There's nothing like a little racial profiling to help the hostess along with her duties, now is there? Oh wait. It's not profiling, it's "strategy." This little checklist was passed along to Passive Aggressive Notes from Brynn, a former server at a "quaint little Mexican restaurant in Huntington Beach." The booth theory is interesting...doesn't everybody like a booth? We like drinks at the bar, too, but that doesn't mean we don't want our table when it's ready. The "don't tell them how long the wait is" renders us speechless and confused. Bonus points to anyone who knows what or where this restaurant is. And to anyone who comes across ridiculous restaurant staff notes of this ilk, do send.
· It's not a race (it's a social construct) [PAN]
· Racial Profiling Made Easy [Gridskipper]

  Comments

The only other CA Dean & DeLuca, Napa, cml5arf, Flickr

Orange County isn't high on our priority list for coverage, but every now and then we have to touch base with our rich friends down south for, you know, balance. The big news this week: The lucky bastards are getting the second Dean & DeLuca in California. Did we say bastards? We meant, um...no, we meant bastards. The new location is slated for Newport Beach, Fashion Show Mall, 2009. Surprisingly, there's no Whole Foods competition down there, so it makes sense. We're not jealous.
· Exciting News - Dean & DeLuca coming to Newport Beach! [Chowhound]
· Fashion Island prepares for gourmet chain [Daily Pilot]

 5 Comments

An Eater brain can only hold so much information, therefore we turn to you, dear readers, to help us with some of the questions overflowing in our inbox. Got the 411 on something? Let us know.

LITTLE TOKYO/DOWNTOWN: "Do you have any information about what happened to Grill Lyon? Their phone seems to be disconnected." True. Disconnected. According to this LAT piece from 2005, Grill Lyon has been jumping around but somehow surviving since 1981. Apparently not this time. [EaterWire Inbox]

CULVER CITY: "Any idea if the new place going in next to Ugo in Culver City is another restaurant? They have some wood doors up where the glass window was on the Entemanns outlet store and that's all." We really don't know. Anyone else? [EaterWire Inbox]

NEWPORT BEACH/OC: We don't always head down south, but since this reader lavished us with so much Eater love, we thought we'd give it a go. "Wanted to see if you had any scoop on what is going on with the now vacant for months Tutto Mare space in Fashion Island? Inquiring locals want to know. With its large size and undoubtedly obnoxious Irvine Company rents, I fear another outpost of some lame chain." OCers, we're all ears. [EaterWire Inbox]

HOLLYWOOD: We got a note from chef Matthew Gladstone yesterday informing us---and we imagine hundreds of others---that he's turning a former Acalpuco on Sunset near La Brea into The Happy Ending, opening in July. Gladstone was recently at Formosa Cafe, he describes his food as globally influenced, "understandable bar food with whimsical fusion flavors." LA.com sees a dirty restaurant naming trend taking over our restaurant scene. [EaterWire Inbox]

HOLLYWOOD: That Steven Arroyo is on a frickin tear, isn't he? 750 ml just opened in South Pasadena a few weeks ago, and now he's quietly taken over the former Flora Kitchen space with Happi Songs Asian Tavern. From what we understand, it's a resto-lounge (open from 6pm to midnight daily) with that pseudo Japanese street cred that's all the rage with the kids these days. [Daily Candy]

Today we bring you a new column featuring the best Deals we spot around town, and some of the biggest Steals, which are usually disguised as deals until we unmask them for what they really are. See something noteworthy out there? You know what to do.

The Deal: Here we have an intriguing prix fixe special from none other than gazillionaire supreme, Donald Trump. Every Monday at Cafe Pacific, in his oceanside Trump National Golf Course in Palos Verdes, there's a three-course menu with wine pairings for $36. If the Donald were to tell you about it, he would say that this is the best deal, in any restaurant, in any city, anywhere. Ok, hyperbole aside, it's not a bad deal--the menu changes every week, and there's a lot of seasonality and fresh ingredients.

Why It Works: You can barely get a steak at Cut for less than $40 let alone an entire meal plus wines. Not that we're saying the food at Trump's is of the same caliber as Wolfgang Puck's, but according to an Eater LA operative, chef Kevin Aidukas puts out good quality food in good quantity, with not-too-shabby wines to accompany it. We can almost hear an Apprentice-like mantra in there somewhere: You gotta lose money to make money, and Trump is obviously willing to let the food costs go to get people in the door. (For the record, when a restaurant tries this after two years of stumbling business, we'd say it's a surefire Deathwatch.)

The Catch: No real gimmicks to this one. But if your server makes a mistake, we suggest looking her dead in the eye and saying, "You're fired." Snake-like hand movement optional. Who could tire of that?