News
Tres leches cake recognized in Bethesda Magazine

Tres leches cake—that creamy Latino confection soaked in three kinds of milk—is hard to find on area dessert menus. But Blue 44 chef James Turner devised a welcome, spot-on rendition, and came up with an Instagram-worthy presentation, as well. He sprinkles a mixture of cinnamon and Read More »
Customer leaves generous tip at DC restaurant
WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — A regular customer at a D.C. restaurant left a $2,000 check for the staff.
Blue 44 owner Chris Nardelli says the patron came in on Monday to have some gumbo, which he particularly likes and the staff had waiting for him. He ordered a couple of quarts to-go and his bill would have been $93, but because he was such a loyal customer the restaurant workers offered it to him on the house.
The customer, who remains anonymous, left a $2,000 tip instead, and instructed the bartender, chef and owner on how to share the gratuity. One thousand dollars was to go to Chef James Turner, $500 to bartender Laura Daly and $500 to the owner, according to Nardelli.
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Generous Tip Makes News International News at London’s paper, The Telegraph
The generosity of one of our guests made headlines all the way to the UK! Here is the story written in the London Telegraph.
Source: The Telegraph, UK
Here in Britain, most of us will leave a nine per cent tip after a meal, but one American diner has put us to shame.
A satisfied customer ignored the US’s unspoken 15 to 20 per cent tipping agreement and left a $2,000 (£1,300) tip on a $93 (£60) bill.
The regular at Blue 44, a restaurant specialising in American cuisine, left the tip for owner Christofer Nardelli, bartender Laura Dalley, and chef James Truney after enjoying the restaurant’s fried chicken, gumbo and Old Chub Scotch Ale.
The tip included details of how the money should be split between the three co-workers – $1,000 for Turner and $500 each for Nardelli and Dally.