by hr bartender on October 24, 2008
Those in-the-know are aware that the HR Bartender is a lifelong foodie. I just returned from an all-too-brief but wonderful tour of the Naples Grande Beach Resort where they have a Strip House steakhouse - YUM. But more on that in another post.
Today being Martini Friday, I want to explore what is being called “The Quick 10: The Birthplace of 10 Great American Foods” as it appears in mental_floss. This fun little article delves into the roots of some of this country’s best known and loved cuisine. Well, cuisine may be a little high-end of a term for these creations. But you can’t help but recognize them and maybe even some of their respective birthplaces.
According to the Library of Congress, the hamburger originated in America at Louis’ Lunch restaurant in New Haven, CT. Who knew? The original American pizzeria? Lombardi’s in New York City. You probably got that one.
Okay, here’s another one that’s widely debated . . . the cheesesteak sandwich was born in 1951 at Pat’s King of Steaks in (of course) Philadelphia, PA. Geno’s Steaks has claimed for years to have perfected the cheesesteak several years later. And in 1937, diners at the famous Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, CA witnessed the birth of the Cobb Salad.
You can explore the rest of the list, including the root beer float, corn dogs, and fried Twinkies(huh?). But what I want to know is, where’s all the important stuff? Who invented the martini? Key lime pie? Steak au poive?
If you know a good one, please share. I’ll get things started . . . last year, I had the pleasure of visiting a charming little restaurant called Barrachina that’s right in the heart of Old San Juan, PR. Their claim to fame? In 1963, don Ramon Portas Mingot created the original Piña Colada. Now that’s worth a toast . . . Cheers!
by hr bartender on October 17, 2008
Happy Martini Friday! It’s hard to believe that Halloween is only a few days away. Before we know it, the holiday season will be upon us and we’ll be faced with that next-to-impossible task of finding the perfect gift for all of our friends.
Let me share with you a little gem of a gift that’s sure to bring smiles to anyone on your holiday list. Stirrings has a cocktail of the month club. You can give that special person 3-, 6-, or 12-months of home-based happy hours. Imagine the smile on their face when they come home after a long day in the office to a cocktail mixer and rim garnish. Just add liquor and enjoy.
And, while you’re at it…you can order one for yourself. You work hard, right?! Treat yourself. (You could call it ‘gift testing’…after all, you wouldn’t want to give a close family member something that doesn’t meet your standards, right?)
The New Frugal has heralded the return of stay-at-home entertaining which makes this gift a can’t miss hit. Holiday Cheers!
by hr bartender on October 10, 2008
It’s Martini Friday so let’s have a little fun to get a jump start on the weekend!
We have a fascination with ‘what’s in and what’s out’. When something is popular, we call it the ‘new black.’ Whether it’s with colors - brown is the new black - or trends like being frugal is the new black, something is out there that we latch onto and embrace at least for a while.
In social networking, it used to be LinkedIn. Now LinkedIn is still very important…I’m not recommending that you delete your account. But the über-cool place to be right now is Twitter.
What’s Twitter you ask? Well, it’s a micro-blog. A blog, like HR Bartender, allows me to convey my thoughts, ideas, and feelings as often or as little as I like in as many or as few words as I like. Twitter allows you to convey those same thoughts and feelings…but you have to do it in 140 characters or less. That’s where creativity kicks in and you have to be succinct in your tweets (that’s the Twitter word for what you write in your updates.)
You can follow people to read their tweets and they can follow you. While that might appear on the surface like cyber-stalking…it’s no different than subscribing to someone’s blog. And, if you already have a blog…you can cross-reference your posts in Twitter for a little extra marketing boost to your blog traffic.
But social networking and marketing aside, it’s just plain fun!
So, when you get finished inviting everyone you know to LinkedIn…come visit me and my Tweeps in Twitter. You can follow me at Sharlyn_Lauby or HRBartender. See you in Twitterland…
by hr bartender on October 3, 2008
I’m sitting in the lounge at The Shores Resort in Daytona Beach at the end of a long day of meetings. l get some of my best ideas in restaurants and bars. After a long day at work, it’s great to just hang out with a glass of wine, listen to some jazz, and decompress.
For me that involves letting go of my mental ‘to-do’ list so I can actually relax and let my thoughts wander. Of course, I never go to a bar with a pen and paper so I can write my ideas down, let go of them, and get on with my evening. So I have a habit of writing ideas and things I need to do on bar napkins. You can imagine what it looks like when I go back to the office, dump out my bag and have dozens of bar napkins laying all over the place. Bar napkins have become my version of the post-it note.
Now you might be wondering why I’m spending so much time talking about napkins. Well, it’s because I’m here to celebrate being listed on Alltop. How cool is that?! If you’re not familiar with Alltop, it’s like a “digital magazine rack” of the internet. And, for those of you who might need a visual - here’s an explanation from Dan Roam, author of Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems with Pictures…on a napkin, of course!
So here’s to Alltop and the rest of the napkin artists of the world. Cheers!
by hr bartender on September 26, 2008
This week marks the beginning of Fall, which is my favorite time of year. We don’t experience Fall in South Florida. It’s 90 degrees with the usual unbearable humidity.
But, I once lived in Cincinnati, which is a great place to experience Fall. You can drive along the river or around the perimeter of the city and see the leaves changing color. There are roadside pumpkin farms for Halloween.
A recent tweet about someone being stuck in the Cincinnati airport made me smile. If I had an evening in Cinci…oh the things I would do! First thing is get out of the airport…because the Cincinnati airport is actually located in Kentucky. Go figure.
- On the list would be a margarita at El Coyote in Anderson Township. Simply the best.
- Then up to Montgomery to pick up brownies from Haute Chocolate for all of my friends. Maybe even a few Buckeyes.
- And lastly, dinner at the world-famous Montgomery Inn Boathouse. Right on the river. Best Ribs anywhere. And for dessert - some Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chip ice cream.
Writing this post reminds me that I need to take time to find the little gems in the places I visit. It also reminds me that I need to bring stuff to do just in case I get stuck in an airport.
Until I get stuck at CVG, I’ll just have to get my Montgomery Inn ribs shipped to South Florida. You might want to do the same.
by hr bartender on September 19, 2008
I’m not sure how I missed this but the Fancy Food Show (aka Foodapalooza) was in Palm Beach last month. Lucky for me Charles Passy from the Post covered the event and provided the 411 on the upcoming food and drink trends. Heaven knows, I simply can’t be seen with a Pomegranate Martini if they’ve been declared passé.
Couple of trends to note:
Tea is in/Coffee is out - Personally, I’ve always liked tea. Drinking tea is an experience. Coffee…well, it’s just grab a cup and go. That doesn’t mean I plan to give up coffee - that’s just crazy talk. But with all of the discussion about tea’s health benefits, maybe we should remember tea every once in awhile.
Cheese Plates - I’m glad to see that the cheese plate for dessert is coming into style - it’s about time! And, it looks like companies are starting to take those cheese plate accompaniments seriously … so look for tasty nuts and fruits the next time you order some delicious Humboldt Fog for dessert.
Additives are out - big time! Organic and allergy-free foods are being promoted in a big way. Emphasis is being placed on healthy, natural products. This is something that can benefit all of us.
So the next time you’re out to dinner…keep these food trends in mind. You can impress your dining companions with your trendy culinary expertise.
by hr bartender on September 12, 2008
I’m having one of those days. Just got back from speaking on strategic planning in Pensacola and have a ton of work to do. I know I’ll be working all weekend.
But I just need a quick smile…something to get me through the rest of the day.
Check out Hamster Dance! It’s total silliness but guaranteed to make you smile. And, when people start looking in your cube to see what is going on…you can tell them you are doing e-marketing research.
Hamster Dance was started by a competition to see who could create a website that would generate the most traffic. And, this is what won…go figure. It’s the genuine precursor to the viral video boom.
If dancing hamsters aren’t your particular brand of vodka, check out The Sticky Note Experiment from EepyBird - the latest from the same folks that brought us the Diet Coke and Mentos video.
So, send this post to all of your friends that might be in need of a smile…have a happy Friday!
I’m Sharlyn Lauby - the HR Bartender. And, yes, I am an expert with more than 18 years of professional HR management experience. Over the years, I found that my colleagues and employees wanted me to be like their neighborhood bartender - that friendly face who’s there when you need them. Click to learn more . . .
