I enjoy a good meal, fine service, and excellent company when dining out.
One area, for me, that is a high positive for service is the server
check-back. I can never have too many. I want the server there, asking if I
want more bread, refilling my glasses with more wine or water, checking to
see if the meal I received was indeed the meal I ordered, or up to my
expectations. I call this pampering and I forgive many faults if I am.

We recently went to dinner with another couple. He raved about this
restaurant, how outstanding the service was, the food was divine, its
location convenient. On his insistence we made reservations and went there.

To say that I was underwhelmed is being polite. The server rattled off the
daily specials like he was announcing a tobacco auction. When asked to
suggest a meal /he/ would order, he rattled off the entire daily special
again, like we'd not heard it the first time. (Well, I didn't hear
everything the first time but I found his restating it a bit off-putting.)
He disappeared for fifteen minutes and returned to "take our order." We
didn't see him again until he dropped off the check. The busboy did
everything else, including helping deliver our meals (which was delivered by
the server on the other side of the restaurant.) I asked about cocktails and
another server arrived to take that order. When I asked what types of single
malt scotch they served, the server didn't know but went away to check; that
was the last we saw of her. We ordered a bottle of wine from a third server;
plonk glasses (the generic 6 oz bubble-bell types with short, stocky stems)
were used instead of proper red wine glasses. When we asked for a dessert
menu, a food-stained card was brought and set down. The coffees were tepid
and flavorless; I commented, "Watch as we substitute their real coffee with
Folgers' Freeze-dried Flavor Crystals!"

Afterwards, my friend asked how we enjoyed the meal. The main course /was/
good and the couple's company excellent; but my version of the service and
his were worlds (probably universes) apart! He happily prattled on and on
(and on) about how unobtrusive the servers were, how quick to provide table
space, etc. I sat less than 18 inches from him and never once witnessed any
of this...

This did allow us the chance, at a hotel bar down the street, to talk about
our best of class and I worked in my version of what would be stunning
service. His simple view: "They'd always be in the way."

I just don't understand paying for partial service...

The Ranger
--
"Grits are akin to Elmer Paste with less flavor and more sand."

"The Ranger" wrote:

We recently went to dinner with another couple. He raved about this
restaurant, how outstanding the service was, the food was divine, its
location convenient. On his insistence we made reservations and went there.

Next time...YOU get to suggest the restaurant. A great opportunity to teach
your friends how it should be.

Andrew Hardy suggested in message
...
"The Ranger" wrote:
We recently went to dinner with another couple. He raved
about this restaurant, how outstanding the service was, the
food was divine, its location convenient. On his insistence
we made reservations and went there.

Next time...YOU get to suggest the restaurant. A great
opportunity to teach your friends how it should be.

As Providence has provided, that opportunity is available. I have already
made the reservations.

The Ranger

In article ,
The Ranger wrote:
Andrew Hardy suggested in message
.. .
"The Ranger" wrote:
We recently went to dinner with another couple. He raved
about this restaurant, how outstanding the service was, the
food was divine, its location convenient. On his insistence
we made reservations and went there.

Next time...YOU get to suggest the restaurant. A great
opportunity to teach your friends how it should be.

As Providence has provided, that opportunity is available. I have already
made the reservations.

So what's the name and locatiob of this full service restaurant?


Chuck Demas

--
Eat Healthy | _ _ | Nothing would be done at all,
Stay Fit | @ @ | If a man waited to do it so well,
Die Anyway | v | That no one could find fault with it.
| \___/ | http://world.std.com/~cpd

Charles Demas wrote in message
...
In article , The Ranger
wrote:
Andrew Hardy suggested in message
...
"The Ranger" wrote:
We recently went to dinner with another couple. He raved
about this restaurant, how outstanding the service was, the
food was divine, its location convenient. On his insistence
we made reservations and went there.

Next time...YOU get to suggest the restaurant. A great
opportunity to teach your friends how it should be.

As Providence has provided, that opportunity is available. I have
already made the reservations.

So what's the name and location of this full service restaurant?

http://www.gervaisrestaurant.com/

I've enjoyed many fine meals there. They make a salmon pastry that is
well-executed! Their lamb literally melts in your mouth. Service has usually
been excellent. The servers also know what liquors they stock and aren't
afraid to make recommendations...

The Ranger

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
I just don't understand paying for partial service...

I, on the other hand, would rather the wait-person be readily available,
but not "sharing my table" with me and my guests.

Constantly interrupted conversations doesn't make me happy.

In article ,
The Ranger wrote:
Charles Demas wrote in message
...
In article , The Ranger
wrote:
Andrew Hardy suggested in message
.. .
"The Ranger" wrote:
We recently went to dinner with another couple. He raved
about this restaurant, how outstanding the service was, the
food was divine, its location convenient. On his insistence
we made reservations and went there.

Next time...YOU get to suggest the restaurant. A great
opportunity to teach your friends how it should be.

As Providence has provided, that opportunity is available. I have
already made the reservations.

So what's the name and location of this full service restaurant?

http://www.gervaisrestaurant.com/

That link didn't work for me. :-(


Chuck Demas

--
Eat Healthy | _ _ | Nothing would be done at all,
Stay Fit | @ @ | If a man waited to do it so well,
Die Anyway | v | That no one could find fault with it.
| \___/ | http://world.std.com/~cpd

"Charles Demas" wrote in message
...
That link didn't work for me. :-(


Me either

"Steve Wertz" wrote in message
...
Not much there, though.

Doesn't actually seem to have a web site. Probably this whole thread has
been a fantasy.

Charles Demas posted in message
...
[snip]
http://www.gervaisrestaurant.com/

That link didn't work for me. :-(

There's a caveat on the home page of "Best viewed using IE6" so that might
be the problem. I understand that not everyone embraces the Dark Side with
such openness.

The Ranger

Petey the Wonder Dog wrote in message
...
I just don't understand paying for partial service...

I, on the other hand, would rather the wait-person be readily
available, but not "sharing my table" with me and my guests.

Constantly interrupted conversations doesn't make me happy.

John? (This is almost verbatim his counter argument.)

The Ranger

Anthony wrote in message
...
Doesn't actually seem to have a web site.

Okay; if you say so.

Probably this whole thread has been a fantasy.

It's a shame it wasn't a fantasy; it could have used some help with real
magic.

The Ranger

Steve Wertz wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 21:20:53 -0700, "The Ranger"
wrote:

http://www.gervaisrestaurant.com/

That link didn't work for me. :-(

There's a caveat on the home page of "Best viewed using IE6" so that
might
be the problem. I understand that not everyone embraces the Dark Side
with
such openness.

Nah - that's not it. There just don't appear to be any DNS
entries for it.

Maybe it went under since you were there? ;-)

On a hunch, I cleared out all my cookies, then cleared all the off-line
cache. Brought up and ran Window Washer as a Salting of the Earth step.
Gervais' site's still working -- at least for those of us using IE6. EG

The Ranger

Steve Wertz wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 21:41:58 -0700, "The Ranger"
wrote:
http://www.gervaisrestaurant.com

Any IP caching software installed?

Nope; if I have to work at getting to a site, I don't need to go. You can
reach it via Yahoo! Yellow Pages or directly by typing the name into any
browser navigation bar or clicking on the link above.

From two different DNS servers:

DNS Lookup Results
No A records were found for gervaisrestaurant.com

04/08/04 00:47:17 dns gervaisrestaurant.com
No DNS for this address
(host doesn't exist)

Can't help you here. I would /guess/ that someone (or some service) is
hosting the entire site for them and Gervais' owners do little to nothing
beyond pay the bill.

The Ranger

Steve Wertz wrote:

Nah - that's not it. There just don't appear to be any DNS
entries for it.

....on the DNS server you are using. The DNS server I use
has it. Their IP# is 198.144.215.6, so the following URL
will get you there without a DNS lookup:

http://198.144.215.6/