Sam Adams is a local beer in CA? Really? So, Boston is local, and in many cases, Latrobe, PA was not in the US! :confused:

I have to disagree. I bartended while at Uni, and questions like that really annoyed me. Firstly, I don't like beer, so asking me which I prefer is a pointless question. By all means ask me what the beer is like (wheaty, light, fruity etc) or what it is comparable to (similar to Guniness, or Bud etc) but asking a bar tender a personal perference doesn't make sense to me. Especially when they are asking about something I genuinely don't like in the first place! Secondly, if someone asked me if I prefered Cointreau or Chambord, I know what I would answer, but why would that affect your choice? I may really like raspberries, so pick the Chambord every time. You, on the other hand, might be craving something citrusy. If someone asked me that question, I would a) be honest and say 'I don't know' when I don't and b) try from there to ascertain which the customer might perfer 'Do you like a darker beer / citrus favours' etc depending on what is applicable.

I dislike being charged $2-5 to split an entree. I usually split an entree with my partner because we've ordered an appetizer and will order a dessert. Plus drinks. Just let me share the entree, already. I know some folks are cheap, but not all of us are!

Small plates--This is clearly just a margin improvement for restaurants. It's fine if you are with a large group, but if you are only a couple, I never feel as though I get to enjoy the restaurant.

Also, overprogrammed servers.

1- you ask for a certain bottle of wine and the waiter suggests an alternative as a much better match for your meal, you take their suggestion and find out that it is 3x the price of the one you selected (Hilton Auckland) - this smacks of sharp practice to me

2 - Mandatory service charges on already expensive wine with a hefty profit margin on it (i.e. the owner CAN afford to reward the staff for selling it)

3 - Padding of the menu ( this dish comes served with delicious roast ...) I should hope it's delicious

4 - 15% Service Charge added and then staff says what about the tip?

and on a lighter not no serious note

5 - The inverse naan bread law. If 4 of you each order a Naan bread in an Indian Restaurant then they will each be size of a table. If, however, on the next occasion you chose to order 1 and share it will be miniscule

I never take wine suggestions from a server. If they have a sommelier then I'll be happy to listen to advice but my first criterion involves price range.

One is something which rarely happens in the US: mid-priced restaurants which refuse to serve tap-water.

One is something which I'd be surprised if I found an exception anywhere but the West Coast: waiters in fancy places who know where the main ingredients of a dish come from and whether they've been frozen.

There's also nothing more hilarious than the sommelier in a moderate-priced restaurant believes the average customer intends to smell the cork to check for corkage, or on the flipside if they don't believe a customer when they send something back because it is corked.

Prepare to be surprised if you go to a midscale-and-up place in Chicago or NYC.

Y'all forgot the wrong-change tip hustle. If I pay an $18 tab with a $100 bill and I get back two dollar bills and four $20s, I tip $2. The same applies if I get back two dollar bills, four $5 bills and three $20s.

That's one of my pet peeves - the over generous tip allocation. Paying with a $100 for an $18 or similarly low tab and getting 7 $10s and 12 $1s. I usually leave a $1.

That seems perfect to me. Just what I would expect.

I don't like this at all. Makes for a thick wad in the wallet.

I can't remember the last time I paid cash for a meal in the US other than fast food, so neither is an issue.

Even worse, they then expect a tip of some kind ...

I've seen this a lot. And it seems to be a trend in dining that bread is only filler for BEFORE dinner and gets removed from the table before entrees arrive.

I've only had this happen to me once, and I solved the problem pretty easily. The bottle we ordered was obviously corked, and I told the waiter, who looked nervous, then summoned the manager. The manager poured a glass, sniffed it, and said, no it's fine. Remaining calm, polite, but somewhat amused because the wine smelled like an old sweatsock wrapped in moldy cardboard, I said to him that he should probably try it again.

When he once again insisted the wine was ok, I told him that I would make a deal with him: Bring me a new bottle of the wine, and if it's the same as the original bottle, I would buy both of them. If, however, there was a noticeable difference, proving that the first bottle was indeed corked, then HE would buy both of them.

He looked at me for a minute, took the bottle away, brought us a new one, which was fine, and I paid for it with no further drama.

A fantastic way of dealing with the situation. Will file that away in my mind.