BRIEF COMMERCIAL BREAK...I'd like to take a moment to thank those stalwart fans who keep checking in on me every week to see which gasket I've blown, what rant has been inspired or encouraging my weird sense of humor and need to write. Now back to our program - Restaurants: Highs and Lows.
WEEK OF SERVICE To borrow from Charles Dickens, restaurant week has been the best and the worst of times. Feast or famine. Starting with Monday night's dinner which was the OH's birthday and even I think it's tacky to expect him to cook especially after a hard day of golf. I treated to a Chinese restaurant which is not usually my fave but he does like his sticky rice. Not too busy but upon glancing around the room I realized there was not a soul under the age of 60 present, including the wait staff. We were past the magic "old people" dinner hour so apparently this was not the choice of the younger crowd. Surprise- no extras, everything is ala carte and even the fortune cookies have shrunk.😞
Next opportunity was Wednesday night at the Lake with some friends. We, ok I, suggested the mexican-style restaurant, after a couple of libations, which I knew was a crap shoot on which experience we would be getting. It did not disappoint.
Some history. Our first meal there was breakfast where we were served very overdone (read burned) crusts for the carb offering. I usually just toss those suckers, not serve them to guests. After a reasonable period of time we tried another breakfast. Do you know how nasty cold Huevos Rancheros can be? Complete with green sauce. Ok. One more time for dinner which actually was pretty good-beer helps. So take a shot, dinner could be alright. Not.
After having to ask for our chips and salsa after fifteen minutes not a great start. Delay was due to two wait staff fighting over whose table it was and getting the orders screwed up on their little electronic tablets. After one wait staff was declared the winner & claimed jurisdiction there ensued a long wait after which only two entrees appeared. The other two never made it to the cook! Reorder- another long wait and we get the news that meat ordered for the burritos was no longer available. Reorder, another long wait. Was there a discussion on tipping-you bet. As there are very few restaurants in the area, we hate eliminating any, but three strikes you're out in the old playbook.
However, undaunted we ventured out for breakfast the next day at another local restaurant, bakery and ice cream shop. The restaurant gods took pity on our restaurant tour and turned the tables on bad experiences (intentional pun). We took the only table available as the booths needed to be cleaned (we prefer the booths). An older, rather large gentleman came in and seeing no booths ready gruffly informed the wait staff that "we don't do booths". He got a mouse in his pocket? A few minutes later noticing the booths were now available we happily signaled we would move and opened up the table for which he was grateful. We then saw his dining companion who definitely needed a table, or two. Everybody's happy. But imagine our surprise when the owner popped over and said our meal was being picked up by the grumpy older gentleman. I did get him to smile as I gave him a big hug and peck on the cheek for his generosity.
Our final restaurant meal this week was funded by our financial advisor at a rather upscale locale thus ending our restaurant week on a high note.Funny how they want you to save and invest and you want to know how soon and how much you can spend. Doom and gloom are always on the table as well as a lively discussion on world events and my shame at holding energy stocks.
POD TIME -- Held a rehearsal with my next guest who brought his entourage along for the ride. They didn't speak, just hovered in "TEAMS" land (virtual meeting space) cameras off, though I could see their names displayed. Impressive. He shared that he wanted them to be aware of the topic and maybe they can handle a webinar or two in the future. I'm thinking "witnesses" to any obvious gaffes, but that's just me. He literally said I would have to cut him off in the recording as he tends to run long-oh joy.
Got some feedback from MIOSHA on a topic and speaker. I offer them a slot each year. Just so happens the director named a gentleman and a topic that he and I disagreed upon a few years back leading to an tremendous rant on his part referencing my heritage and upbringing I believe. Again - oh joy. He's a manager now so perhaps he's mellowed a bit. Having to deal with employees tends to teach you a bit of compromise. LOL. Peace Out.....💚 💙💛
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