On my last travels in Europe, I got seriously burned by two concierges for quick lunch recommendations. The worst was provided by the concierge staff at the Meurice where my wife's cousin was staying. They recommended a little, near-by restaurant above a chocolate shop. My wife apparently was made sick by some parsley that was part of an over-all lousy meal. She became nauseous soon after and was unable to touch her food at a three-star restaurant that evening; a restaurant she had been dying to return to after two terrific meals there this summer. The second bum steer came from a concierge at the Grand Hotel et de Milan who said we should go to a cafe a few doors down. There the food was steam table and worse.
How much, then, do concierges really know about food and restaurants, why do they get away with telling people to go to such obviously bad establishments, and do you think my wife's cousin should have tgaken my advice and related the story to a manager of the Meurice?
Restaurants
Started by
robert brown
, Jan 11 2003 08:53 AM
3 replies to this topic
#2
fresh_a
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- participating member
- 1,282 posts
Posted 12 January 2003 - 06:34 AM
Dear Robert,
Sorry to hear about your negative experience.
It is true that not all Concierges are alike. There still exists (although this is changing) an "Old School" attitude in certain Concierges (rare), who don't seem to care a whole lot about what they are recommending, but an even larger number, who for whatever reason, do not understand correctly what the client wants, and make no effort to do so...
I would have complained to the Chef Concierge.
As said before, restaurants are such a personal issue, that great care is necessary to choose the right establishment for each client.
For me this is a great pleasure.
Sorry to hear about your negative experience.
It is true that not all Concierges are alike. There still exists (although this is changing) an "Old School" attitude in certain Concierges (rare), who don't seem to care a whole lot about what they are recommending, but an even larger number, who for whatever reason, do not understand correctly what the client wants, and make no effort to do so...
I would have complained to the Chef Concierge.
As said before, restaurants are such a personal issue, that great care is necessary to choose the right establishment for each client.
For me this is a great pleasure.
Anti-alcoholics are unfortunates in the grip of water, that terrible poison, so corrosive that out of all substances it has been chosen for washing and scouring, and a drop of water added to a clear liquid like Absinthe, muddles it." ALFRED JARRY
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#3
Peter B Wolf
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- participating member
- 1,056 posts
Posted 12 January 2003 - 11:56 AM
fresh_a,"......I would have complained to the Chef Concierge......"
I am so glad to see you use the 'Title' "Chef" (as in English "chief") for not only describing a 'cuisinier/cook', but as it is proper to describe what it is.
We Americans think always that a cook is always a "Chef". I think other eGulletiers will benfit from this Info. Thank you.
Peter
#4
fresh_a
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- participating member
- 1,282 posts
Posted 14 January 2003 - 03:29 AM
Chef Concierge or Head Concierge... I hate "Concierge Manager"...
Anti-alcoholics are unfortunates in the grip of water, that terrible poison, so corrosive that out of all substances it has been chosen for washing and scouring, and a drop of water added to a clear liquid like Absinthe, muddles it." ALFRED JARRY
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