The "restaurant retry" value (or a less than stellar review of a restaurant)
What's the "restaurant retry" value? It's the number of times you're willing to try a place after you had a non-stellar (could be just 'ok', could be 'bad', could be 'awful') experience there. Why does this come up? Last night we went out to dinner with a couple friends to Cafe Lago in nearby Montlake. Let's just say I was a bit, hmmmmmm, underwhelmed.
Caveat emptor - I did order the steak in a clearly pasta / pizza joint. OK, disclaimers out of the way - I ordered what sounded like a very nice steak with a basalmic reduction on it and shoestring potatoes. The steak was supposed to be medium-rare. When it comes out I'm only a couple bites into it that I realize that it's much closer to rare than I enjoy. Our waiter hadn't swung by to ask how everything was, so it was only when everyone else was half done with their meals that I got to send it back indicating it was too rare. Time passes, everyone else finishes their meals, and my steak returns - WELL done. Very well done. Not a trace of pink, much less red. Clearly this is not somewhere you send back food. A couple minutes later the waiter stops back by and asks whether the steak is "closer to done". Closer? It's about 5 stops past 'done'! Seriously - all it takes is a 5 second glance to realize that this is no longer a 'medium-rare' steak, or even a 'medium' steak. Or even a 'medium-well' steak. Sheesh!
The two immediate questions that come to mind are:
1. How to tip? While the service for everyone else's meal was OK (and their food seemed to be good) I hold the waiter partially responsible for the travesty that was my steak. He could/should have checked the order to see what I had asked for, or asked me again while he was taking it back if he wasn't sure how I ordered it. Yes, I admit that I'm also partially responsible - I could have reminded him specifically that I asked for medium-rare when sending it back and also should have immediately complained when it came back so overcooked.
2. Do I go back? In this case, yes I'll end up giving it one more try. The pizza looked quite nice and everyone else's pasta sounded like it was good. But if it's anything other than excellent? Well - there are just too many nice places in Seattle to frequent somewhere that doesn't deserve it.
Cafe Lago in twenty words or less? Apparently the Lasagne is excellent. The ravoli is good. The ambience is nice. Just don't order the steak.