Cork & Knife adheres to the principle that people make a significant difference in one's fine dining experiences.  It makes sense then to share those stories.  From time to time, I will ask various groups of individuals to tell us their tales.

Today, I took the chance to ask some food bloggers to dish on some of their best and worst experiences.  Not surprisingly, the people in the restaurants take center stage.

Blogger and author Michael Ruhlman told Cork & Knife that his experience at the French Laundry (where he co-wrote the restaurant's cookbook with chef Thomas Keller) changed his outlook.  He says among the things he learned was "how important front of the house is.  The French Laundry would never have reached the level it has without it.  He adds that "Laura Cunningham has really changed the way high end restaurants offer front of the house service."

Joanne Wilson, better known as The Gotham Gal, writes frequently about her visits to New York restaurants.  But she told us that one of her best experiences was at the Keller's Yountville, CA restarant as well.  Ironically, it was Ruhlman's writing that got her juiced for her visit. "Regardless of everything I had read about French Laundry in all the food magazines, [Ruhlman's] book heightened my desire to have a meal at French Laundry."  While the author may have set the table for her experience, it was the kitchen that delivered.  "Each dish made with love and care with a variety of flavors and textures that only Thomas Keller could have dreamed of," she raves.

Closer to home, The Gotham Gal recalls an experience in 2000 when she and her husband, venture capitalist Fred Wilson, had won dinner at Babbo as part of a charity auction.

Mario cooked for us.  He had printed out a small menu for us before our meal began.  We didn’t really know Mario then but now that we do I can tell you that one of the things that I absolutely love about him is what you see is what you get.  He is the same guy that served us that night even though we didn’t know him well, he is just as charming and when you do know him as we do now.

She also notes that David Lynch, the sommelier, did the wine pairing and helped put the icing on the cake of that experience.

Unfortunately, not all fine dining adventures turn out well.  Heather Lauer, author of the popular Bacon Unwrapped blog, told Cork & Knife about a recent experience at an upscale Washington, DC eatery that began with a lost reservation and went downhill from there.

We received a snooty response from the hostess who implied that it was somehow our fault that we weren’t in the system. And rather than going ahead and seating us anyway – there was an entire restaurant full of empty tables because it was still early in the evening – she proceeded to call their sister restaurant across town to see if we had made the reservation there instead (which we hadn’t), and then she got a manager involved before we were finally seated.

While excellent service at the table might have turned things around, that was not to be.

When our server finally made an appearance, he did not greet us or ask how we were doing.  Instead, the first words out of his mouth were literally “do you know what you want?”  I think we only saw him another 2 or 3 times throughout the entire evening.  Despite the restaurant’s reputation or the quality of the food (which was quite good), I will never return to that restaurant. 

The common thread in the stories told by Ruhlman, Wilson, and Lauer remains the importance of people in service.  Great service can turn around a so-so experience, while poor service in the front or back of the house can easily obscure the best ingredients.