I had a bad experience at Mas tapas bar in Charlottesville, VA. I ordered a tuna selection. Although I could be wrong, I don't recall the menu listing it as seared, or mentioning that the inside would be very rare. When it was brought to me, it was just that: seared on the outside but raw in the middle. I asked the waiter if they could possibly cook it a bit longer. He replied that he was sorry, but that is how the chefs there prepare it. He added that they would not compromise their food. I decided to not compromise my taste and didn't eat it. I would have made a much bigger fuss were it not for the people I was dining with. If it had been an entree, as opposed to a few bites of food, I think that I would not have acquiesced so easily.

If a chef who wants to present their food to me as a creative vision, that's fine. But when I receive it, and make it known that I do not like it undercooked, then they should throw it in the oven for a couple of minutes. After all, I am paying them. If they want me to come back then they should accomodate me, no?