Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

'Haven't seen him in years,' I replied, separating myself deftly from my one-time mentor as fast as I could. 'Ha ha . .

fomenting

tumescence.

almost everybody in the meat business is funny — just as almost everyone in the fish business is not.

shiny new Wusthoff knives

Brunch is punishment block for the 'B'-Team cooks, or where the farm team of recent dishwashers learn their chops.

Rested and ready after a day off, the chef is going to put his best foot forward on Tuesday; he's got his best-quality product coming in and he's had a day or two to think of creative things to do with it. He wants you to be happy on Tuesday night.

Watchwords for fine dining? Tuesday through Saturday. Busy. Turnover. Rotation. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best nights to order fish in New York.

stock items — herb oils, crushed spices, chiffonaded parsley, pureed starches and veggies —