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September 21, 2015 at 8:44 pm #826916
PangolinPieParticipantCheck out the Skylark for breakfast and brunch, Gina… I don’t think they advertise here but they make some yummy food.
September 21, 2015 at 8:58 pm #826917
WSBKeymasterThanks for asking about sponsors, Gina:
In addition to Endolyne Joe’s and Salty’s, as mentioned above, brunch is also offered by Greenbridge Café, just south of Highland Park and *lots of parking* every time we go by (parallel parking along 8th St.) … brunch is at the bottom of the menu on the GC website:
http://www.greenbridgecafe.com/GreenbridgeCafe/Greenbridge_Menu.html
As for Endolyne Joe’s, might we recommend the caramel apple french toast.
https://www.chowfoods.com/endolyne-joes/menus?page=1
And Chaco Canyon Café is on the sponsor team too. No eggs or meat. Breakfast and brunch toward the bottom of the menu; I’ve only lunched there (Thai peanut rice bowl!) so don’t have any suggestions.
http://chacocanyoncafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015.09-West-menu.pdf
TR
September 21, 2015 at 11:38 pm #826918
JeanineParticipantLOL at the parking “drama” at the Junction…..what with the 3 free lots and always free street parking.
September 22, 2015 at 1:21 am #826919
JoBParticipantjeanine..
that may be.. but since able bodied people are always eager to cut you off for those street slots .. those of us with mobility challenges get to park in the lots if we are lucky.. and that puts a lot of those junction venues out of the running for me :(
September 22, 2015 at 3:36 am #826920
935ParticipantI had no idea resturants held political beliefs…
September 22, 2015 at 4:35 am #826921
JanSParticipant935…the owner does…
September 22, 2015 at 5:00 am #826922
AJPParticipantGreenbridge Cafe is really good! Always a seat, parking right out front. Also Young’s on 16th about a block north of Roxbury is a great basic diner. The thing I find with the “side of drama” is that it’s unprofessional. I’ve read M’s rants on FB and her blog, and I know the restaurant business is hard in so many ways, but I wouldn’t want to work for someone who publicly goes off like that. She is a gifted cook and her food is delicious. I hope her business survives. Foul-mouthed dramatic chefs seem to make tons of dough these days, maybe she should get a TV show? :)
September 22, 2015 at 5:37 am #826923
dcnParticipantI was sorry to hear about the troubles at Meanders. I don’t know the owner or anyone else involved in the “drama.” My consternation was due to selfish reasons. Meanders served my friends and me the best breakfast we have ever had. We all shared each other’s plates to get the maximum food heaven experience. We’ve tried to return a few times, but have had bad luck with their erratic schedule. We will try it again this weekend, now that I know earlier is better than later. I really hope Meanders survives.
September 22, 2015 at 3:39 pm #826924
SueParticipantdcn, if you are on Facebook, Meanders has generally been posting about their schedule (whether they’re in or not). I usually check that before heading over. Not always foolproof, but it helps.
September 22, 2015 at 4:58 pm #826925
JoBParticipant935
the owner of Saltys not only holds political beliefs, he once parked a van advertising them in front of his business.
he is perfectly free to hold those political views… and to advertise them any way he wants.
I am also free to choose not to spend my money where the profits will go to support those views.
i haven’t eaten there since… unless of course you count my one moment of weakness at Redondo beach.
i really really love that space and the food was good but in the end i decided not good enough to make an exception :(
September 22, 2015 at 5:15 pm #826926
JoBParticipantAJP
you do realize the Miranda didn’t make all of this public?
this drama was generated when friends of some of her employees publicly posted that Meander’s employees were closing the business and hoped that her patrons would stop by to stuff the till since they planned on walking out the door with it.
those same friends publicly trashed Miranda on social media, made allegations that weren’t based on fact and then proceeded to try to sabotage her attempts to keep the restaurant open.
And you won’t eat there because she finally spoke up in her own defense?
***********irony alert************
yeah.. that makes sense to me…
i am not a fan of public tar and feathering..
for those that care to know, Miranda told me she plans to be open this weekend, friday, saturday, sunday and monday…
September 22, 2015 at 5:53 pm #826927
AJPParticipantI absolutely did not say I wouldn’t eat there. I said I wouldn’t want to work for someone who publicly goes off like that. A professional response would be to acknowledge that bad things happened, and then deal with those things privately. Professionalism means you rise above the level of those attacking you and continue with your work, not go off in a public, profanity-laden rant.
September 22, 2015 at 6:34 pm #826928
JoBParticipantAJP
Miranda has been dealing with “those things” privately… Unfortunately, those invested in ruining her business haven’t been so “professional”.
She is literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. She could maintain her professional silence.. which was her preference… or she could speak up and maybe save her restaurant.
her reputation as an employer has been so publicly trashed that when you read her blog post you chose to focus your attention on what you call her unprofessional manner instead of feeling empathy for an employer whose trust was literally violated in every way possible.
with a public reputation like that, it’s more than difficult to find quality employees willing to take a risk on you or your business without some kind of public statement.
You may not like the way she chose to present the other side of the story… but sooner or later she had to present it if she wanted her business to survive… and you were not her target audience.
she cant’ take the high road and wait for the wheels of justice to move and get reported in the local news… not while everyone with an opinion feels free to trash her reputation for any reason.
Contrary to popular perception, there are no deep pockets to keep the place going.. just a seasonal second job that is winding down.
Meanders will survive or fail before the kind of vindication you think is professional even peeks over the horizon… and when it does it is unlikely to create the kind of social media feeding frenzy that has nearly decimated the business she worked so hard to build or provide any financial restitution.
and in the meantime, the story of a manager who created the kind of work environment where employees felt justified trashing a business and taking their pay out of the till without surrendering the checks that could no longer be covered or even leaving a signed statement of wages paid in cash goes untold by any except those who would make some kind of hero out of criminal behavior because they are sure that the rumors they have heard are true … and she deserves it…
how professional is that?
Miranda has been more than tarred and feathered.. but not ridden out of town on a rail if she can help it.
She is still investing her heart and soul and financial life in Meanders.
You would think that alone would earn her some admiration.
September 22, 2015 at 8:44 pm #826929
AJPParticipantI’m not siding with the former manager or employees. I’m not siding with her either, on that matter, because I know nothing first-hand about it. From your comments I gather you are a personal friend and have an inside, first-hand view of it. What I do know about is her food, which is excellent, and I said so. I also know what she publicly said, because she made it public. As you said, “with a public reputation like that, it’s more than difficult to find quality employees willing to take a risk on you or your business without some kind of public statement.” I find it unfortunate that her public statement was an emotional rant that matched the unprofessional tone used by the former employees. Speaking for myself, I would not want to work for someone who does that, because I would think it would reflect on how they would manage me. I do hope her restaurant survives this. I live close to White Center and shop and eat there as much as my budget allows, to support local business. I would hate for another store front to go dark. I did throw out some other suggestions (also locally-owned) in case people want to try other places if Meander’s is closed or they just want to try something new.
September 22, 2015 at 8:44 pm #826930
NorthbyNorthWestParticipantJoB, out of curiosity, does your PR firm charge by the letter? If it does then you must be making a fortune off of this whole ordeal!
September 22, 2015 at 10:12 pm #826931
jissyParticipantYou beat me to the question NorthWest- I was about to ask if JoB was getting free meals for life for all the great PR.
My family and I went to eat there on Sunday and it was an epic sh*%storm….. My partner had to go ask the waitress to please come take our order after she took the order of 2 other tables before us who had been seated after us (after I talked him into staying when he wanted to just pay for our coffee and leave), the syrup on our table was just brown colored water, we had to ask for refills on coffee & the breakfast our kids usually share with leftovers to spare didn’t even fill them up the portion was so small.
Now I get she’s staying lean on supplies to limit spoilage etc…. But my point is, if you are only going to be open 2 days & try to earn enough to carry 7, then those 2 days should be knock it out of the park amazing to keep people coming back. We used to eat there about twice a week but after Sunday will stay away unless/until we hear there is no more “skeleton crew” which is something I sure wouldn’t boast about when trying to save my business from closing.
And JoB, no need to play Devil’s advocate to each is my points… I know where your loyalty lies and I’m merely relaying a personal experience, not looking for a back and forth defense of someone’s business practices.
September 23, 2015 at 12:18 am #826932
flyingchickensinthebarnyardParticipantMiranda is an incredible cook. We were 2x weekly patrons of the old Jade West location, which I believe was the pinnacle of Meander’s.
However good the food was, the service was always uneven – but that was accepted as part of the Meander’s dining experience. The food and interaction with the cook more than made up for it. Moving to a larger storefront (with better ventilation, but presumably higher rent) means you need to add staff and pull higher tickets to keep the doors open. The “Jade West” business model was not scalable to either of the White Center locations. The food was still outstanding when Miranda was cooking, but you could see the cracks starting to appear, and fell completely in her absence (in my opinion, the downfall started after the “Starbucks Cup” incident – but I respect her views).
Miranda has often proclaimed her wanderlust, but when you are the absolute core of your business, you can’t step away from it. Many small business owners have fallen after thinking they could take a step back. She put her trust into people that failed her. Sad, but at the end of the day it is a business and needs to be run as such. I applaud her efforts to resurrect Meander’s, but its time may well be past.
If she needs a new challenge, perhaps Meander’s could be converted to a food truck? Innovate some new offerings, and make the old favorites portable. I’d wager it being quite successful on Sundays at the WS Farmer’s Market. Good eats, sassy interaction with the cook, goes where you go. I believe it would even connect to her origin of “Meander.” Food for thought, Miranda?
September 23, 2015 at 1:31 am #826933
JoBParticipantNorthbyNorthwest
no PR firm. Just a cranky little old lady who has had her fill of meanness.
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