So... the biggest change in my life when I moved from LA to Charlotte was not what you'd imagine. It wasn't the cultural change. It wasn't the traffic differences. (And for the record, I sometimes think Charlotte's traffic is worse than LA's cause there are only a few routes available to get in and out of uptown and when you get stuck in a traffic jam, you can't just hop over two blocks and go around it or go over the canyon instead of taking the freeway.. but that's neither here nor there.) It wasn't even getting used to the churches on every corner. No, the biggest change I experienced was the startling lack of available (read: not within a food court or the refrigerated section of the grocery store) sushi.
Okay, well, probably not all that startling. Clearly the Asian population of Charlotte is smaller than in LA (yes, yes, I'll say it for you. DUH!) and that would decrease the demand. And that whole lack-of-oceanic-access thing has an effect as well. So I wasn't surprised, per se. Just bummed. Really bummed. I would drift off to sleep at night dreaming of deliciously cool albacore sashimi in a chilled ponzu sauce at Sushi Sase Bune and would wake up to a reality of Harris Teeter "cucumber rolls."
Now, I'm definitely not being fair to the culinary folk in Charlotte. I don't want to give my LA friends the impression that it's 'all Applebees, all the time' in Charlotte. Johnson and Wales Culinary Academy has a branch here in Charlotte and as a result, we have some fantastic restaurants and some of the best food I've ever eaten. It's just the sushi where we really fall short. And, of course, sushi is the one that I crave... Sigh.
I've been through a few sushi restaurants here and was fiercly loyal to each one during its tenure in my life. Sushi 101 had the enjoyable distinction of being a mile from my house. I liked that! And although I thought their sushi was good, it never felt fresh to me. So it became my place holder sushi place. Maybe not Mr. Right, but Mr. Good Enough for Right Now, as they say.
There's another place that is very popular with the 20-something nookie hunting crowd called Rusan's but I was never a big fan of that place. Aside from the mind-numbing techno music they played at a stupid volume, they had very few rolls to choose from that had not been fried in some fashion. Call me obsessive, but the whole reason I spend the money on the sushi is cause I get to pretend it's healthy. Add the flash fry and I don't get to pretend anymore. Fortunately for me, Rusan's got a VERY scary score from the health department a few years ago and I haven't had to fight with dining companions to avoid going there in quite some time.
Then, one day, it seemed my prayers had been answered. Ginbu 401 rolled into town. Fresh fish prepared just the way I like. Barely a fried roll in sight! Heaven! I ate there so much that they eventually named a roll after me. Seriously! It's called the Sheri Roll (creative, yeah?) and it had all my favorite fishies in it!!! But one day, they mysteriously cut their portions in half while keeping their prices the same. I admit, I'm being dramatic, but I felt a bit betrayed. And so... bye bye Ginbu.
Now, there is a new place in town and it's not so far away from my house. The fish is fresh and the servings are appropriate. I'm trying to be more fiscally responsible (note the "trying" portion of that sentence) so I haven't gone as much as I would like. Which may be why I can't even remember the name. But probably, the main reason I don't remember the name is because, to me, it will always be known as "the water glass place." And why is that? Ask Debbie.
No seriously, you don't have to ask Debbie. Most of you don't know Debbie. (And those of you who do know her don't have her number.)
The reason why is because they have really good customer service at this restaurant. In Debbie's mind, a bit TOO good.
Debbie is my favorite sushi eating partner. She and I only manage to get together about once a month when we are lucky, but it's always for a meal and more often than not, we wind up eating sushi. However, we are currently at a bit of an impasse because Deb still likes Sushi 101 the best and I don't like it there anymore at all. She doesn't like to go to the "water glass place." She always gives in to me and goes there, but leaves unhappy everytime. Which makes me vow to myself, every time, that I will go to her favorite next time. And, of course, I don't. Cause I suck. Also, I digress.
Whenever we eat at TWGP (not going to keep typing "water glass place" cause that's way more work than I'm interested in doing) it isn't really all that crowded. However, they always seem to have an abundence of staff... and they seem to want to make sure we are enjoying ourselves as much as possible. So they come by... they come by a lot. Debbie takes a sip of her water and they hustle over to fill it back up. (Hence TWGP) The menus arrive, waiters appear to take our order immediately. If we ask for time, they hover nearby, checking back every few minutes or so. After we order, the owner, the host and the waiter each check on us frequently, asking if we are okay, do we need anything etc. The food comes and as you can probably imagine, there is a lot of checking to make sure everything is to our liking. And water glass filling. And how are you ladies doing? And can we get you anything? And can I take that plate for you? And on and on and on.
Now, again aiming toward fairness, I have eaten there at lunch by myself sometimes with a book. (shocking!) On those occasions, they mostly leave me alone. Although, it is entirely possible that they try to speak to me and I am just too engrossed in my reading to notice. I do always have water in my glass, I know that.
It's not that helpful service is not appreciated. There have been times at other restaurants where I seriously considered getting up and going into the kitchen myself to fill my water glass. (Goodness me, what a tortured life I lead.) So I like that this place is on top of customer care.
It's just that constant interruption makes Debbie want to yank her hair out by the root. Possibly because conversation with me is just THAT fascinating that she doesn't want it interrupted, but more likely because it's just frustrating to be trying to catch up with a friend and being interrupted every few sentences to assure people that we are fine and don't need anything more. I think the water glass thing wouldn't bother her so much if the servers didn't take that opportunity every time to ask how we are doing. If they just came and filled and left, we probably wouldn't notice. But every time, they interrupt to ask how we are. And every time, I watch Debbie's expression get darker and darker. I sometimes think she's one interruption away from stabbing the water glass lady in the eye with a chop stick.
One of the first lessons I learned in in the edit bay or the production truck was that as a Script Supervisor, I should be seen and not heard... I should not speak unless spoken to... It was a lesson I learned the hard way (aka being fired for asking questions and being "too comfortable") and probably wouldn't have happened on a different kind of show where the producer wasn't such a tight ass. Nonetheless, I learned the lesson well. To this day, it's pretty close to impossible to get me to talk in a setting that even remotely resembles a tense edit bay or production truck. Even when it's appropriate for me to speak, I can rarely summon much more than a whisper and have to be told frequently to speak up! (Which is hard for many to imagine, I'm sure, but I got spanked PRETTY HARD when I learned that lesson.)
I'm not saying that serving staff should be seen and not heard. Far from it. I love a good waiter who laughs and jokes with me and offers his opinion. But what I, and I think I can speak for Debbie on this one, would prefer is a waiter who can read the table and be able to ascertain that there is a conversation going on and then make the decision on whether an interruption is prudent.
Having said that, however, TWGP is still the best sushi restaurant in Charlotte, in my opinion, and as such, they will undoubtedly continue to separate me from my hard-earned cash.
And of course, they will continue to fill my water glass at every conceivable opportunity! Which is really fine. Cause let's face it.
Soy sauce makes me thirsty.
