Tough business--Tough weekend

If you are a Cincinnati sports fan, and I can not be put in that category, this has been a tough weekend. The Reds who gave us 6 months of pleasure tangled with some of the best pitching in the major leagues and the Bengals began showing the results of intransigence ownership who, in my opinion, will never be responsible for a professional winning organization.
All of that said I once again saw what a difficult business the restaurant business is and how inside and outside forces make demands that only well trained professionals, at all levels, can overcome. As I tell people who have attended my OLLI course at UC " if you are thinking of going into the restaurant business go buy a parking lot".

Friday night we met another couple at "The Quarter( Bistro)" 6904 Wooster Pike Mariemont, OH 45227 (513-271-5400). The food, once again was very good to excellent. The service "ordinary", but I'll get to that in a moment. After my usual Bombay, a nice pour, I followed with the evenings special, Tobia( a firm, flaky, white fish) grilled perfectly and served on Risotto, beautifully done, with asparagus, caramelized onions and chopped mushrooms. The plate was decorated with a lime, citrus sauce which added just the right touch to the two main items. I like my food exceedingly hot( temperature) and so I ask that some additional heat be applied, which was done promptly.
Marilyn had French onion soup, well crusted, and a Mushroom Pizza, at least we thought it was listed that way, which was good but did not seem to have the mushrooms in attendance. Possibly we had read the menu incorrectly.

As mentioned the service was "ordinary". Friday night was the second "playoff game" for the Reds and so there was an extra large crowd and numerous distractions, both for customers and help. It was also the second day of a new menu and a shortage in the serving staff. I titled this "tough business". Although the General Manager worked diligently along with the staff it could not compensate for all the things effecting the tempo and details.
I spoke to the GM the next day( he returned my call very promptly) and he graciously thanked me for my interest and for pointing out many of the specifics. I am sure he covered them with his staff later in the day.
As I noted the food was great and everyone, or place, has a "bad hair day".