Originally Posted by
AC110
Four Seasons Boston, about 15-20 years ago.
There were no waiter's stations or computer terminals in the dining room. They set the tables from supplies stored in beautiful antique cabinets in the room, and dirty dishes were whisked out of the room without being stacked - no clattering of dishes or cutlery.
I've always remembered that, and wondered why other restaurants can't manage it.
The other was
Kviknes Hotel on the Sognefjord in Norway. An incredible place.
Sort of related, something that can quickly turn any breakfast bad is
the presence of loud TV's. I often try to arrive early so I'm the first/only
person and turn it off...usually it takes about half an hour for a hotel
person to realize and turn it on, and by then I'm almost done.... Once
I tried doing the straightforward thing and asking for them to turn it
down/off (at a Hampton). She said "policy" made them have it on, and at
a certain volume, even if no one was there who wanted to watch.
As for contents, I like a good selection of fruits, cold/hot cereals, and teas.
Particularly if a person is a vegetarian or keeps kosher, it's good to have
lots of non-meat (or even non-dairy) selections.
--LG