Dr. SJ hates dangerous meals. We attempt to go to fascinating eating places with reputations for serving good meals. Often, a restaurant might be refreshingly cheap, however most “good” eating places are fairly expensive. Whether or not for good meals or barely mediocre meals, they cost as in the event that they’re serving gold. And whether or not the dinner is fabulous or tasteless, the test ultimately comes and calls for to be paid.
Eating places don’t serve you dinner as a result of they love you. They serve you dinner since you pay the tab. It’s a enterprise transaction like another. It could be framed by way of love, as in meals ready with love and a few private connection between server and diner, however when dinner is over, you’ll nonetheless have paid and neither the server, hostess, chef, bartender nor cashier might be inviting you to their house for Thanksgiving.
Final night time, Dr. SJ needed to strive a restaurant within the subsequent city over that she heard was superb. It was a small, native kind of place, nevertheless it charged massive metropolis costs. There was no approach the 2 of us would stroll out of there and not using a tab properly over $200. However hey, if it’s nice, then what the heck.
We shared a “starter,” which was once known as an appetizer amongst different issues earlier than the Saxons invaded, of little neck clams, which had been scrumptious however not likely proof of wonderful cooking on condition that they’re uncooked and the shells solely wanted to be opened. It took a surprisingly very long time for the clams to reach, however we joked that they had been out again catching them as we waited to ensure they had been additional recent. However they did set temper, happy with the sauce with a facet of horseradish at our request, which we instantly stirred into the crimson sauce. And positive, there was just one lemon wedge for a dozen clams, however in case you squeeze actually onerous, you’ll be amazed how a lot juice you will get out of a single wedge.
And the Sancerre didn’t damage any.
Then got here our dinners. Dr. SJ acquired the linguine with clams, which was imagined to be their specialty, and I acquired the dinner particular, ribeye au poivre, as a result of I really like ribeye and au poivre. Dr. SJ tasted her dinner first, and it was bland. It wasn’t dangerous. It simply wasn’t nice. It didn’t fairly attain good. It was bland. As she described, it was the kind of linguine you’ll make at house, not the linguine you go to a restaurant and pay for.
So the meals wasn’t nice. Stay and study. The chef can’t cook dinner any higher than he can cook dinner, so if that was the very best he may do, then the restaurant wasn’t ok for a return go to.
Then I attempted my ribeye. It was not a ribeye as that minimize is known in New York. It was below an inch thick, which means there was no sear on the surface as it might have cooked too rapidly past a medium uncommon to realize an honest exterior sear. Perhaps that’s why they coated in au poivre, so the greyish-brown of the meat wouldn’t be so apparent? Then I minimize a slice. It was all fats, and by all fats, I imply fully, completely, fats. As was the following slice and the following.
I minimize half the theoretical steak into slices earlier than I lastly hit meat. I used to be displeased.
Dr. SJ noticed the look on my puss and mentioned, “don’t damage dinner by getting upset. Simply eat what’s left and we all know higher than to return right here once more.”
Dr. SJ doesn’t prefer it after I complain. Neither do my children. They’re embarrassed and discover confrontation very uncomfortable. I don’t share this sense of awkwardness. For my part, the restaurant ought to be embarrassed to serve meals of poor high quality or poorly ready. Thoughts you, it’s one factor to go to a restaurant that makes no pretensions to serving high-quality meals, as mirrored within the shockingly excessive value for its dinner. Go to a secular restaurant, get pedestrian meals and you get what you paid for. And I add, generally pedestrian meals is surprisingly good for what it’s, and also you get pleasure from a greater meal than you anticipated.
In an effort to keep away from upsetting Dr. SJ, I didn’t name the proprietor over to complain about my ribeye, despite the fact that there was an enormous pile of inedible fats on my plate that rivaled the tepid steak. The proprietor had been by the desk when the meals arrived, earlier than we had an opportunity to style something, and requested if the whole lot was okay. I replied that we had but to eat something, so it was high-quality thus far. However because the meal unfolded, nobody got here by to ask once more. Perhaps they knew higher than to ask after we tried their meals?
Finally the test got here and, after sucking air by means of clenched enamel, we paid the exorbitant tab. It was the correct quantity for the meal we ordered. and we fulfilled our finish of the transaction despite the fact that they fell quick on their finish. However no fuss was made and Dr. SJ appreciated that I didn’t make her uncomfortable, even when my plate was piled excessive with fats the place ribeye was imagined to be.
On the way in which out, we handed the proprietor, who requested if we loved the meal. I couldn’t resist. I advised him that my steak was lower than snuff and half my plate was fats. He replied that ribeye was a fatty minimize, which, after all, isn’t true. I responded, “not when it’s correctly ready.” He mentioned he couldn’t argue with that, and supplied us an after-dinner drink. I demurred, as we’re not likely drinkers and had been already on our approach out of the restaurant.
After we left, Dr. SJ mentioned to me, “You needed to, didn’t you?” Hey, he requested, and it’s not as if I didn’t full the transaction on my finish. It’s not as in the event that they gave me the steak and advised me to solely pay if I preferred it.
So we’re by no means going again there once more? Not essentially. We could properly return, however subsequent time just for little neck clams with additional horseradish and a glass of Sancerre.