Dinner for Two?

This past Valentine’s Day, my Toastmasters Club was having an International Speech Contest. As the VP of Education, I had to be at the meeting to help with the details, so my husband and I decided to have a lovely, romantic dinner at the Westin’s fine dining room, the Aqua Star the day before on Sunday, February 13. They were having a Valentines Special, and he made reservations for a table by the window for 5:30 p.m. This would give us a lovely view of the Savannah River, the old buildings on River Street across the river and a front row seat to watch the container ships as they slipped in and out of the Port under the Tallmadge Bridge and out to the Atlantic Ocean.

After valet parking (why not, it’s Valentine’s Day) we made our way up to the restaurant. We were the first ones there, and after awhile, we thought the only couple in Savannah to take them up on their romantic dinner. The table was perfect (we had the our pick) and as if on cue, a huge tanker made its way down the river, so close you could almost reach out and touch it.

Our server was gracious and gave us the special menu – four courses for $70 per person. A little pricey, but with a glass of champagne, appetizer, soup/salad, lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate, an entrée and dessert, it was going to be worth it. I chose the heart-shaped ravioli, roasted pear and gorgonzola salad, lobster with risotto, and the chocolate fondue for dessert. My husband opted for the she-crab soup, same salad, Chateaubriand, and the fondue.

The waiter brought the champagne. We settled in to watch the lights of Savannah across the river when the server came back to our table. He apologized and told us that the Chateaubriand was only for two. Bewildered, my husband and I looked at each other. It wasn’t stated on the menu that it was “for two only.” Since there were only three choices of entrees, did that mean that if he was going to have the beef, I would have to give up my lobster tail? The only other choice was a chicken breast, and neither one of us could imagine what they could do to it to make it warrant the $70 price tag. All of a sudden, the romance was replaced by an impending discussion (argument) about whether he was going to get to have his choice and was I willing to give up the lobster. An incomplete and confusing menu and inflexible server were about to ruin our evening. What’s more, the lack of accommodation for the customer made the price suddenly seem way too much.

It must have been the looks on our faces, but the server finally agreed to talk to the kitchen. End result, my husband got his Chateaubriand and romance triumphed. The food was exquisite. We went away satisfied, at least until today. In my research for this article, I went back to their website and found out that I was supposed to get a long-stemmed red rose with dinner. I think I’ll send them an email with a copy of this article, and maybe I’ll get the complete package, though several days late.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a workplace consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for CustomerServiceJobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and creating original gift items available on http://www.etsy.spoolhardy.com/ You can read more of her blogs at csjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt