki drinks wouldn’t be possible without them.

… and goes a step further, offering how-to tips on creating the perfect spears, spheres, cubes, blocks and crushed ice.

Taking the most scientific approach is The Globe and Mail in its article, Do large ice cubes yield a less-water cocktail?

The Globe challenged a specialist in low-temperature physics at the University of British Columbia to prove — or debunk — the theory that larger cubes shed less liquid.  I won’t spoil the results — you’ll have to read the article to find out if you should opt for cubes or ‘bergs in your customer’s preferred potent potable — but the investigating scientist’s conclusion is telling: “Real-world physics problems often are surprisingly subtle and complicated, and this is a spectacular example of that.”

Cheers!

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Election a good excuse to party, party!

With less that a week left before the next federal election, it’s time to consider which party is the best place to park your vote.  Here are just a few of the front-running options:

• The How To Get Taken Seriously Party, aka: CRFA’s Federal Election Toolkit (everything you need to remind your local candidates that your business and Canada’s restaurant industry is too important to ignore).

• The Million Employees Deserve An Answer Party, aka: where the major parties stand on key industry issues, from credit card fees to payroll taxes.

• The It’s 5:00 p.m. Somewhere Party, aka: Day 6’s campaign cocktails (CBC’s weekend show recruited Oliver Stern, GM and bartender at the Toronto Temperance Society to “distill” weekly campaign highlights into a boozy beverage that “best represents what happened”).

• The Arugula, I Mean Rocket, I Mean … Never Mind Party, aka: an interesting look at the party leaders’ preferred nosh.  Some like it hot while others are pro-pom — and some ain’t sharin’ at all.

• The It’s All In Good Taste Party, aka: election-themed menus that give customers the chance to vote with their stomachs.

Know of any other election-oriented websites that might be of interest to restaurant operators?  Comment below and let us know!

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More provincial budgets; where the federal parties stand on restaurant issues

Quick on the heels of one federal and three provincial budgets, we present … two more!

Manitoba:

A lacklustre budget was further tarnished by the decision to raise the minimum wage for the seventh time in six years – an especially important issue for the restaurant industry, where 30 cents of every dollar goes directly to labour costs.

Full story: No help for restaurant and foodservice operators

Nova Scotia:

While a slight reduction in the small business tax rate and a one-time increase in the basic personal tax exemption are good, small steps, they pale in comparison to the impact of the HST increase, fee hikes, and growing labour costs … this budget does nothing to help make our businesses more competitive.

Full story: Some nuggets, but few meet restaurant needs

On the federal front, three parties have supplied CRFA with their responses to election questions on the key issues facing Canadian foodservice operators:

1. What will your party do to help rein-in the cost of accepting credit cards?
2. What will your party do to cut red tape and keep it from creeping back?
3. What will your party do to cut payroll taxes?
4. How will your party address the unfair treatment of food under GST/HST?
5. How will your party address the pending labour shortage?
6. How will your party include the restaurant industry in the development of healthy living policies in Canada?
7. How will your party balance the needs of restaurant owners consumers and farmers?

Click on the party names below to view the responses received to date (PDFs):

	Liberal Party of Canada
	Bloc Quebecois
	New Democratic Party

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NPD Group: Full-service slows, QSR share grows

In a keynote speech at last week’s second annual Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit, NPD Group‘s Robert Carter noted that the Canadian restaurant industry is making slow gains but that long-term growth will “depend on more product innovation, quality, customer service, and convenience.”

Drawing from their CREST® service, which “continually tracks how Canadians use restaurants and other foodservice outlets,” NPD shared the following stats about the state of the industry:

• 46% of the Canadian population use restaurants on an average day, compared to 44% in the U.S.  Only Italy ranks higher in terms of restaurant use.  NPD credits strong growth in the breakfast daypart and “innovation on morning menus,” pointing out that “for the first time, Canadians are using restaurants more often for breakfast than for supper.”

• Restaurant traffic at full-service restaurants has been declining for the last two years, most notably during the supper hour.  “Greater menu variety” and “higher quality food items” are key motivators for full-service customers, according to NPD.

• While full-service restaurants — which account for 25% of all restaurant visits in Canada — have struggled, visits to quick-service restaurants were up 2% last year.  NPD tagged the “fast-casual quick-service” category as one to watch as it offers “the convenience of quick service restaurants, but with higher quality food and ambiance.”

For monthly insights into consumer behaviour at Canadian restaurants, be sure to bookmark Customer Research over at RestaurantCentral.ca.

Coming tomorrow: Budget Roundup Redux and a look at how the federal parties have responded to the top concerns of Canadian restaurants.

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Nordic bests True North in annual restaurant awards

Yesterday was a Big Deal Day in the world of restaurant rankings with the release of the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2011.  And while there’s no word on whether or not any of these top restos accept AirMiles, you’ll likely need to use them to get to these favoured foodsellers.

Copenhagen’s Noma restaurant topped the list for the second consecutive year, winning over “a panel of more than 800 chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and food experts” (including 10 from Canada).

Under the leadership of 33-year-old chef René Redzepi, Noma‘s menu “remains deeply committed to an innovative Nordic cuisine,” with local ingredients such as Icelandic skyr curd, halibut, Greenland musk ox and berries winning out over Mediterranean staples like olive oil and tomatoes.

What does such an award mean for a restaurant?  According to the New York Times (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants? Says Who?), a spot on the list “can catapult a place from insider favorite to impossible-to-get-into destination,” as proved by Noma’s 2010 win:
 

If you had called for a reservation at the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen on Saturday, April 24, 2010, you could have dined there that night. By the time it next opened, the following Monday, you would have faced competition from 100,000 people to get a table. In the intervening 48 hours, Noma had won the top spot on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

That experience was echoed by one of the two Canadian restaurants to make the cut last year:
 

After coming in at 77th last year, (Jonathan) Gushue says Langdon Hall began filling up its reservation books almost immediately after the announcement.

“We’ve had several awards and designations, and there’s no question:  In my career, I’ve never seen one that makes a difference like the San Pellegrino,” he says. “Our business changed within 24 hours.”

Langdon Hall, unfortunately, did not appear on the list this year and neither did Calgary’s Rouge — leaving the list bereft of any Canadian content.  But Gushue is sanguine about being bumped.  Noting that inclusion on such a list can sometimes attract customers who care more about cachet than cuisine, he says that he’d “rather diners choose to visit his restaurant because they like his style of cuisine, not because of its perceived reputation.”
 

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to be on the list. Of course, I want to be on the list,” Mr. Gushue says. “But the fact that we’re not? I won’t lose any sleep.”

Meanwhile, he says, he’ll aim to reclaim a spot on the list next year. “Like I said, I’ve got to work harder.”

Less circumspect are Rob Feenie and Rocco Agostino who share with CTV News their thoughts on what Canada has to offer the culinary world and what Canadian chefs can do to get noticed.

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