Food in an Architect's POV

2009-10-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

Reblogging this from RIMAG.com

Green Operations: Tankless Water Heaters
In the right setting, tankless water heaters can offer water and energy savings on tap.
By Lisa Bertagnoli, Special to R&I -- Restaurants and Institutions, 10/1/2009

At Drago’s in Metairie, La., tankless water heaters provide super-hot water to the restaurant’s steam kettles, making them work more efficiently, says co-owner Tommy Cvitanovich.Drago’s, a 300-seat seafood restaurant in Metairie, La., used to get its hot water the conventional way—via a 150-gallon tank that heated and stored water. When co-owner Tommy Cvitanovich embarked on a $3 million renovation of the restaurant in 2004, he switched to tankless heaters.
With the old tank, Cvitanovich says, employees would get halfway through a night’s cleaning and then run out of hot water. The old tank also didn’t provide water at the proper temperature needed for multiple daily cleanings of the greasy char-grilling station. Drago’s new tankless water heaters are more efficient at supplying adequate hot water to meet all of the restaurant’s demands.

As their name suggests, tankless (or on-demand) heaters don’t store hot water. Instead, when the hot-water tap is turned on, cold water from the utility enters the heaters through an inlet valve. As water passes through the unit, it is warmed via heating elements, and then exits to the point of hot-water use, be it a hand-washing sink or steam-jacketed kettle. Conventional hot-water tanks heat and store water; when the hot-water faucet is turned on, hot water runs from the tank to the point of use.

Tankless water heaters have several advantages over traditional models: Tankless units save energy—and thus money—and their use can earn points for operators working toward becoming certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. They save space, too.

Light on Energy
Energy savings may be the most compelling reason to choose a tankless heater over a traditional one. Although high-efficiency tank models are available, conventional heaters generally consume lots of energy keeping stored water hot. Hot-water heating can account for 20 percent to 25 percent of a restaurant’s total energy bill, says Sam Khalilieh, senior vice president of engineering services at WD Partners, a Columbus, Ohio-based foodservice design firm. With tankless heaters, “you only heat what you need—no more, no less,” Khalilieh says.

There is a caveat: Tankless heaters cost considerably more to purchase and install than traditional heaters. The energy savings allow for a return on investment, on average, of two to three years, Khalilieh says.

Tankless units also can save water: Because hot water is delivered to the source of use instantly and at the right temperature, there’s no need to run the tap for a minute or two to heat the water to the appropriate temperature.

Space Savers
Unlike conventional water heaters, tankless models don’t take up valuable floor space. The units, which measure approximately 3 feet high, 18 to 20 inches wide and 10 to 12 inches deep, can be wall-mounted high off the floor or installed on a roof. And electric models are self-venting, meaning that the unit has its own air intake and exhaust vents (tankless gas heaters must be vented to the outside).

Einstein Noah Restaurant Group installed tankless heaters in five of its smaller units to save space. A desire for space savings was the reason behind Einstein Noah Restaurant Group’s decision to replace conventional hot-water heaters with tankless versions in five of its Einstein Bros. Bagels units. The company, which operates more than 400 bakery-cafes nationwide, installed the tankless heaters in its smaller stores that have about 1,700 to 2,200 square feet of total space.
“We are mainly using them in remodels and in places where we have very small back-of-the-house situations,” says Joshua Miller, construction manager for the Lakewood, Colo.-based chain. “Being able to hang them on the wall up high saves room.”

Miller says that the company will continue to install tankless heaters as traditional models in other units “reach the end of their life.” However, Miller still specifies high-efficiency, conventional hot-water tanks in new-construction units—a practice that he expects will change when energy-saving and return-on-investment figures for the tankless heaters materialize. (The heaters, installed earlier this year, haven’t been in use long enough to gauge their economic efficiency, Miller says.)

Tankless in Action
To provide hot water for two dishwashers, four steam-jacketed kettles, 12 bathroom sinks, and kitchen hand-washing and utility sinks at Drago’s, Cvitanovich has three tankless heaters, each the size of a suitcase, installed on the restaurant’s roof, saving interior space as well as venting costs.

Drago’s has used its tankless heaters for five years, and even though Cvitanovich does not formally track their energy use, he is satisfied with his decision. “Our gas bill is a couple of thousand dollars a month, but common sense says we’re saving energy,” he says.

Computer controls let staff set the water temperature, allowing the steam-jacketed kettles to work more efficiently. “You get the super-heated water, and you don’t have to wait as long for water to come to boil in the kettles,” Cvitanovich says.

He estimates his return on investment at about three years for the hot-water system and plans to install tankless heaters in his new restaurant, expected to open next year in Baton Rouge. He’s such a believer in the heaters that he also has installed them in his residence. “I have four kids,” Cvitanovich says. “I don’t want to take a cold shower.”

Contact writer at riedit@reedbusiness.com

Quick 'Green' Tips for Quick Service Restaurants

2009-10-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

Quick 'Green' Tips for Quick Service Restaurants: "

When it comes to going green, quick-service restaurants provide excellent venues for change. These restaurants are designed to be one-stop-shops fo...

A Different Way Restaurants Can 'Recycle'

2009-10-15T03:32:00.000-07:00

A Different Way Restaurants Can 'Recycle': "

When you can’t use something anymore or you want to get rid of it, consider a different kind of "recycling" - give it away instead ...

recycled water for flushing

2009-03-21T18:34:00.001-07:00

photo taken from Sloan website..

As an architect were always on the lookout for new products that are innovative and have great impact on our way of life. In my search for such i found this and it struck me as something worthy to share.

Greywater System Reclaims Water from Drains for Toilet Flushing

Sloan’s New Greywater System Puts Sink Water to Good Use
An average two-person household bathroom can expect to save as much as 5,000 gallons of fresh water per year by using the Sloan® AQUS® Greywater System.

Sloan Valve Company’s innovative, new Sloan® AQUS® Greywater System reclaims greywater from bathroom lavatory drains and reuses it in toilets, saving thousands of gallons of water annually. Installation of a Sloan AQUS Greywater System contributes to points for LEED® certification.

Sloan’s system funnels water that flows down lavatory sinks and routes it through a sanitizing device that cleans and filters the water. The water then goes to a storage reservoir under the sink. When a toilet that is connected to the system flushes, it pumps water from the reservoir to the flush tank.

This system significantly reduces the amount of clean, potable water needed for toilets by reusing greywater, which is perfectly suitable for flushing.

The Sloan AQUS Greywater System is ideal for hotels, schools, commercial buildings, government structures and single- and multi-family residences that have restrooms with regular, tank-type toilets. The system is based on technology from WaterSaver Technologies.

heres the website...http://www.sloanvalve.com/index_AQUS_Greywater_System_ENU_HTML.htm

White House Kitchen Garden

2009-03-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

photo from Associated Press

Its been all over the news now that the First Lady of the US, Mrs Obama with some elementary school kids from Washington had just broken ground for the revived kitchen garden in the White House backyard of which to grow some of their kitchen vegetables. Kudos to Mrs Obama for setting a very good example for all the world, she even brought a shovel and rake and got dirty herself.

I too have a small plot of soil at the back of our house which we plant some seeds or some ornamental plants. Since we're living in a small townhouse in the south the lot isnt big enough to produce food for my family hehe, but its still a plot of land waiting to be tilled and why not make use of it.

so to erveryone lets get dirty and plant some veggies..

new direction

2009-03-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

(photo from gallery.seds.org)

its been a long time since i blogged. been blogging about photography and food for some time, but those were the "good times"...

with the present wave of global crisis and global issues, ive been looking for new things to blog. lately weve been reading about being green or saving the environment or saving the planet...

no one can ever emphasize the importance of these issues, its our house and we have to take care of it..with these new trends come new ways of living in coping up with this everchanging world..and who knows well have a new concept of the good times again..

with some thought ill be retaining the title of this blog, its still food, food for the soul hehe, and its still on the architects point of view.

so to everyone who cares about this world i urge you to go GREEN!

Blogging from my mobile phone

2009-02-14T02:33:00.000-08:00

Just trying out blogging from my mobile phone, blogged this thru my Nokia E61i, also shown is my SE P990i which i also tried for mobile blogging. Now i only need a wifi connection and off i go..

Its simple, just register thru go.blogger.com on your celphone browser, an email will be sent to you to confirm, you will be given a blog name and a token password, if you have a existing blog you can use it or you can choose to create a new blog.

I chose to forward my blogs to my existing blog. subsequent blog entries will be done by sending an email with your texts, pictures and video to go.blogger.com, this will then be shown as a blog entry in your blog page. as i found out i still need to edit my blod on my pc when i get home..happy blogging..

3 burgers from Hotshots

2007-09-10T03:03:00.000-07:00

My family had a craving for burgers last sunday and we tried 3 burgers from Hotshots, ...(from the top) the Real Bleau Cheese burger (1/4 lb.), the Burgermelt cheese burger (1/4 lb) and the Ultimate Cheeseburger (1/2 lb)..
As we were 4 in the family, we each had a quarter of each..had tasted only 2 quarters and i was already full..

the Bleau cheese was my favorite..tasted a little european with its sour blue cheese..the burger melt was so-so but the ultimate burger was awesome..washed down with coke, it really made my day...

highly recomended for a filling snack and tasty grilled burgers..try Hotshots at Petron Commerce Ave, Filinvest City, Alabang..they deliver fast too..yum yum

Sushi-ya Westgate

2007-08-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Had lunch at Sushi-ya Westgate Alabang..a cute cozy place right across Gonuts Donuts..
we were seduced by the 50 peso value meals which turned out to be you had to order a main course plus p50 of rice and miso soup..had a pork teriyaki bento, but the pork was too oily, the maki was bland, and the rice was a little murky, pardon my nitpick, id like some white japanese, chopstick friendly rice pls....:)

heck my favorite was the miso soup, the agedashi tofu on the bento..and my son's beef teriyaki..

the interiors were cool though..sparse and modern..zen if u may..
after eating, i missed tokyo tokyo and rai rai ken..:(

pics taken with a 3mp nokia N73

Gonuts cupcakes

2007-08-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Tried the new Gonuts Cupcakes at Westgate Alabang..wow the kilig factor is a 10..thought it wasnt so sweet but when i munched on a cream cheese variety, once the sugar touched my molars i got goosebumps wheewww...know what i just finished half...washed it off with water, ughhh my tonsils!..the choco cupcake was better, less sweet...but i tried just 1/4..oh well..now to walk off that sugar..:)

Harry Potter Muggle Magic Video

2007-07-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all, please watch and vote for Ronna Lara-Bes' video challenge entry to Powerbook's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Launching Promo in Powerbook's Multiply Site..

She's my sister in law and their's is entry number 2...the theme is "Why i deserve to be named World's Greatest Harry Potter Fan" ..pls watch this funny and superbly edited video and pls don't forget to vote and comment.. thank you and hope you enjoy it!

heres the link..http://powerbooks.multiply.com/video/item/10

Collete's Cassava cake

2007-06-30T00:38:00.001-07:00

I know Collete's is more known for its buko pie..so i was pleasantly surprised at this pasalubong to us from a good friend, nice packaging!!..tastes good too..congrats Colette's and thanks for a delicious cassava cake..

Delifrance's Shrimp Salad and Premium Clubhouse

2007-06-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

Tried my new Tamron 24-135mm zoom on Delifrance's new Spring Salad and Premium Clubhouse Sandwich..

The salad is healthy, with shrimp, vegetables, seafood, pasta with olive oil and pesto..
The sandwch was classic, ham, egg, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce..
Nice and delicious only from Delifrance..

father's day meryenda

2007-06-17T03:23:00.000-07:00

Hmmm its fathers day, what shall we have for meryenda?

its so humid today.. aha! A cold and refreshing halohalo from Chowking..with some siopao and pancit canton meryenda size..

Couldn't take a pic of the halo halo special with ice cream, twas melted na..the delivery was quick, even faster that the 30-45 mins as i was told..i think it was CK Aurora arcade store who delivered, good job!...

To all Dads hope you had a happy fathers day too..

Intramuros old pics

2007-06-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Had the time to pp my old intramuros tour pics..
Intramuros is a Pre Spanish era Walled city in Manila so what better way to present it than by giving it an old pre world war 2 concept treatment..

mais-con-yellow

2007-06-09T06:33:00.001-07:00

mais-con-yellow-feb2007
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

Pardon the shaky spoon, not that happy with it :).. its real name is Mais con Hielo..or Corn on Ice..played with the yellow hence the title hehe..

its an iced dessert from the Philippines..Sweet yellow corn on crushed ice with milk and sugar..Oh and cornflakes on top..

bibingka rice cake and flowers

2007-06-09T06:31:00.001-07:00

bibingka rice cake and flowers
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

Filipino delicacies..

Bibingka (rice cake) with barako coffee, itlog na pula (salted red egg) and kesong puti (white cheese) from carabao's (water buffalo) milk....

Meryenda (snacktime) at the zaguan (patio)..
by Deliciosa

asian salad by Cafe Breton

2007-06-09T06:27:00.001-07:00

asian salad
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

Here was Reds order at Cafe Breton

cheese ham & tomato crepe with salad

2007-06-09T06:21:00.001-07:00

cheese ham & tomato crepe with salad
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

Met a good friend Red P. at Cafe Breton last february in Westgate Filinvest Alabang for some coffee and shoot food..

This is my order, Cheese, Ham and Tomato Crepe... looks too good to eat..so i just shot it and took it home hehe

happy bday!

2007-06-09T06:16:00.001-07:00

happy bday!
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

twas my wife's bday last april 20..here she is with my sons enjoying the cake from Red Ribbon..

Candle light and selective b&w courtesy of photoshop

Greenwich Pizza and Nachoritos

2007-06-09T02:33:00.001-07:00

As per special request by Mam Marj an officemate, im blogging some GW products..

Here we have as delivered some nachoritos and breadstick..as side dishes and some pizza and Pearl coolers, (not shown chicken and Lasagna)

Delivery call center service was prompt and courteous..only 2 rings and my call was picked up..Order taker was knowledgable of the products and promos..she patiently answered my queries about old products..

After 10 mins there was a confirmation call from the delivery store, GW Metropolis Alabang..Delivery was on target..within 45 mins..
Food was hot and fresh..
Comments:
1) Lasagna was swimming in cream cheese..too much for my taste, not photogenic..
2) Nachos was kinda soggy na, maybe this shoudnt be for delivery..
3) Pizza was everything on it, but i think it still lacked toppings.
4) Pearl coolers was just right..perfect..
5) Chicken was ok..

All in all it was a 7..:)

Nokia N73 the ultimate bloggers tool

2007-06-08T23:44:00.001-07:00

Nokia N73 08/06/2007
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

Got my new nokia N73 Music Edition, got it frm my retention plan from Smart Philippines..and m trying out its blog features :) its got a superb 3.2 MP camera, 2GB SD mem card, and direct blogging to Flickr as what you see here..Cool!

Excellent Music Player + great sounding earphones..who needs an Ipod?

2007-06-08T23:24:00.001-07:00

After 1 week of waiting, at last i got my issue #12, the 1st year anniv of Digital Photographer magazine Philippines..After searching here in Alabang, National BS, Bufini, Binondo, to no avail..Finally found 1 at Filbars in Festival Mall

Besides great articles, tips, reviews, they also had my forum comment published on page12, how i store my digital photos..Get your issue now guys..

black-forest-ham-on-multigrain bread

2007-06-08T22:37:00.001-07:00

black-forest-ham-on-multigrain bread
Originally uploaded by angelomb3

Earles deli is a small delicatessen at South Supermarket in Filinvest Corporate City..they make great sandwiches yummy..tried this Black Forest Ham on Multigrain Bread which really tasted delicious..

Taken with natural lighting on a Canon 20d

Taho

2007-06-08T22:25:00.001-07:00

Taho is another filipino favourite..who can forget the incessant calling of the mangtataho (taho vendor) during breakfast time..
Tahoooo!
Its made of soya bean curd, sago balls and molasses..great for breakfast, lots of protein without the fat..

Taken early morning, with natural light from my high window..
Canon 20d and Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG macro..

Ukoy

2007-06-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Cooked some Ukoy the other day, its a Filipino favorite..
For me, Binan in Laguna, southern Philippines makes some of the tastiest street ukoys..

Its made of eggs, flour, ground pork, lots of garlic, onions, mongo sprouts, instead of shrimp i used chopped squidballs..and of course salt and pepper..

Seen here with garlic rice and Achara another filipino favorite, pickled papaya, sugar, vinegar and hot chili..

Shot with a Canon 20d and Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG macro..f2.8 1/10sec

Lighted with a single 22w spiral daylght CFL with a diffused dish reflector placed at the back, above and to the right of the plate..2 foamboards in front both sides of the camera were used to light up the shadows in front..