Two Bellinis and a bicycle

This is a great week to say thanks and congratulations to my friends in the Charleston F&B scene.  Namely, the awesome servers and bartenders all over town who got WORKED last weekend.  We had two college graduations, and it was Mother’s Day.  What this means, if you’re a restaurant worker, is Amateur Night.  Much like Cinco de Mayo, Halloween, New Year’s Eve, or any other holiday when people that don’t regularly dine out flock en masse to restaurants and bars to terrorize the service staff.  If you work, or have ever worked, in F&B, you know what I mean.

“Hi, I’d like a water with extra lemons and some sugar packets, but no ice, I’m allergic to ice.  I’d like the filet mignon, well well well done, tell the cook to burn it if he has to, but please make sure it’s tender and juicy.  Also, I would really like a baked potato, but I’m allergic to potatoes, so I’ll just have the french fries, no salt, but please make sure they’re seasoned well.  I’ll think about some dessert later, but we’re in a hurry, so could you tell the kitchen to put a rush on that?  Do you have any non-alcohol wine with no sulfites?  I’m allergic to sulfites”.

This is obviously hyperbole, but these types of things are heard by our stalwart servers and bartenders almost every day.

I’m always impressed by the attitudes of the professionals that I know working in the kitchens of Charleston.  Almost all of them are passionate about food (as I am), and they are the most giving and sharing people you could meet.  Every time I go out, I talk to someone in the kitchen, and they’re always telling me about some new charcuterie technique they’re trying out, some new local honey they’re serving on the cheese plate, or whatever.  It’s amazing and comforting to see the passion and dedication of these young men and women.  It’s a foodie town, and it’s a great place to be.

Please be considerate when you dine out.  Look around, introduce yourself, get involved with your local food community and the people that support it.

As for the title of this blog post…  I was talking to a friend of mine that works in a great local Italian place.  He was telling me about some sort of graduation or Mother’s Day brunch they had put on.  Apparently it was a rough day, and he and the bartender starting hitting the Bellinis and Mimosas pretty early.  Again, if you work in F&B, you know it’s not uncommon for the staff to occasionally indulge in a snifter-full of the finest while at work.  (Unfortunately I’ve seen some servers that take it too far, but I can’t throw stones.  I’ve been there too).  The reality is that dealing with the crazy clientele on a busy weekend can be enough to make you want to “drain the bitter cup” as they say.  Anyway, the events of the day somehow led to my bartender buddy riding his bicycle home from work that night, carrying a Bellini in each hand.  I’m not even sure how that’s physically possible, but it happened.  I haven’t been back to that restaurant this week.  I’ll let ‘em sleep it off.