returning customers ... biwa

above is my obsession right now. ramen from biwa. i love this restaurant. i've never had a bad meal here. the best thing about the ramen is that it's the biggest bowl ever and there is plenty for breakfast the next morning. that's right, you heard me. oh, and if you don't add the egg to it, why bother? it's delicious. another favorite? kimchi chijimi. it's like a pancake like thing with veggies & kimchi. awesome. the gyoza is one of the best little hand-wrapped dumplings. i've also had the yakionigiri (grilled ball of rice) and they used to have these bbq'd ribs that were so good. i notice they aren't on the menu anymore. please go to biwa if you're around 9th and ... ash, i want to say in southeast. it's a few blocks south of the doug fir next to simpatica. check it out. thank me later.

last night as i was at the POS at work, i looked up and who did i see walking in the door but my favorite customers, michael & susan! i hadn't seen them for about 2 years. honestly, i thought something horrible had happened to michael as he had a heart transplant and had complications. he said he's just getting out in the world. he's aged, but lost weight and has his same jolly demeanor. it totally made my night better.
something happened last night at rsq that is one of my pet peeves. ok. rsq was rockin' last night (of course) and at about 6 pm a couple sat on table 2, never opened their menu and already had beer. great. i cruised by and assumed they were ready to order since they'd been waiting. i did the usual friendly greet and they informed me that they weren't really going to order any food - well, maybe a snack. what? ok. they ordered bbq shrimp and proceeded to sit there until after closing nursing 3 beers between them and 2 appetizers. it was, as johna might say, "chockers" up in that joint last night. they clearly could see that there was a wait - about 15 or 20 minutes -but they not once thought, maybe we ought to get moving so others can sit. or, if you are only going to have apps and beer why not sit at the bar? table 2 never turned. i made $4 at the table when i could have made no less than $35 turning that table 3 or 4 times. it's so annoying. speaking of annoyances...

caryn's restaurant pet peeves & scenarios:

• read the menu. really. men are the worst culprits. for example, they open the menu, see pulled pork sandwich and close the menu. when you ask them about sauce and side, they immediately say, what are the choices? how about opening the freakin' menu and choosing? instead they want you to rattle everything off. i do my best to make them choose themselves by re-opening the menu and pointing to sauce & side choices. this is usually followed by them just picking the first thing out of my mouth (usually mac & cheese) and closing the menu. then the sandwich comes out looking amazing - but what? what's on top of it? i didn't order it with slaw! well, it says right on the menu that it's served with slaw on it. see, if they would read the menu, it could have been avoided. then they make a big production of scraping it off (wasteful). that's when i smile and say a traditional pulled pork sandwich comes with slaw right on top. it's delicious. anything else right now? great! enjoy. then i walk away with a sense of annoyance and maybe a little delight in their stupidity.
• don't try to order from the hostess as she is seating you. [or as sharon says i hate it when people try to order before their ass is even in the seat! - say in texan accent.] she isn't a server and she doesn't really have time to take your drink order. at rsq we are pretty prompt about someone getting to the table to at least greet and get beverages.
• don't ask for a 6-top booth on a friday or saturday night if there is only 2 of you and don't let the hostess get you all settled and then say you don't want to sit there. there is a reason the hostess is sitting you there. usually it's so one server doesn't get overwhelmed. we at rsq have a 3 table minimum per server - if 3 tables have menu's down and haven't ordered yet, that server will not be sat. just freakin' sit down, shut up and eat. god. [oh, and if you get table 13, don't f**k around with the dimmer for the lights. i know it's fun, but really, people are trying to eat. example: a couple of weeks ago a 6-top of ADULTS were at the table and it was getting late. i had my back to the table doing some closing duties when i saw the lights go all the way up. we at rsq like to keep it low. i turned around and they looked at me giggling. the lights went back down. no, up again. i turned around again and gave them the mom face - don't make me come over there! the lights went down and up again really quickly. i finally turned around walked halfway to the table and said you know, if you wouldn't mind, people are trying to eat here. they just laughed. guess what? not funny.]
• kids. working in a restaurant has given me a really bad taste in my mouth with kids. probably made me not want to have any. now, don't get me wrong, i love kids. well, my kids - brent, joe, lauren, hannah, jae, etc. i suppose it's the bad parenting that makes me most crazy. example: last night i had 3 meatapalooza plates in my hands heading to the back of the que. as i came through the doorway into the blue room, a small child was wandering around as his parents chatted over their beers and cocktails. because i had 3 large plates in front of me, i couldn't see said child and ran him down. not on purpose, of course. he didn't go down, but i could have hurt him by a) dropping a 5 lb plate of piping hot bbq on his head or b) stepping on him and crushing him. we don't have this sign up for shits and giggles...wandering children will be given a double espresso and a puppy to take home. oh, and kids are icky, dirty, messy and chock full of germs. don't let your kid smear yams on the window. don't let your kid color on the menu - we give them paper for that. don't let your kid eat the crayons. don't let your kid throw a plate. don't let your kid put their mouths on the ketchup bottle. don't let your kid wander to the next table and annoy them. don't encourage your kid to squeal or scream. even in delight - you might think little johnnie's high pitched squeal is cute. believe me, others don't.

so these are just a few of my peeves - believe me, i have an ayn rand sized book full of 'em. i don't want to blow my wad on one entry. i have to go to work in a few so i suppose i should rinse last night's que off.

[missed you last night lelsey ... i had to be nice to liz and that takes so much freakin' energy...]