Celebrating our anniversary, my husband and I chose what we hoped would be a memorable dining experience. While the cuisine initially impressed, the evening took an unexpected turn, leaving us questioning whether even excellent food can compensate for truly lackluster service. The wine selection was undeniably sophisticated, setting a promising tone for the night.
Our waitress began with attentiveness, promptly delivering our attractively plated and genuinely delicious appetizers. However, this initial charm proved fleeting. As the evening progressed, she seemed to vanish, entering a realm of unseen activities “in the back.” While my husband’s post-dinner wine order arrived swiftly, my dessert became an exercise in patience. For a full twenty-five minutes, we observed it sitting tantalizingly on the counter, a visual promise unfulfilled, simply because our server was preoccupied elsewhere.
Finally, dessert arrived, and with it, my request for the check. This, too, initiated a prolonged wait – another twenty minutes ticked by. When she finally presented the bill, an almost unbelievable question followed: “Do you need change?” This query implied an expectation of a staggering 40% tip for service that was, at best, intermittent. My husband, a generous tipper under normal circumstances, politely declined. She took the payment, and then, astonishingly, disappeared again, this time without returning the change. Another twenty minutes elapsed as we watched her flit around, seemingly engaged in tasks unrelated to our table.
Growing increasingly weary, I suggested that standing up might expedite our departure. This action prompted a sudden reappearance. Our waitress announced she had to “run upstairs to get change,” leaving us standing in our coats, waiting yet again. The entire process of settling the bill and finally leaving felt unnecessarily protracted and frustrating.
Despite the undeniable quality of the food, the poor service cast a long shadow over our anniversary dinner. Ultimately, we concluded that even culinary excellence is diminished when service fails so fundamentally. For a truly enjoyable dining experience, perhaps we are better off returning to Violino’s, where consistent service complements the cuisine. It’s highly unlikely we will be revisiting this particular establishment, a lesson perhaps lost on a server who likely wondered why a mere 10% tip was left. She might be surprised to learn that under different circumstances, she would have received significantly more. However, on this occasion, the service danced to the beat of its own drum, and unfortunately, not in a way that encouraged generosity.
