Would you like some fresh ground pepper?

[LurkerDan]

Hope that this is the right board for this thread.

How often have you been asked this when served a salad at a restaurant? It seems to be fairly common at nicer restaurants; I guess they don't want to put salt and pepper shakers on the table but still want to offer their diners pepper, and it seems classier to grind it for them on the spot.

I suppose when it is a "normal" salad, you might know the answer to the question. But the other day I was served a chicken salad appetizer at a nice restaurant for Denver Restaurant Week, and was asked this question. My response at the time was "no", but it occurred to me that I didn't really know the answer yet. I hadn't had a chance to taste the salad.

How do you answer this question? Tell the server "I don't know yet, come back in 2 minutes"?

[linguafood]

As much as I like fresh ground pepper on my salad (that's how I finish mine at home, after all -- with a bunch of grinds, semi-coarse), it seems that everybody started doing this in the 90s, like it was a requirement for any self-respecting restaurant. In many a case, I find it tacky, but prefer it to the black dust that is available on the table -- much to my surprise -- even in high-end restos.

As opposed to one giant peppermill for one restaurant, I'd prefer having my own on the table in case I need more pepper.

[pdxgastro]

Newport Bay chain seafood restaurants get my kudos for having a pepper mill on each table. I wish more places did that.

[KaimukiMan]

No it doesn't bother me, but maybe because I'm someone who does like the flavor of fresh ground pepper on most of the items (like salads) that they offer it for. Same with the cheese. No it does not mean the kitchen messed up. Some people like an extra kick, and the flavor of freshly ground pepper, while it can be added in the kitchen at the last minute, is something some people like and some don't. I do agree with the OP that on some things, and his example was a good one, you just don't know till you taste it.

[2m8ohed]

Agree with OP on this one. Incidentally, years ago I read something where the waiter who asks you if you want fresh ground pepper was jokingly referred to as the "peppier" (pronounced pep-ee-AY). I see that the term has now made it into the Urban Dictionary. Fancy Italian restaurants usually have another guy who offers the fresh grated Parmegiano cheese. I wonder if he's the "cheesier"?

[pikawicca]

I carry my own very nice travel pepper mill, filled with Tellicherry peppercorns, with me wherever I go. I love pepper and can't stand the powdery, stale stuff that comes out of shakers.

[c oliver]

Of course, you do :) Vinegar also? But I think that's a great idea. I'm going to keep an eye out for one.

[mcf]

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/produ...

My kitchen mill, a Vic Firth is the best I've ever owned at any price.

[kleine mocha]

Possibly not the same quality, but half the price: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/P...

[pikawicca]

I have been known to pack small vials of EVOO and great vinegar on road trips where fast food stops are inevitable. Even a fast food salad is pretty darn good when dressed well.

[BobB]

And I've traveled with a little plastic squeeze bottle of my favorite hot sauce (Melinda's XXX). More than once I've seen fellow diners' eyes light up when I told them what it was, and have been happy to liven up their meals too.

[aceike]

hi pikawicca, sorry this is about the ramps trying to get info can you reply to me here on this question, hi, I live in muncie in. are these ramps the same thing as the little wild onions that you find growing around, they are real strong smelling but dont have as big as blades on them or are these different, I would like to find some to try if there different than wild onions, do they grow in my area. any help would be appreciated, thanks also, do you know if the fiddleheads grow in this area too, thanks Michael

[pikawicca]

Ramps and fiddleheads are plentiful in the woods around Bloomington, so you should certainly be able to find them in Muncie. With the warm weather we're having, you will certainly come across fiddleheads this weekend, possibly ramps, although it's a bit early. Ramps are not the same things as the wild onions in your yard. They have broads leaaves (kind of like tulips), usually with a strak of red between the leaf and the slender bulb. Good luck foraging!

[sillygoosedown]

I always say yes. It's a nice atmospheric touch and releases a good aroma. Freshly ground pepper is one of those things that I'm so accustomed to that I really don't notice its presence or absence unless I'm thinking about it. Perhaps it has a subconscious role in my enjoyment of food. I do think it brightens up most dishes.

[EWSflash]

That's how I look at it too.

[rockandroller1]

ditto this. I really like freshly ground pepper on a salad, and in certain pasta dishes I think it makes a big difference. I have no problem with them asking. It's not a "needs pepper" thing, it's a "wants pepper" thing.

[Harters]

Where I am, it's the standard (and irritating) procedure in Italian restaurants. Even when they have S & P on the table.

[goodhealthgourmet]

but is the pepper that's already on the table the pre-ground stuff in a shaker, or is it a mill with whole peppercorns? big difference.

[mcf]

Absolutely, the ground pepper in a shaker isn't worth anything, I'd go without before I'd use it.

WRT the mill, I tell them immediately to "keep it coming til I say when." I just love the smell of it coming out, too.

[goodhealthgourmet]

"I just love the smell of it coming out, too."
~~~~~~
just don't sniff too hard, or you're likely to end up sneezing all over your food ;)

i get odd looks when i tell them to "keep it coming." i don't understand why they ask if i want it if they're barely going to give me any! i like to do it myself anyway because i'm a clean freak and it bugs me when they get it all over the table around my dish.

[mcf]

I don't *snort*, I just sniff! :-) You're right, I always get a double take from them except for where I'm a regular when I say that. I don't think I've ever noticed anyone peppering the table cloth, but I prolly wouldn't sweat it; I get to leave it there. Drives me nuts when my husband salts the whole counter or table at home, though.

[monku]

Same here...can't get enough fresh ground black pepper. Got to have it on everything not just the salad.
They end up wearing out their wrist when I say "when".

Friend of mine got me a fresh ground peppermill the size of a lipstick that you push for fresh ground pepper...now if I could only find it.

[mcf]

I always want it, and I often ask for it before it's offered. I love restaurants that have mills on the table. I've never not wanted fresh ground pepper on my food, pretty much.

[tatamagouche]

Yeah, I have to say it's never occurred to me to be irritated by the offer of fresh ground pepper. I think it's a nice touch. Of the types of dishes it's usually offered with, I can't fathom a dish so exquisite it would be harmed by an extra grind, so even if I don't know how it tastes yet, I'm not too worried about destroying the whole delicate balance.

[goodhealthgourmet]

mcf, i'm with you. most of the time i want it. what i find most frustrating is when a server gives me a perfunctory grind or two and tries to walk away. then i have to ask them to hit me again or come back (some of them dart away), and that often garners a puzzled or irritated look from the server. anyway, at this point i've determined that it's best just to request that they leave the grinder on the table for a couple of minutes so i can attend to it myself.

[invinotheresverde]

ghg, don't you think your food should be properly seasoned, though? Perhaps an extra grind or so is desired, but enough to warrant leaving the mill on the table? That's either a freakish palate or a poor job seasoning on the chef's part.

[RAGHOUND]

ivtv, I'd have to agree with you first statement, but add - why it is that most restaurants over-salt? As far as pepper goes, my wife and I always look for the grinder for salads, which I've never found to be seasoned when served. And, for freakish palates, I worked with a guy that had to have any soup he ordered virtually black on the surface before he would dip a spoon into it!

[tatamagouche]

I don't think "most restaurants" oversalt. When I do come across oversalted dishes, I tend to think either 1) the chef's a smoker (so many of them are) or 2) the kitchen isn't tasting dishes as it goes.

[RAGHOUND]

I'll accept your 2 reasons, but I'll disagree with you about the oversalting. We've gotten to the point of requesting "no additional salt" when we place an order.

[tatamagouche]

Does it work?

[RAGHOUND]

It hasn't always worked. We're of the opinion that when it doesn't, it's probably because the server didn't convey our request to the kitchen - we were told that by a chef a one restaurant who came to the table later to see if things were OK. My wife has sent some dishes back when that happens and it's really too salty for her. I've not done that because I've found them a little saltier than I like but felt I could live with it that way.

[silence9]

Perhaps its a matter of aesthetics? If the server brings a vibrant and colorful salad or soup to the table, and amid the gorgeous vivid greens, yellows and other hues that grace a nice plating, the kitchen may want the diner to not have to wonder if the random black flecks on the greens constitute a poorly washed lettuce or vegetable; in other words, not wondering if the just-brought salad has sand and grit strewn across the yellow heirloom tomato. Once the lovely salad or bisque is initially viewed and apprised as a feast for the eyes, then the server can offer to disrupt the pristine image with the 'messy' fallout from freshly ground pepper. Just sayin'...

[rich in stl]

Sounds like the time to use WHITE pepper in the kitchen

[kpaxonite]

that would look really weird on a salad

[ipsedixit]

My answer: "Why, did the chef forget?"

[tarteaucitron]

I am tempted to say I want it on the side, but usually just play along and say yes or no based on my best prediction of whether it might be needed.

Actually when I do want the pepper, occasionally I tell the server I would like it thickly ground. I don't think I ever got that fulfilled even once.

[TheHuntress]

Ah the great cracked pepper debate. This was explored by The Chaser in Australia :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCFRbc...

You are not the only one with the cracked pepper problems...

[babbabooey]

im asked almost everytime i dine at an italian restaurant.

[Sherri]

"Would you like some fresh ground pepper?"
My answer is always "I have no idea if I want pepper until I've tasted my food". Sometimes the server departs (and I may have to flag him/her later) and other times the server waits until I give an answer after my first bite.

I think this is an idiotic question and I treat it as such.

I'm in Phoenix and two of my favorite places (T.Cooks and noca) do not do this. A well-trained waitstaff knows better than to ask this silly question so use it as a guide.

FYI: pepper mills on the table have a tendency to "walk" out the door so there aren't a lot of these around. It's a shame but this is a fact of life.

[tatamagouche]

But isn't that weird to be forced to take your first bite with the waiter standing there watching? I'd feel awkward.

[c oliver]

Is it any different than tasting the wine?

[tatamagouche]

Somehow, yeah. For me it is. It occurs to me I always wait until the waiter has left the table to take my first bite. I guess I've never been conscious of that before.

[invinotheresverde]

My restaurant keeps grinders on the tables. I find they're less likely to walk now, since you can get one at your local supermarket for $1.89.

[c oliver]

Are they adjustable?