But a lot can happen in a couple of months. A friend of mine, with whom I have done lots of catering and teaching, was offered a gig at a plush new hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas. I want to get more experience with opening new restaurants, and in a variety of circumstances. After getting over some hesitations, I am officially bound for Las Vegas.

Although I have a few concerns, it's an amazing situation with lots of resources, lots of upside, good people involved, and sky's the limit potential. Beyond our restaurant, Las Vegas has representation from the best chefs in the world, and there is an audience to support the finest of fine dining - all the way down to $4.99 prime rib. I'll have lots of opportunity to eat and work in some excellent restaurants. There's a lively ethnic food scene as well, with ready access to international ingredients. Although I'll miss being near the ocean, there's apparently lots of recreating do in the foothills surrounding Las Vegas, Lake Mead, etc. For me personally, another draw is the very real possibility of buying a home or a condo, which is completely out of reach in the LA area.

It's so ON!! I've been imagining that clap and wave of empty hands that dealers do in Las Vegas, always accompanied by, "Good Luck."

As per usual, I won't speak about specifics, but I'll continue to post about my experience in Sin City and as a cook. I reserve the right to edit or delete any post or comments that may be too identifiable.

For Everyone:

This is the classic American cookbook. There's actually a bit of drama surrounding this book. In the 90's, it was revised and expanded to include all sorts of new cuisines, to mirror what was happening in American food. The family of the original authors apparently didn't like the new expansion, and later took editing control back. But this is the version I have, and I love it. The recipes are structured in a sequential way, which I think is brilliant, since most cooking is process oriented.

Another great all around cookbook, written by David Rosengarten. He was one of the original Food Network hosts, who would do extensive reseach on the particular dish at hand. I also like this book because it discusses the aesthetics behind the recipes and the choices.

Although there is science in it, a very readable and usable reference to help anyone figure out why a recipe isn't working.

This is a helpful book about the creative process - in whatever medium you choose - not just painters and novelists and musicians. I find it so valuable that I've probably given it away to over 25 people over the years. HIghly recommended.

For Professional Cooks:

As Bourdain says, the argument ender. Although rooted in European food, contains at least simple entries to just about any ingredient as well.

For all the lip service that cooks and chefs pay to the importance of sharp knives, a surprisingly large proportion don't REALLY understand their knives or the sharpening process. As far as I'm concerned, this book should be required reading for every culinary student and every professional cook.

For me, this is a timeless book, with elegant ideas taken to the nth degree. I'd say one of the most influential on me, even though his style is so different.

This is the best book I've found so far on Spanish used in kitchens and restaurants. Besides food words, there's phrases for interviewing, giving instructions, and other situations that might come up if you were a chef, manager, or owner of a restaurant.

If nothing else, read the first few chapters, which offer an eloquent rebuttal to vegetarianism, and discusses the politics of meat in general.

Although this is a new book, it's become one of my instant favorites. He has a powerful mix of traditional technique, global perspective, and originality that results in some dynamic and wonderful food.

Although there are a ton of books about French techniques, this is the daddy. Yes, you've probably seen a lot of it on TV already, but this is the source.

You Would Be A Bad Ass Line Cook If You…

(list follows after the link)

• you show up early, and work off the clock for a few hours each day.

• you have a good attitude – show enthusiasm for food and find satisfaction in doing good work and good cooking.

• you are coachable – don’t get defensive or act like you already know everything.

• you season everything. The “right” amount of salt and pepper is probably 50% of being a good cook.

• you taste everything on your station to make sure it is what it’s supposed to be.

• you never complain - especially about things that the chef can’t control, like customer requests, the hours the restaurant is open, how busy or slow it is, etc.

• you show respect for the chef, the food, how they want things done in THIS restaurant (not in any of your previous restaurants), and your co-workers. More specifically, co-workers to be respected includes dishwashers, prep cooks, bussers, expeditors and food runners, but does not necessarily include FOH staff. Servers are fair game.

• you always show up for work, even if sick as a dog. Let the chef see that you're really sick and send you home.

• you don’t get sick often.

• you can stay focused under pressure - expect to be in the weeds, and work your way out of it.

• you can handle anything that is thrown at you with a smile.

• you pay attention to what is happening around you. If the cook next to you is starting to get buried, help him/her out.

• you always have enough mise en place (preparations for the station). If it's a Saturday night, be ready. If it’s a holiday, be ready.

• you are conscious of minimizing waste – each $1.00 saved in waste is worth about $1.30 in revenue.

• you are fast, but aren't sloppy - have an extra gear of speed when needed

• you are efficient with organizing tasks - you make fewer trips to the walk-in, carrying something in each direction every time.

• you take your breaks when it's slow.

• you have good timing – if your food needs to be in the window in 2 minutes, make it happen. If you suddenly need to hold off for 4 minutes, figure out a way to pull back.

• you jump in and help when needed, without waiting to be asked.

• you know about food, but are eager to learn, too. Most times, technique is more important than recipes.

• you cook your dishes exactly as the chef taught you, the same every time.

• you have good short term memory, then can wipe it clean for the next set of picks – you don’t get confused easily.

• you stay until all the work is done, without asking to leave early. Ask if there’s anything else to do before leaving.

• you do it right, without cutting corners, even if it’s a pain in the ass and tedious. If there's any doubt on how to do something, ask for a sample before cutting up a whole side of salmon the wrong way.

• you work neatly, always Cleaning As You Go (CAYGo). At the end of your shift, you actually clean your station using actual sanitizer and an actual scrubbie, and actually label and date all your mise.

• you admit when you’re wrong, but don’t point it out when others are wrong – especially the chef.

• even if you think your way is better, do it the way the chef would want you to do it. If you must suggest something, do it in private. Or phrase it so it seems like it was the chef’s idea. Let the chef save face.

• “Yes, chef!” or “Oui, chef!” is the only proper response in a traditional kitchen. All questions to cooks will be phrased such that “Yes, chef!” is the correct and only response. If it sounds militaristic, that’s where it came from.

• you always callback orders and directions appropriately.

• you work in a safe manner, so neither you nor any cooks near you are likely to be injured.

• you warn chef when you are running low on an ingredient for your station, so that more can be ordered. Especially if it takes a few days to get.

• you warn chef ahead of time when you are counting down the number of an item you have left. "I have 5 fish specials left all day, chef." This is to be able to 86 something before a customer orders it, then has to be told that it's not available. That makes everyone look bad.

• you are able to work double shifts for many days without days off.

• you expect to give more than you get.

• you work for the good of the team and the restaurant.

• you ask for days off well in advance.

• you always know exactly what’s on your stove, or on your grill, or in your oven, even if it’s not yours.

• you anticipate what the chef needs next. If chef is about to put a sheet tray in the oven, open it for him or her. If he/she gets a can of tomatoes, go get the can opener.

• you don’t take yourself too seriously. Be able to laugh at how you fucked something up. But learn from it.

• NEW, 6-08: you are observant of what's going on in the kitchen. You smell when food doesn't smell right or is already bad. You smell when something is burning, especially paper or plastic (i.e. not just food). You notice if your food isn't as cold as it should be, meaning your lowboy might be on the fritz.

• NEW, 6-08: you work efficiently with regard to time. Most of the time, this means starting the longest process first, then do other things while that is working. This means both in your overall workday, as well as any set of dishes you have to pick up at the moment. For instance, you start your braises and roasts early in your day, since they take several hours and don't require much attention. Then you do your other prep work. Or if you have to make a dish that takes 5 minutes, a dish that takes 3 minutes, and a dish that takes 1 minute, you can do all of them in 5 minutes, rather than one after the other, taking 9 minutes.

• NEW, 6-08: you always tell chef when you leave the line.

• NEW, 6-08: you clean when it's slow. There's always something that can be cleaned. The old saw, "If there's time to lean, there's time to clean." is annoying, but accurate.

• NEW, 6-08: you never just stand around, talking, leaning, and waiting. This is a pet peeve of many chefs. Stand at the ready.

Please comment on anything I forgot!

WIth the popularity of tasting menus, a new usage of "to taste" is making the rounds. In this case, instead of saying, "I included duck on the tasting menu for Bob" or "I gave Bob a taste of the duck," the new phrasing might be, "I tasted Bob on the duck". I have also heard it in the context of wine flights or wine parings, as in, "Bob wanted to try the cabernet, but I tasted him on the grenache first." From the cook or sommelier's perspective, I'm giving that person a taste of ______. Personally, I feel that it's awkward, peculiar, and confusing. First off, the person who is active is not the person who is doing the eating. More importantly, if taken likerally, the speaker could be using his or her tongue on another person and commenting on that. Of course, there's a lot of comedy potential there, like, "I tasted Giada and Rachel on my tongue, but only Giada liked it."