dinner and a show

i had dinner at veritable quandary (vq) in downtown portland last night. the food was yummy (and pricey). this isn’t a restaurant review, however. it’s a service review. and the service was just that little extra that one remembers. it isn’t the service i got while at the restaurant that impressed me (the wait staff were pleasant but nothing to write home about). it's what happened when i called for a reservation that stands out. a friend and i were planning to see the nutcracker at the keller auditorium and decided to go to vq for dinner beforehand. the restaurant tends to be busy on show nights so i called to make a reservation.

this is how it went down:
me: hi, can I make a reservation for monday evening, please?
hostess: sure, for how many and at what time?
me: for two at 6pm, please.
hostess: ok, will you be attending the ballet after dinner?
me: umm…actually, yes.
hostess: would 5:45 work for you? that’s the latest we recommend dining with us to make a 7:30 show. just to be safe.
me: yes! 5:45 would be fine. and thanks so much.

what a difference a simple question and a change of fifteen minutes can make. my friend and i didn’t have to rush and worry about making it to the show on time. the folks at vq didn’t have crabby and hurried customers trying to get out of there to make the show time. everyone wins.

and the ballet was great, too.