Good Service Not Yet Dead

Everyone likes to feel special, right?

Sure we do.  Don't let anyone tell you that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It is all about feeling special. We want that one woman (or person, sorry), that makes us feel like we can do anything and we can do it better than anyone else. That's the secret.

I have to move on before this becomes a very different blog.

This weekend, a few of us went to the newest Mexican restaurant in the area, La Parilla, again. We have become fans. I should mention that we have been a few times.  

I went in and put in for a table of four and was handed the vibrating thingy. I asked how long and the girl estimated about 25 minutes. I went back to let the rest of the group know. 

As we stood waiting outside, enjoying the pre-summer afternoon and a little banter amongst ourselves, the guy who has been our server several times (maybe every time), caught our attention and asked if we'd like to sit there on the patio.  As it was a nice day out, we said sure and he motioned us over to the exit which I know from personal experience is tricky enough to get out and nigh impossible to get in.

Our wait time was cut down to about 1/5 of expected. Aren't we all 'VIP'. So after being seated on the patio near the door, close enough to hear the live music just inside, which by the way was pretty good, Juanguy (I hope I spelled that right),  came around and asked "Sweet tea all around?".  Good memory, I thought.

He came back fairly quickly with four teas and points to Sonja and asks "Fajita Quesadilla?"  Now anyone who has been there with Sonja knows this was not a stretch. It is what she always gets. But still, in the grand scheme of things, I was impressed. 

The whole crew was fascinating to watch. I saw one guy come out several times with plates lined all the way up his arm. The food was phenomenal as always and Juanguy was as good as it gets for service. He never let me run out of tea (the first cardinal sin) but he never hovered obsessively either. 

As usual, when we finally stopped eating, and we were all stuffed beyond comfort level, Juanguy asked if we would like dessert and as usual we said no way. This time, however, he asked if we had ever tried flan?  Apparently, none of us had and off he went. In a moment he returned with a plate and four spoons. 

It was delicious and despite the fact that each of us had just declared that we couldn't do dessert, as we were stuffed, we all dove in and destroyed it. It was a flan massacre. If you don't know what flan is, I may not be much help. It's like a custard type thing covered in caramel. I was pleasantly surprised. (For those few of you who might be thinking it is the same as creme brulee, it is not. Creme brulee has a hard caramel top while flan has a liquid or soft caramel poured over it.)

In an unusual twist, I have become sidetracked. ;D  My main motivation was to point out that good service is rare but it does still exist. If you want proof, drop by La Parilla Mexican Restaurant on Hwy 231 N. Be sure to ask for Juanguy (pronounced won-gey).

And don't forget to tip your server.