Read Drink & Be Merry

Where to start…. Hmmm. How about with the chef’s words himself.

Dear Bookstore Piet person- Since when does a “wish list” become “intolerable behavior?” You sound a little defensive of your well behaved child…the one that took the liberty (with parents okay) of dancing in the isle of my restaurant one night (you’ve written about it…go ahead, take a stab). While it was a darling display for you, it’s not a ritual that we would allow adults to engage in, and as a frequent diner in the city, not something that I want to put up with when I’m paying for a meal. Time to get over your self-important blog and realize that not everyone enjoys your kid. There are plenty of places that cater to the needs of youngsters and there are plenty of places where people go to get away from youngsters…you really need to learn the difference.

–
Chef Andy

Let’s start with professionalism. I’m also a small business owner and while I’ve been tempted to write about a few of my more ’special’ customers I would never do such a thing. Even if the person in question never read the item other potential customers might and make decisions based on my attitude towards my current clientele. From someone, like Chef Andy, who is in the business of hospitality it’s very telling.

Finn’s behavior… He sat through the entire dinner. He did not scream or make other noises. He did not throw food or other items. During dessert he started getting restless and stood at the end of the table. An older single gentleman eating at the bar started making funny faces for him so Finn did a little jig for him and we allowed it as it was at the gentleman’s request and there were no other tables close by. He took off and headed for the kitchen (where you laughed and offered to put him to work as I took him away) at which time I placed him in a seat at the bar while I closed the tab. Both incidents lasted, what, a minute or two before we stepped in? I’ve seen adults more disruptive and much louder after a couple of glasses of wine. We’re aware he is 3 and has an expiration. When he starts getting restless we take into account other diners and wrap things up. If you read my blog I am quick to throw Finn under the bus if he does misbehave.

Oh, and if he was so disruptive why would both your waitresses comment on how well behaved he was?

There’s also been a couple of interesting comments floating about out there. One by someone who claims to have been out twice and seen us. The person claims Finn was throwing things and carrying on and such. Had that happened I would have written about it as well as about me removing Finn from the restaurant. As it has never happened the person is trying to insert him/herself into the debate by being a bit ‘creative’…. Another claims I’ve let him sleep on the floor or wherever. For the record (and in the blog) he’s fallen asleep twice, in booths as toddlers are wont to do.

Self Important Bloggers vs Self Important Chefs – I write this blog for my friends and family. Sure I have a number of readers beyond that circle but am I trying to promote myself? No. My business? No (if I was I’m doing a really bad job of it as it is not mentioned very often except in very general terms). Do bloggers have any power? Not really but they do tend to be very chatty people and will share slights and insults. In a contracting economy and people being more careful about discretionary spending that may be enough to keep a few people away from your doors. I know we won’t be back.

Addendum – 8/1/08 – The chef here is, shall we say, intolerant and a bit of an ass. We will not be going back.

My sister the artiste, K, arrived yesterday from Philadelphia to illustrate my book store. With any such visit feasting is in order. We decided to try someplace new last night and made our way to Cafe Rustica. Small, sparse, shall we say ‘rustic’ decor greeted us and we settled in for dinner.

We ordered from one of our favourite vineyards, Domaine Zind Humbrecht, a Gewurtzrameiner that was refreshing without too much sweetness. That was actually on of the most expensive wines on the list at $32. The rest of the wine list was primarily in the $18-$24 range with a nice array of well-known and more obscure choices.

The menu, while short, didn’t really contain anything I didn’t want to try. For starters both K and I pounced upon the soup du jour. In this case it was tomato and crab. It was nearly a cross between a stew and a soup with big chunks of fresh tomato in the puree and just enough spice to give it some heat but not overpower the tomato or the generous dollop of crabmeat sitting on top of the soup.

M tried the grilled radicchio. Wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with risotto it was the perfect combination of crunchy and creamy plus the saltiness of the ham.

For the table we also tried the Mediterranean Short Stack. Basically a seafood cake made with crab, shrimp, and scallops. The flavours and textures were perfect. All meat no fillers just a binder to keep it all together. The scallops got lost in the crab and shrimp. Not sure if they were an integral part for moisture or consistency but they didn’t seem to add anything to the party.

Finn ordered off the menu for this evening. The chef made him a perfect plate of al dente pasta with butter and parmesan. Finn was happy and, after trying it myself, thought I could eat a plate of that too.

M ordered the Braised English Pot Roast for her entree. The waitress brought it out on a sizzling iron skillet and, before placing it, inquired whether she was a rightie or a leftie (we’re both lefties). I simply thought that was such a well thought out piece of the service so that she wouldn’t have to adjust a fire-hot piece of iron herself that I just had to mention it. The beef was text-book perfect and fork tender with a horseradish crust. The roasted potatoes and and carrots on the skillet left a perfect vision of vibrant colours and textures.

Both K and I both ordered the same thing again (not sure if it’s a sibling or a Scorpio thing…). Their special for the evening was sauteed shrimp in a garlic buerre blanc with sun dried tomato and gnocchi. Fabulous. Shrimp, thankfully with tails removed (see Lulu’s review), tender and tasty with just enough buerre blanc to coat but not swim. The gnocchi were obviously made in house and were probably the best I’ve had in years.

The final choices were a bit more difficult. They have cheese plates on offer and the desserts sounded quite good. The deciding factor turned out to be the bread. I had heard quite a bit about their breads that were baked in-house. Finn ate most of it but the piece I had had been left out a bit too long and was a little stale.

Chocolate mousse, chocolate pate, nutella creme brulee. Not a bit was left.

If I were just thinking about the food we would return. When I look at the very reasonable prices I think this may show up on our dance card on a regular basis. Next time I want either the paella or the schnitzle! – Oh, and watch your head when using their restrooms…