So, my bad service day continued…I had very poor karma yesterday. We dropped the boys off at daycare at 3:15pm and then Steph and I headed out for some dinnerware shopping - since we are remodeling the kitchen, we also decided to replace our dinnerware. We really had no luck finding what we needed (Pottery Barn has the closest match).
After our shopping we headed downtown and had drinks at Cellars Restaurant - very nice bar with a very friendly bartender. We spent about 90 minutes there and had a very enjoyable time. Next we went over to Brasa to meet up with some friends for dinner. We had a drink in the bar and then sat down at our table. The restaurant was not very crowded, relatively quiet, but there was music playing throughout. The table to my left had a young, quiet couple - never saw them talk to each other - so either fighting, eavesdropping or both.
Anyway, we haven’t spent much time recently with John and Kim (who have similar aged kids to Nate and Zach) so we had lots of catching up to do. Being parents, we naturally talked about our kids quite a bit and their antics and funny stories. Eventually, Steph and I were going through our Where’s The Poop story (see further down in blog) and I was in the middle of describing how I found Zach standing upstairs naked with a poopy diaper in one hand - when the guy in the table next to me interrupted the story. He explained, in so many words, that our discussion was repulsive and inappropriate since he was trying to eat his dinner. He explained that us talking about poop while he was eating was not acceptable and asked that we change the subject.
Ouch! Flashback to my comment earlier - he and his significant other were quiet - either fighting, eavesdropping, or both. I think we know the answer…clearly it was both. Unfortunately, I was speechless…I couldn’t finish the story since I didn’t know how without using the word poop. Maybe, if I said ’shit’ that would have made it alright.
So we continue along our merry way with different conversation (not about poop)…the whole time we kept dropping unapproving glances their way. Anyway, they finally left and went into the bar area. Now for the other shoe to drop.
The hostess, in a not so professional tone, stopped by our table to explain that our conversation was inappropriate and multiple tables had complained. WHAT! Multiple tables! We were asked to quiet down and change the subject. Also, you could tell she did not personally approve of the topic - which was mostly about our kids…not necessarily about poop. Once the shock and absurdity wore off, we felt kind of proud. It’s been awhile since we’ve annoyed such a large group at a restaurant (think back to nights at Spat’s in Berkeley during Steph’s law school days). Since the hostess was absolutely rude about it, we felt challenged to push the limit.
Actually, we basically ended up talking about which tables could have possibly been annoyed by us. BTW, there was a couple behind us with a screaming kid who was much louder (definitely making it tough for us to hear each other)…I wonder if they got shooshed? Supposedly, a couple had sat at the table to my right (never saw them sit there - neither did Kim) and they eventually moved away…so I assumed they complained.
Shoe number 3 is about to drop. Next the manager comes over to talk to us. Un-F*ck-ing believable…I swear we were not loud and at this point all we were discussing was how crappy this place was. The manager was much more professional, explaining that some patrons were complaining about conversation and how loud we were. We asked that she reseat us in a more appropriate place…even the bar area would be fine. She agreed to reseat us after we finished our appertizers which had just arrived.
We completed our appertizers and they moved us into the completely empty bar area…yes, a nice restaurant in belltown has a completely empty bar at 9pm on Saturday night…that should tell you something about this place! We asked if we could be loud and obnoxious and they said ‘yes’…we had clearance to discuss poop all we wanted in the bar area. The irritated hostess stopped by to see how we were doing. So we asked who complained…she said 4 different tables filed complaints and she was personally offended. Oh My God! Amazing. All this because we told some kid stories in normal voices and they contained the word poop.
Anyway, we finished off our meal, dessert, and coffee in the bar area. I do want to point out that our server was awesome! She never complained, she was always professional, always had a smile, and eventually shared her kid’s poop story with us. She got a good tip.
It goes without saying that we will never go back to Brasa again. If you can’t have normal conversation in a normal volume level - than what’s the point…unless you are fighting and/or eavesdropping. We definitely give this place a thumbs down on service and atmosphere. Food was hit and miss. Some plates were very good, like the Paella, others like the pappardelle were not very inspiring - in fact, John didn’t finish it.
