# Bizarre customer requests.



## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Chefs, what is the strangest thing you have ever had a customer request?


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## thebighat (Feb 21, 2001)

Cervelles de veau aux beurre noire, served with Diet Coke


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## coolj (Dec 12, 2000)

Well, you can take your pick. it's either got to be the eight egg omelette without yolks, or the order of pork chops cooked well on the grill and then deep fried for 4 - 5 minutes, or even the cheeseburger topped with cottage cheese instead of cheddar, or the grilled cheese and tomato sandwich on raisin bread.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

In Paris the French can not understand why American will drink coke with just about everything. Specially when you consider that wine is cheaper than coke...


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Well, when I was plating antipasti, I was asked to rinse all the dressings off of everthing, because the customer was a model who didn't want any oil or fat. But if I remember correctly, on her way out she stopped at the bakery counter for ... oh, never mind.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Strawberry omellette was one I seem to remember.


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

Well-done ribeye. 

Oh wait, the topic is "strange", not "criminal".....


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## coolj (Dec 12, 2000)

You're right Anneke, well done beef is criminal, except the health inspectors make us cook hamburgers well done.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Not where I worked, but overheard at an adjacent table in our favourite Chinese restaurant. Two ladies trying to make a decision...

1) Sesame Chicken, please not deep fried and no sesame seeds. No oil, no onion, and steamed vegetables only... please.

2) I forget what this dish was supposed to be, but no msg, no oil, less soy sauce, steamed vegetables also please, no pea pods.

Guest 1 chimes in after this... no msg in mine too please.

Kuan


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

coolj
I think your talking about me. sesame bun, meduim done burger, pineapple cottage cheese, 1 thick slice vine ripe tomato, Man, the only thing better may be trying to sear that double porkchop before frying.
panini


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## coolj (Dec 12, 2000)

Panini, that's a wierd coincidence. but it's kind of funny too.


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## nick.shu (Jul 18, 2000)

not so much the strangest request, but a collection.

hmm,:

Scrambled eggs with 5 whites and 1 whole egg, no dairy.

Plate heated to the absolute limit, dont worry about the salad, put it on anyway.

Beef nachos no beef (what, pick out the minced beef, yeah right!)

Extra hot gumbo - bring it on! (umm, is 1/4 bottle of daves insanity sauce ok?)

Prawns no heads (i dont want my food looking at me!)

not quite thinking at the moment, but if i can think of any more.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

not so strange, but funny. We are in a very affluent part of town.
At least once a week we'll have a customer request that :the brownies not all be cut the same size: Please break a few of the cookies: can you scrap off all of the fancy decorations on that cake and make it uneven: if I let those chocolate dipped strawberries sit in the car a while, will they look like the ones you do at home?
The funny part is watching them in the car transfering the items onto their own serving plates. I had one just last week tell me, hey I'm really getting the hang of baking, I learned it's best to let the cake sit awhile, then it slides off the cardbord thing much easier and only messes up the cake a little.

I have one customer who brings in her own serving trays for her annual holiday party for 400, 200 each night. Nothing yellow, everyone knows she hates yellow. I basically throw the items on the plates. I arrive early, she and I have coffee while she sends the house person to retrieve the shaker we purchased together at the restaurant supply house. We fill the shaker with powdered sugar and she practices shaking and dusting in the sink with my guidance. She will do this just after her guest arrive, she is actually well known for her holiday treats! This year she has requested nothing that is done in the bakery, she recognizes my things at all her social functions and does not want to be exposed.
I can't tell you my compensation for this, she calls it a little something for my 10 yr old sons education. Hey! I'm not proud, it pays for half a yrs. tuition! :lips:


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## chefboy2160 (Oct 13, 2001)

The order that always gets to me is the realy extra large people who order the biggest thing on the menu and the beverage is a diet somthing .


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Hey chefboy
I resemble that comment!!!
Where the H is the chubby icon?


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Too Funny Panini !!


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## coolj (Dec 12, 2000)

Chefboy, you mean like ordering a bacon double cheeseburger with fries, and a diet coke, 'cause i'm trying to lose weight' ?. Another order I just remembered, was a vegetarian sandwich with added turkey.


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## compassrose (Jun 1, 2001)

What's strange about ordering things without fat or oil, or five egg whites and one whole egg, no dairy? (I've seen cooks toss gobs of cream into their scrambled egg mixtures.) Sometimes you're eating out because you have to, not because you want to, and if you're trying to watch what you eat, and the menu offers nothing healthy, the best you can do is take components and put them together.

(My favourite brunch thing, at a place that offered spinach salad, is toast, no butter, one poached egg, and an order of spinach - no "salad." Assemble. I mean, I'm not going to stop gathering with my friends for Sunday brunch just because the other options on the menu are the Super Big Breakfast with sausage AND bacon AND ham, or the Five Pancake Stack.)

As for ordering salad, no dressing, and then a decadent dessert - well, the truth is, for some of us, it comes down to one OR the other. I've lost a hundred pounds, and one way I keep it off is by choosing EITHER a big meal OR a dessert - not stuffing in both, like most people. And yes, if I plan (and I do plan before I order) to have the Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, I will drink either Diet Coke or plain water with my meal.

Jeesh.


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## pollyg (Mar 12, 2001)

We can all sound a bit funny about food at times.
coolJ's post about the vegetarian sandwich with turkey reminded me that one of my favourite pizzas is vegetarian with hot salami ( I like the extra veggies)
Pol.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

You make some good point Rose.


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## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

Some of us just _prefer_ the diet coke...and some of us are diabetic and all that sugar in regular cola risks our health.

Ok, I probably shouldn't have the fries either...

I remember when putting pineapple on pizza was considered weird, cottage cheese on hamburgers will probably be quite common soon.


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## daveb (May 1, 2001)

I'm not a chef, but my favorite insane order is the guy in my office who consistently orders an egg white omelette with cheese and bacon.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Tous les gouts sont dans la nature....


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## lynne (Oct 6, 2001)

...I have to admit, I love grilled cheese and tomato or pineapple on raisin or blueberry bread....

Now I get the weird breakfast requests....

Eggs and Spinach with 2 T. of flax seed oil.

I want eggs benedict -- but I don't eat eggs...

Salsa for that french toast!!?


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## monpetitchoux (Apr 24, 2001)

Okay, so i'm not so innocent either. When I was about 15 or 16, I worked as a cashier at a drug store on weekends. The stockboy would buy my lunch. I often asked him to go to the deli and buy a quarter pound of sliced turkey, one slice of white bread, a bag of Charles Chips lightly salted potato chips and a pint of orange juice. In our third week of dating, he admitted to me that he hates the way I order lunch because the deli guy always raised his eyebrow at the order.

But now that I am on the receiving end, the bane of my existence is when people order off the menu and request a fruit plate instead of dessert. That means I have to rummage through the walk-in or run downstairs to the market and pick up fruits, race back into the restaurant and fancily cut up and arrange the fruit on a plate. Not so bizarre? Well, I'm just getting to that. We charge $9 for this. Sometimes the customer wants just berries. $9 in the middle of October for berries? Okay, so rich folks do have bizarre requests.


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## lynne (Oct 6, 2001)

Nicko,

That strawberry omelet can be pretty good... 

Think more crepe-y than omelet-y...Grand marnier in the custard, dusted with powdered sugar, reduced balsamic glaze drizzled

One of our new favourites is a carmelized apple and brie omelet -- really good and never had any come back....

The one I haven't made my self try yet is the carmelized banana omelet, yet I know someone else who gets rave reviews for it...

To each his own -- that's what makes us who and what we are!


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## angrychef (Jan 15, 2001)

A 32 oz. container of peeled grapes. ???


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## compassrose (Jun 1, 2001)

Lynne -

Here is my recipe for entirely egg-free Eggs Benedict, with all the bitties and pieces.

BIT ONE: TOFU MAYONNAISE
(adapted from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven)
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Place in a blender container:

1 package Mori Nu Regular or Light Firm Tofu, drained and lightly mushed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice OR 2 tablespoons nice vinegar (I've used white balsamic, white wine and apple cider with good results)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
(a head of roasted garlic is also good, if one wants to roast garlic or has some around)
2 tsp prepared plain horseradish, OR dry hot mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt (rounded measure)

Blend, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary (very necessary at the beginning!) until smooth and creamy.

Refrigerate in a tightly covered jar for up to a week and a half.

BIT TWO: EGGLESS EGG SEASONING
Makes about 1 1/4 cups. I forget where I got the original of this. Vegetarian Times maybe?

1 cup Red Star or other nutritional yeast
3 tsp turmeric
3 tsp celery seed
3 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1/4 tsp white pepper

Place in a blender or grinder, and process to a powder. Store in a dry cupboard in a tightly lidded jar.

EGGLESS BENEDICT OR FLORENTINE
Serves two.

1 package Mori Nu regular or light firm tofu, mashed with a fork
1-2 tbsp Eggless Egg Seasoning
Salt to taste

Mix, and scramble gently over medium-low heat in a nonstick skillet until hot. If one wanted to get ambitious, one could probably process this with a bit of water, and cook like an omelette or in rings; tofu puree sets up like eggs when cooked.

1/4 cup Tofu Mayonnaise
1/4 cup soy or other milk
1 tsp regular French's yellow mustard
extra salt, pepper, etc if necessary

Combine, and warm gently. Really quite a good faux Hollandaise, and definitely tastier than other low-fat/veggie ones I've tried; something about the yellow mustard.

Slices of veggie ham or bacon (I like Yves Veggie Canadian Bacon) or steamed spinach
Toasted English muffins

Assemble, and serve.


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## lynne (Oct 6, 2001)

Thanks! I have a vegan coming and will give it a whirl...


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## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

...which reminds me, almost nothing is weird on a burger. A local bar and grill called Humphrey's [our local HS mascot is Humphrey the camel, motto of the restaurant - "A good hump is hard to find"] makes incredible burgers - and has a separate beer menu for those who care about those things.

One of my favorites is the Mary Anne - with pineapple, cream cheese and shaved ham. Yesterday at Sandford's [Humphrey's cousin outside of Gillette] I tried the Kardiac burger - a spicy cajun burger topped with fried dill pickle spears, fried onion rings, and ranch sauce. [I will be swimming extra laps for that one.]

Not sure you could find much of anything to weird me out on a burger after eating at Hump's.

humphard.com


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

I think I pass on Humprey Nancy. I prefer a more traditional hamburger. For some reason fried pickles doesn't appeal to me.


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## nick.shu (Jul 18, 2000)

i understand what you are saying compassrose. It just seems somewhat unusual for someone to eat that much protein (it absolutely screams bodybuilder to me).

Also, in the mix of scrambled egg that i use, it would probably be in the region of about 5:1 egg to dairy mix. Anyway, it is the requests that are out of the norm that stand out.

I would like to think that requests that are legitimate (i.e. medical etc) are the ones i generally follow without question, rather than personal idiosyncratic demands that arent usually explained to me and neither make sense.


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## compassrose (Jun 1, 2001)

Well, ya know, even _bodybuilders_ do, occasionally, unbend enough to eat out!

(drat that code!)


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## chefboy2160 (Oct 13, 2001)

I remember in Albequerque New Nexico this old guy coming in the restaurant every morning and having the same thing for breakfast every day. This old guy dined on buttermilk pancakes smothered with green chili sauce . He told me he had been eating this for breakfast for over 40 years and he said this breakfast is what kept him healthy for all that time .Go figure ......:bounce: 
:bounce:


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## emtchef (Oct 11, 2001)

fried pickles is a southern delacacy in U.S. and goes with bbq pork sandwiches.

I tought they were completely nuts when i saw people eating this. But I will try pretty much anything...and what doya know it was good
The sweet of the bbq sauce and the tart of the pickle combined nicely.

unless you have a medical condition, I think all chefs should be willing to try any kind of food no matter how unappealing it may seem to be.

Sweetbreads are another acquired taste, but I like 'em!!!

Never used to eat inards but after cooking a while, your taste buds develop in ways you would have never thought.

I am currently starting a brunch menu at work and I think i'll try the whole carmelized fruit and cheese combinations. It sounds very interesting.

I am constantly trying to find foods that are not current trends like trying to revitalize old trends and homecooking away from home.

Bring familiar food to the tables rather than something that looks to good to eat and is probably too expensive.

Over-and-out


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## rue (Jul 12, 2001)

Many years ago I worked in a small diner where one could and did about everything. Usually I was on the grill but on this particular evening I was the waitress. My request was for Chicken Fried Steak, and make it white meat. As an aside this was also from the regular customer that regularly pocketed the silverware as well.

Rue


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

How about a grilled cheese sandwich with two slices of white bread DIPPED IN WHIRL or some other butter substitute! (you know what I'm talking about)  This person definitely had a craving for that school lunch cafeteria grilled cheese sandwich!

Kuan


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## pastachef (Nov 19, 1999)

I have a girl at our sorority who puts Frank's hot sauce on EVERYTHING! I don't know how she can distinguish the flavors of anything that I cook. And she's got everyone at the sorority doing it! Oh well, she's also my pet She really keeps that place jumping. She graduates in december, and it is very depressing for me. I depend on her to get the girls to try new things.


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## emtchef (Oct 11, 2001)

I put a caramelized Banana omelet of sorts on our brunch menu. Its kinda like a shirred egg but.....
Well it's really hard to explain...
i caramelized the bananas and added rum to it then added two eggs and anounce of cream in the egg(scrambled) kinda like a liason then put into a creme brulee dish and baked it at 450 for 4-5 mins. I put caramle on the plate and inverted the dish onto it. looks and tastes really good..

And not to steal your apple omelet( but i did) i baked sliced green apples with a little butter and sugar, and brie in a brulee or escoffier dish, baked it for 6 mins to soften the apples, then put the same liason over it and served it, after baking again, right side up on a plate with caramel hollandaise....

well, needless to say it didnt take very long to make and its cheap and really good. I was surprised to find out how the egg cooked and how light and unegglike it tasted. It was kinda like a really moist sponge cake with out crumbs.

thank you sooo much for the idea. This is one of the best things i have made in a while.

DJ


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

EMTCHEF how do you make carmel hollandaise??? As in sugared??


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## emtchef (Oct 11, 2001)

Its just a regular hollandaise with caramel added to it.

you know when you cook your eggs?? Add a touch of rum to them tastes real good.

make your caramel with butter sugar and cream then cool it add add it to the finished hollandaise.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Okay my turn, some weird, some just a little off. Mostly when I was in Alaska.
One guy with too much money and champagne wants a burger made with beef tenderloin. Guess he figured it was the most expensive cut, it must make the best burger. Hard as **** to keep together, tasted pretty worthless to me. Got a **** nice tip out of it though!
One person ordered NY Strip "Pittsburgh Style" and make it medium well done! I told the waiter if the customer didn't know what the **** they were ordering I wasn't going to make it! (I did of course, but that was in my young, uppity chef days!) FYI "Pittsburgh style" is BURNED on the outside and RAW on the inside! AKA Black and Blue. 
This was a very expensive high class restaurant. I received a call that a couple were going to come in for their 10th Anniversary. He proposed at this restaurant and they wanted to come in for a special dinner. I of course was chomping at the bit at the opportunity to spread my creative wings and give them the dinner of their lives! They told me they wanted what they had 10 years ago; *Chicken Fried Steak* !!! I wanted to cry. I took that night off 
I had a chef that created this special one night. Filet Mignon with Oysters, Smoked Gouda and Adobo sauce, I get sick even thinking about it now!
Ahh, a guy I worked with who put Tabasco on EVERYTHING! The last straw for me was when I saw him put it on a bagel with cream cheese 
I know there's more, but I'm going to go cry now


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## chefjohnpaul (Mar 9, 2000)

Braised lamb shank, medium rare..... or........ rare prime rib,"and I want it HOT in the middle!"


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## rachel (Oct 27, 2001)

I have a friend in Barcelona who deals with a lot of visiting Americans from his company headquarters. He takes them all to a normal, not very interesting restaurant. If they order a coke or a diet coke to drink, he doesn't take them anywhere else If they order water, wine or even a beer he shows them the best and most interesting places. Coke is someting that over12s drink only when there's vodka or something else added in Spain. Either that or severe thirst or a raging hangover.


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## citychef (Nov 18, 2001)

- A plate of all white food please, anything as long as it is white
-Burger, half well-done, half medium-rare
-Scrambled eggs on a croissant, smothered in hollandaise, egg whites only, please


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## zombie_chef (Nov 29, 2001)

Lets see, other than "I would like the pesto pasta, hold the pasta"..I would have to say the strangest request came from and employee, not a customer. I thought it was a joke when a hostess requested a grilled cheese sandwich, med rare. When she came to the window to get it I asked her if it looked like it was med rare in which she replied " it looks perfect". She then walked away and the kitchen roared with laughter. It was the funniest kitchen quirk all summer.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

It sounds like a .... ..... joke...


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## augiewren (Aug 27, 2000)

How about a grilled cheese sandwich...hold the cheese. 
Shrimp scampi with no garlic.
And my favorite-------salt and pepper....for his beer.


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## nick.shu (Jul 18, 2000)

heh augiewren

"i found a moonrock in my nose!"


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## angel (Dec 13, 2000)

A Ploish friend of ours wanted two slices of bread an butter from a local lunch bar, not knowing how to ask for this in Englsh, Felix asked for a cheese sandwich, but without the cheese,
he did actually get what he wanted!


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## angel (Dec 13, 2000)

A Ploish friend of ours wanted two slices of bread an butter from a local lunch bar, not knowing how to ask for this in Englsh, Felix asked for a cheese sandwich, but without the cheese,
he did actually get what he wanted!


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