Vegas Sandwich

A rant on tipping...

So this isn't a recipe per se -- and yet it is.  It is a recipe for good things to happen to you.
A recent rip to Vegas sparked some thoughts about tipping in America.  But first the backstory.

We drive to Vegas at the crack of dawn to get an extra full day there.  Typically J leaves around 4 and I leave just before 5am.  We meet at Mon Ami Gabbi (Paris) for breakfast and to start the day. This time J mentions that he has read about the "Vegas Sandwich."

You'll need;

• Your ID
• Your credit card
• A $20 bill ($50 optional)

Put the $20 between your ID and credit card and hand it to the agent when you check in to your hotel.  Ask at this point if there are any upgrades available (or some other vague request).  Make no specific mention of the Jackson.

One of a few things can happen at this point.  The worst is that the agent is unable to do anything for you and pockets your cash.  That's right, you just wasted $20.  However, you have helped out someone who is probably struggling in a crappy, tourist-driven economy in a godforsaken desert.  That beats losing two hands of Blackjack.

The weirdest would be if they gave your money back to you. "This really isn't necessary, Sir." Or perhaps they fling it back to you with a sneer that says "Try $100 next time."

Most likely they will pocket your contribution and pull some strings to get the best room in the situation.  This is what happened to us three times this last weekend.

• D and I were using a free room promotion at the SLS but wanted to check in at 10am instead of waiting til 3pm.  After the sandwich we were in with a high floor and an upgraded view.  I believe that the sandwich (and maybe the fact that it was Wed) made that a reality.  
• J used a sandwich at Flamingo and although he had an upgraded room already booked, was given a garden /pool view.
• When we moved to the Linq for the rest of the weekend I dropped D off to register while I got the bags to the bellman and parked the 'Burban.  By the time I meet her at the registration desk she has sandwiched us into early check-in, and a pool view petite suite.  D laughed that the line attendant indicated that it was too early to check in without paying a $30 fee.  (Note that the sandwich was cheaper than the fee)

So the question is did the $20 really do all this or was it going to happen anyhow.  We will never know.  This question is one asked of organized religions every day.  Much like religion, it is a cost/benefit analysis.  Can you afford to throw away $20 on an increased chance that you will have good things happen to you at the registration desk?  Yes you can.

Travel experts point out that reservation clerks have tremendous latitude and you want them seeing you as not just another piece of cattle.  (Women with big boobs have known this for years)  However, this brings up the whole notion of tipping.  I'm not talking about the Reservoir Dogs tipping rant, I mean a real exploration of how this thing works.

This isn't just my opinion here, I want to hear what you have to say when I'm done.

First off some terms.  Tipping can mean both gratuities after service and tips given a-priori in the hopes of exceptional service.  Institutionalized tipping is the social construct whereby the price of goods and services has a mandatory and optional part.  The optional part is the tip.

A-priori is the essence of tipping.  You are giving something with absolutely no guarantee that you will get something in return.  Nobody has told you that it is required and so it is the ultimate gift.  If this were the only kind of tipping then I doubt that there would be a debate about it. Pay it forward in daily life. 

After service tips are still okay in my book.  As I framed it above, there are two parts to the price and we pay accordingly.  When service/sale has been rendered the payer can send a non verbal message about the state of service by altering the optional part.  There are societal suggested amounts, but the amount is entirely up to the one with the wallet out.  This is the first place that we get in trouble.

You see, as long as everyone sees it the same way then we will all get along, but not everyone does.  Servers see 15% as a minimum tip, not a recommended one.  Cheapskates see tips as completely optional.  Uncle Sam sees tips as part of one's salary. Barbacks see the Bartenders tips as part theirs. Denny's waitresses see that quarter under the water glass as decidedly not funny.  And the market has a hell of a time pricing goods and services when the error bars on the data are half the data.

Case in point.  I was talking to the cabbie in Vegas and he was regaling me with a story of some gorls who got picked up at one hotel, had to go the bank to get a new credit card (while he waited) and then to a restaurant or club.  He scoffed that the tip was only $3.  So I asked him how much the ride cost.  $30 he said.  Gulp.  I typically tip 10% on cab rides.  Did he expect the congressional medal of honor for wating outside Citibank?  IDK.

So would it be easier to have no tipping whatsoever?  Maybe, but a hell of a lot less fun.  I will start the discussion with a quick list of my tipping tendencies and you folks should reply as needed in the (sporadically moderated) comments section.

• Meals: 15% to 20% with 20 for good service and 15 for bad.
• Taxi rides: 10% or $5 whichever is more.
• Dealers (casino): One wager amount if I had a good run and won something.  So $5 to my roulette croupier if I hit my number early.
• Haircuts: 15% (or 20% if she's cute).  I tip $2 on my $8-$10 cuts even if the barber is an ex-marine.
• Service calls: An Abe or Sawbuck if it is hot or yucky.  $20 if the guy cuts me a deal on a part or saves me $100.
• Bellmen/Skycaps: $1/bag or $5 for less than 5 bags.
• Bars: $1/drink unless I am being a PITA -- then 10%.  I will not tip 20% on your $18 "signature cocktail." (BTW I was taught 10% on alcohol and 15% on food)
• Valet: $1-$5 when I get my car depending on speed of service.
• Housekeeping: $5 to $10 per day at end of stay if I needed housekeeping at all. Frequently I leave nothing because I never use service on short stays)
• Doorman/Taxi attendant: $1 -- I know a nutless monkey could do this job, but a good doorman needs to be kept in place.
• Car Wash: $3 unless the windows are actually streak free and I can tell -- then $5.
• Maitre'd: Nothing usually but $10 to $20 if it is a view restaurant and I'd like that view.

Macadamia Crusted Fish with Coconut Milk Sauce.

And now for something completely different.

In our last few episodes we've gone crazy with cream sauces.  This culminated with the Blue Cheese sauce that is definitely not for fish.  This got me thinking (Yes, that is what you were smelling) that I should share my creamy sauce for fish. 

I was inspired by a meal at Roy's restaurant in Hawaii.  I had a stack of stuff on a plate that included a Macadamia encrusted piece of fish that was doused in this excellent coconut milk based sauce.  I liked it so much that I bought the cookbook from the gift shop (I think the restaurant had a gift shop...but Mai Tais were involved) because it contained this recipe.  Long story short, there were 12 ingredients in the sauce alone.  I set about to simplify.

It turns out that most of the ingredients in the sauce were already in a sweet chili sauce called Mae Ploy. So you can make this sauce quickly and easily.  The recipe below makes way more sauce than you will need for 4 fish fillets.  That is because this stuff rocks on rice.

I'll detail the sauce and then show you how to do a great Macadamia Crusted fish to put under it.

For the sauce you'll need;

• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (shake thouroughly before opening)
• 1/2 cup cream or half & half
• 1/2 cup Mae Ploy
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 Tbsp Scriracha sauce (optional but highly recommended)
• 4 to 5 basil leaves (finely chopped)

Combine the first 5 ingredients and bring to a simmer.

Constantly stir to prevent scorching.

Reduce by up to half.  Add the basil, remove from heat and stir in.

For the fish you'll need;

• 4 small pieces of fish (I used Hamachi, but recommend Mahi-mahi or Rockfish)
• 1-2 oz roasted Macadamia nuts (chopped fine)
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp salt  

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Dredge fish in crumbs and pat to set.  I have never needed to use an egg wash or anything because if you don't dry the fish it will be naturally wet enough to hold on to the crumbs.  Yes, lots falls off but we aren't making corn dogs here.

Get 3 Tbsp peanut oil and 1 Tbsp sesame oil into a pan over med heat. You need the extra oil to make the crust.  Get the fish into the pan and don't move it for 4 minutes.  The lower heat is so that the nuts don't burn.

After 4 minutes flip and cook for another 4 minutes.

Prep your plates.

Get the fishies onto the plates and spoon over a little bit of the sauce.  Don't hide your crust.

Serve the rest of the sauce in gravy boat.

Blue Cheese Sauce

Made for steak -- good on anything but fish.

Yeah, sorry about that. Right now I can't get the idea of Trout w/Blue Cheese out of my head. Yech.

Anyhow, this is an easy and good blue cheese sauce.

You'll need;

• 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted if you've got it, but regular will do)
• 4 oz blue cheese crumbles
• 1/2 cup whipping cream (or half&half or milk)
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 shallot (minced)
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over med heat.

Add the shallots and sweat them for a good 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the cheese . . .

. . . and cream and bring to a near simmer while stirring.

Add the worcestershire and stir in.

Reduce heat and stir. I switched to a whisk for no reason (other than a desire to wash more dishes).

When the cheese is melted, turn off the heat.  Season with pepper and taste for salt. Stir in some parsley for color if desired.

This sauce is great because it tempers the bite of the blue cheese and makes a thick, clingy, spreadable sauce that is good on anything meaty or starchy.  Just not tuna.  Sorry.

Alfredo Sauce

A special occasion sauce.

Alfredo sauce is good stuff.  The best is made right on the hot pasta but that tableside procedure is not for the faint of heart.  Best just to make it in a pan ahead of time.  The worst part of this sauce is getting the cheese to melt properly.  The second worst part is that it will break/separate if reheated.

A word here about cheese.  This sauce is a cream/cheese sauce so don't even think about using pre-grated cheese.  Even the fancy ones have celulose added to prevent clumping and will wreck your sauce.

You could use salted butter in this recipe, but, depending on the particular cheese that you buy, the sauce can get too salty.  I prefer to control the sodium.

You'll need; (Photos show a double batch)

• 1 cup grated parmeseano regiano cheese. (1.5 cups if you use a microplaner)
• 1 cup whipping cream or half and half
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• (opt) 1 clove garlic (minced)  (or and inch from the squeeze tube)
• nutmeg (freshly grated) (if not fresh, cut the amt in half)
• salt 
• pepper
• parsley (chopped fine)
• (opt) 1 tsp lemon zest

Prepare your MIP.

Put a small saute pan on med-low heat and melt the butter and garlic (if desired).

Add the cream and stir occasionally as it comes nearly to a simmer. Do not boil your cream/butter mixture.

Add the cheese and stir constantly while it melts.

While stirring, grate in about 1/8 tsp of fresh nutmeg.  This is about 8 passes on the microplane. (Less if dried)

Season with salt, lots of pepper, and the zest (if desired).

When the sauce is creamy and smooth you can add the parsley to the sauce, or just garnish the finished dish with parsley.