Tap, Tap, Tapas around the world
Trip Start
Jul 10, 2007
1
23
32
Trip End
Ongoing
Saint Petersburg,
Florida,
United States
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Our concierge at the Hampton Inn on Beach Drive suggested Ceviche, just a block from the restaurant, but a world away, as he put it. Growing up in Holland with dozens of trips to Spain, the mother of all tapas countries, under the belt, we were looking forward to an extensive choice of bites. Walking up the steps to the restaurant, it also reminded us of a handful of restaurants we frequented on Miami Beach's Ocean Drive, like the Tides, La Fontaine and Paparazzi. Deciding to enjoy the view not from the open aired balcony but the bar, ended up being a bad decision on our part, starting with the lackadaisical attitude of the bartender. She was more interested in talking with her colleagues about the previous night's adventures than taking our order. When she eventually made her way to our corner of the world, I knew we were in deep trouble when she decided not to write down the order, relying on her memory instead, and sure enough after making our drinks, she asked us to repeat the order.
We suggested that she might want to write things down, as we were planning on ordering a half dozen tapas, but to no avail, she was going to try to memorize it all. We wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and decided to relax and enjoy the meal, having also explained that the Tapas could be brought out in whatever order they were ready. With over 4 dozen choices of hot and cold tapas, we felt that the choice of 6 plates, would at least give us a little variety.
Having visited Portugal's Algarve coast, where the freshest sardines were plated night after night, we were especially looking forward to Ceviche's fresh Wood Grilled sardines, and a well executed but simple tortilla espanola showing what the kitchen is made of. Our scallop ceviche was perfect, with a nice tang from both the lime, herbs and finely diced onion. The shrimp al ajillo lacked a bit of oomph but had enough garlic to keep a vampire at bay for years.It was the tortilla espanola that lived up to our expectations, with a perfect mix of potatoes, eggs, onion and spices, baked to a golden brown.
About 45 minutes into the meal we realized that the sardines were still missing in action and I instantly concluded the obvious, that our bartender/server had forgotten to order them. When we prodded her, she not only turned red, but turned on her heels towards the kitchen as well.
She returned within seconds, assuring us that the sardines were on their way. Barely having time to acknowledge her, sure enough a plate with 4 sardines were placed in front of us. This is where it gets interesting my friends, these were not the 6-8 inch Wood grilled sardines we expected after reading the menu. Instead, stifling a laugh, in front of us she placed 4 tiny 2 inch long canned sardines. We both looked around waiting for a Candid Camera moment, but when we pointed out the error, she explained that this is what the chef had given her. It became a war of words, and we tried hard to express that this was unacceptable, to receive 4 sardines from a can, costing maybe $0.25, and to be charged $9. This had nothing to do with the fact that we had been in the restaurant business for over 18 years, as any diner would have been stunned by this bait and switch. Finally, after insisting to speak to the chef, the manager came over and confirmed what we had assumed all along. They had run out of the fresh Sardines and had substituted the canned ones. Small comfort, after the long debate with our bartender. It is so easy to resolve a problem, especially when the guest is right, but a bad taste is left in our mouths when we are presumed to not know any better.
We have learned over these past 2 decades, that our customers are well-informed, often well-travelled and it is important to respect their intelligence and preferences. Service is tantamount and value is the paradigm of a good restaurant operation.
That said and done, during the past 10 months we have eaten at 115 restaurants, but not wanting to submit ourselves to martyrdom, we hade never gone back to Ceviche, until last week.
With trepidation we finally decided to throw caution to the wind and give them a second chance. With a gorgeous non-humid night in the high 70's we even sat on the outdoor balcony. Rachel, our waitress also did not write down our order of 5 dishes ( is this a new criteria at restaurants), but even after her gaffe of forgetting the plata mixta we had ordered, could not have been more accommodating. We ordered a medley of cheeses including Manchego and a blue, jamon serrano, a scrumptious creamy pate, fruits, as well as the ubiquitous but well worthwhile tortilla, albeit a bit burnt in one corner. The skewer of beef, although served medium rare was a bit chewy and not one we would order again, but the shrimp hit the spot. The Sardines were nowhere to be found on the menu and when we asked, were told that they had been elimiated from the menu several months ago, having had problems obtaining them on a regular basis. No news to us.
The restaurant's Sangria had the right balance of sweet and tart and I had to force myself to limit my consumption to only one.
Thankfully we had committed ourselves to returning to Ceviche and I am convinced that with Rachel on the floor and this past week's experience, we will be back, maybe with a couple of friends in tow, allowing us to order more plates to try. That is what these small bites are all about anyway, sharing and enjoying a night out .
