The Friday Five
1. What is your favorite restaurant and why? Los
Olivos (the 2nd Street location). It's my favorite because I
love the Pollo a la Queso Crema. Of course having made a D in College
Spanish (Thanks Seņora Mitchell), I can't pronounce Pollo a la Queso Crema with
any authenticity whatsoever, so I just point to it on the menu and the server
always smiles and nods and says "Ahhhh! The Pollo a la Queso Crema!".
The dish is SO wrong...deep fried...topped with cheeses, but it is so
tasty. Since it is a cardiologist's nightmare, I only go about 2 or 3
times a year.
2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to? I hate burgers so I usually
run for the border. (Although I do
like it, honestly, Mexican food is not my favorite but I live close to its
origin. You can't swing a dead cat around here with out hitting a Mexican restaurant.)
3. What are your standards and rules for tipping? I tip using lazy
math. I hate doing math. I start with the total. By imagining the
decimal is over one position to the left, I know what ten percent is. I
round this up to the nearest dollar and then double it.
Example: My meal is $17.97. I envision $1.79. Round it up to
$2.00 and then double it to $4.00.
Yes, I know this means I am tipping over the norm. I know this because many
people point this out. What is the hang-up with over
tipping? It's like by a dollar or so. Is that so unthinkable?
Am I over tipping so much that my server can now book that trip to Europe
they've always wanted to take? Of course not, but it seems I am setting some
sort of precedence by not tipping the standard percentage.
I've never had the nerve to leave a crappy tip for poor service. I leave
that up to T. When we dine together, we become magnets for really bad
service. (Actually, I think it's just her, but don't tell her I said
that.)
4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert? Not
really. Appetizers if the majority wants them. Rarely dessert unless
I am somewhere that specializes in dessert like the Cheesecake
Factory or Marie Callender's or
something.
5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant? Iced tea or water. I
don't really like to drink beer, wine or mixed drinks when I eat, although I did
have a most enjoyable Mojito the other night.
