rivka | (no subject)

Two years ago, when I first discovered Let's Dish,

minnehaha B. commented that he doubted that it could be a sustainable business. I went back tonight, for the first time in a year and a half, and am happy to report that they're still going strong.

A little too strong, actually. The biggest change since I was last there was that I repeatedly had to wait for a station to open up. Understandable when I was down to my last dish; not so understandable when I still had five recipes to choose from.

Other changes: There are now two sets of directions at each station - one for people making the full-size dish, and one for people splitting into two smaller portions. I don't have trouble dividing fractions on the fly, but it's easy to make mistakes when you're rushing, so the half-size instructions are nice. They've started selling more freezer-ready stuff on the side - side dishes, desserts, and even meals prepared-by-them. And when I went to get my stuff out of the freezer at the end, a nice young man leapt forward to take my checklist (preprinted by them with what I'd ordered) and check each item off, "to make sure you've got everything." Or, presumably, to make sure that I wasn't leaving with anything I hadn't ordered. Maybe they've had problems.

I am sooooo exhausted. But it's awfully nice to have a full freezer.

Here's what I made:

French farmhouse chicken with green beans.
Jerk chicken with pineapple salsa.
Risotto-style chicken and asparagus.
Sesame apricot chicken with rice.
Asian panko salmon.
Fajita steak with chile-lime dressing.
Mexican pork wraps.
Pork chops with three cheese potatoes.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've been going every month since month 7 of my pregnancy. I lost the will to cook and it hasn't come back yet, so Let's Dish is keeping us well-fed. I'm signed up for three of the same dishes this month (the salmon, pork chops and fajitas) plus the beef and apple stew.

Their service is great, we even used their "Dish and Dash" where for an extra $25 they make the meals for you to be picked up at a set time. It was fantastic when Boo came early and we couldn't get to our scheduled session time.

Huh, there must be local variation in menus. Beef and apple stew wasn't an option here - that sounds delicious.

I'll let you know how it is. :) There is local variation in the menu - all the franchise stores have the option of using the corporate menus, but they don't have to. There are other differences - corporate stores don't have the directions for making 1/2 entrees (or at least, they didn't as of three weeks ago).

I'm pulling for Let's Dish to survive. I'm biased, of course. It's a Minnesota company started by two women, and I worked there part-time for six months in 2005. I know how hard they work to keep everything clean and the food quality high. Make and take places have sprung up all over and the market is getting a bit saturated - I hope Let's Dish manages to stick around.