Bubba Gumps

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by lashbear

Thanks Hon, I like you a lot too !

We love Our Lashie and Stoatie bears!

[Prudence]

I love food, and I love to try new kinds of food. However, I am also the canary in the coal mine for food poisoning. Generally, when I'm traveling is not the time for me to be taking risks. If I don't have a reliable recommendation from someone I can trust, I tend to stick to chains so that I can actually enjoy my travel, rather than spend most of my time doing something far less pleasant. Even at home, I tend to try new places on a Friday night, where I can have the weekend to recover should things have gone awry.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Gn2Dlnd

One guest's meal was not to their liking and no wait staff came to the table to make sure things were okay, the meal was never fixed.

Are you referring to mine? As a general rule, unless something is actually done wrong (e.g., undercooked, completely inedible, salt used when it should have been sugar), I don't send things back. This was a case of simply disagreeing with the culinary choice the chef made, I thought the salmon was over-seasoned. It wasn't horrible, the fish was cooked quite nicely, I just disagreed with the choice of preparation. I never consider that reason enough to send something back.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

What happened at Napa Rose?

(1) Surly barman in the lounge
(2) inflexible chef with regard to preparing a vegetarian meal as all the fish dishes were prepared with chicken stock in some form or another (no kidding). So a vegetarian meal was made of salad and the veggies sides. Roasted veggies, with, the inexplicable addition of steamed broccoli.
(3) one of the servers spilling a half empty plate down my back. We were seated near the chef's bar seating, so they were serving and removing plates over the barrier instead of table-side and when we asked to be served table side the server (not our waiter) made a face and rolled her eyes. No metion of the stain on the back of my blouse. And I did not see her nameplate, unfrotunately.
(4) My dish was inedible, monkfish with lobster sauce and gnocchi. The sauce was revolting, and the gnocchi so overcooked they were gum paste and the fish was killed not once, but 3 times over. I'm not a fussy eater, but it was truly a dish to be avoided. Our server, to his credit immediately came over asked if all was good and removed the plate without question. He also hustled to get me my second choice (which was my first, should always go with first choice) within moments (and delaying service for another guest I am sure) but by then I was not terribly hungry any longer.
We got our bill, the monkfish was not there, but not even an offer of a dessert to finish on a high note. It just was a bad evening and I feel like I'm whining. But for $300, you'd think we'd come out happy and satisfied.

I was more upset that the inflexibility of the chef. I mean, you can go to PF Chang's, Applebee's Ruby Tuesday and ask for a special vegetarian plate and they will usually bend over backward without issue. All they offer is a vague pasta dish, after they've already told us they steam and cook the pasta using chicken stock in the water?? Huh? Frankly, and correct me if I am wrong, the chef in any decent place would come out and say, certainly, leave it to me, no worries, I will make something special for you. And we would have been appreciative and gladly paid for it. Not so the Napa Rose, or there was a terrible mis-communication. Our waiter, he was lovely and tried hard, but he was swimming upstream. I did make a point to compliment him in the letter, it was not his fault and it sounds silly writing it down.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Availability of a selection of non-chain restaurants was one of the big draws of the city of Orange when we were looking to purchase property. While there are chains that I will eat at, I feel much happier eating at independent establishments with unique character.

I'm less picky regarding retail, as long as the products are of good quality. Thus, I'll shop at Target and Costco and such. KMart, and WalMart I avoid because I perceive their merchandise to be generally of lower quality.

I would shop for clothing at more independent locations, however I don't have the budget for most boutique stores, nor the patience to seek out the affordable ones. Though I tend to hold off buying suits until my dad is in the mood to spend a day in the garment district (partly because of the great deals and partly because he always ends up paying for at least one suit for me. Who am I to argue?).

As for Bubba Gumps across from Disneyland? I don't fault the business decision, but it still depresses me that there is no business incentive to risk an independent establishment. It's pathetic that the choice is "high price" or "medium price chain." It's even more pathetic that people value price (as in, "It costs more, therefore it must be better")/image over actual food quality. I've mentioned before the sad story of our favorite Italian restaurant in Irvine. Down the street from a very mediocre chain-style place, where the food was blander and the prices higher, and yet the little independent place with wonderful food (no tentacles or eyeballs, just delicious southern Italian cuisine) and reasonable prices was always empty and eventually went out of business. Sad.

Have you eaten at Watson's Drug on the circle?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by JWBear

Have you eaten at Watson's Drug on the circle?

It's where we take almost all of our guests the first time they visit us. CP works at the library that's practically across the street, she's likely eaten 90% of their menu items.

And it's called "The Plaza" (even if it is a circle).

[JWBear]

It was the Orange Circle when I was a kid, and that's what I still call it.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Are you referring to mine?

No.

Small group of people, you wouldn't know them. Cliqueish, snobby, keep to themselves mostly.

[Gn2Dlnd]

I miss Belisle's.

[blueerica]

Sadly, within a 20 minute radius there's little in Utah that isn't a chain. So, the independent restaurant will be my little kitchen. When we've needed something quick and not stressful, we go to Chili's for regular eatsor McGraths for fish. Sometimes we'll hit up the TGIF or even Applebees, but we're notsomuch fans of the Applebees.

In downtown Ogden there are some interesting eats to be had, but due to a bunch of stuff I'm not going to spend time typing out, many restaurants are closed at around 6 or earlier. The few that are open past that are new and are soon to realize the money loss. Hopefully, I'll be a part of fixing that. Ogden's a lovely city.