1 of 4
2 of 4
Kevin Nashan
3 of 4
Fresh, soft shell crabs, lightly breaded and quickly sauteed, one of the joys of summer.
4 of 4
Tables that remain unbussed at peak periods cost a restaurant money and its customers time...surprising it's so prevalent.
HOT SPOT
Keepin’ the Peace at The Peacemaker - The good news: Kevin Nashan’s one-month old The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co., is as big a success as everyone thought it would be. The bad news: the restaurant is running dinner waits almost every night and it only takes reservations for six people or more. A resolution: The Peacemaker recently signed up for NoWait, the app that lets a customer jump onto a restaurant’s waiting list electronically—so it’s no longer necessary to show up at a restaurant just to put your name on the wait list. The restaurant simply sends you a text when your table is ready. We wrote about NoWait here; it’s one of the best problem-solving ideas (and apps) to come along in quite a while. 1831 Sidney, 314-772-8858.
INSIDER TIPS
Time to Get Crabby - Fresh, soft shell crabs are now available at Gulf Shores Restaurant & Grill “for the very last time in 2014,” says owner Harry Parker, “and very reasonably priced,” we might add. From today until they run out, the softies are being Cajun-battered and served up as an appetizer (one for $10.99), as a dinner (two with two sides for $20.99), or on a sandwich (one with French fries and cole salw for $12.99). Here’s the kicker: soft shell crabs come in five sizes—mediums, hotels, primes, jumbos, and whales—the latter measuring over 5 1/2 inches point to point. For this last-gasp special, Parker has procured the largest size "whalers,” as they're sometimes called. You won’t find ‘em bigger, or cheaper. 12528 Olive, 314-878-3306.
MICRORANT
Unbussed Tables at Peak Hours - We don’t like seeing unbussed tables in a restaurant at any time, but when the place is running a wait, there is no excuse for such laziness. The moment a table gets vacated, the host/ess should be calling the next party, knowing that by the time the party assembles the table will be bussed, re-set, and ready. Or that’s the way it used to be. Few floor managers, bussers, and servers seem to be in that much of a hurry anymore, which both miffs and rankles us. One thing we’re pretty sure didn’t change: Time is still money.
