Izzy (and Mama) Eat: The Gourmand Goes To College...

Tales of Empty Nest and College Boy Eats.. The Next Chapter

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Beyond Just Dining Out: Being Regulars

As I kid, I have memories of frequenting numerous restaurants where we were regulars. The staff in these places were usually fairly solicitous as they anticipated my dad's generous tips. Back then I must admit, I was fairly mortified to get involved with the idle chit-chat my dad engaged in, with servers, hostesses and the like and tried my best to remain unnoticed. Yet despite my reluctance to get involved, no matter whether it was our favorite Chinese restaurant or the local Jewish deli, we were always treated well.

These days my dad is a regular (or at least attempts to be) at more restaurants then I can even fathom. I, on the other hand, would settle for being a regular at just a few. There are two places where we have achieved "regular" status in Jersey City and Izzy and I are working at number three. So far our campaign has been quite successful.

Since Izzy began to attend pottery class in NYC, we have begun to frequent the same restaurant on a weekly basis. With each passing week, our entry is greeted with more and more fanfare. This is just a small, unassuming restaurant but no matter, it is always nice to be noticed. Today the waiter shook my hand and for the past few weeks they have been giving us a little tidbit on the house. On some days we eat in and others we have our dinner packed to go. Either way, everyone who works there bends over backwards to engage Izzy. They invite him to watch behind the scenes and keep him giggling. They are a jovial bunch and it is always a pleasure to eat there.

The owner of this West Village restaurant has even offered to allow Izzy to come in and help out in the kitchen. We have only met him once but I am hoping to be able to take him up on his offer and videotape the event to post here! Stay-tuned as the perks of being a regular escalate!

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