Excellent Service

Going out with friends is always high on my list.  As I've said before, going out to a restaurant is a really good time in my book.  Last night we were able to combine the two.  Our friend Aaron is serving in Afghanistan right now, but just got home for a visit.  So, to celebrate his being home, a bunch of us planned to meet at Saki Tumi.

I've blogged before about how much I like Saki Tumi.  But, today, the purpose of this post is to tell you about our waiter.  But before I get started, I'll tell you the Fire Island roll that I ordered is my new favorite and was outstanding.  My friend Laurin had the Giant Spider roll which was also terrific.  Neil went with the Samurai roll.  I didn't get a taste of his, but he was quite pleased with his selection. Jason went with seared tuna while Aaron hit up the crabcakes.  I just can't remember what Robin ordered...my mind has gone blank.  But, suffice it to say, that no one had any complaints about their food. (Here's the menu.)

Escolar (butterfish) sample

Fire Island roll

Our new favorite waiter

On to the waiter.  His name is Russell.  If you find yourself heading over to Saki Tumi, I strongly recommend that you ask for this guy.  Wait for a table in his section if you have to.  Neil and I are very persnickety about service and when it's excellent, we get very excited.  That can make the entire experience for us.  We ordered a drink and just started chatting.  That led to talking about this blog, a new restaurant that just opened (more on that later) and Russell introducing us to the "Columbia Originals" card.  Let's start there...

How have I NEVER heard of this card? You present it whenever you eat at participating locally owned & operated restaurants.  They swipe the card and you accumulate points for every dollar you spend which then turn into money you can spend in the restaurants.  Brilliant!   I am now a card-carrying member.


Back to the service aspect.  Russell is a genuinely friendly guy.  He really knows the menu and offers meaningful suggestions.  As we waited for our friends to arrive, he brought us a sample of the butterfish sashimi.  See?  That's a small detail by a really good waiter that made a very big impression.  Our drinks arrived quickly and Russell not only puts a napkin under your glass, he replaces them after they get soaking wet!  This is a biggie for me.  I absolutely HATE it when I am served a drink without a bev-nap.  This is SC...our drinks sweat all over the table.  Bev-naps are a critical component that most servers seem to be unaware of.  It's a little tiny napkin that does a huge job.  Don't diss the bev-nap.  Don't pretend the bev-nap isn't important. Revere the bev-nap.

If you check out some of the reviews on Urbanspoon, you'll see some bellyaching about Saki Tumi's prices.  I actually compared three items from 3 different restaurant menus.  S.T. is pretty much right on with the competition's prices, with a couple of exceptions.  But, Neil and I both will tell you emphatically that we'll spend a couple extra bucks if we know we're going to get outstanding service as well as outstanding food.  

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Taco War: The End of the Battle

I recently mused about the headline article in Free Times regarding Columbia's Taco War.  I'm still flabbergasted that our city's government could stall and hem 'n haw for over a year on such a simple issue, but (Woop!) there it is.  


Yesterday morning, I was surprised to receive a short one-liner from the actual Taco Stand Man.  He had somehow found my (very artistic and professional grade) "Taco Boy" cartoon on YouTube.  He was very complimentary and commented that he'd never had anyone turn him into a cartoon before.  Hold the phone... I may have stumbled onto a promising side business for myself.  (note to self: start searching for a talent agent).  

Ironically, later that same day, I received this link from my friend Kelley... I am delighted to know that the Taco Cart will stand and begin to deliver.  I am delighted to know that a new restaurant is coming to Main Street.  I just hate the fact that the little guy had to be the big guy and compromise.  Really?  City council had to look to a small businessman to give up something so they wouldn't have to just use some common sense and cajones to honor the man's permit application and let both businesses coexist and compete in this free market society we live in?  (Rolling my eyes and taking a deep breath)

But, in the end, I congratulate David Roberts for having incredibly tenacious patience while our elected procrastinators jerked him around for a year.  I, for one, can't wait to visit his taco cart and give him my full support.  But, one last note before I go:  Should we be worried about the fact that no one can reach the "Fever" lady?Hmmmm

Columbia's Taco War

Upon Neil's recommendation, I grabbed a copy of the current Free Times today.  The cover story is about a "Taco War" going on downtown on Main Street.  Yes, I said Taco War. I won't summarize the entire article, as you can click over and read it yourself.  But, I will give you my two cents' worth!

City Council...are you friggin' kidding me?  

Having served for about 8 years now on the City of Columbia's Board of Zoning Appeals, I have some familiarity with the difficulty of making some of these decisions that affect the good of the City, the people of the City and (in most cases) the emotions of the City.  It's not easy to listen to people's stories, hear their arguments and not get clouded or even confused sometimes.  But, to spend over a year agonizing over a Taco decision?  I'm sorry, but I am dumbfounded at how incredibly stupid that is.

So, here's the way this all breaks down to me.  You may not agree with me; that's certainly ok.  But, I think my logic is pretty compelling.

Taco Stand:  This appeals to any business person who has limited time, is literally running from one meeting to the next and is probably the person who eats at his/her desk when and if they ever actually eat lunch.  This also appeals to people like me who might like to take the kids over to the Capitol to climb trees, feed the pigeons and stroll through the gardens.  It would certainly be preferable to buy a taco from the street vendor rather than drag the Vivver into a sit-down restaurant, deal with ordering, kid's drinks (you have lids, right?) and then getting to scarf down my meal with one hand and one eye on the child the whole time.  And, the cool bar down below street level that serves tacos?  Great, but I'm not taking my child into a subterranean bar for a taco.

Tacqueria Fever:  New restaurant in town?  Bring it on!  Do I believe that an investor is going to spend over $400,000 on renovations to a building just to sell tacos?  Of course not.  I'm sure she's developed an extensive and interesting menu, especially since she's already hired a chef and is already paying that person a salary. So, do I believe that a guy outside on the sidewalk is going to impact her business?  No!  The person I described above doesn't have time for Fever. They are hustling down Main Street and are lucky to grab a bite.  They can't come in, sit down and enjoy the creations of your chef.  See how that works?  You're serving different customers.  Everybody wins.

This is Belinda.

The Whig:  The Whig has nothing to worry about.  They've already got their loyals, created their Taco Tuesday tradition and they are happy to get along with others.  Belinda Gergel was quoted as saying, "We are presented with two very attractive alternatives, but one is already there."  Really Belinda?  Fever isn't "there"; it's a building under renovation for a year and still not open.  So, by Belinda's logic, the Whig was there first, so Council has wasted a flippin' year and the Fever owner's $400K since neither the cart nor the restaurant are ripe for approval because the Whig is already there.  That was a really dumb thing to say.  And, I like Belinda.  But, that was a really dumb thing to say.

The way I see it is this: downtown Columbia needs as much revitalization as it can get.  The fact that there is interest in opening businesses there, whether traditional bricks and mortar or non-traditional vendor carts, is what we want and need.  Healthy competition is just that...healthy.  If this guy's tacos are so good that a restaurant fears the competition, then that restaurant better step up their taco game, or perhaps forget about serving tacos.  

I'd be a much happier City resident if I knew that my City Council was applying themselves to issues like our deteriorating water/sewer pipe system, paving roads that they are responsible for and getting our cops to quit directing baseball traffic and get out there and enforce red lights and fight crime.  But, I guess I'm like John Lennon here, "You may say I'm a dreamer..."

How my Husband has Influenced the Columbia Restaurant Scene

Today's deal on Groupon is for Za's.  It's a half off certificate.  50% off anything gets my pulse rate up!

Like trivia?  Here's a true story about Za's. We've been going to Za's since it opened.  I can't even remember how long that's been...10, 12 years maybe?  We had a favorite waitress named Lisa, who we always requested.  She would always indulge me and go to the kitchen to have them 'doctor up' a dish for me when I wanted to place  a "When Harry met Sally" kind of order.  They always had great specials: one of which was the smoked salmon pizza.  Neil loved it so much, that the kitchen would make it for him even when it wasn't on the specials menu.  

Well, one night, the manager came to our table to let us know they were revamping and getting ready to print a new menu.  And guess what they added as a permanent item?  That's right, Neil's smoked salmon Za (as I like to call it.)  It's still on their menu today.  They still keep forgetting to print "Neil's" in front of the name of the pizza, but we all know it's his.  If you like smoked salmon but haven't tried this, you owe it to yourself.  It's got a creamy smoked gouda understory, delicious capers, garlic, red onion and of course the salmon. 

Another little known piece of trivia involving Neil relates to Dano's Pizza.  (Hmmm, pizza, I'm seeing a pattern here)  When Dano's first opened, we stopped by to check it out.  Neil asked the owner, Dan, if he could make a stromboli, but make the filling Philly Cheesesteak, instead of the usual Italian-type filling.  Dan looked a little unnerved by this flavor proposal, but he agreed to make it.  Well, guess what?  That's right, it's on their menu!  Who knew Neil could wield such power over the restaurateurs of Columbia? 

Thank you, I'll be here all week! Don't forget to tip your server!

So, I guess the logical conclusion would be this:  if you have a favorite restaurant and you'd like something new added to their menu, have Neil accompany you and he will perform his restaurant Mind-Meld and make it so.  Tips are appreciated!

The Great Chick-fil-A Grand Opening

Many of you know that my husband works for Terracon Environmental.  When Chick-fil-A decided to build in Five Points, Terracon was called in to install a (anti-) vapor-intrusion system.  So, for a few weeks, Neil hung out at the dirt site of Chick-fil-A, supervising this endeavor.  So, every morning on the way to school, the Vivver and I would pull in for more kisses and hugs. 

As "Daddy's Chick-fil-A" has grown and evolved, she's become more and more excited with each passing day.  She's said things like "It's really coming along" and "When are they ever gonna open that Chick-fil-A?"  You get the idea.  Well, yesterday was the Big Day.

Neil took her in after school to have an early supper.  She was able to meet the cow, received her own cow to bring home and, of course, had the kid staple, chicken nuggets.  And let me tell you, that take home cow is now a coveted toy.  When she woke up this morning, the first words she uttered were "Where's my Chick-fil-A cow?!" And, as Friday is show-and-tell day...

Those of you in Columbia know that Five Points was all a-buzz yesterday with the Grand Opening and then the Hootie & The Blowfish street dedication, concert & sidewalk sculpture unveiling.  Well, this morning, the energy was still pumpin'.  You know how you find yourself doing the slo-mo "NNNNO" in warp speed when something comes out of someone else's mouth? Like for instance, the moment Neil uttered this aloud, "hey, maybe Mommy can stop by the Chick-fil-A and get you a biscuit for breakfast."  NNNNNNO (warp warp) No other breakfast could compare; no other breakfast would be considered.

So, as I pulled in and noticed the orange cones that were extending their drive-thru lane due to the forty five hundred hungry chicken motorists, I decided this was a time to actually exit the vehicle and go inside.  And, happily, it was all good.  We ordered, we found the cow (that costume ends up making that guy about 7 feet tall, btw), had a big squeezy cow hug and were on our way.  As we walked back to the car, I could feel all those drive-thru people glaring.  Hey, you want chicken, you gotta know how to get chicken.

And lastly, I leave you with this. After joking around all morning with things like 'chick-falafel' and 'chick-fil-B', Vivian took a pause and then simply said "I like the chicken."  Enough said really.

Doc's is Alive and Well

You may remember in my post about TakoSushi, I referenced that they are located where Doc's Gumbo Grille used to be. In conversation(s) I've come to realize that a lot of people think Doc's simply closed. But, they are still around, just in a new (and for me, a much more convenient) location. They are on Rosewood Dr. at the site of Jim Casey Fireworks Emporium & the old Keg o' Nails.

As I've said before, Neil and I are really partial to locally owned/operated restaurants. Neil likes to call them "non-corporate food." Doug, the owner of Doc's, lives around the corner from us. He's a nice guy who has been in the biz in Columbia forever. (Remember the good ol' days at Greenestreet's? Yeah, that was him)

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that Doc's is a really cool, local joint and I want you all to support them. I think since moving, they could use the community patronage, especially since so many people seem to think they are gone. The restaurant isn't overly large, so it has a friendly atmosphere. They frequently have live music and then there's the menu.

They feature New Orleans-like fare. Now, I'm not gonna B.S. you and say that it's just like being in the Big Easy. Nothing is like New Orleans but New Orleans. But, for Columbia SC it's a nice change of pace and an interesting menu. So, let's get on with it...

Neil likes dishes like red beans & rice and etouffee. I absolutely LOVE their she-crab soup. It is loaded with crab and vegetables, so it has some "tooth" to it, unlike some others in town that are either too thin and watery or so thick and rich that they practically become a solid right there in the bowl. I also love the shrimp Po' Boy. I've made it clear how I feel about shrimp. Add some spicy, tasty remoulade on fresh bread, and I call that a killer sandwich!

So, for those of you here in Columbia, please keep Doc's in mind and drop a little cash there once in awhile. I think you'll enjoy the food and it's just good biz to support a local guy. At least I think so...