I love the nights when a group of people sit down and you ask them what they would like and they say “Whatever you think it good.”
What happens then is a dialogue about food that turns an otherwise ordinary meal into something extra ordinary and special. Last Friday, a really nice group of 4 came in and they started off with our oysters and some wine and sparkling wine selections.
From there they had our Crab Cake, Crab Tower, sautéed Calamari, and a few different types of fish as I recall. I find in general that if I describe something the way that I would describe it if I was talking to a friend, it becomes less esoteric. For example, I could say our Crab Cake is a combination of Dungeness crab, whipped egg blended with mayonnaise, mustard, herbs, celery, and 2 types of Acme bread. It’s then baked in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper served over mixed greens.
Ultimately folks just want to know, is it yummy? Or not? I just tell them “It’s not a gooey little hockey puck, like so many can be.” And that it’s “High and light, served on a simple bed of mixed greens.”
I often get asked “What should we get here?” I always say our Calamari, or fresh Albacore sashimi, or any of our fresh fish. I always try to get folks to try something that not every seafood restaurant has. Every seafood restaurant has a Louis salad for example or a Crab sandwich of some kind, but I try to steer folks to something they may have never had fresh or something interesting. That’s part of the fun of eating out and part of the joy I experience when I am serving someone something they never had, but really loved.
Anyway, back to my table of 4: The evening was so fun and they tried lots of things all based on what I thought they should have next. They ended with some snuggly fleece blankets, a little port and a yummy sweet treat selection of Pot du Crème and Panna Cotta with huckleberry and elderflower sauce over top. My favorite part of the evening was what the table said, “Everything you chose for us was great!” I was glad that they trusted me and I had a great time serving them.
This week, I wanted to thank all you folks out there that trust your server to steer you in the right direction and challenge you to think outside the box!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Random thoughts of food and people or things that make you say wait what?
Why is it that no one can accept change?…. Some folks just complain for the sake of complaining. Yesterday we changed our Louie Salad by adding a few things to it. The day before a woman came in and had the Louie Salad and really liked it. The next day, she came in and she ordered it and then said that it’s not the same and she wasn’t happy. We of course said it’s the same salad, it just is on a bigger plate with added carrots, hard boiled egg, cucumber and additional tomatoes. She asked us to put all the new items on a separate plate.
The funny thing is, this customer comes in every so often and apparently always complains about something each time she comes in. I think it’s odd that she keeps coming back, but true that you just can’t please everybody.
One of the things I ask myself all the time is would I say something or ask someone to do something like that for me?
I mean just the other day, I went to dinner with my folks and we had some left overs we brought home. We had a nice dinner and I went to this restaurant cautiously because some years ago I ate there and while I liked the space itself,the food was just not yummy. I was surprised and happy because we all thought it was good.
I brought our leftovers home and my partner said that the short ribs were burnt and we should have sent them back. She said she couldn't eat them. We noticed they were a little "over carmelized" is what my Dad said, but honestly we didn't think much more about it since aside from that, they were good. So I guess it's just not my nature to send food back or be "difficult." When I do send something back though it's got to be horrible.
The other day I was browsing our endless critics on YELP and couldn’t believe that the bread charge is still (my goodness aren’t we over this boring topic yet?) a hot talk topic. Seriously, I thought I had been boring my own readers with it by this point, but people still continue to bring it up.
They likened our bread charge to charging for water and asked if that was next thing we would charge for. This particular critic wanted us to “just add the .50 cent healthcare charge to our overhead somehow.” These are of course the very same people that complain that all our food is too expensive and that they can’t eat in our restaurant for less than $20.00 which I know is in fact not true. Additionally, people are just crazed that we don’t have crackers (Oh Lord!)and they get this desperate look in their eye when I say, "No, we just have bread." I know what they are thinking, "Yea, bread you...... charge for....."
By the way, I thought about crackers for a minute, and I think people who are really into crackers at a restaurant are either a.) cheap and looking for something free or b.) Genuinely into crackers in their soup. It has never occured to me to put crackers in my soup in my life. I think I just don't get it and well, I'm ok with that.
Anyway, lest I digress.... It's so odd to me that you take an item like bread which you can take or leave and charge for it and that offends people somehow. But....some people would rather not know and simply pay more overall for their meal just so they don't have to know about it. Wait what?
Oh, this was exciting in my little world of waitressing at the restaurant. This woman came in and sat at the bar. There was a gentleman on her left and then 2 women on her right separated by 2 seats as I recall. She asked for a Stella and I said we don’t have Stella, the closest we have is Sapporo so she said ok. I walked back to pour the beer and I just felt that something wasn’t quite right about her, but whatever, that feeling happens a lot in the City and I’m used to it.
So I served her the beer, and realized she had a bunch of bloody scratch marks all over her arms and then I was thinking to myself, oh, she’s probably a drug addict, but whatever that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the right to eat or drink out. While she sat next to the people at the bar, she began singing to herself, but it wasn’t really to herself, because even I could hear her from a good 15 feet away. I decided after a while that all the folks in the bar next to her were definitely uncomfortable and that I should probably have her quietly removed from our restaurant. She was removed about 20 minutes later and the people around her were relieved.
Ironically, the gentleman sitting next to her was a Psychiatrist and I felt badly because he was trying to wait her out, but he just said he needed to leave since she kept singing and touching him with her creepy looking arms and glassy vacant eyes. He said I handled it well given that she was definitely high on something. He said to not to let things escalate is the best move in that scenario. Anyway, it was interesting to have that little scenario happen as one of my first hours back from a holiday away for a week and a half.
After the woman was escorted out about 20 minutes later, a tourist and his wife sat down and ordered a seafood platter, but he wanted to know the size of the prawns on the platter.
I took my pen out and illustrated the size of the prawn and he said:
"Can't you just show me one on a plate?"
I was thinking to myself once again, I so wouldn't ask to see prawn if I was on his side of the counter.
I said, "Ok."
I got a prawn and showed it to him and he said:
"Well it's really a large shrimp, but ok, let's get the platter."
Why do people, complain, and then order the dish when going into it, they aren't happy? Plus I was really thinking what, were you born in a barn, who acts like this in a restaurant(Thank goodness our customers aren't mind readers)?
Anyway, so after that, he said,"you seriously charge for bread?"
I said yes sir "it's for healthcare."
"That's ridiculous" he said.
I said "would you like some bread then?"
He said "No." I was thinking what a shmuck (I was using more explitives in my head though to be honest).
He and his actually ate the platter had some steamed clams and were really happy in the end. I mean I guess so because they bought some of our Hot Lime Sauce and left a nice tip. I don't know like I said, I think some folks just like to complain or perhaps they like to be heard.
This is classic: Now you know I've talked about this concept of outside food, but this story I think is really a self absorbed tale of nonsense and disreguard for any social edicate.There were 4 people inside at 2 two person tables. 2 of the patrons were children about 10 or 11 upon quick evaluation and 2 were older adults. The children had food from another restaurant, I mean burgers, fries, sodas etc. spralled all out and were quietly eating their food. So I came to the two adults and I said "Hi there, tell me are you joining us for dinner?"
The gentleman said "Yes."
I said "Are these two children part of your party?"
He said "Yes."
I said "Well we don't allow outside food and most especially not at a table for two where none of the food is food that we have made in our restaurant."
I went on to say my usual.... "Sir this isn't a food court, this is a restaurant, and we want you to eat our food together."
He said "Well what do you suggest we do?"
"If you would like to sit together, we can do a to go meal for you from our restaurant and you can join the children at the communal tables outside of Peets. It has the same view and then you can all sit together eat whatever you want. Or, we can set up a table for 4 and you can enjoy our food all together."
Can I just tell you that the man looked at me as if I was the most rude person ever and gathered up his family and stormed off. We of course put away the linens the silverware, the water etc. that we had put down for the 4 of them and sat our next patrons. What are people thinking?
Anyway, another day, another dollar.......
The funny thing is, this customer comes in every so often and apparently always complains about something each time she comes in. I think it’s odd that she keeps coming back, but true that you just can’t please everybody.
One of the things I ask myself all the time is would I say something or ask someone to do something like that for me?
I mean just the other day, I went to dinner with my folks and we had some left overs we brought home. We had a nice dinner and I went to this restaurant cautiously because some years ago I ate there and while I liked the space itself,the food was just not yummy. I was surprised and happy because we all thought it was good.
I brought our leftovers home and my partner said that the short ribs were burnt and we should have sent them back. She said she couldn't eat them. We noticed they were a little "over carmelized" is what my Dad said, but honestly we didn't think much more about it since aside from that, they were good. So I guess it's just not my nature to send food back or be "difficult." When I do send something back though it's got to be horrible.
The other day I was browsing our endless critics on YELP and couldn’t believe that the bread charge is still (my goodness aren’t we over this boring topic yet?) a hot talk topic. Seriously, I thought I had been boring my own readers with it by this point, but people still continue to bring it up.
They likened our bread charge to charging for water and asked if that was next thing we would charge for. This particular critic wanted us to “just add the .50 cent healthcare charge to our overhead somehow.” These are of course the very same people that complain that all our food is too expensive and that they can’t eat in our restaurant for less than $20.00 which I know is in fact not true. Additionally, people are just crazed that we don’t have crackers (Oh Lord!)and they get this desperate look in their eye when I say, "No, we just have bread." I know what they are thinking, "Yea, bread you...... charge for....."
By the way, I thought about crackers for a minute, and I think people who are really into crackers at a restaurant are either a.) cheap and looking for something free or b.) Genuinely into crackers in their soup. It has never occured to me to put crackers in my soup in my life. I think I just don't get it and well, I'm ok with that.
Anyway, lest I digress.... It's so odd to me that you take an item like bread which you can take or leave and charge for it and that offends people somehow. But....some people would rather not know and simply pay more overall for their meal just so they don't have to know about it. Wait what?
Oh, this was exciting in my little world of waitressing at the restaurant. This woman came in and sat at the bar. There was a gentleman on her left and then 2 women on her right separated by 2 seats as I recall. She asked for a Stella and I said we don’t have Stella, the closest we have is Sapporo so she said ok. I walked back to pour the beer and I just felt that something wasn’t quite right about her, but whatever, that feeling happens a lot in the City and I’m used to it.
So I served her the beer, and realized she had a bunch of bloody scratch marks all over her arms and then I was thinking to myself, oh, she’s probably a drug addict, but whatever that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the right to eat or drink out. While she sat next to the people at the bar, she began singing to herself, but it wasn’t really to herself, because even I could hear her from a good 15 feet away. I decided after a while that all the folks in the bar next to her were definitely uncomfortable and that I should probably have her quietly removed from our restaurant. She was removed about 20 minutes later and the people around her were relieved.
Ironically, the gentleman sitting next to her was a Psychiatrist and I felt badly because he was trying to wait her out, but he just said he needed to leave since she kept singing and touching him with her creepy looking arms and glassy vacant eyes. He said I handled it well given that she was definitely high on something. He said to not to let things escalate is the best move in that scenario. Anyway, it was interesting to have that little scenario happen as one of my first hours back from a holiday away for a week and a half.
After the woman was escorted out about 20 minutes later, a tourist and his wife sat down and ordered a seafood platter, but he wanted to know the size of the prawns on the platter.
I took my pen out and illustrated the size of the prawn and he said:
"Can't you just show me one on a plate?"
I was thinking to myself once again, I so wouldn't ask to see prawn if I was on his side of the counter.
I said, "Ok."
I got a prawn and showed it to him and he said:
"Well it's really a large shrimp, but ok, let's get the platter."
Why do people, complain, and then order the dish when going into it, they aren't happy? Plus I was really thinking what, were you born in a barn, who acts like this in a restaurant(Thank goodness our customers aren't mind readers)?
Anyway, so after that, he said,"you seriously charge for bread?"
I said yes sir "it's for healthcare."
"That's ridiculous" he said.
I said "would you like some bread then?"
He said "No." I was thinking what a shmuck (I was using more explitives in my head though to be honest).
He and his actually ate the platter had some steamed clams and were really happy in the end. I mean I guess so because they bought some of our Hot Lime Sauce and left a nice tip. I don't know like I said, I think some folks just like to complain or perhaps they like to be heard.
This is classic: Now you know I've talked about this concept of outside food, but this story I think is really a self absorbed tale of nonsense and disreguard for any social edicate.There were 4 people inside at 2 two person tables. 2 of the patrons were children about 10 or 11 upon quick evaluation and 2 were older adults. The children had food from another restaurant, I mean burgers, fries, sodas etc. spralled all out and were quietly eating their food. So I came to the two adults and I said "Hi there, tell me are you joining us for dinner?"
The gentleman said "Yes."
I said "Are these two children part of your party?"
He said "Yes."
I said "Well we don't allow outside food and most especially not at a table for two where none of the food is food that we have made in our restaurant."
I went on to say my usual.... "Sir this isn't a food court, this is a restaurant, and we want you to eat our food together."
He said "Well what do you suggest we do?"
"If you would like to sit together, we can do a to go meal for you from our restaurant and you can join the children at the communal tables outside of Peets. It has the same view and then you can all sit together eat whatever you want. Or, we can set up a table for 4 and you can enjoy our food all together."
Can I just tell you that the man looked at me as if I was the most rude person ever and gathered up his family and stormed off. We of course put away the linens the silverware, the water etc. that we had put down for the 4 of them and sat our next patrons. What are people thinking?
Anyway, another day, another dollar.......
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