Salt

[sara]

Last night I went to Salt with 5 other women to celebrate a friend's 22nd birthday.

Having been to Salt twice before, I expected terrific creative food and professional service. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed with regard to the latter.

We arrived on time at 8 pm and were seated fairly promptly, at a table in the middle of the room--very nice. About 5 minutes later, we were asked if we'd like a cocktail, and declined, asking for the wine list. It took about 5 additional minutes before that list (part of the menu) arrived--and I noticed the reason--there was some fairly overt discussion going on between our waitress and the owner, apparently with regard to our ages. Aside from myself (age 26), the women were ages 21 and 22. And we all look young. I would not have been at all surprised if we were carded--it would have been appropriate, dealt with quickly and quietly, and put the restaurant at ease. But this didn't happen. (But throughout the meal, I could actually hear the servers and owner whispering to each other, guessing our ages, doubting if we were legal. I nearly collected the IDs and marched over to them!)

Instead, we were given the list, and (as the person most knowledgeable about wine, and thus designated to make the choices) I began to peruse it. I was first and foremost looking for a Malbec, for the simple reason that the birthday girl (who is new to wine and yet quite opinionated), loves the jamminess and fruit-forwardness of that grape (she loves the Katina Malbec at Cuba Libre). Unfortunately, their list didn't feature a Malbec last night (well, the 'special' list on the back did, at $175, but that was too risky). So, I asked for some suggestions from the waitress, explaining my goal. She apparently knew nothing about wine, and said she'd take my questions to the owner and 'get back to me.'

Well, this went on for some time-- I asked a question, or for a suggestion, she went to him (who was just about 10 feet away, focusing on all the tables but ours, apparently), reported to him, returned to me with answers that demonstrated her lack of knowledge. It was ridiculous. There was no apparent reason that David (owner) couldn't simply come over himself, when he became free--especially after I asked for him. The only thing I could think was that he didn't consider us 'important' enough to spend time with--as a former server, I'm aware of the stereotype of young women that they don't tip well, or whatever. But in this case, we had plenty of money (the parents of the birthday girl provided their credit card and no limit), a love of food, and at least one person who knows wine. (Maybe because we were stylishly dressed and young they thought we were overprivledged Rittenhouse gals not worth wasting time on?? Couldn't be further from the truth...)

I ended up ordering the Two Hands Shiraz ($60), and a German Riesling ($58) (Don't have the name because, although I put a menu aside next to my purse to jot down the names at the end of meal, at some point the waitress went under the table and took it away!). Unfortunately, the birthday girl didn't like the Shiraz (describing it as 'mucusy'!), which she told the waitress directly, who simply looked at her with what can only be described as disdain. Granted, there was nothing wrong with the wine--it just didn't match the Malbec in my friend's head--but there was no offer to take it back, no apology, no offer of something else, nothing. In order to resolve the situation, I told the waitress it was ok, the rest of us would drink it, and we'd order a 3rd bottle--but instead of being delighted (this upped the tab obviously), she again seemed annoyed. So this time, I looked around for David directly, making eye contact,and motioning him over, to get better help picking this 3rd bottle. But NO-- he pointed to another waiter, said he knew the list and would help me! Fine, so I spoke with that man, who yes was helpful, but still, I couldn't fathom why David wouldn't do it himself. (Maybe I'm spoiled by nice treatment by chefs/owners elsewhere, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable). Anyways, I sat with the list, debating, long enough that FINALLY, 45 min+ into our meal, David came over and asked me if there was a problem. I explained the situation I was in, trying to match this Malbec my girlfriend desired, acknowledging the somewhat-silliness of the request but asking for appropriate help. He was actually patronizing at this point, telling me it couldn't be done. I mentioned that I was willing to spend a fair amount, and then he began steering me towards the $150 and up category, and to some pretty obviously overpriced wines. I ended up giving up and just ordering another bottle of the riesling, since my friend liked that. Ok, done. But no, David felt the need to then throw in a little comment "I see you know a LOT about wine"--sarcastically (it was dripping). Jeez--insulted by the owner, disdained by the waitress...fun.

We got through the meal, pretty great food really:

Fluke carpaccio with oysters, apple gelee and caviar--excellent

Peekytoe crab salad with pomelos--too much mayo and avocado, crab needed to be spiced a little better

Foie gras-- didn't have this myself, but others liked it

Wild Striped Bass with braised oxtail ravioli--very good

Ribeye--didn't have this, but 2 friends loved theirs

Scallops--two girls ordered this and loved it

Swordfish--didn't try it

We also ordered every dessert on the menu, all good. Along with a glass of Eiswein for me (by this point, the waitress went around the table twice, double checking that every person didn't want a glass for themselves, which I thought was pushing it, since it was $13/glass).

We were there for 3 hours, largely because it was 30 min or more between courses (it's a small restaurant, probably a small kitchen too). Finally, around 11, I asked for the check. There was a 10 min pause, during which time the waitress, only a few feet away, openly debated putting the 18% gratuity on the bill. Fine, she did. The check was $510, plus her $89 gratuity. Yes, we were a party of 6, so this can happen, but in her case, it was not to her advantage--with regard to tipping, I usually start at 20% and go up to 25%-- I would've only given 20% based on our experience, but it still would've meant at least $10 more.

Obviously, I needed to get this off my chest--and I apologize for the length of this post . But I really feel we were treated badly because of our age and gender. I've had good service at Salt, but I realize now I was just in a party of 2 and with a somewhat older guy, who handled the wine list himself. This experience has left me angry and nauseous, and I won't be going back to Salt. What a shame--I really liked the food!

[mrbigjas]

That sucks.

[herbacidal]

That sucks.

royally.

[KatieLoeb]

Sara:

Sorry to hear of your bad experience at Salt. There is NEVER any excuse for rudeness to the guest, or making the guest feel less than comfortable. The server's lack of wine training (particularly in a restaurant that prides itself on its wine selection) is only what the owner is willing to tolerate. If he doesn't feel the need to have trained waitstaff, and doesn't have a problem with servers looking blankly at the guests when questions are asked, then that's what the guests are going to get. I've been to Salt and the dining room is tiny, and the owner is indeed present, so he is seeing this happen or is in earshot of it happening. He's taking part in the pointing and age guessing games too, right? Obviously he doesn't care. Unfortunate, but true. I don't think it has anything to do with your ages, per se, he's just willing to not only tolerate grossly unprofessional behavior from his staff, but to engage in it himself, it would seem.

One quibble I have with your complaint is that if there was indeed nothing wrong with the wine (which there wasn't, by your own admission), then there's no reason for the restaurant to offer to take it back. It's perfectly OK to reject a bottle that is "off", corked, over-the-hill or whatever. It is extremely poor form to send it back simply because it wasn't to your or your friend's taste. I'd suggest in the future, that if there's a guest in your group that is very particular about their wine, then call the restaurant ahead and ask to have a copy of the list faxed to you. If there's nothing on the list that is appropriate, there's also no harm in asking if they might get something for you for the date of your reservation. If they want to be accomodating, then they will (assuming they have enough time to do that for you). It's no different to me than a customer asking if we could have some kosher wines available on the list during Passover because they keep kosher. If they don't want to at least try and be helpful, then they don't want your business and don't understand the root of "hospitality". Or ask if you can bring the wine of choice and pay a corkage fee. This has to be a better solution than having the guest of honor feel she's been given "mucus"!

Just curious why your group didn't go to Cuba Libre from the get-go?

[mrbigjas]

I'd suggest in the future, that if there's a guest in your group that is very particular about their wine, then call the restaurant ahead and ask to have a copy of the list faxed to you. If there's nothing on the list that is appropriate, there's also no harm in asking if they might get something for you for the date of your reservation.

You know, I've heard this before, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Something in my presbyterian upbringing or something prevents me from making anyone else go to any kind of trouble for me, even when I'm paying. I should really get over that.

[KatieLoeb]

I'd suggest in the future, that if there's a guest in your group that is very particular about their wine, then call the restaurant ahead and ask to have a copy of the list faxed to you. If there's nothing on the list that is appropriate, there's also no harm in asking if they might get something for you for the date of your reservation.

You know, I've heard this before, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Something in my presbyterian upbringing or something prevents me from making anyone else go to any kind of trouble for me, even when I'm paying. I should really get over that.

Dah-ling! You certainly do need to get over this. Honestly, what is the point of having a Sommelier or Beverage Director/Manager if not to be certain the customers are happy? If it were just about simply placing the phone calls to the purveyors and faxing a form to the liquor warehouse to fulfill the weekly order for liquor then restaurants could save a ton of money and create a spreadsheet program to calculate usage and hire an administrator/secretary/hostess to "phone in" (literally!) these monotonous tasks. The point of having "advanced" personnel to handle "advanced" customer service issues is exactly that. It's about making certain that everyone that walks in the door, walks out thinking it was one of the best experiences they've ever had. Nothing ever made me happier than having a customer call in advance with questions or a special request or assistance with sending a bottle of champagne to someone for their birthday/anniversary or whatever. You're not paying them (directly), the RESTAURANT is paying them to be certain that YOU are happy. The fact that you'll foot the bill for that level of customer service is what allows the restaurant to pay them directly, and you to pay them INDIRECTLY. To me, this is what separates the top notch "hospitality" providers from the rest of the pack. Whether it's a restaurant, a hotel, a spa or whatever, if the services aren't provided with an attitude that says "what can I do for you?", not "what are you doing for me by spending X $$$'s", then it's second rate by definition.

[Yannii]

I, too, am sorry to hear about your poor treatment by the owner and staff during your evening there (i have enjoyed myself there a few times and recomended it to others as well). i think you experienced a very common restaurant pratice of "profiling" guests. due to repition and complacency, service staff will often "judge" customers by their appearence or mannerisms. sometimes this "judgement" allows service professionals to better anticipate the guest's needs, but more often than not, it leaves servers expecting (and thus creating) negative situations. it is clearly the wrong thing to do, but it is ussually done behind closed doors away from the sight and sound of the guest and therefore, mostly invisible. at salt, apparenty, it seems to be done in broad daylight and within ear shot of the guest, which is, frankly, unacceptable. you should cut and paste your comments to an email or letter to david, and see if he is willing to accept responsibility for this error. you spent a lot of money (we tend to be more forgiving of the staff at taco bell!) and deserve a much better "after feeling".

ps, while it is not in any way required of any establishment, i have heard of restaurants replacing inexpensive bottles of wine due solely to a customer disliking the flavors. just as if someone did not care for their entree, most restaurants would offer to replace the dish without arugument, wine could be treated similarly. the returned wine could be offered by the galss, used to train staff, used to cook with or whatever. this is clearly going above and beyond the call of duty, but isn't that what good service is all about? or maybe just charge the customer the "cost" on the wine and not the exhorbitant mark-up (two hands shiraz is like $21 retail i think).

Edited December 21, 2003 by Yannii (log)

[john b]

I'd be pretty ticked about spending $600 after that kind of treatment. You should send a letter to the owner (even though it seems that he was a big part of the problem) and cc the restaurant/food media, like La Ban, et al.

[sara]

One quibble I have with your complaint is that if there was indeed nothing wrong with the wine (which there wasn't, by your own admission), then there's no reason for the restaurant to offer to take it back.

Just curious why your group didn't go to Cuba Libre from the get-go?

Katie,

I actually DO agree with you that it's not the restaurant's obligation to take back wine if it's fine, but just not to the guest's taste. I feel slightly ambivalent about this, since I think a really generous place WOULD do such a thing, but certainly understand it's not an obligation. When my friend announced her distaste for the wine, in front of the waitress--after I had already tasted it and pronounced it quite good and passed it to her, next to me--I replied that I was sorry but didn't know what we could do about it. She responded--to the waitress--"why ask if it's ok if I'm not allowed to say I don't like it?" I then told her that the waitress was asking if it was of good quality, i.e. corked, not if it was to her liking per se (tho that IS what I was asking). The main problem I had is that the waitress said NOTHING. No apology, no comment, no suggestion, simply stared at my friend. I don't think that was the right response, and it made my next move (to order an additional bottle of wine, adding to the friend's mother's credit card bill), more awkward.

Yes, I could've called ahead and asked about malbecs, but since I'd been there on two previous occasions, and both times a malbec was on the list, I wasn't worrying about it. In fact, one waiter did apologize that by some bad stroke of luck, there wasn't one last night. I bet it'll be remedied.

As to why we didn't go to Cuba Libre? We wanted good food. And after reading about the owners' trip to Cuba (in the Philly Mag), which ended with their conclusion that "what Cuba needs is a Cuba Libre" I have no desire to bother with that place. Yes, my birthday friend likes it, but for the drinks, not the food. We were hoping for a place with both.

I agree I should write to the owner--I considered it all last night as I tossed and turned (it should say something about my love for restaurants that this experience distressed me so much!)...but first, I think he'd disagree with my account, second, he strikes me as cold and arrogant and I doubt he'd do anything about it, third, I don't know that I'd go back there even if given a gift certificate, and fourth, it wasn't my money that I spent. Honestly, the other 5 women (including the birthday girl) seem to have not really noticed the goings on very much -- and at least weren't terrribly upset by it. I had a different experience as the one in charge and at the end of the table (i.e. within earshot of the servers/owner). I didn't spoil the others' evening by sharing all of this with them as it happened, nor did I extend the experience by discussing it with them afterwards. Finally, I thought it perhaps the most effective path was to simply share this with you all--the real community Salt's owner hopes to court, yes?

[KatieLoeb]

I understand now about the Malbec thing. Didn't know it was a semi-regular list item. (It's not in a lot of places, certainly. Although, it should be!) Perhaps you should go to some wine tastings with your friend and expand her horizons a bit. It'll probably make your event planning a lot easier in the future, as well as hopefully prevent those embarassing tableside moments.

Got it on Cuba Libre as well. I thought friend liked the whole package, not just the bar.

...but first, I think he'd disagree with my account

Unfortunately, this is most likely true. Anyone that's arrogant enough to behave that way toward a guest with impunity, is not likely to possess the self-reflection required to make the appropriate apologies. That would require admitting or implying wrongdoing, and that's just not going to happen

he strikes me as cold and arrogant and I doubt he'd do anything about it

Dittos - see above

it wasn't my money that I spent

Doesn't matter in the least. You had an atrocious guest experience in his establishment. THAT'S what matters.

I don't know that I'd go back there even if given a gift certificate

That's a damn shame, and says a lot about how truly offputting the experience was. Simply owning a restaurant does not a make one a restaurateur. If that were the case, then every McDonald's franchisee could claim the title! There's a flavor to that term which implies service, and unfortunately, you didn't get it. Very sorry.

[tim olivett]

I know that the experience of even the best meal can be lessened by even one off moment between the host (restaurant) and the guest. Certainly, being in the restaurant business should mean that you want to give people the ability to; celebrate the special events in their lives, celebrate the gifts and bounty of the earth through wine and food, celebrate a relationship. etc...

After working for years in the business, I'm always (truly) saddened by the fact that people are in this business not because they're generous to the point of being gregarious, sociable, well mannered, have true joi de vivre, savoir fare, etc... I've always felt that to be great in this industry, you should be someone who derives their happiness through the happiness of others.

That being said, I've also seen many people who start out that way and lose it from the constant pressures, stresses and pitfalls it places on people. Every night is a performance and judgment.

And this could've just been a bad night for everyone you dealt with and of course that is no excuse to diminish the good time you wanted to have with your friends.

I've been to Salt several times and have had nothing but great experiences with the staff. I love Chef Vernon Morales's ideas and executions though I think he is still finding his footing and I look forward to eating with him along the way.

From reading the original post, I see a lot of things that make me wonder about how you perceive the experience. I don't mean to be a dime store psychoanalyst but it seems that you are ready to interpret people's behavior as a direct reflection on you and what you think they think of you. I remember some comedian or someone saying something to the effect that we all walk around thinking that everyone is looking at us or judging us (what we're doing, what we're wearing, our shoes don't match, bad hair day,etc.) and at the same time everyone else thinks we're looking at them. (That you're too young, you'd be bad tippers, you're spoiled, don't know about wine) I always tell coworkers who get paranoid about the gossipy nature of the business, that if you think people are out to get you eventually they are because you wind up treating them that way.

Basically, I think when you go out to eat you should be encouraged to let go of the dreary day to day world. That's why when you go to a new restaurant that has taken over an old one, they rip out everything and create a brand new identity - it's about transporting yourself. For a few hours you get to be in a different environment, look at the range of styles in Stephen Starr's restaurants. It can be fantasy or comfort or high design or anything in between. So when little things go wrong, let it go. It's not UPS misplacing your package or the airline losing your luggage. It's not supposed to be the real world and 9 times out of 10 (I wish it was 10 out of 10, too) the people in restaurants will be many times over, more helpful, accomodating and friendly then in the real world. Have you ever been treated so nicely by your dry cleaner or deli counter person or the septa token guy as by a server in a restaurant. Now, for granted, I've had some shitty servers and I'm always shocked and saddened because I feel that I'm so understanding of their job, I wonder what went wrong. But at a restaurant like Salt, I'd really, really be surprised if anyone there would be that outright terrible. I think you brought some insecurities of your own that you matched to some of the problems. Even with wine, hey it might not be the Malbec but I bet a lot of people would love to have either a $60 riesling or shiraz anytime. Wine is like making love, my fiance and I have been together five years and I don't compare any moment to another, sure there are some that I'll always remember but they were all different, I'd never think I could absolutely recreate one (though it's always fun trying!).

One time I was visiting my mother in Lancaster and we went to some new subarban chain bakery/cafe. They offer a selection of artisanal breads seemingly culled from most big city high end bakers; black olive rosemary, sourdoughs, 7 grain bread, foccacia. A guy came in to get a bread he had a few weeks ago and they had sold out. He just could not understand that. After a lifetime of going to the supermarket or McDonalds (you ever see an 86 list at a McDonalds?) he probably never conceived that somebody actually "made" his food and that it would be made fresh. When it's made fresh, you make enough for what you hope to sell, plus some. It's the same in restaurants. I'm always happy to run out of one or two fish after 8pm on Sunday night. That way I'm not serving friday's fish on tuesday - but people always freak out, like we're incompetent when really, we're committed to serving them the freshest fish possible, we're on their side. It saddens me for America, these things seem more ingrained in Europe since they are not so removed from the process.

ANYWAY, I can't encourage you enough to go back to salt, Vernon Morales is one of the only chefs in town pushing the envelope in such an accessible way,and the wines are varied & terrific (even by the glass!). And don't worry if anyone thinks you're too young, spoiled Rittenhouse Square brats or whatever. The great thing about restaurants is that no matter who you are, where you live, or what you do for a living, for a few hours you get to be transported to a wonderful environment where people will respond (within reason) to your needs and enjoyment.

Edited December 30, 2003 by tim olivett (log)

[sara]

From reading the original post, I see a lot of things that make me wonder about how you perceive the experience. I don't mean to be a dime store psychoanalyst but it seems that you are ready to interpret people's behavior as a direct reflection on you and what you think they think of you.

But at a restaurant like Salt, I'd really, really be surprised if anyone there would be that outright terrible. I think you brought some insecurities of your own that you matched to some of the problems. Even with wine, hey it might not be the Malbec but I bet a lot of people would love to have either a $60 riesling or shiraz anytime.

ANYWAY, I can't encourage you enough to go back to salt,

Tim--Welcome to Egullet and thanks for your lengthy assessment of my experience. While I do appreciate your insight as a chef, I would like to point out that I never disagreed with the quality and excitement of Morales's food. In fact, I indicated that part of my sadness with this experience is that I won't be enjoying that food in the future--so long as he's associated with that owner.

I do take some offense (perhaps you suspected I would?) to your dime-store assessment of my psychology. I am certainly aware, partly from having worked as a server for 5+ yrs and partly from simply being an adult, that good service, and bad service, are no reflection of the customer themselves. That does not mean, however, that it is ever alright to act rudely towards a customer. Certainly, people have bad days, and with regard to servers, that is sometimes excusable--but as Katie noted earlier, it is NEVER excusable when the owner indulges in bad behavior. And think what you might--he did. (I'm not sure why you 'would be surprise' that my experience was terrible--sure, that's a subjective impression--but aren't they all? You are neither female, nor young, I suspect, so I doubt you really meant to presume to stand in my shoes.)

Owners are a big part of their restaurant. They set the tone. Occasionally we even go to places where the food is less than perfect, simply because the experience of dining there, and being treated well by staff and owner, is so pleasant. But I seriously doubt that you'd expect anyone to spend a great deal of money in a restaurant where the owner is rude or mean--even when the food is great! (I suppose there was the 'soup nazi', but he wasn't charging $20-25/plate, now was he?).

When Morales moves on, you can expect I'll be among the first to dine wherever he's cooking.

[tim olivett]

Yeah, I'm sorry, the last thing I meant was to offend you. I hope you understand that my underlying feeling was to encourage you to go back and have a good time. I had just eaten at Salt last night and maybe because they know me, they're always more than willing to accomadate me.

Reading your reply made me realize that he was obviously blatantly crappy to you and that is inexcusable. At first I felt that maybe you were reading too much into their statements (sarcasm, blank stares etc).

Like I said before, (during my little restaurant manifesto thing) I am always saddened when people in this business don't go that extra mile, that is what makes (that and only that) a restaurant great.

In the mean time I can only hope that you have better experiences and again please accept my sincere apology, I didn't mean to make any assumptions about you personally, I only meant to encourage you to have a good time and to not let other people, no matter how lame they can be, ruin your night.

I guess I feel overprotective about a chef who is doing great things and isn't represented well by the people out front who can obviously, as seen here, ruin what is a huge effort on part of the kitchen.

[sara]

Apology gratefully accepted! David certainly seems capable of being a nice guy to friends--but that's the easy part. Being gracious with seemingly difficult customers, or those that present any kind of challenge, that's much harder.

Morales's fluke carpaccio was brilliant--I can still conjure the taste of it.

[KatieLoeb]

Yeah, I'm sorry, the last thing I meant was to offend you. I hope you understand that my underlying feeling was to encourage you to go back and have a good time. I had just eaten at Salt last night and maybe because they know me, they're always more than willing to accomadate me.

Reading your reply made me realize that he was obviously blatantly crappy to you and that is inexcusable. At first I felt that maybe you were reading too much into their statements (sarcasm, blank stares etc).

Like I said before, (during my little restaurant manifesto thing) I am always saddened when people in this business don't go that extra mile, that is what makes (that and only that) a restaurant great.

In the mean time I can only hope that you have better experiences and again please accept my sincere apology, I didn't mean to make any assumptions about you personally, I only meant to encourage you to have a good time and to not let other people, no matter how lame they can be, ruin your night.

I guess I feel overprotective about a chef who is doing great things and isn't represented well by the people out front who can obviously, as seen here, ruin what is a huge effort on part of the kitchen.

Tim:

Since you seem to know the folks at Salt so well, have you ever steered them toward eGullet? I wonder if things would change any if they knew their bad behavior was being discussed at great length in cyberspace by local patrons or potential patrons?

[tim olivett]

I probably should send them here, they probably owe me a glass of wine (maybe malbec! - sorry, I couldn't resist) for my blind faith in them.

I know I constantly try to search digital cities and philly.com for user reviews of restaurants I've worked at. It's always uplifting when you read something by a real person, not a critic, who was able to reap the fruits of my labor (and my support staff). It's also a real bummer when that's not the case. I remember serving smoked duck to someone who insisted it was ham to the point that we cut one in half and sent it to their table and I still see the post they left saying they were served ham instead of duck. I want to send them a case of smoked duck in the mail, it really bothers me when I can't make someone happy since one of the things I always say about why I put up with all the bad things about being in this business is; everyday I truly go to work wanting to do better than I did the day before and I know not many people feel that way about their job, let alone one that requires you work at it 70/80 hours a week (I love the first 40 hours, like the next 20 and after that it's a crapshoot).

I've always felt that I don't work for the owner, they are just the middleman between me and the customer. My salary comes from the customer even though I don't work for tips.

It's such an intimate thing, being in charge of something people are going to stick in their mouth, chew on and swallow. It drives me nuts when cooks don't respect that. If you don't have that drive to do things well, please learn to type and get out of the kitchen. Getting it right 90% of the time is not an "A-" in the restaurant business, it's not even passing. If your goal isn't 100 out of 100 all the time, over time, then it's just a job and if it's just a job, what a miserable job.

Tomorrow I have to get up at 7 am and finish prepping for over 500 dinners, 300 of which are paying $150 per person just for the food. We purposely put items on the New Year's menu that aren't regular items that we serve because I wanted the food to have that freshness and there's a certain energy that comes from doing it that way. For a special occasion, I prefer to do it that way, even though it would certainly be easier (actually it's 1am and I'm starting to have second thoughts -ha, ha, ha). That's what makes it special.

And to imagine that a server would treat someone tomorrow night, the way Sara got treated, after all the work by my cooks and chef. Well, most of the time, sadly, I wouldn't even know. That's why it doesn't matter if you're having a good day or a bad day, there are so many people, your guests and coworkers, relying on you, that to be in this business you have to be able to get over yourself, as Danny Meyer says, Whether you go to the gym, do yoga, do drugs, take prozac, whatever, just get it out of your system and the show must go on!

Happy New Years Everybody!

And Sara or Katie, If you're down by Penn's Landing around midnight, come on in and I'll buy you a drink on the deck and watch the fireworks with you. I caught them last year and it was the most beautiful display I'd seen, hands down.

[KatieLoeb]

Tim:

Thanks for the gracious offer! I hope to be getting out to the 'burbs to hang with a few friends, but if I get stuck at work later than I expect (not like that ever happens ) and don't want to be on the road too late (I positively HATE driving on New Year's Eve - it's amateur night!) I might just take you up on it!

I'm right there with you about the work required in this crazy business. I was just having a chat with one of my former co-workers (and now a good friend) this evening and she was saying just about the same thing. Her theory is that people in the restaurant business have a much better work ethic than the average "9 to 5er" because they HAVE to, and after a certain point it becomes a real point of pride or you just don't last. I think that makes sense. You have to really want to work the long thankless hours and put up with a pay scale that is far below many other industries to stick it out. I was in an interview recently and I was asked why I liked doing what I do. My reply was quite blunt. I said I could probably make twice as much money being a cost accountant or corporate financial officer for a mid-sized widget manufacturing company, but that I have no passion for widgets as I do for food and wine. My interviewer looked surprised, but I hope understood what I was getting at.

You also touch on one of my earlier point as well. There are no A- grades. Either you "get" what the HOSPITALITY industry is about or you need to find new employment. It's all about approaching the customer with a "what can I do for you?" attitude as opposed to the flip side. Anything less is just plain lame and unacceptable, not to mention incredibly unhospitable.

I also understand your frustration regarding the customers that just dont "get it". I had a lengthy rant here on eGullet at one point when I was keeping a foodblog a few months back about a group of people that were in SB for a Chef's Table. I spent quite a bit of time working on the menu and wine parings with the chef and the guests turned out to be complete Philistines that got trashed at the bar before their dinner even started. I totally understand how you felt about the "duck-is-ham" customer!

If I don't get to meet you tomorrow, my thanks again for the invite and I'll definitely take a raincheck I'll be happy to cash in soon. Have a great New Year's and don't work too hard!

[mikerock]

i can't believe that the only disscussion of, in my opinion, the best restaurant in the city is directed at their ineptness at handling their wine service (which i strongly dissagree). i have had many wonderful times there. including a complimentary glass of gruner that led me to get a whole bottle. i've also been there sweaty, alone and straight from the kitchen and been treated just as well as with four and in my best sunday duds. that all aside the real reason we go out should be the food. my most menorable dishes were the pig trotter and pink shrimp cakes (which i got for dessert), the rabbit escabeche w/ snails, and (i hate to admit i ordered the chicken) the milk poached chicken breast w dark meat ravioli and natural jus.

[cdh]

I'll agree that the food there is great. As is the space... great interior design job. I've never been treated rudely either, but have only been twice.

I think that Salt got a lot of discussion over on Chowhound, and since a lot of us PHL egulleters are chowhound refugees, the been-there, done-that effect may be coming into play. When out-of-town foodies ask for recommendations, it is always on the list I give them. But I've not been in a while, so have no new news to report about the place.

I remember them playing with fennel pollen to good effect, and a great reinterpretation of the classic skate and brown butter dish. What's new on the menu? Hits? Misses?

[sara]

I hear Morales recently departed Salt--any confirmation?

[KatieLoeb]

I hear Morales recently departed Salt--any confirmation?

Confirmed by several of my wine salespeople. I think the Exec. Sous Chef stepped up to the Exec. Chef spot. Unfortunately I don't know his name. Also heard David Fields is trying to find a buyer but is asking waaaayyyy too much money for anyone to give him the time of day.

[TarteTatin]

It's funny, I know a lot about wine as a 44 year old female, and I've certainly experienced major discrimination from top restaurants in Philadelphia.

Both the Four Seasons about two years ago and recently Le Bec Fin. Both were waiting for my husband to arrive and would not give me the wine list for a long time; nor would they talk to me like I knew what I wanted to order! Horrible experiences both places, which would take me a few pages to detail. However, I wrote letters to both places. The Four Seasons reprimanded the server (this was in the Lounge, not the restaurant),but George Perrier recently sent me a very "bucky" letter not responding whatsoever to the allegations...and believe me, I'm not some sort of complainer, just a regular woman who knows what she's talking about. (I was a wine steward for years, bar manager, and have traveled extensively to Europe simply to study wine)

Anyway, Philadelphia seems to be very much behind the times in that respect.

I did not experience these problems in my late 20's in Europe...although NY and DC still treat me "special" when I ask for the wine list and order. Sometimes they still ask my husband to taste, even when I've ordered the wine! Or else they smirk and treat me like a cute puppy.

[sara]

Very interesting. The response from Perrier doesn't surprise me one bit-- after all, this is a man who is accused with some frequency of both sex discrimination and sexual harrassment--I'd hardly expect equitable treatment from either him or his male-dominated staff. (Is there even currently a female server working on his dining room floor?)

[KatieLoeb]

Casting:

Have we met? Where did you work as wine steward? Was it here in Philly? Just nosy and curious...

And if we haven't met, when are we going out to torment the sexist male waiters and sommeliers together?

[TarteTatin]

Yes, I think Katie, Sara and I should go out on the town!

Do a little article, maybe about "woman who know wine" and the stories behind them!

Are you too recognizable for that, Katie?