CALLING ALL ARTISTS
To celebrate its 14th anniversary, Sushi Neko, part of Western Concepts Restaurant Group, is holding a T-shirt design contest. The restaurant is offering some pleasing prizes to three winners who submit a design that could be featured on a tee.
The deadline to enter is Saturday, and winners will be chosen by the management and notified by email.
Here’s what the top dog will get:
1st place, a $300 gift card; 2nd place, a $150 gift card; and 3rd place, a $100 gift card.
Western Concepts consists of Sushi Neko, 4318 N. Western; Musashi’s, 4315 N. Western; The Lobby Bar and The Tasting Room, both at 4322 N. Western; and The Coach House, 6437 Avondale Drive.
Drop off your submission to Sushi Neko or email it to midoric_ [email protected]. Get going!
CHOW CHAT
Chef Eddie Hartwick (pictured), working with Sage Dining Services, is the new food service director at Casady School with his sous chef, Kevin Schoenhoff. He is a co-founder with chef Don Thiery and Zena Dater of the Oswalt Culinary Cook-Off. This year’s cookoff is planned for Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the Cox Convention Center during the private Oklahoma Restaurant Convention and Expo.
Famous person you look like: “James Caan.” (He answered with a laugh.)
Dating tip from a dude: “Italian always wins.”
On the horizon: “Getting married soon to Kristy Peters, whom I met through a mutual friend.”
You really like: “Watching my son, Yale, play hockey.”
You’d love to meet: “Dean Fearing and Bobby Flay.”
A quick cooking tip: “Listen first.” You stay away from: “Chitlins (pig intestines) — never, no thanks.”
You’d kill for: “Dry-aged rib-eye.” You die and come back as:
“Jimmy Buffet.”
Favorite kitchen gadget: “A mixing wand.”
Eat out: “Louie’s and then at Mahogany when I have the money.”
Handyman style: “I can fix anything; my dad taught me well.”
On your day off: “Spent with my kids, Yale, 13, and Payton, 14.”
When did you decide to become a chef? “After college in 1991. I knew the white-collar side was not for me.”
You snack on: “Munchies chips by Frito-Lay.”
A hilarious goof in the kitchen:
“Using salt instead of sugar.”
If you had an hour to burn: “I’d be in my own backyard with a really cold beer.”
BYTES
Remember the time you stiffed that waiter by not leaving a tip? That’s the question we asked on Oklahoma Gazette’s Facebook page. And here are your answers, verbatim.
“She spilled water all over the table when refilling drinks and then never came back.” —Elizabeth Michelle Miller “Does everyone know waiters only make $2.13 an hour? It’s hard work and sometimes unfortunate circumstances happen but to totally stiff someone... seems a little extreme and mean. Try and put yourselves in their shoes!” —Stacy Micka
“I have only once left a small tip for bad service-$1.00. The waiter followed me out and said I’d made a mistake. I admitted I did and took the dollar out of his hand then went back inside to find the manager. Bad service = 15 min to get water another 10 to take the order then we got the wrong food. NO, the restaurant was not that busy.” —Ed Ward
“A waiter spilled wine on me, entire glass at the former Pearls on 240. Ruined shirt and jeans. Not apologetic. Manager gave me 5$ cpupon for northside laundry. I live in Norman. Not even dessert offer. I left a buck. Wine for another table, i dont drink. Only time i ever left bad tip.” —Chris Ritter
“What if your waiter feels that they gave you the best service but you have a completely different opinion or you’re in a bad mood and nothing is good enough? No tip?” —Stacy Micka
“I had terrible service so I left 2 cents on the table to ensure that he didn’t think it was an oversite. My husband says most young people wouldn’t understand the insult of leaving 2 cents, but I did it anyway.” —Betty Becquart Sanders
“A former co-worker had a horrible experience with a waitress. Finally tracked her down in the kitchen and handed her a fifty. Told it was worth it just to be able to tell her face to face she needed a new career-)).” —Tom Whiteley
—Carol Smaglinski
