mambo5678

Alexander’s is a lovely restaurant where I have come to expect first-class food and service; unfortunately, last night’s experience was dreadful. The waiter was obtuse and pompous; the food uneven.

Beginning with a tedious explanation of what a tasting menu is until we received our truffle fries when the three of us were nearly finished with our meals, the service was truly awful, notwithstanding the fact that my short ribs were greasy, the veggies cold. Fortunately, my colleagues were generally pleased with their fillet and prime rib.

Perhaps it was a mistake to interrupt the waiter’s pedantic definition by mentioning we had recently done Robuchon’s in Paris and a tasting menu was more food than we wanted, for instead of being able to order, he continued with a list of the “world famous” tasting menus he had eaten and he then firmly informed us it was not about the quantity of the food but about the experience…followed by several more tedious minutes informing us of how small the portions are, and again, what a dining “experience” is…blah, blah, blah.

I’m perfectly sanguine with occasionally uneven food and the sides were excellent, as always; however, I have a serious problem with snotty servers. Interestingly, our waiter’s assistant (I believe, named Steve) was charming and gracious. Perhaps instead of Steve assisting, our waiter could shadow Steve, for this might show him the people skills absolutely necessary for a positive dining experience.