CD..... D minus

At least for last night.....you just never know when you walk through the door

After a sobering day of getting over the lessons in life, MFO and I decided to go “out” for dinner, and recalling a pleasant experience visiting the back end of CD Café (which is really “next door at the….”), we decided to go back for a bite. When we approached the door, we noticed there weren’t many customers, which is fine with us. We perched on the same couple of stools at the copper topped bar as we had last time. The first thing we noted was that the person behind the bar was not the same as last time. She was engaged with another server/barkeep who appeared to be explaining the use of the POS system, and how to fill out an order ticket. Uh Oh. And indeed we find out it was her first night on the job with bar duty. What followed was an on the job training session that went past irritating to a humorous entertaining experience.

First lesson was in response to my ordering of my DMOTRWAT drink and MFO’s request for a Toasted Head Untamed White. Both behind the bar people immediately consulted the “Bar Keepers Friend” looking up Manhattan recipes, and after finding the Dry version proceeded to the back bar with the book. They did ask if I wanted “Bourbon or Whiskey” and were satisfied with my response of Jim Beam. Fortunatley they reached for the green bottle vermouth, so that was okay and put that in the shaker with the Beam and a dash of Bitters. After shaking the drink one grabbed an “up glass”, and trying to be helpful, I called out “on the rocks!” to be greeted with a blank stare and they proceeded to strain the drink into the “up” glass, to which they added the ice cubes. Upon serving I said it was odd to get an on the rocks drink in an up glass! Response: "what’s an up glass?" after an explanation, oh, thanks. Then some rummaging produced the Toasted Head.. Don't bother to order that...

Another lesson occurred when a fellow diner at the bar asked if he could have a Grand Marnier with his crème brulee. “Is that some kind of wine?”. No, it’s a liqueur. “Oh, I don’t think we have that”. Yes you do, there’s the bottle right there. After guidance (next shelf down, go left, go right, the one with the white label) it was found and then she grabbed a red wine glass. Don’t you have a snifter? “what’s that?”. It’s kind of like that glass but with a shorter stem. “I don’t think we have any of those, but I’ll ask”. Soon returned with another server who opened a cabinet door and produced said snifter. “I’ll be darned”.

My empty drink glass remained on the bar the whole time I was there, and along the way, other little gaffes of service were made, but figuring she had had a tough evening we let it go. All through the experience there were multiple apologies, for being new, first time, sorry this, and sorry that. And, to be honest (as I always am), she was trying hard and just had apparently been thrown into the fire.

The food was good. I originally ordered an off the menu grilled tuna dish, which they were out of (my lot in life lately) and settled instead for a grilled salmon with a creamy dill sauce over roasted potatoes, with sautéed green beans. Generous and tasty. MFO had the turkey burger, which, although kind of thin was enjoyed aided by a nice tangy sauce.

A unique experience to be sure, and hopefully it will indeed be unique to last night. OJT one time is okay. If it gets repeated on next visit (and there will be one), then some decisions will have to be made..

We were of course

DFD

Bonus chuckle passed along by loyal reader (if the shoe fits department):

Wife asks Engineer Husband to go to the market.
Sure, what would you like?
A quart of milk, and if they have eggs, get six.
Husband arrives back at the house with six quarts of milk.
Wife asks why in the world did you get six quarts of milk?
Response: They had eggs…