ps - you also picked a WRONG example for me when you mentioned French Laundry - I patently hate the place because I was treated like shit there and refuse to ever accept a good word about it. But I do get your point.
Two instances now -- and in the last week no less -- where you've been treated like crap at a high-class joint, Tom... are you bringing these situations on yourself? For the love of God, Man, at least expound on ONE of them!
James - must be my luck. But please understand it's just an odd coincidence these both came up so close together... I'd have to guess my batting average at receiving nice treatment at nice places is only a tiny bit less than most people. These are the only two instances.
Re CGC, it doesn't help to post again here, it just casts the club in an unfair bad light and like I say, I've come to believe it was just a bad day by a couple bad people. If you really want more details, IM me.
Re French Laundry, screw that place - and it's not as if anything I post here is gonna matter for jack anyway... The nuts and bolts of our evening there were like this:
1. After many many tries, obtain reservation for a special evening with two of our best friends, celebrating the birthday of one. Only time we can get is 9:30, but that's cool, we'll plan for it. Friends fly up from SoCal, we decide to make a big Napa weekend of it.
2. The big day arrives... we arrive at FL at 9:15. Hostess takes our name, we stand in that tiny cramped waiting area. It was too cold to sit outside.
3. 9:30 - nothing. 10:00 - nothing. 10:15 - someone finally appears, says our table will be ready "soon." 10:30 - nothing. 11:00 - nothing. Note no offers of any drinks, no attention, NOTHING. I'm talking no one emerging from behind the doors. We are the only ones in the tiny waiting room. 11:15, the decision is made that hell, the meals there usually take 3 hours or so, and no one wants to eat into the wee hours of the morning. We decide to bail. I go through the doors, tell someone we are leaving, they give no care or notice or whatever, just an "OK." So we leave... and only after we are outside, someone comes running after us to tell us our table is ready. Thanks, but no thanks.
I can understand timing in restaurants and especially at that place, things running behind. Nearly two hours is a lot, but hey, I could have forgiven them... if they only would have given us one ounce of commonly decent attention. This was ludicrous.
Thus my one-man campaign agains this restaurant.... I'm sure they'll survive.