Happy unexpected birthday to me.
John decided last night that The Lantern sounded really good and so we should celebrate my birthday a couple of weeks early (which makes sense since the weekends surrounding the day itself are already looking pretty booked).
I think Monday nights must be when The Lantern trains new staff. Either that or they've had a great amount of turnover recently. It suited me well as I appreciate enthusiasm and earnestness and sometimes feel like a bumpkin in the uber-schwank Lantern atmosphere. (They had a sign on the door saying "Due to drought conditions we are required to serve water on request only", and you could just imagine "though it *pains* us" added at the bottom.) The service wasn't bad, but the bar staff were less choreographed than usual. OK, and one server poured water in John's beer glass. John said, "Oh! That's beer!" But too late, and the server got this really funny-cute look on his face and said, "um, not anymore..." (he brought another.)
And they brought us a dessert because we had to wait quite a while for a table. Cocoa panne cotta with cherry sauce and *pocky*. (I am sure the cherry sauce had a special-er name than just "cherry sauce" Also, I think they had added another coating of goodness to the pocky.) Occasionally intimidating (not really) or no, that fact that The Lantern considers pocky an acceptable ingredient on their hojillion star menu is why they will always be my favorite restaurant.
I think Monday nights must be when The Lantern trains new staff. Either that or they've had a great amount of turnover recently. It suited me well as I appreciate enthusiasm and earnestness and sometimes feel like a bumpkin in the uber-schwank Lantern atmosphere. (They had a sign on the door saying "Due to drought conditions we are required to serve water on request only", and you could just imagine "though it *pains* us" added at the bottom.) The service wasn't bad, but the bar staff were less choreographed than usual. OK, and one server poured water in John's beer glass. John said, "Oh! That's beer!" But too late, and the server got this really funny-cute look on his face and said, "um, not anymore..." (he brought another.)
And they brought us a dessert because we had to wait quite a while for a table. Cocoa panne cotta with cherry sauce and *pocky*. (I am sure the cherry sauce had a special-er name than just "cherry sauce" Also, I think they had added another coating of goodness to the pocky.) Occasionally intimidating (not really) or no, that fact that The Lantern considers pocky an acceptable ingredient on their hojillion star menu is why they will always be my favorite restaurant.