Turning the corner...

In the past, I have repeatedly blogged my experiences at the Met Grill. They've ranged from highly favorable to disturbingly atrocious. I think it's safe to say that this establishment has finally turned the corner. Note - the food has always been fantastic. It was always the service that was confusing and troublesome. Maybe I only have myself to blame. I've always had a strict policy of waiting at least 2 months before trying out a new restaurant. This way, they have sufficient time to work out the "kinks." I think a major problem might have been the high turnover rate with the wait staff. Let's face it - you can't have great service if the staff is quitting or getting fired on a continual basis. It seems there are always new faces in there. In a way, I truly sympathize with restaurant/bar owner/operators. Everyone is constantly trying to rob you in one way or another. People are always calling off at the last minute. And the worst part - there's always some dickhead like myself who doesn't have anything better to do with his life than bitch about his small town dining experiences. Plus, it's just a really tough business to begin with. Factor in the anti-business climate in Wheeling and it makes for additional grief. The servers have it rough too - remember, this is Wheeling. This is a town where an old lady can tip 1 dollar per person, regardless of the size of the bill. It is commonly understood, that if you reside in Wheeling and you're a social security recipient, you only have to tip one dollar per person. The bill can come to $70.00 for 4 people and guess what, the tip only has to be 4 bucks. I imagine this could result in a "serving backlash." Just something to consider.
The last few times I've eaten at the Met Grill, the service and food were really high end, particularly the salads. Let's stop demonizing this fine establishment. One last objection though - the overzealousness of promoting a Martini Bar in Wheeltown. Do we really want our friends, family members and co-workers gathering on Chapline Street to sip a variety of martini concoctions when the sun is setting? I'd have to offer up a resounding NO. What is it with this new craze of martinis - caramel apple, lemon zest citrus, olive infused, cool blue raspberry, and so on. We live in Wheeling, not San Francisco. We must accept this reality and acknowledge our dependence on MBL, IC Light and cheap vodka. For those of you who've been living in the closet. It's time to come out - MBL stands for Milwaukee Best Light.