Yesterday I wrote about the places we sleep when we are on the road. Well today I am home, and we celebrated by going out to a local steakhouse, modestly priced, that gave us top rate treatment. So I thought I would reflect on some of the factors that made for a good dining experience. Once again, I would argue that none of these need be limited to only the best restaurants.
1. They didn’t try to mix restaurant and sports bar. It seems that more and more modestly-priced establishments are trying to do this to bring in customers. I confess that I am easily distracted by TV screens. But sometimes you really want to focus on the one you are with. I wish I were better at not being distracted by these things but perhaps a better plan for me when I want to enjoy good conversation with my wife or other good friends is to go to a place that remembers that often eating out is simply about good food and conversation.
2. Neither of us are the slender, svelte people we were in college! Thankfully they didn’t try to shoehorn us into one of those tiny booths for people who are.
3. They didn’t rush us or treat us like we were on an assembly line. Our wait-person worked with the kitchen so that food came out when we had finished the previous dish we were eating. This made for a leisurely, enjoyable experience. So often you can’t finish an appetizer before the salad arrives, or the salad before the entree. And sometimes it feels like you have to hold onto your plate for dear life if you don’t want it taken away! Not today.
4. Our food was prepared the way we wanted it. We like steaks medium. Often they come to the table medium-well to well done. I hate to send food back when it is overcooked because I know it will be tossed. So if it isn’t burnt to a crisp, I probably won’t. Didn’t even need to think about it–just right, tasty and juicy.
5. Our wait-person was there when we wanted her and not otherwise. Personally, I hate the “are you still doing well?” question. I either feel like I’m getting graded are am tempted to say, “I was until three minutes ago, and then things really went south!” The check was presented just as we were finishing dinner and declined dessert, was accurate and quickly processed.
None of this is rocket science. It seems to me that any sit down restaurant can do these things. So many do not and it seems to me that the only explanation of this is either poor training, procedures and management, or that they take the customers for granted.
Sometimes you simply want a leisurely, satisfying meal. For those who follow this blog because of the focus on books, it is not unlike those days we leisurely curl up with a good book and immerse ourselves in it. Today was one of those days when it came to eating and because they did so well, I want to give a shout-out to the Longhorn Steakhouse at 6035 Blazer Memorial Pkwy., Dublin, OH 43017.