Posts tagged sf

Tonight, we had the chance to try out the newest San Francisco restaurant by Chef Hubert Keller. The verdict: not that great.

For anyone who follows Chef Keller you know that he has a reputation as a Chef’s chef. Burger Bar, similar to the Vegas incarnation, intends to be a place where you can grab both a great burger for $10 or go all out and get a luxury burger for as much as 60 dollars.

Unfortunately, for us, the Burger Bar experience was far from outstanding… When we arrived at Burger Bar it was about 7:15 (Sunday) and the place was pretty busy. Being a party of two people, the hostess was actually able to seat us right away near to the main bar and with a view of both Union Square as well as of the main dining room. The view was really actually quite fantastic.

Next, our server took our order for both cocktails and dinner (no substitutions allowed, one of the burgers had to be ‘custom made’ to change the kind of cheese on top; dumb) quickly and we waited for dinner. This, is where the trouble began. First, a server informed us that the two small salads we ordered were no longer available and we would have to get one big salad and split that. Ok, not a problem. We split a salad and drank our cocktails, waiting for our burgers.

And we waited…

And waited…

And waited…

45 minutes later we finally got our dinner. Really? 45 minutes to fire two hamburgers? The worst part of this is as the plate was being set down it burned Marc’s arm.

It BURNED his arm! How long was this plate sitting under a heating lamp that it was able to burn skin? Too long! Also, let me say that if our server was busy and unable to get to our food, I would be able to understand, however when our food was brought out by a staff member who was *just* running food I find myself unable to understand what the hold up could be.

The food (once it came, and, was done burning skin) was actually very good. I can see why Chef Keller has such a great reputation (I’m personally a huge fan) but the service and patience that was required to get our food just ruined the whole experience.

I’m happy to say that once we finished our meal we requested to see a manager who listened to our feedback and comments and we opted to have dessert elsewhere. I look forward to Burger Bar getting their logistical issues dealt with so that I can come back and have another, hopefully better, experience.

The good:
-A tasty burger, fries, and, cocktail
-Friendly and helpful staff (when we could get their attention)
-A nice, large, and, expensive looking space
-A staff that was attentive and understanding of our frustration
-A cookbook by Keller with all the burgers on the menu (If you aren’t able to visit in person)

The bad: 
-Food taking forever (45+ minutes to fire 2 burgers?)
-No substitutions on signature burgers
-Total lack of attention by service staff (glasses of water/cocktails sitting empty for extended periods of time)
-Being burned by a *hot* plate (How did the plates get this hot?)

Dear AT&T,

I recently attempted to use my iPhone to call a cab this morning. Let me tell you, it didn’t go so well. After nine failed calls on my iPhone (and 3 failed calls on a Blackberry), I reached out to @ATTCustomerCare via twitter and promptly received a reply from @attjohnathon who asked for my phone number in a attempt to assist.

We talked for 9 minutes, the time it took to walk in the pouring rain, from my apartment to the train station. Here is what he said:

1. Ad-Hoc Profiles are used to hack an iPhone and to enable Tethering, he said this was according to someone who he asked at Apple

Reponse: Actually, an ad-hoc profile is a method that allows for 3rd-party application installation without having to publish to the iPhone App Store. From Apple’s developer documentation:  “test provisioning profiles (also known as ad-hoc provisioning profiles), which allow them to install on their devices applications that have not been published to the App Store.” (link)

2. If you want to call a taxi, there is an app for that

Response: I am aware of an application that can be used to schedule a taxi pickup using an application (Taxi Magic),in fact, I had already attempted to use it earlier in the morning but no taxi was ever dispatched and I canceled the taxi.

3. How many apps do you have installed? You should do a backup and restore your phone.

Response: I am not sure how the number of Apps I have installed on my phone would have any effect on AT&T’s network service, however, I am happy to reboot my phone (I did this, still, no calls going through)

4. He said that they showed 14 towers, “Showing activity” in the area

Response: While he was not able to give me specifics on the type of activity he did mention that AT&T is working to roll out both the 850mhz and a perfect 3G network. It was great that AT&T is working on their network upgrades, however, why again am I paying so much money on a monthly basis on a device that my friends refer to an an iPod Touch (due to my inability to make phone calls)?

Conclusions:

1. I am shocked that AT&T would say that an Ad-Hoc installation profile is used to hack an iPhone and enable tethering (Speaking of, when is tethering going to be released?) I am further shocked that this information was claimed to have originated from Apple. I am angered that it was insinuated that I hacked my phone by installing an Ad-Hoc profile…they are completely unrelated.
2. I find it infuriating that AT&T would suggest that instead of using my iPhone and the service that I pay over $100 a month for service for, that I order a cab over the internet. Why is it that I need to have service with AT&T, if they are unable to provide me with actual telephone service?
3. Even suggesting that the number of Apps installed on my phone would have any effect on phone service betrays a lack of understanding on the iPhone and cellular phones in general.
4. To have an iPhone in San Francisco or Manhattan (and other places, I’m sure) is to invite frustration. How AT&T is able to continue selling and collecting monthly service fees from users when the service they provide is completely marginal is beyond my understanding and may in fact border on illegal and criminal.

I look forward to either AT&T upgrading their network to support the users they already have.

I look forward to Apple partnering with other service providers (Are you listening Apple and VZW?).

I look forward to a day when I can use my iPhone as more than an iPod Touch.