Mark Slater

3 words: Lobster rolls Fried Rice Short Ribs Go

What are the names of the wines?

Dude and then???

I was there last week. We ate at the bar downstairs, after leaving a Very Expensive Italian Restaurant because it wasn't fun. The bartender, Kristina, took great care of us. The food was good, and was less than half the cost of the same items at the Very Expensive Italian Restaurant. Kristina was super charming. Nice selection of Italian wines by the glass. Check it out.

Dang! You mean I missed PD AND the ECDs?

I was told that they have between 40 and 50 cases of it.

Yes, Elizabeth, me too. Good show, Waitman!

Of course you don't know. You're a clam.

What did the Ventworm say to the shrimp?

Last time I was in Paris, we had dinner at the 3* Hotel Bristol restaurant. The sommelier was 21.

I just recieved a list of impeccably stored Bordeaux from a negociant in Bordeaux containing the following bargains (wholesale prices): 1970 Mouton-Rothschild $8,630 case 1961 Chateau Margaux $20,424 case 1961 Chateau Haut Brion $ 37,459 case 1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild $129,187 case Cheers!

The one that sent me into hysterical gales of laughter: customer note: "Quiet table, please" customer's name: Mr. Loud

You would not believe the stuff that people put in those comment fields on OpenTable. Of course, the restaurant has its own permanent comment fields in the OpenTable database that the customer can't see.....

Elizabeth, Thanks for the nice post, but I also have to say: Not so Fast! The point I made to Don, and will make again to you, is that speaking with a manager (Floor Manager, Maitre d', Captain, GM) in a high end restaurant is not the same as complaining. In most high end restaurants that I've worked in and eaten at, those people are around all the time. Their job is to come behind all the staff and make sure you have everything you need and are also happy. We're not talking about Outback or Ruby Tuesdays or some bogus Darden Restaurants venture. You used Maestro as the Gold Standard, and I agree. Maestro is an amazing restaurant from start to finish. I had the most delicious, enjoyable and sophisticated dinner I've ever had in Washington there last July. So when the manager in an expensive restaurant walks by and you say "Excuse me", and ask for wine advice/bread/water/more coffee/food, it is not complaining. It is making a request that can easily be filled, willingly. Get my point? In the case of wine advice, it is the manager who will grab the sommelier by the ear and drag him right to your table. Complaining in restaurants is a whole different thread.

Waitman, I like the way you think! I have that very same annoying habit! Hendrick's or Old Raj, please. Any place that employs a dedicated wine person will tell you so right up front.

mmmmmmm.....toothfish <Homer Simpson voice>

Paul, You misunderstood me. There are plenty more than 4 places in DC with sommeliers. I was referring to 4 places in the upper price brackets, although, now that I think about it, there are more than 4 places that cost that much.

Rocks, Who said anything about complaining? Ask the manager for a wine recommendation. Busboy forgot to give you bread? Ask the manager if he can find you some bread. These are requests. Complaining is reserved, IMO, for really egregious offenses.

I see. Thanks for clarifying that. This is a service issue. The sommelier is part of a team. If any member of the team is not performing to your satisfaction, ask to speak to the manager right away.

This is no different from any other service problem, is it? The same advice Tom, and other people here have given is the same: speak up at the time, write a letter or call the next day. Then, of course, there is always the internet ambush. The thing about her wording in the initial post was this: she mentioned 3 restaurant experiences. In one of them, Maestro, she praised the sommelier by name. In the next 2 examples of poor service she experienced, she named no names: not the restaurant or the sommelier. She mentioned that all the restaurants were at the same price level. That means exactly 4 places in the DC area: Maestro, Inn at Little Washington, Le Paradou and Citronelle. Do you see where I'm going with this........? Naming names after the discussion is over to her satisfaction? Something here is not right.

Who are you kidding?

Elizabeth, The answer to both questions may be quite simple: the sommelier was way too busy to get to you, or, wasn't told by the waiter that you needed assistance until it was too late. There are also certain scenarios where one table can take up an inordinate amount of the sommelier's time. In theory, the Maitre d' or a captain should be able to pick up some of the slack. BTW, I haven't jumped into this discussion so far because I'm not completely comfortable with the way the initial post was worded. Sorry.

I'd hate to pay the dry cleaning bills on that outfit!

OPEN FOR BUSINESS AGAIN

Tosca or Oceanaire aren't too far.