It's about the people, Part II

"It's amazing what a difference service makes," my friend said. "Bad service can ruin good food, good food can't save bad service."

I think he may be on to something.

My favorite and most memorable dining experiences are not comprised merely of good food. Nope, it's more complicated than that -- they are a combination of fantastic food, welcoming service, and those intangibles that delight my senses and leave me yearning to return. They are an escape from the niggling stresses of my day-to-day world, almost a vacation of sorts. Good food is certainly necessary, but it is far from sufficient.

And this is why the same restaurant can be the site of wide-eyed delight on one visit, and mere adequacy on another. The evening my server answered my request for a suggestion with a smile, the comment that it's easy to work there because he truly loves every dish on the menu, and a specific recommendation (accompanied by a promise to quit his job on the spot if I wasn't happy -- oh! the pressure!) -- I had a delectable cut of lamb served with mouth-wateringly tantalizing potatoes. The night my server (different server, same restaurant) badgered us about taking too long to order, and answered my friend's request for a not-too-dry red wine with the suggestion of a chardonnay (a red chardonnay?!) -- I noticed my friend's slightly overcooked steak, and my must-have-been-plated-too-soon side dish.

Is it possible that the kitchen was having an off night the night of the fateful chardonnay recommendation? Perhaps. But I think it's also possible that once the tone had been set, I couldn't escape and fully enjoy the chef's cooking.

And setting the tone can start long before I even step across the restaurant's threshold. The pleasant chat and laughter I shared with the woman calling this afternoon to confirm my reservation left me counting the minutes until dinner tomorrow night. All this, before I even walk in the door, because of the exchange of a few pleasantries!

What do you think? Is it all about the food, or do the extra touches make all the difference?