Thursday, September 12, 2013

Welcome to Aroma Thyme

Welcome to aroma thyme. This should be the first video that you are watching. In this video Jamie and Marcus talk a bit about their history and the beginning of the restaurant. They express their extreme passion for organic, local and high quality food with a healthy twist.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Beer Tasting Description Notes

Maybe a little help putting your delight into words
Beer holds some of the world's great flavors, and people often derive a large amount of pleasure sharing the delights with their friends or with their customers.  It can be difficult to put some of the enthusiasm into words, but it can also be fun . . . and it is a necessity for someone like a server or bartender who is answering questions from a customer.

Beer flavors come from a combination of the ingredients and the techniques used in production, and the brewer's skill in balancing these elements.  It may make it easier to talk about beer flavors by breaking them down into some general categories: malt, hops, yeast, carbonation, body and ethanol.  As you taste, think of words that create associations for you -- they may help someone decide whether to try a new beer.  Without too many technical beer-evaluation words, here's a list that may help describe beer flavors:

1.  Words to describe malt flavors:  Malty, biscuity, breadlike, grainy, rich, deep, roasty, cereal, cookie-like, coffeeish, caramelly, toffee-like, molasses-like, malt complexity, smoky, sweet, autumnal, burnt cream, scalded milk, oatmeal, rustic, layered.
2.  Words to describe hop flavor and bitterness:  Piney, citrusy, grapefruity, earthy, musty, spicy, sharp, bright, fresh, herbal, zippy, lemony, newly-mown lawn, aromatic, floral, springlike, brilliant, sprucelike, juniper-like, minty, pungent, elegant, grassy.
3.  Words to describe fermentation flavors deriving from yeast:  Fresh-baked bread, clovelike, bubblegum, yeasty, Belgiany, aromatic, tropical, subtle, fruity, clean, banana-like (and for some sour or extreme beers) horseblankety, earthy, musty.
4.  Words to describe conditioning (carbonation): Soft, effervescent, spritzy, sparkling, zippy, pinpoint, bubbly, gentle, low carbonation, highly carbonated.
5.  Words to describe body & mouthfeel: Rich, full, light, slick, creamy, oily, heavy, velvety, sweet, dry, thick, thin.
6.  Words to describe warm ethanol (alcohol)  flavors from strong beer:  Warm finish, heat, vodka, esters, pungent, strength.
In addition to the main components, there are beers with fruit, or chocolate, or coffee, or pumpkin, or spices added; there are beers with flavors from wooden casks and sometimes with influences from whiskey or port that may have been in the cask before it held beer. Keep it fun, but as you taste a beer try to remember the words that come to mind.
And if a beer really moves you - really excites you - go for all-out words: uplifting, exciting, encouraging, life-changing, amazing, dynamic, re-energizing, unbelievable, unearthly. . . if you felt that way when you tasted the beer, you can't be wrong describing it that way.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Quiz Fish!

Fish terminology at Aroma Thyme Bistro

1.    Where is our salmon from?
2.    How is our salmon caught?
3.    What is the deal with farmed salmon?
4.    Where is our shrimp from?
5.    Why do we use this shrimp?
6.    How many shrimp are in our shrimp entrees?
7.    How many shrimp are in our shrimp & lobster scampi?
8.    How much lobster is in the shrimp & lobster scampi?
9.    What is the problem with most wild shrimp?
10.    What is by-catch?
11.    What is pole caught?
12.    What is long-line caught?
13.    What is MT?
14.    Why do tilapia farms use MT?
15.    What is special about Alaska’s state constitution?
16.    How does mercury build up in fish?
17.    What is chlorella?
18.    What is Astaxanthin?  Where is it found?
19.    What gives wild salmon it color?
20.    What gives farmed salmon its color?
21.    Name all of the species Pacific salmon?
22.    What species do we usually serve?
23.    Why does the color of the salmon vary?
24.    Where is our tuna from?
25.    How many species of tuna are there?
26.    What species of tuna do we serve?
27.    How many lbs is our tuna when it is caught?
28.    Why does our tuna have a low mercury level?
29.    How big is the whole lobster on lobster night?
30.    What night is lobster night?
31.    What is the portion size on our tuna app?
32.    What is the portion size on our tuna entrée?
33.    What is the portion size on our salmon?
34.    Where is our calamari from?
35.    Where is most calamari from?
36.    How much more does American Calamari cost?
37.    Describe our grilled calamari?
38.    What is special about Monterey Bay Aquarium?
39.    What does  MSC stand for?
40.    What does the MSC do?
41.    Where do our mussels come from?
42.    How are our mussels grown and harvested?
43.    Where is our Mahi-Mahi from?
44.    How is our Mahi-Mahi caught?
45.    Do we serve frozen fish?
46.    What are the cons of frozen fish?
47.    What are the pros of frozen fish?
48.    Why do we not serve Chilean sea bass?  And what really is this fish’s real name?
49.    Why will we not serve a certain fish?
50.    Define sustainable?

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Taking a To Go a Order

We are happy to take to go orders.

Here are the basic guide lines for taking a to go order.

1.  Always get their name and phone number.  There are times where we have to call them back.

2. Always ask the kitchen if we are busy how long a to go will take.  On a busy Friday or Saturday night it may take an hour. On a slow night, depending upon what they order, it can take 30 minutes.

Times to allow for cooking food:
Salads- 5 minutes
Pizzas- 15 minutes
Soup- 3 minutes
Tuna- 3 minutes
Burgers up to Medium-30 minutes
Burgers Medium-Well to Well- 40 minutes
Salmon- 15 minutes
Mussels- 10 minutes
Mac and Cheese- 20 minutes
Cowboy Steak- 1 hour
Porterhouse or T-bone Steak-25 minutes
Hot Pot- 5 minutes
Polenta- 30 minutes
Meatloaf- 30 minutes

Please be advised of the cooking times when advising the guest.

3. During a super busy service please advise the guest that the kitchen is backed up and it will take at least an hour.

4. Make sure the ticket goes into the kitchen right away.

5. Make sure the ticket has been flagged as a To Go Order.

6. When the guest arrives have them pay.  This so they do not have to wait any additional time once their food is ready.

7.  If they arrive early then see if they would like to have a drink while they wait.

8.  If we keep them waiting past the promised time then we should buy them a drink.

9.  Make sure ALL food items are in the box or bag.  This is very important.  You are responsible to make sure that they get everything that ordered.  Most guests drive 30 minutes to get to us.  There is not much we can do when we forget one of their items.




Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Size Quiz

How many ounces are in the following:
1.     lb.
2.     cup
3.     pint
4.     quart
5.     pilnser glass
6.     bottle of wine
7.     liter
8.     bottle of sparkling water
9.     house ionized water
10. glass of wine
11. glass of sake
12. dessert wine
13. dessert wine flight (each pour)
14. alcohol in a mixed drink
15. bomber bottle of beer
16. standard beer bottle
17. growler of beer

How many milliliters are in the following:
1.     bottle of wine
2.     bottle of house water
3.     small bottle of cava or Prosecco
4.     half bottle of wine

 How many ounces are following food portions?
1.     Tuna app
2.     Tuna entrée
3.     Salmon
4.     Bowl of soup
5.     Cup of soup
6.     Burger

More portion sizes
1.     How many scoop for an order of ice cream
2.     How many scoop for an order of gelato

How large in inches are the following
    1. Whole wheat pizza 
    2. Gluten free pizza

Saturday, June 12, 2010

What is a Raw Foodist?

The Basics to Aroma Thyme Bistro

Aroma Thyme Bistro
Staff assessment

1. Describe roasting.


2. Describe pan-roasting.


3. Describe sautéing.


4. Which is a better grade of meat : (Circle one) prime or choice?


5. Describe grass fed and grass finished beef.


6. What is at an Edamame?


7. What are truffles, and which ones are more prize summer or winter?


8. What is a gluten?


9. Describe a pappadom.


10. What is a vegan?


11. What is celiac disease?


12. Describe Monterey Bay aquarium’s seafood watch program.


13. Where does our salmon come from?


14. Are we pro-or anti-farmed salmon?


15. What is organic?


16. What is wheatgrass juice?


17. Describe a young Thai coconut.


18. What species of tuna do we serve?


19. What is significant about the tuna we serve?


20. Where is our shrimp from, and why do we use this shrimp?


21. What does Kobe beef mean?


22. What is Akaushi?


23. How is our Mahi Mahi caught?


24. What is tempeh?


25. Describe tofu.


26. What is seiten?


27. What is our secret ingredient in seiten for added health benefits?


28. Do we use cream or butter in our cooking?


29. What oil do we sauté with?


30. What is a cowboy steak?


31. Describe a strip steak.


32. Describe a hanger steak.


33. What cuts of meat are in a porterhouse?
34. What rices are in our rice blend?


35. Where is Pineland Beef from?


36. What does a typical meat dish get served with?


37. What is agave?


38. What is succanat?


39. Do we use white sugar?


40. What is our policy on corn syrup?


41. What is the portion size of our salmon and mahi mahi?


42. What is the portion size of our New York strip steak?


43. Describe our mixed vegetables.


44. What type of potato do we serve?


45. What kind of salt is in our salt shakers?


46. What is the significance of the salt?


47. What is raw food?


48. Please list two raw food desserts.


49. What is the most famous wine producing region in California?


50. Name one other wine region in California.


51. What grape is New York State famous for in the Finger Lakes?


52. What wine is bolder Pinot Noir or Merlot?


53. What wine is bolder Merlot or Cabernet ?


54. Name two types of wines from Italy.


55. Name two types of wines from France.


56. What wine grape is Australia known for?


57. What wine grape is New Zealand’s known for?


58. Are all organic wines sulfite free?


59. What grape is popular in Spain?


60. Which Sauvignon Blanc is crisper, California or New Zealand?


61. Is Chenin Blanc a grape or a region?


62. Is Chianti a grape or a region ?


63. Is Malbec a red wine or white wine?


64. What region in France is famous for Pinot Noir?


65. What region in France is famous for Chardonnay?


66. What white grapes are in Champagne?


67. Name the sparkling wines from Spain and Italy?


68. How many glasses are a full bottle of wine?


69. How many ounces is our standard pour of wine?


70. How big are our wine glasses?


71. What is cask beer?


72. What beer is lighter a pilsner or an ale?


73. What beer is stronger and ale or a stout?


74. Name three New York State beers from our list.


75. What is a Trappist beer?


76. How many Trappist breweries do we have?


77. What is an abbey?


78. Name any beer style on our list that is malty.


79. Name any beer style on our lists that is hoppy.


80. Does all beer have an expiration date?


81. What local hard cider do we serve?


82. What does IPA stand for?


83. What is our beer club?


84. Name a vodka from California.


85. What brand of Sambuca do we offer?


86. What brand of Irish cream do we offer?


87. Is Johnny Walker a single malt Scotch?


88. List 3 Single Malt Scotches that we carry.


89. Do we use Malibu coconut rum?


90. What is our most popular cognac and why?


91. When is it proper to remove or clear dirty dishes from a table? As people are finished eating or when everyone has finish.


92. What is our web address?


93. What does Certified Green mean?


94. What are our hours?


95. What do we put in our tap water? Why?


96. What is ionized water?


97. When do we offer music?


98. Do we auction off food?


99. When do we close at night?


100. What is the procedure for answering the phone?

iPhone App for Royalty Rewards

Monday, April 12, 2010

Taking a Bottle of Wine Home

This video will show how a customer can properly take home the rest of their bottle of wine.

How to ID Someone For a Drink

Making sure that someone is 21 years of age is important for alcohol. This video will have the proper procedure for checking ID. Please make sure you understand because there are serious consequences for serving someone underage.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Calling in Sick & Requesting a Day Off

Here is the proper procedure for calling in sick and requesting a day off.

Clearing Plates from Tables

Clearing tables are very important, but please follow the proper procedures. the two most important points are never too stacked plates at a table and clearing the table and please wait for everyone to finish before clearing any plates.

Taking a Reservation for Shadowland Theatre Guests

Taking a reservation during theatre nights can be tricky. We like to allow 2 hours for guests eating at Aroma Thyme. Thursday, Friday and performances start at 8 PM. So we recommend strongly a six o'clock reservation for theater goers.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Slave Labor Free Chocolate

We only use Fair Labor chocolate at Aroma Thyme. Most chocolate uses very unfair labor in chocolate production.

No Pointing

Please do not point when referring to a tale or when giving directions.

How to Welcome an Early Guest

Please try not to turn away an early guest. Please watch this video about making a early guest feel welcome.

Chlorine in Chicken

Chlorine is used to sanitize chicken. So it kills the germs but how about the chlorine itself. It that safe to ingest.

Ammonia in Beef

Yes the big beef companies put ammonia in ground beef to sanitize it. But not our beef supplier.

selenite candle holders

amethyst crystal

Cowboy Steak

This is a longbone Cowboy Steak. It is a Rib-eye with the bone in it. It is a huge steak and takes at least 45 min to cook.


Lobster & Shrimp Scampi

Friday, April 2, 2010

Food Inc.

This is a great movie about where our food comes from. Please ask Jamie or Marcus they will let you borrow a copy. This movie is great way to explain the kind of food we serve at Aroma Thyme.

The Meatrix, Factory Farming

Join Leo, the young pig who wonders if he is "the one", Chickity, the feathered family farm defender, and Moopheus, the trench-coat-clad cow with a passion for green pastures as they expose the problems with factory farming while making the world safe for sustainable family farms.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease on the rise. We get lots of people with Celiac. They can have no grains in their diet. That means no wheat, pasta, bread and many other common items.

What is a Vegan

Vegan's won't eat anything that has to do with animals at all. That means no milk, cheese, eggs and even honey. Honey is made by bees and won't work for most vegans. We do get a lot of vegan guests. Please know what they can have.

Trappist Beer 101

We have beer that is made by certified Trappist Monks. This is incredible beer. Here is a quick intro to Trappist Beer.

Belgian Beer vs Belgian Style Beer

Anisette

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Presenting Wine at a Table

Bourbon 101

What is Bourbon? Here I give a 101 on Bourbon. We also stock some awesome small batch Bourbons. There are lots customers who are after the good Bourbon's. Show them what we have, we have lots!!!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Tuthilltown Whiskey

We are proud to offer spirits from Tuthilltown. They are just over the mountain, 23 miles from the bistro. Please familiarize yourself with their products. They are good selling items.

Wagner Vineyards from the Finger Lakes

Wagner makes wine and beer. We do from time to time have their beer and more regularly their wine.

Organic Wines & Sulfite Free Wines

We have lots of customers at Aroma Thyme that want organic wine and/or sulfite free wine. This is quick tutorial on the differences.

Baska Kill Vineyards

Paul is a regular at Aroma Thyme Bistro. The vineyard is just 25 minutes from the bistro. Paul does as much organic as possible.

Bouke Wines

We are proud to offer Bouke Wines from Long Island.

Aroma Thyme Bistro Bar Tour

Sugar & Sweetners for Coffeee & Tea

Our sugar container is bit different than most other restaurant. We use organic Fair Trade unbleached sugar and Stevia. Sweet and Low is on request only, we don't recommend this chemical sweetener at all. We also have organic agave nectar which is more popular than honey. And we have local raw honey. We do not have Splenda at all. Splenda is a chemical altered sweetner.

Friday, March 26, 2010

We Only Serve Wild Alaskan Salmon

We only serve wild Alaskan Salmon at Aroma Thyme. We pride ourselves on line caught fish as well.

Waitstaff Closing List

In this video I talk about the proper way to close the restaurant. There is a checklist on the backside of the opening list titled the closing list. Please make sure that all the items are checked off and follow-up on. Some of the major things in the list are the heat or the air conditioners, the heat usually gets turned down at the end of the night. Another important thing is to make sure the phones can afford it which is a whole separate video blog to explain how to do that.

Waitstaff Opening List

In this video I go over the weeks after opening checklist. It is actually important at all staff all this list prior to open the doors. Please make sure the restaurant is presentable when customers walk in the door. So do things the list that have to do with the restaurant's appearance like living outside, wiping the doors windows down, and making sure the bathrooms are ready to go.


How to Set a Table

This video will demonstrate how to properly set a table from cleaning the previous table. It is actually important that the silverware plates and glasses are spotless and everything is very neat. Table settings when done properly make a great impression but when they're messy it could be a killer form impressions. you can doublecheck the tables, he even though you can set and the day before, prior to the restaurant opening for your shift.


How and Why to Forward the Restaurant Phones

Every night before the phones to Jamie or Marcus's cell phone. We never like to mess a phone call, and most phone calls are potential reservations. Customers will call at all times, especially early in the morning, to meet reservations before they go to work. It is a huge advantage to answer and speak to customers even when we are closed. Please follow the directions on this video before the phones at the end of dinner shifts. *72 to forward and * 73 to unforward. Please make sure the phone number you are forwarding to actually answers the phone. If they do not answer the forward will not complete. If the voicemail picks up it still will forward.


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Himalayan Mountain Salt

this is a video to describe the very powerful salt that we use in the restaurant. The salt is hand mined in the Himalayan mountains. It contains over 80 trace minerals. There is no machines used in the mine and his ground by stone. This helps keep the vibrational frequencies in the salt. At the restaurant you'll find the salt and all of our salt shakers.
As a side note we sell kilos of this salt for $29.99. It is usually kept behind the bar.

Hanger One St George Absinthe

Is our number one selling absinthe.

Hanger One Vodka

Hanger One VodkaIs one of our favorite vodkas. We only offer American vodkas to begin with. Hanger One has been part of the bistro since we opened. I encourage you to open the bottles, smell and even taste what vodka with real fruit tastes like. Also take a look through the bar and familiarize yourself with the other awesome American vodkas.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Taking a reservation and answering the phone

Here is an overview on how to answer the phone, put somebody on hold and to take a reservation. First impressions are truly important. Always answered the phone with "hello Aroma Thyme Bistro this is Marcus how may I help you"? Never ask if you can help, because if they did need help they wouldn't be calling. Please try to pick up the phone and two rings or less. And never ever answer the phone with man put you on hold. Please start a conversation with them and then let them know that you are helping a previous guest and you'll be right back.

Ionized Water

At Aroma Thyme we offer something called ionized water. Ionized water is a high alkaline and high antioxidant water that we make with a special machine. We raise the alkalinity to 9 1/2 and we get the electrons around -200. This water is also called plasma activated, and is known for its therapeutic properties. In this video you'll learn how to explain this process to our customers. As a side note we do sell the machines. You'll see the prices listed on the menu.

Lemon Infussed Water

We like to infuse the essential oil of lemon into all of our tap water at the restaurant. Here I demonstrate how to lightly add the essential oil of lemon to a pitcher of water. It is also important to explain to our customers that the water has a lemon infusion and it and that would also be happy to bring them additional lemon if they would like. On a side note the essential oil may be purchased on our website.

Cognac, Armagnac & Brandy

Here is a quick video describes Cognac, Armagnac and brandy in general. There's also a brief mention our philosophy of supporting small brands and independent distilleries Aroma Thyme. They also emphasize our biggest selling cognac at the restaurant, Kelt VSOP.

Blog Home Page

click here for the latest videos from Aroma Thyme

Aroma Thyme Staff Training

Please watch this video first, click here.

Thank you for taking time to view this highly informative website. This blog is designed to help train our staff with easy videos. Since we do lots of innovative things at Aroma Thyme you will always be learning. As you'll see this blog is also available for public viewing, which we encourage as well. Please enjoy the information and ask as many questions as you need to.

To further enhance your education please set up an account on youtube and subscribe to the channel restaurantism.

If you are guest please visit our main website for lots more information. Or please feel free to look through this blog.