Food and Mozart

[elfs]

Friday night, I had the pleasure of being able to go out with Omaha and another couple to attend a concert. We went first to the uptown restaurant Sazerac, where we were feted by a very professional waiter. Man, the difference between one of these people and the kind of waiter who serves you at the local Denny's is like night and day, and I can't imagine the pay rates are all that different, are you? She was funny, engaging, knowledgeable about wine.

Omaha had the baked macaroni & cheese and I had the chicken. The chicken came with red potatoes and asparagus. The potatoes were amazing, the asparagus perfect and the chicken... well, the chicken was dry. Omaha was likewise unimpressed. We also got a cheese sampler on a square, flat plate of cold steel, which was fascinating both for its minimalism and for the variety of flavors they brought us.

The night at the symphony was lovely. We heard Mozart's The Magic Flute, and then Clarinet Concerto in A, the latter of which was soloed by a neurotic little guy with the most peculiar stage presence, the "I'm a rock star who's not sure how he got here" energy. Apparently, he is the world's finest clarinet player. I'm not sure how bankable that can be.

After the intermission, we heard the whole of the Requiem, with four soloists who were okay, and the Seattle Choir, which was fabulous.

Afterward, we all went to the Brooklyn restaurant for dessert, and then headed home. Thanks to Patrick and Sarah for a lovely night, and to Anne and Peter for watching over the kids while we did so (even if they did hand the kids back in a slightly wired state of mind: too much video games and dessert).

Comments

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Thank you for spreading the flu. See, this is why you got it in the first place -- because some other poor sick fool felt it necessary to go out and hit the streets instead of staying home and getting well.

(waves scolding finger your direction)

[lisakit.livejournal.com]

Pay rates for wait staff in higher-end restaurants do get a little higher than Denny's, but it's usually the tips that make the difference. When my aunt worked a high-end place (even in the late 80's, early 90's) she'd easily come home with $100 in tips per night. Plus, if you have sommelier's training (or even cocktail wait-staff) you can command a higher initial salary.