Detroit’s first Restaurant Week kicks off Friday

Nearly every major city has a Restaurant Week – one week per year when dining establishments all over the city offer multi-course menus at a deep discount. Restaurants see it as a way to pull in new customers or boost sales during a slow period, while diners jump at the chance to try out new places or revisit their favorites for a smaller price.

For the first time, Detroit will be running its own Restaurant Week. It will run for 10 days, from September 18 to 27, and encompass two weekends. 17 restaurants are participating, with each offering at least three courses for $27, not including tax and tip. Some are also running drinks specials during the time. Each menu is being created specially for the event but will be consistent with the restaurant’s usual fare.

If your travel plans are taking you to the Motor City, or if you live in Detroit, you’re in for some good eating. Restaurants participating in the promotion include: Atlas Global Bistro, The Whitney, Coach Insignia, and Cuisine. A three-course dinner at the posh Whitney could easily set you back $50 per person. A feast at Coach Insignia, on the top of the Renaissance Center, would cost even more. And the others aren’t exactly diner dives – these are some of the top restaurants in the D when it comes to fine dining, so $27 for three-courses is quite a deal.

Video: Preparation of airline food

If you’ve wondered what goes into the preparation of food for an airline, here’s an interesting 5-minute video on the process. A few points of note: Up to 45,000 meals are made per day by airline catering companies; the type of food depends on the plane’s destination; pilots have to eat different food so as to avoid both of them being down should a full-related illness pop up on the flight; and, every meal is made to be served on the same day. Check it out.

[Via: Upgrade Travel Better]

E-Menu: A side of computer with your meal sir?

Ever had to wait too long for a waiter or waitress come to take your order? Did they have a surly demeanor? Ever had your meal arrive at the table only to realize that it wasn’t what you ordered? That may all change with new technology that is allowing diners to order their food directly from their table via a touch-screen computer system.

Companies developing “e-Menu” technology argue that not only does the system cut costs, but it in fact helps to boost sales. When a customer sits down in front of a computer screen and browses through delicious looking pictures of food, he may in fact order more. Who wouldn’t click on the golden creme brulée or the fresh looking sushi? It’s called impulse ordering ladies and gentleman. On top of it all, the touch screens can be accessed in different languages, allowing you to avoid the confusion that comes with language barriers. E-Menus have become so popular that restaurants in Europe, Japan, the United States and Israel are all testing out the new technology.

Although the tech-savvy might easily fall in love with the new ordering systems, traditionalists have their concerns. Computers can’t add the personal touch. If you’re a regular they won’t know your name and if you’re a visitor they won’t let you have a breath of the local culture via personal interactions. I once had a friend who tried to order a coffee — un cafe monsieur — in France and the waiter came back with a croque monsieur. It might not have been what he wanted, but it certainly made for a good story; you can be sure that it wouldn’t have happened with a computer screen.

Read more about e-Menus here.

Kung Pao Chicken with Olives?

One of the great joys of traveling is undoubtedly the food one gets to sample. That applies not only to the local specialties. When traveling, I always like to taste how different cultures handle cuisines that are exotic to them. For example, how often do you see mayonaise on those fries that came with your burger? That’s how you’ll normally get them in Europe.

Chinese or Thai cuisines are my favorite ‘culture barometers,’ since they taste completely different everywhere: each culture injects a bit of their own taste into it. In Prague, for example, you will be hard-pressed to find a Chinese restaurant that does not automatically serve their dishes with parsley, cucumber and tomato (the two Czech staple vegetables) on the side. In the US, on the other hand, you almost always get the convenient ¨soup, eggroll or salad¨ choice with your Chinese meals. I certainly did not see that anywhere in China.

Today on the Costa Brava in Spain, I actually saw Kung-Pao chicken garnished with lettuce and olives. Part of the Spanish-Chinese diet, I imagine?