Great list!  I am in full support of the chocolate rule!

re: Cafe Rustica
I used to go there as much as 3x a week for lunch and one time for brunch…and I have experienced some of the eccentricities from the staff -not Andy- some directed at me and some at my dining companions. Would that stop me from going there..not yet… the food is good…that is what matters for now. Besides, I still have not tried the sauerbraten which he only offers at dinner!

rule #4 - need to show this to the hubby. I sent him out of the restaurant one time because I was so annoyed at him for answering his phone.
rule # 5 - Yes!!!! Can’t understand why some restaurant’s dessert menu have no chocolate!

I personally can’t wait to dine there.  I’ve heard good things from all the reviews.  I think it’s clear that Chef Andy possesses the typical eccentricities of a true genius.

Bookstore Piet is a MAN. Man. Not woman, man.
ea
Still, I completely agree with you, Dexter. Andy was defending Karen. AND it’s incredibly hypocritical to not allow both sides of the argument if Mr. Piet was allowed to post on this site in the first place.

Lame.

If you go over to Bookstore Piet’s blog, it looks as though Chef Andy is attacking her without reason when in fact he was defending someone she was insulting - something her readers don’t know.

Oh, and only comments that make her look good are being approved on her blog.

This post went from boring to becoming a full blown lollercaust.

I don’t get why an owner’s opinion on something so mundane can drive away a patron and invite such an empassioned response from him.  I certainly wouldn’t rule out this guy’s bookstore just because he’s bothersome on the Internet.  (I just don’t go to bookstores because the retail price on books is a rip-off, and most places don’t have items in stock when I need them)

I think the person is question (with the adult-restaurant kid) is a man. What concerns me more is that most of his blog posts are about drinking gin with said kid sleeping nearby (on the floor, in the booth, wherever).

Chef Andy: you restaurant is one customer down (well 1.5 if you count the kid) but innumerable cool points up.

Kids don’t belong in places without highchairs.

thank goodness someone finally stood up to this woman who drags her kid to every good restaurant in town. i have had the displeasure of being in the same restaurant with them on two occasions and both times the kid disrupted other people. one time, i saw a diner ask the hostess if her party could be moved to escape the kid tossing things and the hostess’s replay was “i don’t blame you…we can’t wait for them to leave either.“

i think it’s very telling that she sees no problem with putting a 3 year old in an adult restaurant and causing other diners have a lesser experience because she wonn’t find anyone to babysit him.

Karen and Chef Andy:

You two are my new heros.  Thanks for saying what was definitely begging to be said.  Your post and comments offended no one that didn’t need a little dose of reality.  And Chef, I sure you won’t go out of business catering to a more sophisticated clientele.

Chef Andy is teh man!

If you call standing at the end of the table while we finished dessert or climbing up onto a bar stool while I sat next to him paying the bill ‘dancing’ in the isle <sic> then perhaps he was.  I’ll make sure and update my ‘self-important’ blog with your feelings and spread the word wide and far.

How to go out of business…
(1) Insult customers
(2) See #1

Dear Bookstore Piet person- Since when does a “wish list” become “intolerable behavior?“ You sound a little defensive of your well behaved child…the one that took the liberty (with parents okay) of dancing in the isle of my restaurant one night (you’ve written about it…go ahead, take a stab). While it was a darling display for you, it’s not a ritual that we would allow adults to engage in, and as a frequent diner in the city, not something that I want to put up with when I’m paying for a meal. Time to get over your self-important blog and realize that not everyone enjoys your kid. There are plenty of places that cater to the needs of youngsters and there are plenty of places where people go to get away from youngsters…you really need to learn the difference.

By “bland” I meant “boring”.

Reading your ‘complaints’ I’m guessing you eat alone a lot as your sniping would get on most peoples nerves.

Can you post a picture so if we see you out I can get my well behaved child to throw things at you?  Any other stereotypes or generalizations you care to throw about?  I’m sure you can piss off a few more people with your intolerant behavior.

It’s a little disturbing that my advertising dollars are paying your salary.

Sean,
I didn’t want to make the kind of list that targets servers and kitchen staff; I know far too many people who make their living in restaurants. Besides, service complaints have been done to death.

You want more specifics? I can give you some, but these would be things that applied specifically to me and, I think, be of far less interest to the masses.

Restaurants should not asume a single diner is in a rush due to lack of a companion. Really, I can amuse myself between courses.
Restaurants should offer an appetizer sized portion of all their entrees.
Restaurants should carry a really high end tequila (like they do bourbon and scotch), something appropriate for sipping, not shooting.
Restaurants should not cut corners with inexpensive ingredients. When I order a cheese plate with 3 kinds of cheese and get 6 grapes and 3 apple slices, I wonder why I couldn’t have maybe gotten an entire apple sliced up. Likewise, being served one piece of bread at a time, necessitating the server coming back to see if I want a second slice. Come on!

And if by “bland” you wanted me to cite specific restaurants I find fault with, not gonna do it.

While my wish list may be bland, there isn’t a single restaurant in Richmond that satisfies everything I want. And that’s really the only point I wanted to make.

Karen Newton

I whole-heartedly support rule #4. However, it should have a peanut butter line item in there somewhere.

Well, that was bland.