you talking to me?

last week in Rehoboth we visited our favorites...
crabs at Claws...
daily routine of breakfast at Sammy's...
carry out pizza on the beach from Grotto's
Nico-boli from Nicola's
and of course
toys from Gidget's Gadgets and The Kite Store


and then when we wanted to mix it up with some Mexican we went to a place on the main drag called Cilantro
the food was good... but the service was... well... the food was not enough to outweigh the service
in the classic style I felt as if the wait staff was trying to get us to purchase more


"would you like to try?"
"would you like this with that?"
etc.. etc... etc...





there was one point where the waiter asked the boys if they wanted Lemonade...
it is difficult... I want the boys to order for themselves... but just as they do not know portion control they do not know how to manage the check
we are on vacation... a drink with dinner is not out of the question
so... I did not override their ordering lemonade


but when the drinks FINALLY came... the boys each took a sip and made a face
a small sip... nothing more than a sample
when they each made mention of the odd tasting lemonade in front of them I told them not to drink any more
and I gave it a taste
sure enough... it was very bitter
bitter and more limey than lemony


so... when the waiter came back I told him about the boys dissatisfaction with the drinks
I asked him if we could "trade' these drinks for something that tastes as it should
he took them without any question
but I was not sure if he understood my understanding of the deal


some time passed...
the guacamole was fresh and flavorful
the salsa with the chips had some serious bite... which is fine... Dean and I like bite... Grant avoided it
the rest of the food was also good


durning our meal I met a woman who was one of the owners.. when I tried to make conversation with her as she passed she stalled and said "you talkin to me?" 
it was about as gentle as Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver
we talked... she said she had just celebrated the one year anniversary at this location


this encounter was long before our lemonade trade
while we were involved in our meal I witnessed a disgruntle customer having words with the owner
I hushed the boys so I could listen in
it as no pretty... the pretense surrounded an ugly exchange that surrounded their effort to "return" their child's lemonade and their still being charged for the drink


I listened... it did not go well
when they were done I invited the co-owner over so I could explain that we experienced a similar situation and I had no intention of paying for something that we had to return because it was not satisfactory
she tried giving me some this or that about how the kids play with the drink... drink half of it... then send it back
I assured her that this was not the case
she reiterated her perception of what happens on the family side of this situation


I guess "the customer is always right" is not within her business model
we spoke about the encounter with the woman who just stormed out
she believed it ended well... I did not think that this woman would ever take her family back to this restaurant 
and me... I do not think I will ever return to this restaurant
there are plenty of alternatives
the food was good... but the setting was not as comfortable as it could be
the silverware quality did not match the price on the entrees 
and of course... the repoire with the owner was not as I felt it should be


looks like their are more than half a dozen Mexican options in Rehoboth
www.google.com