I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I have three more working days until I am off for 23 days. I mentioned this earlier in the week.

I also know that I mentioned this fact about a month ago, but I am not sure how many people caught it, but at the end of the month, Adam and I are flying to Argentina to meet Chef, where we are going to do a culinary exploration of Buenos Aires.

We will be there for New Year’s and have reservations for one of the best steak houses in the city. Chef is using this time to do research for the menu for next summer.

We are super excited, and I have already scheduled a chance to sing Don’t Cry for Me Argentina on the balcony of the Casa Rosada. It won’t be easy!!!

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I was hanging out at the host stand tonight.  My knee is still bothering me and I can stand there, without being too much in the way. 

I’m chatting with my host, and she says that she went to 8 stores looking for a wreath hanger today.

I ask her to repeat herself.

She says, she went to 8 stores looking for a wreath hanger today.

Without hesitation, I say, I HAVE A WREATH HANGER IN MY CAR!!!

She asks me to repeat myself.

I say, I have a wreath hanger in my car.  I put in there last January, when we undecorated at work.  It’s in my backseat.

She says, you have to be fucking kidding me.

I assure her that I am not kidding.

She then says, you aren’t just a general manager, you are a GENERAL MAN!

I laugh and tell her to get my keys when she’s leaving and she can get it, as long as I get it back in January.

She says okay.

Then promptly left without it.

So, if you need a wreath hanger. 

It’s in the back seat of my car. 

The following is a recent review we got on Yelp about 45 minutes after they dined with us:

I dined here recently with a party of three for on a Sunday, just as they opened for their first seating. The ambiance was fantastic, but the greeting was less than warm. The assistant host was unable to answer our questions and did not to know if they had a coat room or place to hang our jackets. Service would have been acceptable had the price have everything been cut in half. Two of the three steaks we ordered were not to temperature, the filet was over the $160 wagyu was raw. On top of that, they wagyu which claimed to be an A5 was certainly not. The porterhouse which was listed as a 22oz on the menu was less than an inch thick. The backwaiter did not know the seat numbers and auctioned off the food.

I think it was my fault for ordering an “A5 wagyu ribeye” for $160, and I should have known it wouldn’t be what it was claiming. Coming in on a Sunday may have been a mistake as well.

Overall, it was a disappointing experience and for $500, I expected much more. There are many better restaurants just miles away, but if you like steak, you may enjoy the meal.

This was the survey they left us about 15 minutes after they dined with us?

The facility was lovely, the welcome, ok. The service missed on a couple of points and, we were surprised at the wagyu appearance and size and it was undercooked. The filet was over cooked, looking back we may have been served the wrong meals but the sides were correct. When served the meals they were auctioned at the table, again surprised that at this level the waitstaff was not communicating who ordered what. We had food to take home and boxed that ourselves, I expect that is your policy and had to ask for a bag. One of our desserts ordered to share and served with 2 spoons. It was cheesecake, I expected forks and maybe an extra plate. I would say we were underwhelmed.

______________________

I want to be these people.

I want my life to be so perfect, that I have to search for things to complain about.

The less than warm greeting was me telling the guy who arrived first at 4:58 that he couldn’t get a drink at the bar because we had reservations. He huffed and puffed and was seated with the rest of his party at 5:03, when they arrived. We offered to seat him first when he arrived.

There is no assistant host on Sunday. They asked a food runner, who’s in her second week about a coat room. We do not have one.

WE ARE NOT A FINE DINING RESTAURANT.

We are a restaurant that serves fine food, but we don’t operate under the assumption that we will be fine dining. Do we follow steps of service, absolutely. But at no point, are we fine dining.

While we are on the subject, we don’t have back waiters. And I find it suspect that every other table got great service that night, meanwhile your experience was a disaster.

As for your steaks being under/overcooked…it might have been the case, but I assure you the Wagyu was not raw, and even Michelen star restaurants make mistakes. Did you let us know. Did you offer us the chance to make it right?

The Waygu is A5. Yes, it costs less than in Boston/LA/New York City. If we charged what we should to meet the margins expected it would be around $225 and we aren’t sure rural Maine can command that price. However, I assure you that it is indeed A5, and I assure you that you are the first person to complain about the quality. And the porterhouse doesn’t claim to be 22 oz. It’s 20 oz and lets not forget it has a huge bone in the middle of it.

I have no idea what the Sunday remark means. The chef cooks every night. I am there, every night. The staff on Sundays has been with me for almost 2 years.

As for better restaurants in the area. Why, yes. We are surrounded by AMAZING restuarants. You sum it up nicely. If you like steak you may enjoy the meal.

That is so true. Just like if you like Chinese food, then you are more likely to enjoy the Chinese restaurant. If you like seafood, you are more likely to enjoy the seafood restaurant.

As for fine dining, it doesn’t exist in our area. It just doesn’t. You want fine dining steak house service, you need to go to NYC or Boston or LA and I promise you the back waiter might know about coat check, but your steak will NEVER be as good as ours.

And oh, the horror of being served cheesecake with a spoon. The horror. The humanity of it all. All the guests are screaming around here.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Hi. Thank you for calling The Restaurant, how may I help you.

Hi, I have a reservation there tomorrow night and I was wondering what the dress code was?

We get this questions a lot, but I assure you that it’s quite casual.

So, I can wear jeans.  

Uhm. Yes. It’s casual.  

She realized how silly the question had been and laughed about it.  

Once last summer, I told someone that it was quite formal. White tie and tails only.  

I’m pretty sure that the only restaurant, in the whole state of Maine that is formal, is The Barn across town. And they’ve dropped their jacket requirement, as far as I know.

Are there any formal restaurant in our great state?