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June 02, 2008

Comments

Vicki

My first impulse is hell no I wouldn't go back. But then I thought, if the tables are for "table service", that means somebody is making their living by the tips they make off those tables. So if the place was crowded, and the server lost a potential tip, then they're justified. But if there were other available tables, or if you left a dollar or 2 tip for the "privilege" of using that table, then the server was out of line.

evil chef mom

If I was in a bad mood and being stubborn, no, I wouldn't go back. They obviously do not want me as a customer...but then if I'm craving a brioche and that certain waitstaff person wasn't there and I was in the neighborhood...well, I might just stop in, but I'm sure it would never taste as good again.

Julie

Vicki, your point is well taken. They were not crowded -- in fact, about two-thirds of their tables were empty. And I most certainly would have left a tip for the waitperson, and was actually on the verge of telling her that, but she was so insistent on booting me from the table. She was sort of acting like I was some neighborhood freeloading vagrant, which just seemed rather inappropriate, given the circumstances.

Evilchefmom, I know. I might have to go back incognito, in Groucho glasses or something, just to get my brioche, which I had for breakfast and which contained so much chocolate that they made me happy despite the unpleasant memory of their purchase.

Vicki

Well, then, in that case, I wouldn't go back. :-)

Jessica

I might give it another try. There are different ways of enforcing a rule, and you may have been booted by a new server absolutely intent on making Every! Rule! Count! - or she just may have been a real asshat.

Either way, I'd hope any seasoned owner / manager / server, or one in his right mind, would bend this rule for someone who had just bought that many pastries. At the very least, I'd imagine they would let you explain yourself, offer to tip, etc., instead of just shooing you away.

I can be very forgiving when chocolate pastries hang in the balance. Don't let one wanker spoil your brioche party.

aimai

Can't say whether you should ever give them a tumble again but congratulations on the winning limerick and on the barbeque, too. Post pictures when you get some. As for brioche--its not the greatest I've ever had but its pretty damn great for something so easy. Try the "Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day" chocolate brioche recipe. It takes about five minutes to make, you stick the whole mass of dough in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks, and you break off what you want as needed and bake it. Its pretty great. When I find the book I'll post a link to the recipe.

aimai

clb

See, this is where you say "let me speak to the manager" who would have recognized the value of your business and let you sit there while you waited for you friend, who i'm sure could have ordered something nominal just to make the waitress feel better. people seriously need to understand the bigger picture.

Joe Bellacero

Next time, ask for a menu and take a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time reading it.
Enjoy the barbecue and the tech institute.
(P.S. I find the font of your entry kinda spiky.)
Joe

Julie

Jessica -- it's true, I too will do a lot for chocolate pastries. But I'm not in that neighborhood too often, and I won't travel just for these brioche. I figure that with the turnover in NYC food service, by the next time I'm there, they'll have new servers, and I'll use all of the commenters' good suggestions to finesse the situation.

aimai, bless you. I absolutely need to get that book. One of my unfulfilled aims for sabbatical year was to bake more bread -- but then my world sort of exploded, and much went undone. I've already found someone who posted the Hertzberg chocolate brioche recipe online and will definitely give it a spin.

clb -- my experience has been that the manager usually backs up the employee, strangely enough. Still, it's worth a try.

Joe -- I'll definitely take your wise counsel. Like I said, I've been in a bit of a temper for the past several months now, and it doesn't always enable me to think of the good smile-and-act-slowly-and-deliberately course of action. Your suggestion has something Gandhi-esque about it. It's definitely a nice form of passive resistance.

Sherrie

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alicia

I think you should write a letter to the owner (including a copy of your very entertaining post).

Hopefully, the owner will realize the value of sending you a gift certificate to win back your good will.

That way everyone wins. He/she gets back a very nice person who also happens to be a good customer and you get to resupply with chocolate brioches!

orlando-bankruptcy

I like the article, it's took me 15 minute to read

tampa-bankruptcy-attorneys

I like the good one

Chloe

Your food photos are amazing! I’ve been lurking on your blog for awhile and finally thought I’d say something…. your photography is excellent.

Monster Beats

My first impulse is hell no I wouldn't go back. But then I thought, if the tables are for "table service", that means somebody is making their living by the tips they make off those tables. So if the place was crowded, and the server lost a potential tip, then they're justified. But if there were other available tables, or if you left a dollar or 2 tip for the "privilege" of using that table, then the server was out of line.

Pandora Beads

I think you should write a letter to the owner (including a copy of your very entertaining post).

Hopefully, the owner will realize the value of sending you a gift certificate to win back your good will.

That way everyone wins. He/she gets back a very nice person who also happens to be a good customer and you get to resupply with chocolate brioches!

Pandora Bracelets

Next time, ask for a menu and take a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time reading it.
Enjoy the barbecue and the tech institute.
(P.S. I find the font of your entry kinda spiky.)
Joe

louboutin

I like the article, it took me 15 minute to read

Pandora Charms

See, this is where you say "let me speak to the manager" who would have recognized the value of your business and let you sit there while you waited for you friend, who i'm sure could have ordered something nominal just to make the waitress feel better. people seriously need to understand the bigger picture.

louboutin shoes

I had a run-in at a bakery today. God, I hope I don't make a habit of this, since I really don't have a lot of time to do my own baking these days

tory burch sale

I courted skin cancer and wrote a nice diatribe in my notebook about the perfidy of human beings. It's all material, you see, and will undoubtedly find its way into my roman á clef, never fear.

Burberry Outlet Online

Next up for the winner: a spot on the stage at November’s Live in the Vineyard concert.

Belstaff

I said to G, "Something's different. Something's changed, and I can't quite put my finger on it. He's less responsive." He seemed to me to be going inside himself, retreating from all of us. http://www.nikesoccercleatsshoes.com By Thanksgiving day, he had stopped responding, although he was not unconscious. He simply would not open his eyes, and batted away any form of help or inquiry, refusing even to take water. During the phone call I made to ask for counsel, one of my wise and beloved cousins (who is also a gerontologist) said, upon hearing my description of his behavior, "He's trying to leave, sweetie," confirming what I had both suspected and feared.

Nike Soccer Cleats

"Something's different. Something's changed, and I can't quite put my finger on it. He's less responsive." He seemed to me to be going inside himself, retreating from all of us. http://www.nikesoccercleatsshoes.com By Thanksgiving day, he had stopped responding, although he was not unconscious. He simply would not open his eyes, and batted away any form of help or inquiry, refusing even to take water. During the phone call I made to ask for counsel, one of my wise and beloved cousins (who is also a gerontologist) said, upon hearing my description of his behavior, "He's trying to leave, sweetie," confirming what I had both suspected and feared.

Moncler Doudoune

So we're off to the barbecue, my sweet ever-patient G and I. And all this will pass, and it will be better, I know. And I'll cook more things just for the joy of cooking them and enjoying real food and spring produce. I've actually taken some ramps and asparagus and spring greens and rhubarb out for a few turns. This has made a very welcome respite from the endless bags and containers and cartons of less-than-stellar take-out, which are the hallmark of weary evenings after extreme days. More about all of that, later.

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