Western Restaurants

Menu

The menu is the list of food that a restaurant offers. This word may refer to the actual paper menu, or the food itself.

Some restaurants offer a single fixed, multi-course meal with only a few choices. Such a menu may be called prix fixe ( /priːfɪks/; French: "fixed price").

Restaurant tasting menus offer small portions of several dishes as a single meal. Some restaurants and chefs specialize in tasting menus, while in other cases, it is a special or a menu option.

WaiterThe waiting staff or wait staff are those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers — supplying them with food and drink as requested. Traditionally, a male waiting tables is called a "waiter" and a female a "waitress" with the gender-neutral version being a "server".

The duties of waiting staff include preparing tables for a meal, taking customers' orders, serving drinks and food, and cleaning up before, after and during servings in a restaurant.

TippingIn the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, many other Western countries and parts of the Middle East, it is customary for customers to pay a tip to a server after a meal, with a possible range from 10% to 25% depending on the level and quality of service. In some situations, a tip or "service charge" will be included on the restaurant bill in the U.S. Also called a gratuity, a "service charge" will be automatically applied for situations where the restaurant management imposes this to ensure that the servers earn their usual tip income.

BusboyBusser and busboy are terms used in the United States for someone who works in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables and otherwise assisting the waiting staff.

A busser's duties generally depend on the size of the restaurant. In upscale or larger restaurants, they may bring water and introductory foods, like tortilla chips and salsa in Mexican restaurants or bread in an Italian restaurant.

SommelierA sommelier (English pronunciation: /sʌməli:jeɪ/), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching. The role is more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter.

Maître d'hôtel

The maître d’hôtel (pronounced: [mɛːtʁ dotɛl]; often shortened to maître d’) in the original French language is literally the "master of the hotel". In a suitably staffed restaurant or hotel, it is the person in charge of assigning customers to tables and dividing the dining area into areas of responsibility for the various servers on duty. The plural form is 'maîtres d'hôtel' or 'maîtres d' if shortened. The maître d'hôtel may also be the person who receives and records reservations for dining, as well as dealing with any customer complaints.

ChefA chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.

While many people may work as professional cooks, chefs at high-end restaurants are often highly trained experts. Culinary education is available from a wide number of schools offering diploma and degree programs in culinary arts. Depending on the level of education, this can take one to four years.

What do you think?

• Have you ever worked in a restaurant? What did you do? Was it interesting?

• If you worked at a restaurant, what position would you like to have?

• Have you ever been to a restaurant that had a sommelier?

• Do you think that tipping is a good idea or a bad idea?

SteakhouseA steakhouse is a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks. The same type of restaurant is also known as a chophouse. The steakhouse started in the USA in the late 19th century as a development of traditional inns and bars.

The Big Texan steakhouse in Amarillo, TX, is well known for its 72 ounce (4.5 pounds or 2.041 kg) steak, nicknamed "The Texas King." The steak is free to anyone who, in less than one hour, can eat the entire meal, consisting of the steak itself, plus a bread roll with butter, baked potato, ranch beans, shrimp cocktail, and salad; otherwise, the meal costs $72.00.

Bistro

A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Home cooking with robust earthy dishes, and slow-cooked foods are typical. In America, many Italian restaurants are often called bistros as well.

Café

Cafés are informal restaurants offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches. Coffee shops, such as Starbucks, while similar to cafés, are not restaurants due to the fact that they primarily serve and derive the majority of their revenue from hot drinks. Many cafés are open for breakfast and serve full hot breakfasts. In some areas cafés offer outdoor seating.

Michelin GuideThe Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books to restaurants and hotels, published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The guide awards one to three stars to a small number of restaurants of outstanding quality. One star indicates a "very good cuisine in its category", a two-star ranking represents "excellent cuisine, worth a detour," and three stars are awarded to restaurants offering "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". A three-star Michelin ranking is rare. As of late 2009, there were 26 three-star restaurants in France, and only 81 in the world. The city with the most Michelin-starred restaurants is Tokyo, having 127.

Noma Copenhagen, Denmark

Noma is a two Michelin star restaurant run by chef René Redzepi in Copenhagen, Denmark. The name is an acronym of the two Danish words "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food), and the restaurant is known for its reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic Cuisine. In both 2010 and 2011, it was ranked as the Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant magazine.

El Bulli Roses, Catalonia, Spain

elBulli was a Michelin 3-star restaurant near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by chef Ferran Adrià. The small restaurant has been described as "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet" and does a great deal of work on molecular gastronomy. The restaurant is closed as of July 30 2011, to reopen as a creativity center in 2014.

Liquid OliveApple Caviar

The French LaundryYountville, California

The French Laundry is a French restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. The chef and owner of the French Laundry is Thomas Keller.The French Laundry is a perennial awardee in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World (having been named "Best Restaurant in the World" in 2003 and 2004), and since 2006, it has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide to San Francisco. It has also been favorably reviewed by The New York Times and called "the best restaurant in the world, period" by Anthony Bourdain.

The Fat DuckBray, Berkshire, England

The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, England. The restaurant is known for its menu of unusual dishes, created following the principles of molecular gastronomy: examples include "snail porridge", "sardine on toast sorbet", "bacon and egg ice cream", and "salmon poached with liquorice".

Salmon poached w/ liquorice Truffle Toast Snail Porridge

What do you think?

• What do you think is the greatest restaurant in the world?

• Where is your favorite place to eat?• What do you think of people who spend over

$200 on a single meal?• Have you ever been to a steakhouse?• Do you think you could eat a 2kg steak in less

than an hour?