1.) When your steak is cooked improperly you’re likely to get a set of fresh and new sides. Now if you ordered medium and the steak is just below then it’s likely the chef will just cook the meat for the 2 minutes it takes to up the temp, and then replate the original sides. But if a steak has to be completely recooked you’ll always get a fresh new plate.

2.) When there’s a bakery on premises you get fresh bread, never recycled, 100% of the time. I’m with Anthony Bourdain on the idea that recycling bread from table to table is not that big of a deal. And any place that uses fresh bread crumbs, or makes bread pudding, uses the leftovers from the day before. Check out a cookbook and you’ll notice that it says to use “day old bread” for breadcrumbs. Again, if the restaurant has a bakery on site then this day old bread is just the extras that were never touched.

3.) The daily special is not a way to get rid of food that’s gone bad. There are two types of specials: got a still good item that’s about to go bad; and fresh food that’s prepared with care. We did a daily fish special that the chef always gave us a hard time about if we reused a portion of the previous day’s special. I might use the spicy tomato coulis from the night before to flavor a polenta, for example. It was always encouraged for a brand new set to be made each day.

And no restaurant would serve you food that’s gone bad, if the special is intended to push an item then it’s because the food is still good to eat. But there’s too much of it to sell as a normal menu item and a special is a great way to sell the food, rather than toss it in the garbage before it’s inedible.

4.) Feel good that the premium price you’re paying is because the restaurant is also paying a premium price for quality product. If your favorite restaurant is serving a local grass fed beef tenderloin and it costs a few bucks extra, you can rest assured that the chef payed that extra cost as well. You’re getting the best ingredients put on your plate that makes sense for the amount of business a reputable restaurant does. Not every place can afford to run exclusively local ingredients, but the good spots always order in the highest quality stuff that can be had.

5.) Your plates are clean and without smudges. Sounds like a small item, but we’d often joke on the line about how many bowls it would take to find a servable one. We’d go through and drop 4 or 5 plates into a drop bin until we found one that was clean.

Read the whole article by Steve on http://munchmonster.com/editorial/5-ways-restaurants-provide-service.html

Exceptional Restaurant

Elektra Coffee Machine Belle Epoque Copper Brass

Especially sized and somewhat redesigned for home use, the Mini Verticale also comes in copper and brass finish. Wooden handle, chrome or brass eagle make them very retro stylish. The base diameter is only 320 mm or just under 12.625″, so it takes little space but weighs close to 30 lbs. According to the review we found on Coffee Geek this Electra has few negative points, mainly – no direct line to water, but a liter storage container, the drip plate and reservoir are pain to clean, and if you ever have to reset the pressure switch, then you really going to feel the pain.

Elektra Mini Verticale Coffee Machine Chrome

Well, if you have at the very least about $1,800 USD or €1500 to spend, depending on where you live, those negatives are rather minor nuisances comparing with the beauty of this machine and the knowledge that you are one of the very few who dared to own one. Available in 7 voltages – 240, 230, 220, 127, 120, 115 and 110 Volts. Italian Espresso Coffee machines from Elektra.

Ideeli is a members only club that organizes short (lasting just 2-3 days) online sales of luxury products at steeply reduced prices.  Think Italian designer shoes for $100 rather than $500.  It’s one of the hottest new trends on the Internet.

Ideeli works with hundreds of luxury brands from the US and Europe.  These brands all have the occasional need to quickly sell overstocked items or to quickly introduce new products to the market to generate buzz and word of mouth. In the old days they would do this with sample and warehouse sales.

Now they use membership clubs like ideeli to move the product for them.  Ideeli is given a set number of items to sell and offers them in short time restricted sales at huge discounts.  It conducts about 20 of these sales per week. While they keep the names of the brands they work with somewhat under wraps (we aren’t allowed to mention them here) , we can say they have relationships with nearly 300 of the top luxury brands in the world at prices of 60, 75, or even 90% off retail

Goods include more than apparel and shoes.  In the case of ideeli, they also offer home furnishings, jewelry and travel.

Sales can sell out in a matter of hours or days and never last more than a few days.  And if you don’t like the item when it arrives, or the fit is no good – you can return it.

For Jennifer, the sales make for great sport. “I love it!”, she says, “You need to move quickly when you get an alert to see if the item is something you are interested in and how cheap it is.” And with a 2-year old in tow, “It sure beats spending time in a department store.”

Jennifer also loves the variety. ‘Living in Dallas, you just don’t get a chance to see a lot of these brands and at these prices – forget it.”

The one drawback of these clubs is that membership is limited.  That’s because the clubs have access to a limited number of items for each sale.  If membership were too large, then the items would sell out in minutes leaving most of the members upset.  Typically new members need to be invited to join by existing members.  If they don’t have an invite, they can apply to join through their waiting list.

Fortunately, ideeli is expanding its membership for a limited time. They have set up a special page where, for a limited time, readers of HowLifeWorks.com can sign up free, and bypass their waiting list.

To get your free ideeli membership now http://www.ideeli.com/events/coming_soon?event_id=14243

Louis Vuitton

Luigi Bormioli Trifle Bowl

The Luigi Bormioli Trifle Bowl with Lid is an elegant way to serve up a side of style with your beautiful summer desserts. The clear glass of this elegant trifle bowl showcases the delicate colors and flavors of fruit layered with custard and cookie, while the handy clear lid makes serving and storing your sweets simple. This trifle dish measures 8 1/2 inches high with a 48-oz. capacity – that’s enough to serve a group of guests and dish up some seconds too. This stylish glass serving dish is made in Italy, and is available for $35 at Macy’s.

Serving this traditional English dessert in a glass pedestal bowl shows off its impressive layers of ladyfingers, pudding, and colorful fruits. If you don’t have one, a regular glass bowl will also do the trick.

Ingredients
• 1 package (3.4-ounce) instant vanilla pudding
• 4 cups fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries), washed and hulled, plus extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions
• To make the fillings, prepare the pudding according to the package directions and chill it.
• Slice the strawberries, if you’re using them, then toss all of the berries with the lemon juice and the 1/4 cup of sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the berries to release their juices.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whip the cream, vanilla extract, and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside.
• To make the layers, set a layer of ladyfingers (around 7 or 8 ) on the bottom of a large, clear serving bowl (ours was 4 quarts). Top with the berries with half of the pudding.

Trifle Dessert

• Add another layer of ladyfingers, another third of the berries and juice, and the rest of the pudding. Add a final layer of ladyfingers and berries. Top with the whipped cream and a berry garnish.
• Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Serves 8 to 10.
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 24 to 36 ladyfingers

Men’s watches can be as enticing as exotic cars.  They come in a myriad of styles and designs, like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Bugatti to accommodate varying tastes. But by and large, features like gold or silver tone, a glossy dial, elegant hands, and a fashionable bracelet are usually good indicators of a fine timepiece. However, a classy watch is not always restricted to these parameters. In fact, manufacturers are coming out with more and more classy but colorful men’s watches every year. This helpful overview highlights a few watches that display exuberant color while still maintaining a high level of style and class.

Colorful watches have been labeled over the years as perhaps being “juvenile.” However, premier companies like Invicta are working rigorously to dash the antiquated notions. A watch does not have to sacrifice color to preserve class, and Invicta’s Subaqua

Invicta Subaqua

Another colorful entry in Invicta’s Subaqua Collection is the Men’s Reserve Combat. The black ionic-plated 316L surgical stainless steel case is complemented by a stunning royal blue dial. Three Semi-transparent sub-dials reveal the intricate working of the Swiss ETA 251.272 Quartz Chronograph.  Beautiful and functional, the Combat is water resistant to an impressive 500 meters.

The Invicta Lupah Revolution is a newer model that has been turning heads due to its unique design and bold colors. The silver-tone stainless steel case is crafted in a

Invicta Lupah

Invicta provides men with a plethora of options when it comes to watch styles. One of their more popular lines is the Russian Diver Collection, originally created to honor the 1959 watch commissioned by the Russian Naval Fleet. These watches are artfully oversized and crafted of surgical stainless steel or titanium, distinguished as being Invicta’s largest watches. Perhaps the most exciting, timepiece to come from this collection is the Quinotaur Extreme Grand Russian Diver.

Invicta Quinotaur

It is important to note that unique color does not always have to mean extremely vivid shades. Some timepieces have fun with subtle, understated tones that still vary from the expected watch palate. This is precisely what Renato has achieved with its Men’s Wilde-Beast Diamond Watch.

Renato Wilde-Beast

Invicta’s Reserve Subaqua Venom Men’s Watch is truly amazing. The Venom’s signature 316L silver-tone stainless steel case protects a one-of-a-kind sunray dial, available in the vivid options of orange or green. A unidirectional rotating bezel has Arabic numerals at 10 second intervals, as well as scalloped edges where screw accents are located. The Venom’s bi-level dial comes in your choice of blue sunray or black matte, and has a very nautical aesthetic. A 1/10 second counter sits next to 2:00 while a second counter rests atop 6:00 and a minute counter is observed near 10:00. A black rubber strap keeps this exciting watch firmly gripped to your wrist, even at the Venom’s water resistant depth of 100 meters!

While years of conventional opinion may have deterred men from purchasing a colorful watch in years past, today’s watches are proving that vibrant colors do not detract from a watch’s class or style. In fact, many of these gorgeous pieces are notably enhanced by their colorful brilliance. With watchmakers constantly raising the bar and pushing the envelope, there is sure to be a daring yet classic timepiece out there for you!

Yes folks it seems to be an internet auction site devoted to the rich and famous.  Listing fees seem a little exorbitant next to ebay but even at $99.95 to auction something over $50,000,000 (yes folks that’s 50 with six zeros – millions) doesn’t seem an expensive fee.

The Toronto Globe and Mail reported today that BillionaireXchange.com has already sold more than $180,000,000 US in goods in the past ten months and confirms it’s noticing an increasing number of distressed millionaires calling upon them to help liquidate their toys.

BillionaireXchange aims to compete with eBay, Sotheby’s, and Christie’s for fine art and collectibles.

Co-founder Quintin Thompson, “I would say that in the United States market, that’s probably the majority of the types of transactions that we’re seeing right now.”

Check out billionairexchange.com

BillionaireXchange

Miles Davis Bags Groove

I’m aware that many readers aren’t keen on jazz.  That is until they listen to Davis’ standard, Bags Groove.  This album is Davis at the apex of the Bebop movement, on heroin, making for the best ambient background music.  It’s subtle, bluesy, and gets many people into jazz.  This is the perfect “piano bar” music.

2.  Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

Miles Davis Kind of Blue

Almost the same can be said about Kind of Blue – While Bags Groove is “piano bar” music, Kind of Blue, for me, is “cocktail party” ready.

The beautiful thing is that this album flows like one long song.

3.  It Had to Be You – The Great American Songbook – Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart It Had To Be You

If anybody thought Stewart resorted to covers because he needed the extra cash then nothing he ever does will win their hearts over.  Stewart is a virtuoso with his voice and in 2002 when this album was released, was seasoned enough to take on the crooners.  Good job Rod!  This is the album that your aunt and uncle will say, “this is Rod Stewart?”  if they even ever heard of him.

4.  A Swingin’ Affair – Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra A Swingin' Affair

Sinatra in his junior years, but at his best.  His voice changes pitches subtly, and the band would be just as great without him.  Sinatra in the background is time tested ice breaker.  Everyone has something to say at a party from his days in the Rat Pack, his alleged mob ties, his classiness, his inspiration on Michael Buble (but who cares, right?)

After all, who doesn’t enjoy listening to Sinatra?

5.  Live at the Regal – BB King

BB King Live at the Regal

The best live album of all time comes in at number 141 on Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums of all time.  Sets a good blues-rock big band thing in the mid to late evening.

6.  Hot August Night – Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond Hot August Night

Here’s Diamond in his rock-on, substance user days, no Jazz Singer here.  A Neil Diamond landmark.  Great stuff!  Double live album.  Appeals to all ages.

7.  Legend – Bob Marley and the Wailers

Bob Marley and the Wailers Legend

The undisputed best classic reggae compilation album is also the best selling reggae album of all time.  It spans  Bob and the band in all periods of their career until his untimely death in 1981.  From the romantic Is This Love, to the slow No Woman No Cry, to dancing to the disco reggae hit Could You Be Loved? This album will give you 50 minutes of timeless listening.

8.  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John

Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Undoubtedly (but arguably) Elton John’s best double album.  Wikipedia refers to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road as his magnus opus, as do many of his fans.  GYBR is John’s first double album and if you get the 2003 30^th anniversary, four bonus tracks are thrown in.  Woo hoo!

9.  Tuesday Night Music Club – Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow Tuesday Night Music Club

Three Grammies:  Not bad for a debut album that was originally rejected by the record label.  A kick ass debut album for Crow.  A must for every cool party.

10.  Unplugged – Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton Unplugged

The 1992 Grammy winning album that catapulted Clapton back into the Stratosphere after suffering the terrible loss of his four year old Conor.