I’ve been to plenty of restaurants and on a couple of occasions have received mediocre food and service. When this occurred, I’ve spoken up to my waiter or a manager about a substandard meal but never expected anything in return. I’ve generally chalked it up to experience and a lesson learned. We live in the United States, a free enterprise economy and each of us is able to make choices as to where we spend our money. But some people seem to have a sense of entitlement.
If you live in the Tampa Bay area, there’s no doubt you’ve heard about Ralph Paul, who recently dined at a local restaurant and after ordering dinner, dessert and coffee for him and his girlfriend, walked out on the $46 tab and left a $3 tip for the waiter. If not, you can read the story in the St. Pete Times.According to news reports, Ralph Paul ate the seafood from his seafood pasta dish, then attempted to return the dish to the kitchen and demand it be taken off his check because he was unsatisfied with the portion he received (regardless of the fact that he had already eaten the most expensive part of the dish). When the owner refused to remove the entrée from his bill, Paul and his girlfriend walked out and drove off, after having dessert and coffee, nonetheless. The owner of the restaurant called the police, who arrested Paul and a criminal trial ensued. The result? Paul hired a $500 per hour attorney and was found not guilty! I was not at the restaurant when this incident took place, so I do not know all of the facts. Perhaps Ralph Paul was unsatisfied with his entrée, but after eating the most expensive part of the dish, did he have a right to refuse payment? No. The owner obviously could have taken another route by subtracting the cost the entrée from the bill and following the “customer is always right” mantra, but he didn’t and I respect him for that. The owner has a business to run and cannot afford to give away food on a trial basis. The total cost of the entrée – $15.99. Ralph Paul has enough money to drive a BMW and hire an attorney for $500 an hour; I doubt the restaurant owner enjoys the same luxuries.
How many other services can you return after consumption? Can you get your money back from the movie theater after you watched a movie that you didn’t feel was up to par? Can you return a worn pair of jeans because they just didn’t look that great on you? Can you get a refund on a half-eaten container of cookies-and-cream ice cream because there wasn’t enough cookie?
Restaurants are businesses and independent restaurants operate on slim margins. Contrary to popular belief, the customer is not always right, but customers have the right to decide which restaurants they patronize. If I have a sub-par meal and am not satisfied with my experience at a restaurant, I will probably not return. But no one owes me anything; I took the risk and either I accept responsibility or reap the rewards. I’ve had outstanding meals in places that most people would not step foot and I’ve had bad meals in places that were constantly packed. There is no guarantee when it comes to dining experiences. This instance was a matter of a man with an ego that wouldn’t take responsibility for his own actions. By filing a lawsuit, he not only wasted money belonging to taxpayers, but also a day that jurors will never get back. He ordered a meal and when he was struck with buyer’s remorse, he couldn’t swallow his pride and eat the 16 dollar mistake (pun intended). My advice: chalk it up and get on with your life. What do you think?
I love tacos. I’ve had them all, Mexican tacos, Baja Fish tacos, Indian tacos and even the American-ized variety, straight from Taco Bell. I will eat just about any kind of meat, fish or vegetable in a taco and thought I had heard it all. That is, until a recent Saturday in Ybor City when I stumbled upon a little roadside joint serving Alaskan Tacos. What the hell is an Alaskan Taco, you ask? Don’t worry, it was my first experience with them and I asked the same question. Fortunately for you, the Tampa Bay area is the ONLY place to get an Alaskan Taco. 
I didn’t try out all of the options on the menu at Meme’s, but I figure that will be your job. Besides the unique tacos, the menu consists of the ordinary Tex-Mex and Cali-Mex favorites like burritos, quesadillas, soft tacos and nachos. It’s not enough incentive for me to drive to Ybor, but I’m happy to have found a little joint for good food fast that is open late and open every day. I suspect much of the clientele consists of Ybor foot traffic, so put this place on your mental restaurant card-file next time you are in the area. Many people have already discovered Meme’s Alaskan Tacos and love them, so I guess it is time for you to jump on the bandwagon. 
This Saturday evening I did quite a few things that I wouldn’t normally do: I went out to eat on a Saturday evening in Ybor City with a group of 13 other people. Other than the Ybor city thing, it pretty much goes against the guidelines I follow when dining out. First, I rarely dine out on the weekends; the restaurants are generally crowded and full of amateur diners. Second, I believe dining out with a party of 14 is generally a disaster waiting to happen; the waitstaff hates it, the kitchen hates it, and the thought of having someone pull out a calculator to figure out the check makes me cringe. My girlfriend organized this meal for a group of people from work, so of course I was game. The last part that I didn’t mention was that we dined at a place that hasn’t been too well received by some local foodies: La Creperia Cafe.
I recently wrote about the popularity of the grouper sandwich and it’s propensity to appear on Tampa Bay restaurant menus. Unless it is a compelling preparation, I don’t often order the fish because frankly, it doesn’t have a lot of taste. In addition, based on the availability of the fish locally and the prices of the fish in local markets, I suspected that a majority of the grouper served was farmed, then frozen and shipped to Florida. Unfortunately some of my fears were true, but they were even worse than I originially thought. The St. Petersburg Times ran a 
After a pretty good workout on a recent Saturday followed by a less than fulfilling protein shake, I began to hear my stomach growl at about 11 am. There was not a lot of food in the house, so I was relegated to selecting a suitable snack that could tide me over until later in the afternoon. Though fast food seems to be the default choice when looking around for a quick bite, the fast-food restaurant as we know it has only been around for several decades. People have always had the need for food, so before there was fast food, there was good food, fast. That’s what I found at Hugo’s Spanish Restaurant.
One morning earlier this week I sat down for a breakfast interview with Mario Diaz of Channel 10 news. We talked about my thoughts on evacuating New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, my food writing and my newfound love for Tampa Bay. He also asked me about the best meal I had eaten in Tampa and without hesitation, I responded “Ceviche.” During that interview I told the complete truth, but if was asked the same question today, the answer would be different. Last night I dined at Benedetto’s Ristorante Italiano and it was by far the best meal I’ve had at a restaurant in the Tampa Bay area.
For those less adventurous souls seeking good but simple Italian favorites, you are also in luck. There is an extensive selection of entrees including an excellent baked ziti and tasty lasagna. The prices for the basics are very reasonable, in the range of $12 to $15 per entree. However, the specialty seafood dishes and evening specials can find you in the neighborhood of $30, well worth every penny. If you are unsure what to order from the vast menu, your best bet is to ask your waiter. If you listen to your server at Johnny Carino’s, he or she is likely pushing the daily specials suggested by management. At Benedetto’s, the staff actually eats the food, and they love it. While at the bar before dinner, we were actually able to get some great suggestions from the bartender as well as some waiters passing by. They all seem happy to be there, and that’s a sign of a good restaurant.