It's amazing how service can make or break a dining experience. Tonight we had dinner at the girl & the fig, a restaurant which I have been wanting to visit for a long time. And everything was set up just right -- we had a table out on the patio, the weather was perfect and we had been saving our appetites for this all day.
Unfortunately, our server pretty much ruined everything, and I'm not sure I'll ever go back. She basically ignored us. I suspect this was because we look young, and she made the mistake of assuming we wouldn't leave a decent tip or wouldn't run up a nice ticket. Um, big mistake.
She hardly came to our table at all. It took her forever to take our order, and when she finally came over, she wasn't helpful in the least. She didn't make any recommendations or offer any insight (funny, since I overheard her gushing about the Alban Syrah and recommending the hell out of the pork chop to the table next to us, which had four older people at it). I had to ask her what the day's bistro and wine flight specials were. (The restaurant has a special $30 three-course fixed menu Sundays through Thursdays. But apparently, you have to ask about it because the server won't volunteer any information. Why try to give the customer a deal, right? Who cares about service?)
We continued to be ignored throughout the meal. After our first course came (we shared the polenta and the asparagus soup -- the polenta was absolutely amazing -- I wish the rest of the meal could've been this good), she took forever to come back to check on us. I don't think she checked on us at all after the main course. In fact, my water glass sat empty for a really long time, which was like torture since my main course (a Sonoma rabbit pasta that was decidedly less than mediocre -- the rabbit itself pretty much tasted like really bland, overcooked chicken while the rest of the dish was extremely, extremely salty) made me thirsty.
And then after the main course, the server brought our dessert menus and then disappeared for such a long time that we decided not to get dessert anymore (and we were originally going to order two dishes) because she was taking so damn long. (And while we were waiting, we watched her bring three cheese plates to the table next to us and gush about how one of them was a special goat cheese that wasn't on the menu. She had asked for this special cheese just for them so they could have a greater variety. Um, gag me.)
And then the check took forever. And then she was awkward when she dropped it off. (We were using a gift certificate, and the bill ended up being less than the certificate, and she was trying to explain that the difference had been applied to her tip, which we had requested, but it just came off really strangely because she acted like she was trying to avoid saying the word "tip," so her sentences just kind of hung in the air. And then she ended up just taking the receipt and everything and walking away. Weird.)
We were happy when we finally got out of there. That meal took three hours and cost $95 ($95! -- and we didn't even get dessert!). And also the music they were playing was god-awful. And we were sitting right under the speaker.
I am disappointed. Seriously. I thought this was going to be a fabulous meal (really, the restaurant is called the girl & the fig and the fare is French country cuisine and it's in downtown Sonoma right on the square -- how much cuter can you get?), but we were treated like crap. It really pissed me off. Just because someone is young, that doesn't mean they aren't worthy of the same level of service as everyone else. If anything, I think youth affords the opportunity to educate and win over someone who will likely be a customer for a much longer time than some of these old folks. And you should never assume that younger people won't spend money -- how many of us don't even blink when we fork over $165 for a pair of jeans? (Okay, maybe that's just me and my addiction.)
Anyway, enough ranting. I'm going to bed.
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