I'm post-irony earnest !!!

Wow, I am just tickled to be written about, it's even more fun than having people read what I write. I really do learn and take into account comments like "enchiladas came out dry where they should have been swimming in sauce" I will work on a way to get more sauce on the plate. I take heed when I've heard things from multiple sources, I've also heard comments on the rice having an occasional dried out grain.
I value the suggestions as much as the praise, and will continue my attempts to make each service better than the last, each meal better than the one before. Goodness, I don't always succeed, but  there are some indicators that besides my mis-steps I'm still doing more right than wrong.

The chart illustrates guests served over time. I really expected the growth to be a bit more gradual, but each peak seems to correspond to some media mention more-so than anything. Paid advertising has less relationship to number of guests served, though I think it is a good idea to keep our name in the mind of potential guests. We're doing some hiring to support all of this extra business. I just hired one of my favorite Ballard waitresses, she used to work at the Acorn, Italian place, to work Brunch, and we've brought in a former Bon Appetit guy to work with me in the kitchen. Bon Appetit was my first gig out of culinary school, so I'm really glad to have Clark working with me at the stove.

So, I will never again go out to a restaurant the weekend that their review appears. I'm sure lots of people regularly go to "the new spot that just got reviewed", and must think all places are crazy busy. We had to turn away guests on Sunday because we had so many people here on Friday and Saturday I didn't have any food left! I'm sure people waited longer for tables, and I think quality control must suffer in ANY enterprise that experiences such a sudden burst of activity. Because there was no way to predict how much impact there would be, and our space is so limited, it was very, very difficult to do a good job for all 118 people who ate a meal here on Saturday, my birthday.

On top of all of them, my parents were visiting from Florida, I think they were sort of impressed by all the attention, then around 9:00 the service staff passed chocolate cake around the dining room and had everyone sing "Happy Birthday". It is tough to embarrass me, but I'm told that I blushed effusively. So with my parents watching, I'm pretty sure that we did a very good job and made a lot of happy people over the weekend, except for the few who drove to eat here on Sunday, and had to be sent else-where.

What will this weekend bring?
Here is an excerpt from todays "Seattle Weekly"

"Camarones mojo de ajo—a dish that normally translates as "overcooked prawns overwhelmed by garlic"—clearly benefited from a chef with some French training. The juicy shrimp popped like ripe grapes in the mouth, and the garlic-chipotle sauce was perfectly made...

... A bowl of banana slices and Nilla Wafers layered with vanilla pudding came with a browned meringue Smurf-cap on top, an unexpected flair for the ultimate mom dessert."

The review mentions;
Grass-fed beef, vegan-friendly menu items, very little lard, and post-irony earnestness—yup, they know they're in Seattle. The restaurant glows with a casual, drop-by-anytime warmth. There's only a small divide between the kitchen and the dining room, and it's by design. Chef Jefe Birkner, who owns Austin Cantina with his wife, Jennifer, makes sure to say hello to everyone who sits down, and the server approaches the table with the zeal of a believer in Southern hospitality.

So, when did we move into an age of "post irony" and how did I get swept up in it without even realizing?
As for earnestness, I do hope to keep improving the quality and consistency of the food, of the service, of every aspect of this business. Thanks to everyone who continues to be a part of this experience with me.

 

Comments

[JimH]

Nice post; especially like the view into the (restaurant's) soul. J.

[JimH]

Nice post; especially like the view into the (restaurant's) soul. J.

[talulah]

vegetarian food, please!