tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273490805343363580.post26225818610104155..comments2024-02-09T07:18:40.958-05:00Comments on The Garden of Eating: Restaurant Review: LaLime'sUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273490805343363580.post-21953970583411725702007-11-12T12:13:00.000-05:002007-11-12T12:13:00.000-05:00You may be right that most of the service staff is...You may be right that most of the service staff is likely great (I can't recall any bad service experiences), however, you seem to have been stuck with two. One may have been inexperienced or rushed and the other seemed pretty rude or unclear on the concept of good service (or, even worse, greedy). Whatever the reason, a place like Lalime's should continue to hold itself to a high standard and its customers should not have to suffer for even, at best, a bad night for a server. We are all entitled to those (bad days or bad nights) but, in a service industry, when that happens the customer should not bear the burden. That is why I think you should contact the restaurant. They should know what your experience was (and, who knows, maybe they'll come back with a gesture to bring you back sooner rather than later (like, "well, we are really disappointed to hear this. I am sure a totally comp'd dinner for 4 is in order. The one condition is that you have to bring your neighbors to south.").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273490805343363580.post-38723688788038813472007-11-12T11:43:00.000-05:002007-11-12T11:43:00.000-05:00Hey Dale,I'm sure many of the waitstaff there are ...Hey Dale,<BR/>I'm sure many of the waitstaff there are great (though as you said, when it's expensive, you kinda expect excellent service.)<BR/><BR/>Sea Salt and T-Rex are definitely on my list of restaurants to try! and Rahm loves Jimmy Bean's - it's very close to his office so he gets lunch there sometimes.Eve Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11482763690010870278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273490805343363580.post-53604273436580541442007-11-12T10:01:00.000-05:002007-11-12T10:01:00.000-05:00I am disappointed to hear of your service experien...I am disappointed to hear of your service experience at Lalime's. It is one of our favorite restaurants and we have gone there periodically over the years. For years, it was considered "Chez Panisse Light" as it did a single menu (the way the Chez Panisse downstairs does). It is only in the last few years that it has done the a la carte style (it may have even been 5+ years ago, but with a place that has been open as long as it has, it still seems like a recent change). There is really no excuse for poor service at any restaurant and it can really harm the meal at a high-end restaurant (the saving grace is when you are with a fun group; I don't know that excellent food alone can save bad service when the prices are so high; there must be more intangibles).<BR/><BR/>For your non-Berkeley readers, it might be interesting to note that Lalime's is the anchor to Berkeley's premier restauranting family, the Krikorians. Fonda Solana (tapas), Jimmy Bean's (very casual bistro, great breakfast), Sea Salt (seafood) and T-Rex (bbq) round it out. We go to all of them (including taking the kids to T-Rex and Jimmy Bean's). However, to my knowledge, Lalime's started it all (opening in 1985).<BR/><BR/>Normally, I would suggest that you go back and if the service still lags behind the food, to bring it up to the manager (though not that night because the manager on duty will get defensive and the scene will be confrontational). However, the problem is, again with expensive dining, that one generally can't afford to give it another try (with so many great places, it is not really necessary). That said, I would encourage you to contact the manager about this recent experience. He/she should know about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com