1. Torrisi Italian Specialties, NYC: 20-Course $125 Tasting Menu That Manages To Be Flat-Out Fun
2. Behind The Scenes At Kee's Chocolates, NYC
3. Staff Picks: Where Do You Want To Eat Valentine's Day Dinner?
4. New Sandwiches at 'wichcraft
5. Cheap Eats: Five Great Indian Snacks In Curry Hill
6. Date Night: Królewskie Jadło
7. Whoopie Pies and Heart Blondies at Hot Blondies Bakery
8. Behind The Scenes At La Maison du Chocolat
9. The Vegetarian Option: Brookvin
10. Mexican Eats: Zaragoza

[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

At Maharlika on 1st Avenue, the brunch menu is filled with an abundance of meaty Filipino favorites. But the one sweet entree offered is certainly worth considering. Mango French Toast ($13) features fresh mango tucked between two slices of bread, almost too custardy at the center. The crisp, well-browned surface is a excellent redeeming factor. It comes dusted in sugar and with a pour of warm caramelized macapuno (a fruit similar to coconut in flavor) sauce. Make sure to soak it up, no maple syrup or butter necessary.

Maharlika

111 1st Avenue, New York NY 10009 (map)
212-392-7880
maharlikanyc.com

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan blogs at Kathy YL Chan, where she chronicles her eats and travel adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.

VIEW SLIDESHOW: Behind The Scenes At La Maison du Chocolat

[Photographs: Donny Tsang]

We here at Serious Eats are no strangers to La Maison du Chocolat and their decadent treats; our own Kathy YL Chan may have tried every chocolate they make already.

Chef Kino at La Maison was a sushi chef for 30 years, and then decided he needed a change eight years ago, because he wanted to spend his life on something other than just sushi. We spent a few hours in the kitchen while he was assembling their signature eclairs.

Check out the slideshow for a peek into the kitchen.

La Maison du Chocolat

Various Locations in NYC
lamaisonduchocolat.com/

About the Author: Donny Tsang traded a life of traffic jams in LA for one of crowded subways in NYC, where he's been since 2003. Now he is a Brooklyn-based food photographer and founded the website Foodaissance, where he photographs local artisans.

[Photo: Zachary Feldman]

Chances are high that if you're in any semblance of a relationship (real or imaginary), the days ahead are going to be filled with some combination of hand-holding, adoring stares, and breathless whispers. A guy or gal is bound to get hungry after so much endless romance, and one of the sexiest ways to refuel is fondue—or the Swiss art of shared cheese-dipping—and its many cultural counterparts. With a reputation for late nights and a number of different cuisines represented in the 'hood, the East Village offers a convincing argument for getting cheesy with the apple of your eye.

To wit, the pimento cheese dip ($11) at Peels is a dish that would surely get Paula Deen in trouble with her handlers. Modestly browned and speckled with chives, the ramekin of broiled sharp cheddar and cream cheeses ups the spice ante with a pinch of cayenne pepper that rounds out the zesty pimentos that form the plate's foundation. While not silky smooth, what it lacks in lustful texture it more than makes up for in taste. The toasted hunks of rosemary olive oil bread retain a lovely springiness behind such generous char, and in contrast to the dip's richness the whole affair exceeds its Depression-era beginnings. To cut through that palate bomb, the almond rickey ($5) offers a refreshing twist on the tart original, with nut syrup balancing out a barrage of fresh citrus.

At the Mercadito flagship on Avenue B, a seat at the L-shaped bar puts you in front of Mesh, the shaggy-haired bartender who generously doles out cocktails curated by local beverage consultancy Tippling Bros. Continue the festivities with an order of queso fundido ($13.50), broiled chihuahua and oaxaca cheeses that stretch with the cartoon elasticity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizza. You can have your bubbling cauldron of queso topped with mushrooms or crumbles of soft, intensely-spiced chorizo. An accompanying tomatillo salsa adds acidity, and the mixture gets spooned into soft, miniature corn tortillas warm from the oven.

[Photo: Garrett Ziegler, moments before a sultry smooch]

With its primarily French wine list, bordello red glow and Gothic decor, The Bourgeois Pig is a tony feather in parent company DeRossi Global's shimmering boa, which also includes neighborhood gems Mayahuel and Death & Co. Settling into one of the plush loveseats or throne-like chairs is decadent enough, but the interesting selection of fondues are a draw on their own. A heady, silky concoction, the rarebit fondue ($24) comes spiked with Maredsous 8, a yeasty dubbel Belgian beer and another weapon in many a brewer's arsenal, grains of paradise, which lends an understated peppery zing. The accompanying platter of snacks and dipping foods is worth the price of admission alone: toast points, pretzels, herbed potatoes, cornichons and pickled vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots and cauliflower. The beer's sweetness mellows out the cheese's sharper notes, and the burner lapping away beneath ensures that the fondue stays a pleasingly molten consistency.

When temperatures drop, nothing beats bundling up with your special someone and taking the plunge into a night of dairy-laden sensuality.

Peels

Open Until: 12:00 am, 7 days
325 Bowery, New York NY 10003 (map)
646-602-7015
peelsnyc.com

Mercadito

Open Until: 12:00 am, Fri-Sat
179 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009 (map)
212-529-6490
mercaditorestaurants.com

The Bourgeois Pig

Open Until: 2:00 am, 7 days
111 East 7th Street, New York NY 10009 (map)
212-475-2246
bourgeoispigny.com

About the author: Zachary Feldman is a former debutante and current freelance writer. He makes hand-crafted, small batch bitters under the moniker Bitters, Old Men.

[Photographs: Jessica Leibowitz]

We're back for a third time to tell you about the sandwich offerings at Spanish cafe La Churreria, located on Mulberry Street in Nolita. (What can we say, we like 'em.) Previously, I sampled the rich fried calamari on baguette as well as the porky Serrano ham served pressed with cheese and quince paste.

Don't despair, vegetarians! Today's featured sandwich is the Escalivada, so named for the classic Catalan side dish of mixed grilled vegetables--in this case sweet red peppers, eggplant, and onions--nestled inside the crisp Il Forno baguette. It's a nice sandwich--the veggies are tender and deftly seasoned, and the good-quality olive oil used to dress them moistens the bread--but if I had to take issue with anything, it would be that this sandwich is just a little one-note. Peppers, onions and eggplant all turn soft and sweet when grilled, and that's a good thing, but some sort of crunchy, salty or bitter element would liven it up. To my mind, some slivers of crumbly aged Manchego cheese would elevate this bocadillo to crave-worthy status, but my suspicion is that La Churreria's proprietors are keen to offer its vegan patrons a dairy-free choice.

La Churreria

284 Mulberry Street, New York NY 10012 (map)
212-219-0400

Almost every time I'm on Staten Island, I pop into Nunzio's for a slice. And while I wait for the quick reheat I always stare at the photo above. It's from when Nunzio's was in SI's South Beach neighborhood, before it moved to Grant City, along Hylan Boulevard.

Nunzio's today is an uninspiring-looking beige stucco blok of a building with almost no character whatsoever. But, you know what? Who cares? The pizza there is great.

I've read online reviews and have even heard people mention that they think Nunzio's has slipped. Ladies and gents, that's just not the case. The most recent slice I had is identical to all the to-go slices I've had there over the years.

A minimally beautiful little slice. Life rafts of mozzarella float atop a bright-red sea of fresh-tasting, chunky sauce—it's little more than crushed canned tomatoes, some salt, and a some basil. The crust is crisp and pliant and thin. You'll probably want a couple.

I prefer the take-out counter to a sit-down pizza here. It's always seemed that the sit-down pies have more cheese than the take-out silces, throwing off the crust-sauce-cheese balance. Plus, the dining room lacks any kind of ambiance. It's not new and hip, nor does it have old-school charm. It's just very ... beige.

This longtime Staten Island favorite is located in an area that Jeff Orlick calls the Pizza Capital of the World. Maybe something nearby can sate the Nunzio's naysayers. All I'll say is that if the place has indeed slipped, I'd kill to have tasted it in better days. Because it is pretty great right now.

Nunzio's

2155 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island NY 10306 (at Midland Ave.; map)
718-667-9647

About the author: Adam Kuban is the founder of Slice, where he has been blogging about pizza for more than 8 years. You can follow him as @akuban on Twitter.

Dorie and Josh Greenspan. [Photo: Robyn Lee]

Thursday (February 9)

Third Annual CookieBar hosted by Dorie and Josh Greenspan
Thursday February 9th to Friday February 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (while supplies last)
Pastry chef extraordinaire Dorie Greenspan and her son, Josh, are baking and selling their signature cookies at this Valentine's Day appropriate pop-up location. Stock up on World Peace, Blueberry Jammer, and French Vanilla Sable cookies among other crowd favorites. New flavors, such as York Peppermint Patty, will also be in debut! Mizu, 505 Park Avenue, New York, NY; event website

Ty-Lör Boring Dinners
Thursday February 9th to Saturday February 11, 7:30 p.m.
NYC based chef and Top Chef: Texas contestant, Ty-Lör Boring, takes to the kitchen at City Grit, creating a five-course farm-to-table meal highlighting his unique French/Asian style. Over dinner, guests will learn more about Boring's original BBQ concept currently in developmental mode here in NYC. $75. 38 Prince Street, New York, NY; event website

Stinky Cheese Fest & Endless Paired Booze
Thursday February 9th, 7:30 p.m.
Kick off a stinky cheese week with this cheese, beer, and wine fueled frenzy. Twenty of New York's finest French restaurants will present at this one-night expo of unlimited cheese and wine/beer pairings. Each participating restaurant provides one dish, matched with a beer or wine selection chosen by sommeliers Gianni Cavicchi (Café D'Alsace) and Aviram Turgeman (Nice Matin); a panel of judges will decide which pairing works best. $38 general admission $53 V.I.P access 404 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY; event website

Friday (February 10)

Winter Stinky Cheese Festival
Friday February 10th to Thursday February 16th
Enjoy a cheese-filled week of restaurant deals hosted by the Tour de France Restaurant Group, including nine New York City French restaurants. On the menu: almond-crusted Camembert with truffled honey glaze at Maison and chicken cordon bleu with aged Gruyère at Cafe D'Alsace, to name just a few. Various Participating Restaraunts; event website

Find the Perfect Wine for a Special Dinner
Friday February 10th
Sommelier Urs Kaufmann of Le Bernardin leads this calendar-appropriate lecture about the art of wine and food pairing. From vinos with artisanal cheeses, to chocolate and strawberries, guests will gain important Valentine's Day know-how before the big day rolls around. $50. 211 West Broadway, New York, NY; event website

Chocolate Shabbat Dinner
Friday February 10th, 7 p.m. Rabbi-in-Residence, Dan Ain, and Rabbinic Intern, Allison Tick, host this Valentine's Day Shabbat meal meant to highlight the flavor notes of chocolate. $35. 200 Hudson Street, New York, NY; event website

Tasting and Understanding Spirits from Micro-Distilleries with Michael Neff
Friday February 10th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Bartender and proprietor of Ward III and The Rum House Michael Neff (also a SE contributor!) instructs on the art of micro-distillation. Gain an understanding of our current era of craft spirits while sampling New York Rye, spelt whiskey, and apple vodka. $89. Astor Center, 399 Lafayette Street, New York, NY; event website

Saturday (February 11)

The Art of Chocolate with Julie Elkind
Saturday February 11th, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday February 12th, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Executive Pastry Chef at Casa Nonna, Julie Eskind, will teach beginners the art of chocolate-making, featuring rolled bonbon technique and the process of chocolate-covered fruit. $100. Saturday: BLT Steak, 106 East 57th Street, New York, NY & Sunday: Casa Nonna, 310 West 38th Street, New York, NY; event website

Sweetheart of a Cooking Class
Saturday February 11th, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Couples will learn to make a Valentine's Day dinner for two featuring Fluke Carpaccio, Tenderloin, and marble heirloom potatoes, creamed spinach, and a holiday appropriate red velvet cake. Wine pairings as well as lunch are included in the cost of class. $120/person. BLT Prime, 111 East 22nd Street; event website

New Amsterdam Market: Valentine's Market
Saturday February 11th to Sunday February 12th, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Enjoy a Valentine's Day-themed weekend of shopping at South Street Seaport Museum. Pick up artisanal treats from the likes of Liddabit Sweets and Jaune macarons, or gifts like Anarchy in a Jar's seasonal jams and chutneys. Take a break from scouring the shelves for an old-fashioned soda shop treat served by the P&H Soda or a sundae from The Bent Spoon. Don't miss out on an exciting talk on the history of the egg cream at 6 p.m. on Sunday. 213-215 Water Street, New York, NY; event website

Sunday (February 12)

Eat, Drink & Think Like.....Diego Riviera
Sunday February 12, 2 p.m.
Part of the "Eat, Drink, and Think Like" series, current MoMa curator Leah Dickerman tells the story of Diego Riviera punctuated with a look at Mexico's fresh food prepared by Chef Roberto Santibanez. $65. 300 Hudson Street, New York, NY; event website

Monday (February 13)

Culinary Historians: The Baking Powder Revolution: Creating an Edible American Identity
Monday February 13th, 7 p.m.
Join author Linda Civitello as she discusses the history of baking powder. A reception precedes the talk and features baked goods and pastries. $40. 501 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY; event website

Experience Shochu NYC
Monday February 13th, 6 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.
Sixteen leading Shochu producers will be showcasing their products both neat and in various cocktail versions with light food pairings offered. free Astor Center, 399 Lafayette Street, New York, NY; event website

Tuesday (February 14)

Love. Bites.
Tuesday February 14th, 7:30 p.m.
Join City Grit in their celebration of Valentine's Day, with an aphrodisiac-inspired menu with each course broken up by dinner party mingling. $45. 38 Prince between Mott and Mulberry, New York, NY; event website

San Valentino Was Italian
Tuesday February 14th, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For Valentine's Day only, three of Eataly's downstairs restaurants will take reservations. Each of the eateries, Il Pesce, Le Verdure, and La Pasta, will feature Valentine's inspired prix-fixe menus with selections ranging from pesto lasagna to seared rock shrimp with sage. Make sure to call ahead. $50-75. 200 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY; event website

[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

Charbonnel et Walker is tucked away on the 8th floor of Saks Fifth Avenue, a little chocolate emporium with chocolates and plated sweets delivered on a conveyor belt. Pull up to a seat at the dessert bar and order the Banoffee Pie ($7), a beloved English creation that's nothing but comfort. The Charbonnel et Walker version isn't traditional, but still delicious. The base of the deep ramekin is filled with crushed butter biscuits, layered with sliced bananas, a pour of toffee sauce and plenty of thick, fresh whipped cream. Grated milk chocolate tops off the "pie" and all you need is a spoon. Certainly not a bad break from shoe shopping.

Charbonnel et Walker

Inside Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 5th Avenue 8th Floor, New York, NY 10020 (map)
212-753-4000
charbonnelchocolates.com

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan blogs at Kathy YL Chan, where she chronicles her eats and travel adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.

[Photo: Alice Gao]

Name: Lauren Sloss      
Location: Brooklyn/San Francisco  
Occupation: Food and music writer
Website/Twitter: @laurensloss

What do you write about on Serious Eats and why is that of particular interest? In New York, I cover some of the staples—vegetables, sandwiches, cocktails. In San Francisco, I cover a much wider territory, rounding up sweets, tracking down pizza, and making a point to know just about everything that's opening, closing, or transforming. I've always watched the New York food scene from afar so a chance to explore it has been great. As for San Francisco, it's my home turf. It's where I developed my love of food, and I take great joy in continuing to explore everything it has to offer.

What are your guilty pleasures, foodwise? Cheese. The funkier the better. I can be full—stuffed!—and if there's a wedge of cheese and a knife in front of me, I'll take it down in no time.

Describe your perfect meal. A fresh, crusty baguette or pain de campagne. Some really good cured meats, and a little pate. Fresh summer tomatoes, lightly tossed with olive oil, basil, and salt. A good light red wine, or a good sour beer. And cheese, of course.

Where are you a "regular"? Why there? In New York, I like to frequent spots in my neighborhood—The Vanderbilt, Miriam, Bierkraft, Bklyn Larder. Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg is my favorite place to get a drink, especially when we bring over a pickled vegetable pie from Best Pizza down the street. In San Francisco—Nopa , particularly when I lived down the block; Toronado and Rosamunde (the original one) for beer and sausage; The Sentinel and Molinari for sandwiches; and 15 Romolo for cocktails. I would be a regular at Tartine if I could handle the line!

What food won't you eat? Bananas. I've had a rocky relationship with fruit over the years, and long professed to hate it all (except apples and watermelon). I've come around to a lot more lately—blueberries, mangos, grapes—but everything about bananas still grosses me out.

 What do your family and friends think of your food obsessions? I was raised to appreciate good food, so my parents are pleased that I took their influence seriously. I like to think that I surround myself with people who understand and appreciate the finer things in life (read: good food and drink), so my friends are generally on board. Especially when I'm doing, say, a cupcake round up, and need tasting help.

 Everyone has a go-to person they call for restaurant recommendations. Who's yours?  In New York, Carey Jones, of course. I've gotten lazy here—why even try when you can ask the very knowledgable city editor where to go? In San Francisco, I've kind of become the one people call—even after I moved.

And what's the best recommendation they've given you? Kin Shop. I dream of those curries. And I am forever grateful that my parents took me to the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco when I was young, forever instilling a love of old school, seriously good red meat.

Let's say you're moving out of New York. What would you eat and drink on your last day here? Well (sniff), I actually will be leaving New York... and I'm scrambling to put together a bucket list. I need to make it to Roberta's and Motorino, and Momofuku of some form. As for my last day? Some New York-style pizza probably has to find its way in there, maybe a good bagel too. I'll definitely have a sandwich from Bierkraft with me on the plane, though.

VIEW SLIDESHOW: New Sandwiches at 'wichcraft

[Photo: Robyn Lee]

For a taste of Craft without the hefty pricetag, Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft sandwiches are a reliable workday lunch. They're built on fresh bread from the same high-quality ingredients used in Colicchio's restaurants, and while probably more expensive than your bodega, also probably an awful lot better. This season, 'wichcraft has introduced two new choices, as well as brought back three of their most popular sandwiches. We tasted them all; check out what we thought in the slideshow above!

[Photographs: Jessica Leibowitz]

A new edition to the Lower East Side, Sauce, is serving up Italian-American style sandwiches done right. Similar to a sloppy joe, the Heritage Pork "Raguboy" ($5.95) is a small but super-rich sandwich, which we had topped with provolone, on a sesame seed brioche. The pork is unbelievably tender; cooked in a sauce enhanced with the drippings of the meat, all of which the fluffy, buttery brioche instantly begins to soak up. While bun was a little too big, the incredibly savory sauce and the richness of the sandwich was enough to leave anyone who ordered this craving it again in the future.

Sauce

78 Rivington St, New York 10002 (map)
212-420-7700

[Photographs: Howard Walfish]

I tend to drink beer on its own, but wine with food, which is why wine bars appeal to me so much—that particular blend of restaurant and bar that encourages sampling from small plates. I stopped by Park Slope's Brookvin to sample their vegetarian wares.

Although the menu is unsurprisingly cheese-centric, there are some other options available. The spinach salad ($8) is made with local spinach, radishes, and chives. There's not a lot of food on the plate, but the buttermilk dressing is so good it makes the salad worth ordering.

The charred radicchio tartine is also good, but not worth the $9 it usually goes for. Luckily if you visit Brookvin during Happy Hour (5pm-7pm) the tartine's are only $5, a much more reasonable price. The bitted flavor of the radicchio got lost between the sweetness of the onion jam and the saltiness of the melted taleggio cheese, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Those two aggressive flavors complement each other perfectly, especially atop the crusty bread.

Macaroni and cheese ($9) has become de rigueur on many bar menus, and Brookvin's is a pretty good one, made with Vermont cheddar. It's cooked in a shallow ramekin, which means that there's more surface area to form the crusty top -- and everyone knows that the crusty top is the best part of any mac & cheese.

Brookvin may not be Park Slope's greatest restaurant, but it's a good place to sit back and relax. Along with the food there is, of course, wine, and during Happy Hour you can get $5 glasses to complement the food you're eating. I know it's supposed to be the other way around, but I can't help thinking of food first, and the wine second.

Brookvin

381 7th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (map)
718-768-9463
brookvin.com

About the author: Howard Walfish is a Virginia native who has been living in New York since 2003. He is, in fact, a vegetarian, and is the co-founder of Eat to Blog and the creator of BrooklynVegetarian.

[Photo: Eating In Translation]

• Semolina "is the distinctive ingredient in beghrir, North African pancakes topped with honey and butter," at Harissa Cafe in Astoria [Eating In Translation]
• Chicken pad thai at Tuk Tuk Boy is better than it used to be: "The noodles were just a little bit on the wet side and extremely tasty, even a little spicy." [Midtown Lunch]
• Fried lamb tongue at Kavkaz is "served with a gravy boat of sour cream" [Fork in the Road]

[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

Laughing Man Coffee & Tea recently opened on Duane Street in Tribeca, a tiny cafe with barely enough room to seat two. It's more of a grab-and-go sort of spot, but with a few special touches. Namely, chocolate. Tumbador (the same great company response for these Ring Dings) does a private label of chocolates just for Laughing Man. A four-piece set is $9. As to which of the 15 flavors you'll find in your box? Luck of the draw.

I had a 65% dark Peruvian alongside coconut and coffee-cardamom chocolates in my box. The most memorable of the quartet was this peanut butter square featuring an actual slip of grape jelly and the crunch of feuilletine. Don't leave without a drink. The espresso-based Flat White might be the most popular order at Laughing Man, but don't overlook the hot chocolate—simultaneously frothy and earthy, made with cocoa, whole milk, and just enough sugar to round things out.

Laughing Man Coffee & Tea

184 Duane Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-680-1111
livelaughingman.com

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan blogs at Kathy YL Chan, where she chronicles her eats and travel adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.

About the Author: You may have seen Michael Neff behind the bar at New York's Ward III and The Rum House. He stops by on Wednesdays to share insights on cocktails and the life of a barman.

[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]

What I'm Drinking:
Bols Barrel-Aged Genever (neat)
Racer 5 IPA (half-pint)

I was in line at the bank the other day, and thought about what it would be like if a bank were a bar. I've been in this line countless times, and the tellers know my face. Still, I have to hand over my driver's license and give them my account number. Regardless of how many times I come to this bank, they have rules to follow, and the fact that I come here on a regular basis gets me exactly zero when it comes to normalizing the transactions I have on a regular basis.

Bars are different. At a bar, you are accorded special privileges by being a regular customer. If a bartender knows your face (let alone your name), your drink tends to skip ahead in the line. David, an old and good friend who is in my bar three or four times a week, drinks Palm Belgian Amber. If I see him walk in to the building, I will pull him that pint, regardless of whatever else I have going on at the moment. I know what he wants, and we get to skip the step that necessitates him telling me what that is. The general benefit of "regular" status is, I'll pour it; you'll drink it, and we'll all go home.

Things get complicated when you factor in one of the major tools that bartenders use to connect to their clientele: the buy-back.

Buy-back, comp, promo; call it what you will. In every bar, there is a certain budget that allows for giving a customer a drink that they do not have to pay for. For those of us who work behind bars, the buy-back is a double-edged sword.

Let's say that you and your three friends are sitting at the bar, and we have all had a great conversation. More than that, you and your friends are locals, and I want to ensure that you will think to come back again to see us in the future. That's where the buy-back comes in. I'm a bartender, and I have stake in making sure good people come to see me on a regular basis. If you're cool, and you pay your bill, and if we have developed some kind of relationship, chances are I'll buy you a round.

Why wouldn't I? In the bar business, people who don't treat us like servants are valued highly. While the place I work might be totally awesome, the little extra I give by buying a round is enough to show my clientele that a) I like talking to them, and b) I hope they come back.

All of this has been standard procedure in almost every bar I've ever trod. While no owner I've worked for has been as liberal as I wish they could be, every one of them has recognized the fact that, every once in a while, you've got to buy someone a drink. It's a tax-deduction for the bar, and an invaluable asset for the bartender.

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to meet people from all walks of life. When I run across people who I particularly like, I'm glad I have the freedom to buy them a round. I don't necessarily get to do it every time, and at some bars, the bartender can't buy any drinks at all. But a random comp can go a long way in making an occasional client in to a regular client—it's worth the price of the drink.

But there's a subset of people who believe, for one reason or another, that they are owed something for free. They might know the owner, or might work down the street. Irish pubs in the '80s would buy back every fourth round—nowadays, it takes more than proximity to show a bar that you have value. While we don't work with firm and hard rules, the one that most people follow is, "If you have to ask, you haven't earned it."

As with most things in bartending, it's relationships that matter, and you'll find this is true the first time a bartender buys you a drink. If he does so, remember to thank him for his attention, and to tip accordingly. A buy-back reduces sales, and people who tip on the total need to remember that another human being went the extra mile for them. Keep the cycle going, and come back again soon.