I'm not a sweets eater -- not unless it's something magnificent. I love a really flaky scone with my morning coffee. I'll indulge in pecan pie with heavy cream at Thanksgiving. And my husband is addicted to a combination of dark chocolate and halvah that I must admit is a mighty aphrodisiac.
But ordinarily, I prefer dry wine, salty snacks, and savory food.
At the Sample Room one night last week, I made an exception. It's no secret that I adore this place -- every food critic has a few restaurants that he or she patronizes *personally* (as in, when they're meeting friends and actually picking up the tab) and the Sample Room is in my top five. I love the ambiance, the simple but quality wine list, the fresh, uncomplicated food.
And whereas I won't heed the recommendation to try a sweet wine from much of anyone, I will here. Which is how I ended drinking the Peltier Station Petite Sirah 2005.
This wine is *not* as sweet as I'd feared it would be. Or rather, it was at first -- simple and fruity and full of berry juices -- but then it changed on my tongue, becoming ever-so-slightly (and pleasantly) tannic, with the clean flavor of wood.
Shortly after I finished the glass, however, chef Peter Maccaroni appeared with a blackberry cobbler he wanted me to try. Now, ordinarily, as I say, I wouldn't be inclined. . . .But this is Chef Maccaroni, after all, so I took a bite and was entranced: fat, juicy blackberries swimming in a compote spiked with mace (spicier than cloves -- closer to pepper than most dessert flavors dare be) and topped with just a smidgen of buttery crinkle-cut crust.
It turns out, Maccaroni has a pastry fetish. He's a chef's chef, a line cook -- but he's always had the yearning to try out pies and sweets. Since becoming top guy at the Sample Room he's been expanding the after-dinner options. Lucky us.
And if this weren't enough, the bartender snuck over with a bottle of something I'd never heard of before: Toschi Nocello Walnut.
Now, I swear, this liqueur is not my thing. It's thick and syrupy and as confectionery as wedding cake. But there was something about that slippery slope down (or up?) into the hinterlands of sugar that made me weak. So I sipped this liquid that was full of gold and walnuts, while eating Maccaroni's cobbler and left quivering with a sweetness that is -- I assure you -- utterly unlike me.
As with many places you go, I think your experience has a great deal with whether or not they know you. When you are known you often have a great experience because you are catered to. I was at the Sample Room earlier this week and did not have the experience of a great restaurant. There is no arguing that the food is good and the wine I had was good as well. However, most of your experience is based on the service you get. You can have great food and bad service and you are disappointed. You can have great service and okay food and you are still willing to go again simply because you had a great experience and felt they wanted you there. At the Sample Room I did not feel wanted or appreciated for being there and it was not because they were busy, because they weren't. When you have to wait and keep searching for your server to get anything that totally detracts from your experience. I personally felt that they didn't care if I was there or not. If any manager was looking around they would have noticed our entire table looking around the restaurant multiple times to find the server. I did not make a big deal about it and even joked with the server on the way out the side door and she just ignored me then as she walked in the door said "bye" in a not so friendly tone. Even with my disappointment I still tipped 15% of the total bill and if that was the reason for her attitude then I question even more. So overall I am extremely disappointed with the Sample Room.