"j*ni p." > wrote in message
...
> Hark! I heard Melba's Jammin' > say:
> > In article > , Dog3
> > > wrote:
>
> > (snip)
> > > Now, what bothers me in some upscale restaurants here is the
> > > suffocation of perfect service. A few months ago I went to an
> > > acclaimed restaurant in St. Louis which my family has frequented for
> > > years. I swear, if I even look like I'm pulling out a cigarette a
> > > waiter shows up with a lighter to light it.
> >
> > You smoke? I'll bet your cardiologist loves that. "-)
> > Story: Nice restaurant in Denver -- Le Profil -- waiters were standing
> > around (not physically hovering and it must have been a not very busy
> > evening), and every time I put my fork down, ours made a move to remove
> > my plate. It made me nervous.
>
> Funny, I'm just the opposite about that -- Hubby and I went to Ruth's
> Chris Steak House in Seattle a couple of years ago:
>
> http://www.ruthschris.com/
>
> I didn't get all that excited about the food (they cut their filets
> too thick, IMHO), but the wait staff was top notch. When they weren't
> actively waiting a table, they were watching the dining area, looking
> for someone who might need something. I loved having my water refilled
> repeatedly without having to ask. Though I guess the "plate removal"
> thing Barb mentioned would get annoying after a while. I'd probably
> start teasing the waiter -- you know, almost put the fork down, but
> not quite; put it down them pick it up as soon as he walked over. No
> wonder Dad says I'm evil... ;-)
>

These's a long-standing rule of etiquette that deals with this situation
perfectly. Fork and knife at an angle on the plate (at 4 and 8 o'clock e.g.)
means you are still eating. Fork and knife together, next to one another,
you are done. THis seems to have gone out of vogue because it is amazing how
few people and waiters know about it.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.