2/5 Shannon A. 6 months ago on Google
Halfway
through
the
25-minute
wait
on
my
French
onion
soup,
I
asked
my
server
about
a
wine
pairing.
The
2021
Willamette
Valley
Pinot
Noir
on
the
glass
pours
menu
instantly
had
my
attention,
as
it's
a
favorite
vintage
of
mine,
but
I
suspected
that
the
Columbia
Valley
Cabernet
blend
might
suit
the
beef
base
of
the
soup
better
--
I
didn't
remember
which
cheese
would
be
melted
on
top,
though,
and
wanted
a
recommendation
based
on
the
knowledge
of
the
staff.
This
did
not
prove
a
successful
communication
with
my
server,
who
initially
attempted
to
enthusiastically
sway
me
toward
the
Pinot
that
I
mentioned
liking,
calling
it
"bold"
even
knowing
I
was
considering
the
Cabernet
as
well
(which
didn't
exactly
foster
trust
in
the
capacity
for
selection
assistance
of
my
server).
I
had
to
really
push
to
even
get
the
server
to
offer
to
ask
the
bartender
for
a
recommendation,
who
apparently
liked
both
red
meat
and
red
wine
more
than
this
server
did,
leading
the
server
to
believe
that
the
bartender
would
be
a
more
reliable
source
of
basic
menu
knowledge.
I
was
surprised
when,
several
minutes
later,
a
glass
of
the
Cabernet
blend
was
delivered
to
my
table
by
someone
whom
was
neither
my
server
nor
the
bartender
who
might
have
been
more
knowledgeable.
I
had
not
yet
received
the
information
I
was
looking
for
to
make
my
decision,
nor
had
I
even
decided
on
ordering
a
glass
at
all;
and
yet,
it
seemed
the
decision
had
been
made
for
me.
Now,
in
attempt
to
ease
the
impression
that
this
review
is
written
in
bad
faith,
I
do
understand
that
Sunday
at
noon
is
likely
the
height
of
Papa
Haydn's
busy
lunch
rush,
and
the
wait
time
was
not
something
I
would
reasonably
take
issue
with;
in
fact,
I
could
have
happily
waited
even
more
time
to
ensure
an
experience
worth
returning
for.
I
don't
blame
the
server
for
being
woefully
under-informed
and
simultaneously
over-zealous
to
please
the
customer
with
as
little
pressure
on
the
bar
as
possible:
in
my
experience,
that
particular
quirk
of
service
is
the
direct
result
of
unsupportive
management
with
irresponsible
training,
and
I
made
sure
to
tip
appropriately
so
my
server
didn't
suffer
further
negative
consequences
of
an
establishment
that
needed
to
comp
a
botched
wine
sale
($6
on
a
ticket
that
would
have
had
a
$15
glass
with
the
$12
soup).
I
decided
it
wasn't
worth
attempting
to
resolve
this
issue
in
the
moment
because
the
staff
were
so
obviously
swamped
already
--
far
be
it
from
me
to
increase
the
stress
of
a
shift
like
that
by
refusing
to
adapt
my
expectations
to
the
clearly-evident
chaos.
The
only
reason
that
this
review
of
service
is
receiving
a
single
star
is
the
host
who
greeted
me
at
the
front,
who
was
warm,
inviting,
professional,
and
highly
competent.
If
my
entire
experience
had
reflected
that
initial
impression,
there
would
be
five
stars
for
service.
(To
clarify,
my
server
was
very
friendly
whenever
I
did
see
them,
but
seemed
to
rely
on
personability
in
lieu
of
actual
service
capability
--
again,
not
the
fault
of
this
individual,
but
reflects
poorly
on
the
management
responsible
for
training
their
staff
for
service
worthy
of
the
prices
charged
on
a
menu
that
sells
itself
on
classic
charm.)
Food-wise,
the
soup
was
fine.
Not
great,
not
inedible--just
a
well
proportioned,
if
slightly
jammy,
French
onion.
Even
though
the
Cabernet
blend
was
probably
technically
the
right
call,
I
still
found
the
mishandling
of
a
simple
recommendation
request
distasteful
enough
to
disappoint
for
my
first
dining
experience
at
a
longstanding
establishment
in
my
neighborhood.
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