265483 Fri Feb 18 22:05:50 -0800 2005 2 26 International 0 1401204 This is a question for anyone who has gone to or worked in a nice French restaurant: A friend of mind in the restaurant biz referred to the act of taking the silver dome off a tray and presenting the dish to the customer tableside as "delouching" or "to delouchez." In the best French restaurants, I hear, all the waiters are supposed to do this at the same time so everyone is served simultaneously. Since I don't speak French, I'm clearly not getting the word right, and the spelling is probably completely wrong. Does anyone know what this word actually is, what it means, or what its origins are? I need this quickly for a food criticism project and I'll bet some Chowhounds out there know the answer. Thank you! -Tipmeister Fri Feb 18 22:05:50 -0800 2005 0 Tipmeister 1 1401268 Hello! I'm french, I live in Paris and work for a gastronomy guide and I've never heard the word. Of course it doesn't mean it doesn't exist (in no way is my knowledge exhaustive) but it doesn't appear either in gastronomy french dictionnary. I'll try and think to ask a Grand Chef next time I have a meeting with one of them. Sorry I couldn't have been more of help Ness Mon Feb 21 09:50:38 -0800 2005 1401204 0 Madeleine 1 1401270 The word "deloucher" (which would be the infinitive of the verb, if there was one) doesn't mean anything to me, but "louche", in addition to the better known meaning, also means a "ladle." So, and this is pure conjecture here, "deloucher", could mean "to ladle out", i.e., to serve. But I've never heard word until now. Mon Feb 21 10:07:11 -0800 2005 1401204 0 Elaine(Snutteplutten)