August turned out to be an interesting month for the SDC. I spent the first weekend in Las Vegas, attending the Black Hat Briefings and DEFCON. Of course, while I was there, I had to eat...
The thanks of a grateful traveler go out to: everyone at the Black Hat Briefings and DEFCON (except for the rude and hostlie older woman), and The Gun Store on Tropicana Avenue, recommended for all your Class 3 needs.
Okay, so that was the first weekend in August. Second weekend in August was Armadillocon 25. No conspiracy that weekend, either, but we did have some good meals at JC's Steakhouse and Taj Palace.
Third weekend in August? The Spring/Westfield High School Class Reunion: the 20th for Lawrence, Mike, and myself. (Yes, we did all go to the same high school.) Lawrence went (as did my brother-in-law, who also graduated with our class, and my sister, who graduated two years behind me), so no conspiracy that weekend: however, Mike and I had an excellent dinner at Mirabelle with Andrew, Chuck, and Milton.
I don't expect another month like this for a while. But it sure makes writing these notes easy.
The night before I left for Las Vegas, I went by the Romano's Macaroni Grill on 360 (at 2244, in West Lake Hills) for dinner. This location is about five minutes away from my office, so I got there around 5:10 or so, in plenty of time to beat the "dinner rush". Indeed, when I got there, I was pretty much the only person in the place.
So I sat down and ordered one of their menu specials, the "tortiloni bianchi", and a Ceaser salad. I had seen this special on the menu about two weeks earlier, when I went there for lunch with some co-workers, so I was eager to try it. Everything's going great, the waiter brings my tea, the waiter brings my salad...
Then, about halfway through my salad, the waiter comes back and tells me that they're out of the special. At 5:15 in the afternoon. I made it clear that I was disappointed: but I didn't feel like I had much of a choice at that point (Remember, he had already brought the salad, so I didn't feel like I could walk out without complications.), so I ordered a replacement main dish, ate, and got the check.
If you've been to a Brinker group restaurant recently (these include Romano's and Chili's), you may have noticed the offer on your check: go to sendusfeedback.com, fill out a survey on your dining experience, and you could win $25,000. Now, being out of the special was a slight annoyance: I probably wouldn't have bothered to say anything at all. But when they beg for feedback like that, well...
So I went to the web site. And discovered that it only worked with Windows machines: they were very specific at the time about it not working with Macs. Fortunately, Romano's had, at the time, another feedback page that actually would work with a Mac. So I sent them polite feeback pointing out that:
And so I sent my feedback off into the void and left for Las Vegas, not expecting to hear another word. I've griped about unsatisfactory service before (a trait inherited from my mother), but rarely received a satisfactory response. So I wasn't expecting much.
While I was in Las Vegas, I checked messages on my home phone every day. I was mildly surprised to find a message on the machine one evening from the manager at the West Lake Hills Romano's, asking if I'd give him a call. I figured I'd wait until I got home.
When I did return home, it became apparent that my feedback had unleashed massive forces that I didn't even expect: in with my mail was a letter from the Romano's "area director" apologizing profusely, and including $30 worth of gift certificates. A day or two after that, in with my mail was a second letter, this time from the manager who had phoned earlier, and including another $20 worth of gift certificates. Further, as I was preparing this writeup, I went back to Romano's web site: they now redirect their feedback form to sendusfeedback.com, and that site now actually works with the Macintosh. I don't know for sure what happened or why, but it looks like someone got crapped on, and the proverbial crap rolled down the proverbial hill from there.
The morals of this long story? One, always say something if you're not happy. You never know what you'll get if you do. Two, good customer service pays dividends: you can repair a bad situation, and that Romano's just got at least $50 worth of free advertising on this site.
(So what did I do with my $50 worth of gift certificates? Took some of my co-workers back there for lunch. And I did finally get the "tortiloni bianchi": it was okay, but a bit too salty for my taste.)
Very good fried catfish and shrimp. I found the barbecue disappointing the one time I tried it. It's a little more comfortable than Catfish Parlor (either location) as well. Recommended if you live in South Austin, or are in the area.
I think the Cherry Creek makes decent appetizers, slightly above-average ribs, and average fried fish. The problem is that in doing everything adequately, it does nothing particularly well. It's OK for a local joint, but there's nothing here I would drive across town for.
I think Fuddruckers is one of the best of the chain burger joints. (Though it isn't really a burger joint, the burgers at Chili's do give them a run for their money.) I'm not sure if they've beefed up the structural integrity of their buns since the last time I had a burger here, or if ordering a smaller burger was the trick: in any case, my bun didn't fall apart.
I don't care much for their fries, which are really just thick-cut potato wedges with seasoning salt sprinkled on: they have an excessively mealy texture on the inside. I'd prefer thinner, crispier fries. Fudd's can also be a little too loud for me. On the other hand, they do have a vast selection of shakes, malts, pies, and other baked goods for desert (though I've given up that particular indulgence for the moment). The prices are also reasonable: Fudd's is a chain without too much to complain about.
I like Fuddruckers. The 2/3rd pound burger is the right size and heft for my appetite (and, unlike the pound burger, I can finish it before the bun loses structural integrity), and they do a good job cooking them medium rare. I like the "build it yourself" fixings concept, which, in addition to the obvious ability to suit your individual taste, avoids the "soggy lettuce" problem of a burger waiting too long to be served. The fries were OK; I prefer thinner fries, and I think these were better the last time I was here. And while my caramel malt was good, it could have been thicker, and, since they used vanilla as a base, with more caramel. (There was much discussion at the table of the need for a place that used a melted brick of caramel, with caramel ice cream, caramel sauce topping, caramel crush-ins, and a layer of sugar on top for the final blowtorch caramelized topping, for the ultimate caramel malt; if you know of such a wonderment, please let us know.)
Drawbacks? I'd like to see the option of a sesame-seed bun. And maybe a banana malt, with banana ice cream rather than a vanilla base. Other than that, Fuddrucker's builds an admirable burger.
See the logs for September of 2003.