Restaurateur
Saveliy Libkin

This is one of those dishes which are present in the menu of almost any Ukrainian restaurant. And this is not at all important are there fresh vegetables or not. Potatoes, carrot, cabbage and terrible imported sweet pepper are presented always…and who can say that this isn’t vegetables. The assembly charts direct one thing, but who read them when three tables ordered grilled vegetables at the same time? The waiters do their best. The cooks aren’t guilty. The chefs are not become clear yet what is more important: to follow the assembly charts or to please the guest. The managers of the restaurants don’t know at all what, where and to who is served. It is uncomfortable to «prevent» the chef. The owners-investors and others are de-le-ga-ted everything. The suppliers choose the products with which it is possible to «earn money». The guest eat cold dish of the same name and adapting gradually… The tourists examine the Odessa’s girls and didn’t notice what they have in their plates. What to do…  Surely in theory everyone understands how it must work. Surely the guests also know that there is no use to order grilled vegetables in winter in Ukraine. One people order, other people cook it. Or on the contrary… everybody cook it because everyone orders. Maybe we should remember for whom/what it is made? Maybe there is obvious solution when you shouldn’t lie and wriggle? Maybe the guests also will remember about seasonal prevalence…

And now it is excellent time for this dish. I prefer to salt the lemons and grill them long enough and at the end to put them on the vegetables together with grilled garlic. I prefer to serve this dish after 20-30 minutes of combined staying in the plate with oil, herbs and pepper.

But even now it isn’t enough restaurants where this dish is eatable, alas! And almost everyone can/know how to cook this dish delicious, but it doesn’t touch daily practice. Because as before were brought only cabbage, potatoes and imported sweet pepper… Not long ago I ordered this dish at one Odessa’s «gastronomic oasis», they didn’t include THIS to the check, but the mood was spoilt slightly. And the waiter following the instruction asked courteously with affirmative intonation: «Everything is fine?!» After the offer to take THIS away, the expression of astonishment which wasn’t directed by the instruction appeared on his face.

Within last six months I have given endless quantity of comment s and interviews about trends in «our» restaurant business… After my next trip to the restaurant capital of the world my opinion about Ukrainian restaurant the present and the future didn’t changed but it allowed me to have doubts again in the efficiency of some of my own prejudices.

So:

In the sphere of gastronomic fast food. The average check in the restaurant Napket which is 20-25 pounds doesn’t determine the level of gastronomic features but it already exceeded much the price 8-10 pounds for Fish and chips in rather normal atmosphere. The frankfurters can be served with rather refined sauces, for example with mustard horseradish sauce or with truffle cheese Gruyère. But the location of the same Napket at the most expensive quarters of the megalopolis clears up somehow the price not only by the quality of muffins and cut-glass chandeliers.

Compact restaurants of a small size with 9-12 tables are in fashion. The huge restaurants quit the stage. Meanwhile the restaurants in the hotels which have very considerable dining areas aspire to be or to become fashion and even popular.

The focus is on the «purity» of the products which are delivered to the kitchens of London restaurants – their origin, observance of the production rules, and factor of seasonal prevalence. They attach value to the usage of products from «own producers», that, as you understand, must guarantee their not spoilt freshness. It is clear that nothing is grown in London, but they indicted in the menu the name of the nearest to the city farm where from a lamb or for example a parsnip was delivered.

A democratic, first of all from the standpoint of prices, restaurants are valued highly… Thereby the so called bistro for everyday eating — restaurants with comfort atmosphere and full-fledged and sometimes even de luxe menu – have got rather great spreading. Their comparative democratism is provided on account of that the courses are cooked not from the most expensive products there but meanwhile the very gastronomic direction and production methods don’t suffer at all and stay on the proper high level. The so called «secret restaurants» which appeared recently can be rated as democratic ones also. As a rule these restaurants are opened by the young chefs who want to try their business skill on the guests- volunteers.

I have received thirty versions-comments in LJ and in this blog.

It is strange enough, a lot of restaurants are creating and a lot of restaurants are clossing.  The considerable enough funds are invested in this business. Many millions of professionals work in this business. But definitely precise definition of what is it isn’t exists.  As much as possible close answer but not in the form of definition and rather in the form of mini article was given by mactep who doesn’t work in this business directly but he has  strong notion in this regard to all appearance .

Exactly Bоris gets the promised certificate.  Bon appetit! And I wait for your criticism after the visit.

The word restaurateur  is absent in the encyclopaedias, only Dal explains that it is the owner of the place where the food is served.  Аbbreviation HoReCa in Wikipedia determines the enterprises according to the belonging to the market of hospitality industry.

The definition of what is restaurant business is absen.  At least my employees and I were unable to formulate it definitely, specifically and precise.

Maybe someone have seen more or less precise and clear definition? Please, share.

Besides I offer the award in the form of once-only certificate for the dinner at any restaurant of our company on the ammount 500 UAH  to the person who will offer the best definition — undoubted and  reflecting precisely the main point of what is RESTAURANT BUSINESS.

Do not offer the wordings „public catering“and other abstract or soviet wordings or any other wordings which do not fit because of different sense. Also I ask do not use Internet materials and resource  Russian and any other.