Audio By Carbonatix
Grateful Thanks: This is the time of year to reflect and give thanks for our many blessings. Obviously, we’re all appreciative of Arizona’s postcard scenery–and weather that lets us enjoy it. But, as someone whose job requires 225 meals out a year, here’s what makes me warm with gratitude:
* I’m thankful I’ve never gotten sick from a restaurant meal. Thank you to all the suppliers, cooks and servers who watch out for the public health.
* I’m thankful for restaurants that don’t charge $1.50 for a tea bag, don’t charge $2 for a cup of coffee, and don’t charge $3 for an espresso.
* I’m thankful for good bread.
* I’m thankful for restaurants that don’t force me to watch television or listen to music during dinner.
* I’m thankful when servers steer me away from the kitchen’s less successful dishes.
* I’m thankful for good, inexpensive house wine served by the glass.
* I’m thankful for BYOB restaurants.
* I’m thankful for restaurants that have a table ready for me when I arrive at my reservation time.
* I’m thankful for well-written menus that accurately describe what I’ve ordered.
* I’m thankful for misters and heaters so I can eat outside.
* I’m thankful for all the immigrants who settle in the Valley, opening restaurants featuring homeland fare.
* I’m thankful for prime-grade beef, fresh fish and local produce.
* I’m thankful for a cheese course with great French, Italian and Spanish cheeses.
* I’m thankful for on-the-ball busers who keep the water glasses and breadbaskets filled.
* I’m thankful, for my wife’s sake, for restaurants that have more than one stall in the ladies’ room.
* I’m thankful for restaurant owners who greet me when I arrive, and thank me for coming when I leave.
* I’m thankful for house-made desserts.
* I’m thankful for employees who are polite, friendly and efficient taking reservations over the phone.
* I’m thankful for ample parking, and hustling valet service.
* I’m thankful for servers who know everything about everything on the menu.
* I’m thankful for chefs who stop by the table and ask how the meal is going.
* I’m thankful for freebies, like an appetizer nibble or postprandial cordial.
* I’m thankful for nonsmoking sections.
* I’m thankful that nifty grains like quinoa and couscous are showing up on more and more menus.
* I’m thankful that chefs are pouring raspberry sauce over fewer and fewer dishes.
* I’m thankful for vegetables that aren’t so al dente you need the incisors of a wolf to bite into them.
* I’m thankful for good food, in a nice setting, served at a fair price.
–Howard Seftel
Suggestions? Write me at hseftel@newtimes.com or New Times, P.O. Box 2510, Phoenix,
