Eat Arkansas

Jennie, I have enjoyed your postings on this blog and usually agree with you. Sorry about your service experience at Capers. I have only been there a handful of times and have never had that problem. I think the food prices are reasonable, and I've gotten used to restaurant wine prices. My primary point for posting is to say that vintages change often, and not all at the same time. So putting the vintage would mean an almost constant reprinting of the menu. So I understand why they don't do that. A common misconception among the public is that a restaurant or liquor store can specify the vintage they'd like. The distributors here sell all the 2003 until it's gone and then they sell the 2004. When it's gone out comes the 2005. Top-level restaurants or stores could stash back some of the older vintages to create a "vertical" of a certain wine, and that happens in bigger markets. But not here.

The same situation happened to me at Rumba a while back on a Friday night around 8. The hostess met us and said "find a table" and we headed to the deck on this warm evening. We were at the first table out of the door. The place was maybe 1/3 full. Several waitstaff constantly passed right by us as we tried to get some service. We had 15 minuted to study the menu which looked like some tasty food. No drink orders taken, not even any indication that we were visable. After a very long 15 minutes, we left to find other food. The hostess said "come back soon" to which I replied "maybe we'll be waited on next time, but I doubt I'll ever be back."

I wonder if sitting on the deck causes some sort of Twilight Zone to form?

My one and only experience at Capers was similar. The long wait time brought me to the edge, but what pushed me over was asking the server for a wine recommendation to go with my entree -- he said, "Red."

Another member of our party commented that the pour on the martini she had ordered was pretty light. He gave some smartass answer about how he had gotten in trouble for heavy pours, and besides -- it was a big glass.

We won't be going back.

Big Fun

I appreciate the response and the comments. I do realize how tiresome and involved it would be to constantly reprint the menu to reflect updated vintages.

I guess I've become accustomed to wine menus (at my favorite local haunts) that consistently list the vintage. And it just might be my favorite step in the wine selection process, whether I'm at a restaurant or a liquor store. 2005 was a big year for several different varietals and I'm often blown away by how noticeable it can be.

Caper's wine menu, by comparison, seemed a little stagnant and over priced. You can buy a Rosemount Estate Shiraz on sale almost anywhere for $11-13, obviously. The whole experience was a shame, that's all. I always get pumped to try out a restaurant that's new to me and this one totally fizzled.

I have been a patron of Capers restaurant for years and have a great experience everytime I dine there. The cuisine is amazing, as well as the lengthy and dazzling wine list. The comment about the pricy wine list was far from the truth, Capers wine list is very comparable to other restaurants that my wife and I dine at.

The statement about Rosemount Estate Shiraz was false. If you look a little closer at the wine list you will see that the Rosemount Estate Shiraz is a reserve, and it is $49.95, which is reasonably priced for a dining establishment.

My wife and I are pleased with Capers and will continue to frequent the restaurant!

A couple of years ago a friend of mine returned from active duty in Afghanistan. I told him that I would treat him to dinner upon his return.

One night he decided that he wanted to try the steakhouse over at the NLR Hilton. We got there about 6:30. The place was moderately busy. We were shown to our table.

And that was it. 15 minutes passed and not a soul came by to ask us about drinks, food or nothin'. We said "to hell w/this" and left.

We went to the Faded Rose on Rebsamen Park. We must have looked kinda frazzled b/c the server allowed as how we looked like we could use a drink. We related our story to her.

She put a hand on each of our shoulders and said, "Boys, I am gonna take care of y'all tonight. Don't you worry about a thing." And she did. And we tipped her well.

Seriously, there are reasons aplenty why restaurants have trouble. One of those reasons is that it doesn't pay to ignore a couple of well-dressed middle aged guys who show up w/pockets full of money to spend in your joint.

Neither of us have ever been back.

Sounds like you caught them on a bad night. Usually it is caused by being shorthanded and not just inattentiveness. I hope. Try again.

I stand corrected, Train, although, I must admit that I am impressed by your astute ability to reason that the Rosemount Shiraz in question is a reserve- I went back and poured over the online wine menu and couldn't find a reserve list anywhere or see where the word "reserve" was printed by the Rose Estate for $36.95.

The super flustered person who just answered the phone at Capers said the Rose Estate for $36.95 was "probably a mistake" and "we don't have that." The aforementioned bottle mentioned by Train is in fact a 2002, McClaren Vale, reserve bottle. A reasonable price, maybe.

I think there are too many places to mention that have more versatile and more affordable wine lists. I don't really care about restaurants having an "off night." It's a restaurant. People pay money for your timely service and food. Get your sh*t together, take drink orders and figure it out. Esp. when your establishment has been around for years.

Capers' services is ususally excellent, though anyone can have an off night. That's why reputable restaurant critics dine multiple times before publishing a review.

I have not compared their entire wine list, but I noticed their price for Santa Marghetita is $37 (v. $27 in liquor stores) so that is reasonable for a restaurant and less than Valentine's which has the best overall pricing on wines in town.

I've never been disappointed with Capers. It's consistently one of the best restaurants in Little Rock and a favorite spot for lunch. When I go to a restaurant, I could pretty much care less about the service because I know the restaurant is at the mercy of that day's wait staff... and because I don't go for attention. I could never be a waiter and deal with some of you people.

"Some of you people?"

Heh, that's hilarious. Yes, some of us who simply wish to be watied on and have our drink orders taken within a reasonable amount of time. It's pretty pushy and high-maintenance, I admit. But if I wanted to sit outside and stare at a glass of water for 15 minutes, while completely being ignored by the waitstaff, well, I guess I would just go back to Capers.

Doesn't good service lend to the whole experience? Isn't it at least 50% of the reason why you go out to be waited on?

OK, I was going to stay out of this one because I've never been to Capers and therefore have nothing to report, good or bad.

However...

Jen is totally spot on here. Also, I 110% agree with bop - it doesn't pay to ignore people (customers!) who have come to have a good time & spend oodles of money (plus, Faded Rose is always a good bet).

"When I go to a restaurant, I could pretty much care less about the service because I know the restaurant is at the mercy of that day's wait staff... "

Seriously? Seriously?! You don't think the level of food & atmosphere should be represented, at least a little, by the quality of the service? You think the wait staff can just act however they want and the kitchen will make everything better because the food is so awesome? That is an absolutely inane line of thinking - also, it proves why you "could never be a waiter ". Most people aren't unreasonable when it comes to their needs at a restaurant, and a good waitperson knows how to take the good with the bad and still provide consistantly good service.

Oh, and before the question comes up - no, I'm not a server, nor have I ever been one for a real sit-down restaurant. However, having many friends in the industry, I understand the pain & strife they go through with "problem customers" and I appreciate a job well done.

Gracie,

You're my new hero. Well said. Very well said.

I myself, have worked "in the industry" as a hostess at one of the finer restaurants in LR for a part-time gig. And you can bet your ass that if the chef caught us being dismissive of customers entering or exiting the restaurant, heads would have rolled.

That's why I could hardly believe the totally ignorant attitude of the hostess at Capers who sat us and then watched us leave a mere 20 minutes later.

Being shitty to your customers defeats the whole purpose of running a legit business, restaurant or otherwise. I was paid to kiss serious ass as we greeted and bid farewell to our customers and you better believe I poured it on thick as syrup. It kept the chef happy and the customers coming back. In the end, it's a fairly simple equation.

It sounds as though you experienced an unusual occurrence, because my husband and I consider Caper's to be one of our favorite restaurants. We have been going there for years and have nothing but good things to say about our dining experiences there. It is unusual to be able to walk into a restaurant these days and have the hostess know exactly what table you prefer, and then to be greeted by a friendly wait staff who remembers your drink.
I have spoken to the manager on many occasions, and I am very positive that if this incident had been brought to her attention she would have tried to remedy the situation any way possible. I worked in a restaurant all through college, and so I know from first hand experience that mistakes are made, even at the finest establishments. What makes the good restaurants stand above the others is the actions taken to fix the mistakes. It sounds as if they weren't given a chance to redeem themselves.
I do agree with above statements. You go to a nice restaurant for the whole experience- the food, service, ambiance, wine selection, etc. I assure you that I have enjoyed all of my Caper's dining experiences and will continue to go back. You will be missing out on some wonderful cuisine and many great glasses of wine if you mark Caper's off your list. Again, I can only imagine if this was brought to their attention that they would spare no efforts in attempts to remedy the situation. I look forward to enjoying one of their Filets this weekend.

Dunno about Caper's but I sure know about being a waiter. I finally gave it up (for good, I hope) a few years ago but I subsidized my existence for half my life by waiting tables. At the wage of 2 bucks and change plus tips per hour, any waiter giving bad service is wasting his or her time, that of the customers, and the business owner's money.

It's really very predictable: be nice to people, treat them respectfully and give them the kind of service that is expected, and you'll make more money. Anything short of that just ain't smart.

After reading and then re-reading this article, I have come to the conclusion that every Restaurant has it's hiccups.

As a fellow restaurant owner, I can say that it is when customers have a less than positive expereience we are burned at the stake. Perhaps rightfully so, but on the other hand, your actions and comments may influence another to not try - or worse yet not return. Granted it is the Capitalistic nature to reward those that offer to meet our needs - but it is not un-common for all of us to make a simple mistake.

I am keeenly aware of the mistakes that can be made - or worse yet - those that we don't know about. As an example - an associate of mine in another City recently related to me his less than positive dining experience. As I listened to him I thought to myself - this could of been my place he is talking about. After my associate's story was completed I confessed to him that he is the very customer that I genuinely fear. The bad experience that wasn't corrected on the spot - and now he will seek out anyone who will sit still long enough for him to relate his negative experience. Talk about having a direct impact on your business.

In all fairness, we all make mistakes. Owner's may not always be privy to the slight that may have occurred. Only you, the customer, can make certain that we know when we mess up. We will gladly correct the wrong if we know of it. You would be doing us a favor to help us ensure that we take care of you when we don't. If you let us know that we didn't hit the mark and we don't correct the situation, then by all means we certainly deserve all the bad press we can get.

For those that care enough to help those in this business continue to improve - I say Thankyou for your help.

We've eaten at Capers 3 times. First time hubby got sick. Second time the food was just plain bad. Third time - and Lord knows we apparently truly wanted to give this place the benefit of the doubt - we both got food poisoning. Needless to say won't ever darken their doorstep again.

Has anyone out there ever been to a local restaurant that carries any local wines?
Arkansas is a wine producing state, has been for a long time, but the hospitality industry seems to have an organized grudge against local producers. Why must we send our money off to New Zealand, California, Spain or Italy when dining out?

Wine grapes do best in areas where the days are hot and the nights are cool. We have our share of hot days, but it just doesn't cool off enough at night to store the sugars. Since our wine industry is primarily geared toward the casual drinker ("it's not dry is it?") their wines might not be chosen to accompany high end food.

Now, I've had some tasty Arkansas wines, and I look forward to improved wines as new blood gets into the business. However, for the money one can usually do much better by picking wines from other areas.