Catering In Hotels

Archive for January, 2009

There are a few other items besides food, drinks, money, and a tent that campers bring on camping trips. It could be more clothing, could be charcoal, a grill, snack food, or fishing supplies. The one item that campers and picnickers would not oppose having is a portable gas stove. Is it possible to get by without one? Absolutely, that is how most campers and picnickers get by with prepared food or fast food stops. However, without electricity, the cooking options are normally limited. There would be no stove to make some food naturally the normal way. Bringing charcoal with a grill has been prevalent during camping and picnic trips, but there are some foods that could not be made without a stove. A portable stove that is easy to use changes the diet and cooking during trips.

What kinds of options are now available without power cords with a portable gas stove? Making coffee or tea is now possible for campers and picnickers who like hot beverages. Boiling and cooking eggs is a possibility. Spaghetti, meatballs, rice, shrimp, chicken curry, and stir fry normally get cooked on a stove with a pan. The portable stove makes options less limited and makes homemade meals possible away from home. The need for charcoal and space is alleviated with the addition of a portable gas stove for the camping trip unless if sandwiches are brought with or if campers and picnickers will make restaurant stops.

Don Giovanni, the Italian restaurant in the Sofitel Centara Grand Hotel, is indeed named for what may the greatest opera of all time. At least, that’s what the menu introduction here says and not being an opera buff I can’t comment on that one way or another. However, I do know that they orchestrate some very nice dining experiences as I’ve had dinners and lunches here on a number of occasions over the years and have always been satisfied with the food and service.

Some parts of the menu have changed over the years and some have stayed the same as different chefs have come and gone. However, the basic philosophy has remained in place and that involves serving top-quality food and wine with formal service and attention to details. Also, the menu always has always had many traditionally-based dishes as well as some updated versions of classic dishes from the chefs’ own repertoires.

One thing that is definitely classic at Don Giovanni is their strict adherence to the traditional way of making a Caesar’s Salad. This is, I believe, the only place in town where you can get a Caesar’s Salad made at your tableside. This may not seem like a big deal but to some purists a Caesar is not a Caesar unless it’s made at the table. I’m not that strict about it personally but I do think that the original recipe should be followed or it’s really not a Caesar Salad is it? Many times I have eaten in a trendy Italian place, or others too, and the chef in the restaurant decides that his interpretation of a Caesar Salad is superior to that of Chef Caesar Cardini who originated this creation in his Tijuana, Mexico restaurant in 1924. The results sometimes are ludicrous with the chef throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in a vain attempt to put his personal mark on this signature dish. They should just do themselves a favor and follow the original recipe as they do at Don Giovanni’s. It will taste better, the purists will be happy and the gastronomic gods will smile upon them.