This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Guess what! Hampton Hotels is giving away a free weekend stay at any of their locations.

It is called the “Chain of Friends Sweepstakes” and you can win a grand prize of an Entire Hotel (that’s 100 rooms for 2 nights!) or one of 100 first prizes of a weekend stay for the winner and three of their friends.

Entering is really easy too; simply visit Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes to get your own chance to win. You should encourage your fiends to enter as well, because, well frankly they are your friends and if they win chances are they will take you along! Taking a weekend vacation with friends is an important part of letting go of the stresses of day-to-day life and keeping up with those that you love but don’t always have time to be with.

Enjoy taking an occasional weekend and traveling to meet some friends. Go out and paint the town red!

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New York style Cheesecake with Strawberries

In the United States July 30 has been unofficially declared National Cheesecake Day.

Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese on a base made from biscuit, pastry or sponge. The topping is frequently sweetened with sugar and flavored or topped with fruit, nuts, fruit flavored drizzle and/or chocolate.

Savory cheesecakes also exist, served sometimes as hors d’oeuvre or with accompanying salads.

The earliest author who mentions cheesecake is Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes. Cato the Elder’s De Agri Cultura includes recipes for two pies for religious uses: libum and placenta. Of the two, placenta is most like modern cheesecakes having a crust that is separately prepared and baked. In 1872, William Lawrence from Chester, NY, along with other dairymen, came up with a way of making an “un-ripened cheese” that is heavier and creamier by accident, actually looking for a way to recreate the soft, French cheese, Neufchatel.  Lawrence distributed the cheese in foil, becoming a brand that is familiarly recognized as “Philadelphia”. Later on in 1912, James Kraft invented a form of this cream cheese, but pasteurized it- this is now the most commonly used cheese for cheesecake.

Almost all modern cheesecakes in the United States use cream cheese; in Italy, cheesecakes use ricotta; Germany and Poland use quark cheese. Cheesecakes are most easily baked in a springform pan.

The type of cheese affects not only the texture and taste, but also the ability to incorporate certain types of ingredients. When cheesecake batter is too thin, many cheesecakes will not be structurally sound and fall apart at the table. One way to get around this is to use unflavored gelatin or a little cornstarch beaten with the eggs.

A common difficulty with baking cheesecakes is its tendency to “crack” when cooled. This is due to the coagulation of the beaten eggs in its batter. There are various methods to prevent this. One method is to bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath to ensure even heating. Other methods include blending a little cornstarch into the batter or baking the cheesecake at a lower temperature and slow cooling it in the oven, turned off, with the door ajar. If these methods fail, a common practice is to cover the top of the cheesecake with toppings such as fruit, whipped cream, or cookie crumbs.

Alternatively, cracks can also be repaired by simply using a flat knife and some warm water. After the cake has been chilled for a few hours, simply dip the knife in warm water and mold the cheesecake as if sculpting. Cracks and unevenness can easily be taken care of in this fashion. This method also works well for repairing the sides and giving the final cheesecake a flawless look. For crater size cracks, try using the bits that are stuck on the side of the pan to help repair the damage.

Another common problem, particularly with baked cheesecakes, is that the biscuit base becomes too soft. For extra crunch, replace around a quarter of the crushed biscuits with Grape Nuts.

Many types of cheesecake are essentially custards, which can lead a novice baker to overcook them, expecting them to behave like true cakes.

A sour cream-style cheesecake uses close to a 1:1 volume ratio of cream cheese to sour cream to make the traditional texture that crumbles like a good roquefort cheese with a distinctive sunken center and a golden-colored top from the Maillard reaction. An extra egg white brushed on the top can achieve the same effect in less time if you desire the cheesecake to be “gooey” when set.

In 1999, at one of the weekend-long Phish festivals, Big Cypress, held at the Seminole Indian Reservation in southern Florida, New Years Weekend, ABC Nightly World News broadcast a performance of “Heavy Things”. In an attempt to confuse viewers, members of the band requested that instead of applause at the end of the song, the audience chant “cheesecake” over and over. It became a running joke for Phish to reference cheesecake throughout the duration of the show. During a performance of “You Enjoy Myself”, the band went into a trademarked, vocal jam in which each of them sang “cheesecake”, types of cheesecake, and so forth. This has since been commonly referred to as the “Ben Milan Jam”.

The band King Missile has song called ‘Cheesecake Truck’. The song lasts for just over one minute, but the word ‘cheesecake’ is mentioned fourteen times. The song is humorous mainly due to the incredible number of cheesecakes (an entire truckload) that the protagonist claims to eat during the first day of his job driving a cheesecake truck.

In the 1955 film Guys and Dolls, Frank Sinatra’s character Nathan eats cheesecake when he first meets Marlon Brando’s character Sky. (The references to cheesecake were inspired by Lindy’s deli in New York City.) Brando, a practical joker, knowing how much Sinatra hated cheesecake, flubbed each take so that Sinatra would have to eat piece after piece of cheesecake. After filming repeated takes of the scene, Sinatra said he could not take one more bite.

Cheesecake was the favored dessert of The Golden Girls during their late-night talks around the kitchen table.

On an episode of MTV reality show Making the Band, P. Diddy made the contestants walk to Junior’s in Brooklyn to get him a piece of cheesecake. This was later satirized by Dave Chappelle on an episode of Chappelle’s Show.

Before the live broadcast of Phish’s millennial concert in Big Cypress. Phish frontman, Trey Anastasio, told the crowd to chant “Cheesecake” instead of clapping at the end of Heavy Things.

Couldn’t you go for a piece right now!!

Find other National Food and Drink Holidays

Our first Tip20! Poll addresses something that is neglected in most tipping vs. no-tipping arguments. If you don’t like tipping, what do you think a fair hourly  wage for servers should be?

Discuss below, also does your answer apply to bartenders as well? or would that change things?

We have decided to occasionally feature a product from our extensive Tip20! Bar Store now and then.

Found in the Flair Briefcase Tool Kit

Today we are featuring our “Top of the Line” Flair Briefcase Tool Kit.

If you are a Flair bartender then you know how important it is you keep your gear in tact and easily toted from one gig to the next. This professional flair bartenders tote is not only equipped with flair appropriate tools, but it is perfect for easy transportation.

The Bar-Tote is a durable, all-black, water-resistant, nylon tote designed to carry an assortment of bartending and personal items. It measures in at 14″W 12″L 4.5″D and has 16 compartments varying in size to fit your every bar tool need from jiggers and shakers, to calculators and asprin. This large bar tote comes equipped with easy carry handles and a removable strap for shoulder carry.

Flair Briefcase Tool Kit

Contents of the Flair Tool Bag Kit

• 3 – 28 oz Weighted Powdercoated Neon Yellow Shaker Tins
• 16 oz Mixing Glass
• Powdercoated Neon Yellow 4-Prong Strainer
• Powdercoated Neon Yellow Speed Opener w/ Magnetic Clip
• Jigger (.5 x 1)
• 3 Piece 28 oz Stainless Steel Shaker
• 2 Practice Flair Bottles
• Stainless Steel Fruit / Ice Tongs
• Stainless Steel Muddler
• Citrus Press (Chrome)
• Fruit / Twist Knife with Blade
• Utility Knife
• Shaker Grip Tape (Red)
• 2 Lighters
• Julep Strainer
• Double Lever Corckscrew
• Light Up Pen
• Black Shaker Mat
• 5 Black Tapered Metal Pourers
• Stainless Steel Ice Scoop
• Neon Yellow Pour Check
• Stainless Steel Bar Spoon
• Gold Martini Mister
• Bar Products Black Towel

Believe it or not ALL OF THIS INCLUDED for only: $119.94!

Arrive at work or the party, make an impression and show off your stuff.

See more info and options here.

From chicagotribune.com by Ed Perkins, Tribune Media Services

The latest hidden mandatory add-on is a “health” charge added to restaurant bills. This scam cropped up first in San Francisco, but you can count on it to spread.

Nothing succeeds in the travel industry like a bad idea. The latest hidden mandatory add-on is a “health” charge added to restaurant bills. As far as I know, this scam cropped up first in San Francisco, but you can count on it to spread.

The rationale for this one is to cover the employers’ mandatory contribution to the City’s “Healthy San Francisco” health-coverage system. The charge actually is levied on employers, but at least some restaurants are adding a few dollars or percentage points to each customer’s bill to cover this charge.

The restaurants’ excuse for assessing this charge separately is to let customers know how much they’re paying for employees’ health coverage. That’s the same excuse hotels use when they add “resort” or “housekeeping” fees to unsuspecting guests’ room bills. It’s the same excuse airlines would use to exclude fuel surcharges from their advertised fares if the Department of Transportation would allow them. And it’s sheer nonsense. Employees’ health insurance is no less of a cost of doing business than rent, property taxes, food costs, security services and all the other inputs businesses require to operate. To single out health care for a separate surcharge is unwarranted.

The restaurants adding this fee self-righteously proclaim, “It’s not hidden; we print a notice on our menus.” But that, too, is nonsense: Presumably, restaurants could apply that same rationale for extra fees to cover the cost of electricity, heat or linen service. I haven’t seen any reports yet that San Francisco hotels are adding a similar charge. But hotels aren’t shy about piling on other fees and charges.

So far, I haven’t heard of “health” fees anywhere other than San Francisco. But, as noted, bad ideas travel fast, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it copied in one form or another by restaurants in other areas.

What can you do to avoid this fee? Presumably, not many of you would feel strongly enough about this minor scam to get up and walk out of a restaurant the minute you saw a notice about such a fee. And you probably wouldn’t feel like making a fuss when you’re paying your bill, either. But when you leave, you can certainly let the restaurant know that you resent this deception and that you won’t be returning.

I’ve noted before — and you have undoubtedly found out firsthand — that hidden mandatory fees have become a bane of travelers and of consumers generally. The reason seems clear: As more and more of you use the Internet to compare prices, suppliers find it increasingly important to make their first-screen prices look as low as possible. As a result, they’ve taken to carving out part of what should be the true base price and instead adding it in only later — sometimes before you buy, sometimes not until later.

Currently, mandatory extra hotel fees are far more troublesome than restaurant fees. Trip-Advisor (tripadvisor.com) posts more than 72,000 traveler reports of unexpected hotel fees of various types. Although some of those reports obviously cover the same hotels, the number of hotels resorting to this deception has got to be in the thousands.

Normally I write about practical information travelers can use, and I avoid taking “there oughta be a law” soapbox positions. But it seems to me that hidden mandatory fees are becoming prevalent enough to warrant some sort of government action. The Federal Trade Commission has the authority to police deceptive advertising, but it moves at a glacially slow pace and even then gives wide latitude to miscreants. What consumers need is some sort of overall national “buyability” standard for advertised prices, along with robust enforcement authority. Certainly, such a requirement is workable; it works pretty well right now for airfares.

Copyright © 2010, Tribune Media Services

From the Tip20! Forum by ~anonymous~
Tip20! Forum Contributor

Please take a minute to read.
Tipping your server at a restaurant has been a long-standing American tradition. While tipping 15% of the total bill has been the standard for a long time, that tip can vary depending on the service you receive. Here are a few ways to determine how much you should tip.

1.) The friendliness and attitude of the server has got to be a top priority in determining a tip. The food could be wrong because of a chef’s mistake, the room temperature could be cold because the manager set it that way…but a server’s attitude is nobody’s responsibility but the server’s. Most people that go into restaurants are happy and looking forward to eating a nice meal and not having to do the dishes afterwards. If you get a server with a poor attitude who seems “put out” by having to serve you, a very small tip, if any, would definitely send him or her a message. You should never have to put up with that. By the same token, a server who is happy, smiles a lot, and seems to thoroughly enjoy waiting on you, should definitely get 20% or 25% for making your evening even more pleasant.

2.) The food is certainly a factor. If your order comes out wrong, it may have been a chef’s mistake, but it’s something the server should have noticed before it was set in front of you. The quickness in fixing your order is important. If they fix it in five minutes, I wouldn’t hold it against the server. If the server seems to be bothered by the fact that you’re complaining about the order being wrong (again, there’s the attitude factor) or takes another 20 minutes to get you the correct order, a deduction from that 15% standard is certainly justifiable.

3.) Is your glass filled in a timely manner? A good meal is often not a good meal if you don’t have anything to wash it down with. If you go more than a few minutes without a refill, a slight deduction of the tip would be in order. On the other hand, if your glass is constantly filled to the rim, a slight increase should be given.

4.) The overall pace of your meal is important. You shouldn’t be getting your main meal one minute after your appetizer arrives. You shouldn’t have to wait five minutes to get the Parmesan cheese or ketchup that you asked for. And after your plates are cleared and you’ve had dessert, you shouldn’t have to wait 15 minutes for the check. Your meal should flow smoothly, from the time you sit down to the time you leave. While tipping 15% is easy enough to do, the tip should mean more to you as a patron. Servers make very little salary ($2.13 / hour) , living mostly on the tips they make. If they’re do a standard job, 15% is fine. But tipping more for an exemplary job can be extremely rewarding. And tipping less for an inadequate job could send them a message that they need to work harder or change their attitude.

A little quiz for those of you who have never waited tables:
1. What is the average hourly wage of a server?
2. How much should you tip your server?
3. Is it OK to verbally abuse, throw your food, your drink, even your cigarettes, at your server?

• If your answer to the first question was minimum wage, or more, you’re not even close.
• If you said “as much as I think he deserves” for No. 2, again, not even close.
• And if you laughed at the third question, fine, but don’t think it doesn’t happen.

LESSON TIME
Here’s your first lesson in diners’ etiquette: Remember that your waiter is a person. She doesn’t live just to serve you. More than likely she waits on you so she can pay the bills while she puts herself through school.

DON’T GET CHEAP
Here’s your second lesson: Your server’s livelihood depends on your tip. Restaurant owners (in many states) are not required to pay their employees more than $2.13 an hour because tips can be considered part of wages.
Just ask server Kim Harris, who works at Awful Arthur’s at Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke. Harris recently received a $49 tip, which sounds pretty good until you find out the check totaled $520. In the land of 20 percent tips, this one should’ve been $104.
“They still stiffed me even though they told me the service was great,” Harris said. In restaurant lingo, that’s known as the “oral tip.” And you wonder why your server isn’t always as friendly as you expect.
When you have a bad day at work it most likely doesn’t affect your salary, but in the service industry, one off remark and you’re not getting a tip, or at least not a decent one. All because someone didn’t give you the benefit of the doubt.
While on the subject of tipping, here’s a rant on the forum site bitterwaitress.com written by an anonymous server in Roanoke: “They come in once a week, every week and only leave 50 cents per person. They get extra refills, extra dressings, to-go drinks and are always complaining about SOMETHING! Stop coming in if you don’t like the food OR service! I’ve gone out of my way to actually be RUDE to these b—–s and they keep coming back! Even if you’re polite … no difference in tip! If all you can afford is 50 cent tips, then go to McDonalds and buy an extra side of fries! I don’t need your pity change!”
If this is you, there’s your wake-up call.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Another good rule of thumb? The Golden one. Respect your server. Just to reiterate, he’s there to serve you, but he’s not your servant.
“I had a guy cuss me out about his tab because he thought he was paying more than he should,” said Awful Arthur’s bar manager Chad Skeens. “When I walked by him, he flicked a lit cigarette at me so I had to bar him from the restaurant.”
A lit cigarette? Come on. Talk about being a jerk.

MORE TIPS
• Once you’ve been seated, don’t take it upon yourself to switch tables. Restaurants have a seating chart and certain sections belong to certain servers. You just might move to a section that just got “sat” and you’ll mess up the flow. Oh, and along those lines, don’t move another table next to yours if more friends show up. That other table is a potential tip for your server. Ask what can be done to accommodate your party.
• Try to let your server know everything you might need ahead of time. If you want a side of ranch dressing and your drink refilled, tell him both at the same time so he doesn’t have to make extra trips.
• Sometimes it’s tough to decide what you want to order, but if you tell the server you’re ready, be ready. If it’s busy, she doesn’t have time to wait for you to decide when she could be helping other customers or helping her fellow servers. And if you have a small child, order for her if she can’t make a decision. Time is money.
• If you’re seated at a table, don’t go to the bar to order a drink. Then you must pay the bartender instead of your server. Your server will gladly get you a drink.
• Don’t name drop in an attempt to get something free if you’ve only met the owner once or twice.

Now pass this around to all your friends and family to read. I’m sure that this is something that we have all thought about at one time or another. I am a server myself. I found this on a web site. I have talked to a lot of people that don’t realize a lot of this information, or are unaware. Remember you should want us to be just as happy as you want us to make you during your visit. You will definitely find that a server who is in a good mood, will give you better service and be much happier to serve you. Saying I have done a good job, and tipping awful (oral tip) is worse than no tip. Table turns are very important for your server. When the restaurant is busy think before you hang out for a long time, or tip for your stay and not just the bill. When people come in and sit for 2-3 hours having conversation remember that the server could have had several tables for the one you are holding. And last but not least, I have never worked in a restaurant where a server only had one table. Please try to be considerate when your server has many customers and you see that person is very busy, and just take into consideration that you are not the only person in the restaurant. Thank you and don’t forget to pass this on.
~anonymous~

Smoking ban hasn’t led to any citations

The Daily News By Rhiannon Meyers

GALVESTON — After more than two weeks, Galveston’s smoking ban has gotten a little hazy.

While some bars and restaurants are complying with the new law banning smoking indoors, on patios, decks and on sidewalks in front of restaurants and bars, smokers continue to puff away in banned areas across Galveston.

The Galveston Police Department has not issued any citations for smoking.

Most restaurants and bars have banned smoking indoors, but many business owners are turning a blind eye to those who light up on patios and decks, Dennis Byrd, president of the Galveston Restaurant Association and owner of The Spot, said.

Some Galveston establishments continue to allow smoking indoors, and that’s causing some problems for restaurants and bars that are attempting to comply with the indoor smoking ban, Byrd said. The Spot’s waiters, waitresses and bartenders have had trouble explaining to people that smoking is banned citywide, he said.

“We’ve got some customers who come in and say: ‘I don’t understand. I just smoked in a bar downtown,’” he said.

On Wednesday night, smokers lit up unabashedly at the Poop Deck, 2928 Seawall Blvd., and at Melrose Pub, 2002 Postoffice St.

Galveston resident Steve Parag said the smoking ban has influenced his decisions about which places he chooses to patronize. He said he stopped drinking at the bar at Salsa’s Mexican Restaurant, 4604 Seawall Blvd., despite the “fantastic margaritas,” when the restaurant banned smoking. But he said he still spends money at the Poop Deck, where he can enjoy a can of beer and a cigarette without being harassed.

Like many opponents of the smoking ban, Parag said the city council should have left it up to the discretion of business owners to allow smoking or not.

But Rex Bell, who owns Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe, 413 20th St., said he loves the ban. The former smoker said while he’s noticed other Galveston bars continue to allow smoking, he was ready to ban cigarettes at his establishment, which has live bands that often request to play in a smoke-free venue. Patrons haven’t complained much, and he’s had little trouble with the ban, Bell said.

But Byrd said the ban has caused major problems for members of his wait staff who feel uncomfortable telling patrons they can’t smoke on the patio, especially since waiters and waitresses often take hits on their tips when they tell customers to snuff their cigarettes.

“All we get is negative feedback,” he said.

Byrd said while he has no plans to return ashtrays to The Spot’s patio, he is considering letting smokers light up on the patio and instructing his staff to pick up the cigarette butts off the ground.

“I think we’re following suit with everyone else,” he said.

The outdoor ban largely has been ignored since the ban went into effect. Although smokers can’t light up within 15 feet of businesses’ front doors or open windows, smokers have been puffing away on the sidewalks along The Strand and Postoffice Street, and on decks and patios throughout Galveston since Jan. 1.

The police have said it is not a priority to enforce the smoking ban. They said they will respond to complaints, but they have to witness a person smoking in an area where smoking is banned to issue a ticket.

The offense is a class C misdemeanor — the equivalent of a traffic ticket — and comes with a $100 fine, unless the violation was done “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly,” which in that case, could come with a fine of up to $2,000.

The ordinance allows the city to ticket a person who owns, operates or controls a public place that fails to comply with the smoking ban. The offense comes with a $200 fine for the first violation, a $400 fine for a second violation and a $500 fine for each additional violation.

However, city spokeswoman Alicia Cahill said police have no plans to ticket the owners of establishments that allow smoking in banned areas.

Bar and restaurant owners have complained about the ordinance, which they said will harm already struggling island businesses.

They repeatedly have asked city council members to amend the ban to allow smoking on decks and patios. Council members on Dec. 10 amended the ordinance to allow smoking in stores specializing in tobacco products. That amendment benefits only Havana Alley Cigar Shop and Lounge, 415 21st St.

However, council members, fearing they were giving the shop an undue advantage, prohibited the shop from allowing its patrons to sip beer, wine and liquor inside the store. The shop also must install a ventilation system and ban anyone younger than 18 years old.

Unlike Galveston, Houston bars and restaurants are overwhelmingly complying with the city’s smoking ban, which went into effect in 2007, Rene Zamore, executive director of the Greater Houston Restaurant Association, said. That’s likely because Houston still allows smokers to light up in outdoor areas, such as decks and patios, she said.

“Restaurants and bars are loving the opportunity that they have an option,” she said. “That really has helped save them from a lot of angst.”

By Marta Daniels of How To Be A Better Restaurant Customer - Reprinted with permission.

If you order a cocktail with no ice because you don’t want your drink watered down, I get it.  That’s smart.  If you order your drink with no ice because you don’t like drinking cold beverages, I get that too.  But if you order your liquor with no ice (ie. straight up) that’s a shot! You’re not going to receive a glass full of liquor.

People do the same thing with long island iced teas and margaritas.  “Oh, hold the ice,” they’ll say.  Then when I bring them a cocktail in a smaller glass than the margarita with ice, they say, “Oh no, I want the other one, the big glass!” So we bring them a margarita goblet 2/3 full and they say “Where’s the rest?” To which I reply “The rest would be ice!” You can’t cheat the system and get another half a drink worth of liquor by asking for no ice because, well, we’re not stupid, and my restaurant would actually like to make money.

The same applies if you order a salad with light lettuce and no onions.  That’s perfectly acceptable if you don’t like onions and a whole lot of lettuce.  But don’t expect me to bring you a bowl of cheese, tomatoes and homemade croutons either.  There are specifications for the amount of each item the salad guy puts in our salads.  He may toss in a little extra to compensate for the lack of overall volume in the bowl, especially if you ask for extra cheese and croutons.  But let me reiterate, you’re not going to get a bowl of cheese.  Period.  You really don’t need all that cheese anyways, do you?

People, stop trying to cheat the system with clever little “Hold the this and light that” requests.  Of course you could get a whole fifth of Jack for $15 or $20 and we’re charging you $5.75 a shot.  I also know you could make our house salad at home for about 83 cents and we’re charging $2.75.  But we are neither a liquor store, nor are we a grocery store.  You’re paying for the ambiance, the service, all that jazz.  That’s how restaurants make money!