Was the food as good as you thought it was?

So I'm stuck in Jersey again, went out to eat with several coworkers. But I'm posting here because it's about Dining Out more than it's about Beyond Chicagoland

I'm really enjoying my meal, service has been pretty good (not stellar), food tasty, conversation and companionship outstanding... and the server comes back and insults the guy who got took the bill about a stingy tip (sarcastically calling it a math error -- which it was, but telling him we do things differently in this country is just crass).. and suddenly the whole meal turns on its collective ass.

My Fried Seafood Platter (I'm a sucker for those) comes apart as what appear to be commercially-breaded scallops, shrimp and crabcake (the fish on the plate was better), with watery coleslaw and sweet insipid cocktail sauce. I didn't enjoy that food much at all, it was merely OK.

Has this ever happened to you? Is the meal a joy, then suddenly merely functional eating? (Joanne Walley (later Kilmer) in Willow: "I'm your sun, your moon... and it went away?") I was all set to write this up (yes, over in Beyond) as a diamond in the Jersey rough, and now it can just sit there all alone (although I have to check out at least one of the two Columbian places on the same block)

JoelF wrote:But I'm posting here because it's about Dining Out more than it's about Beyond Chicagoland

Just the sort of thing that the "Other Culinary Chat" is for. Sorry your meal ended poorly.

Aaron

Not sure I fully understand-but I'm guessing that the check was paid for
beforehand, and the nasty turn of events actually transformed the food for you midway into it. Or is this a case of reassessing the food after it was consumed? I think I can relate to the latter-where I get caught up in the conversation, wine, etc, and realize the chow wasn't that hot. I don't think a service issue (even a major one like you describe) has ever had that effect for me-interesting phenom. At any rate I hope the manager was alerted.

JoelF wrote:I'm really enjoying my meal, service has been pretty good (not stellar), food tasty, conversation and companionship outstanding... and the server comes back and insults the guy who got took the bill about a stingy tip (sarcastically calling it a math error -- which it was, but telling him we do things differently in this country is just crass).. and suddenly the whole meal turns on its collective ass.

I totally get you. A server can leave a bad taste in your mouth as surely as food can.

For an example of how the exact same situation can be handled with grace, which you might not think possible, I give you Abril, sometime in the early nineties. I was picking up the tab for our merry group. Due to the number of Dos Equises I had consumed, I made a computational error that caused me to leave a tip of $2 when $22 would have been closer to right. (I was paying with cash, and to compound the felony, I made a magnanimous gesture along the lines of "No change required, my good man, it's all for you!") As we were putting on our coats, the waiter came over and, almost apologetically, said he believed I might have made an error. I guess he could tell from the conviviality we'd all been experiencing not only amongst ourselves but between us and the staff, and the fact that my magnanimous "it's all for you" gesture seemed genuine (it was), that it was unlikely I'd be deliberately stiffing him. And he was right. I was embarrassed, but also appreciative that he pointed out my error, and what's more, I had the impression that he believed me when I professed my embarrassment, which was nice. I then left the amount I would have in the first place if I'd been thinking straight, we shook hands, and sincerely wished each other the merriest of Christmasses. I've always thought back to how remarkable it was that a waiter could find a way to question his tip and create more good will by doing so rather than less. That guy should run for office.

Riddlemay -- you're absolutely right, it can be handled tactfully, even to the limit of, "I'm sorry, was there a problem with the meal that prompted you to leave a smaller than typical tip?" That can be tough to do without being snide, but can be done politely.