Anyone who has read either my blog or my column that I used to write for that Argus knows that I have a bit of a "thing" for Chef Michael Chiarello. The Food Network used to air his show "Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello" and I would rush home at lunchtime every day so I could catch the show. Then, for some unknown reason, they stopped running his shows and his time slot was filled by Tyler Florence (not that I don't love Tyler, he's just no Chiarello).
Last year, when I was here visiting Jason and Sarah, we went to Bottega Napa Valley, Chef Chiarello's restaurant in Yountville and it was one of the highlights of my life. Chef came to our table and even posed for a photo with me (which I have on display on my corkboard at work as well as on my Blackberry) and it was just a fantastic moment.
I thought I'd give Bottega another try while I was here, hoping to maybe recreate some of the magic from my last visit but it just wasn't meant to be. It was a Monday night, so Chef wasn't in the kitchen, but that was okay- I understand. That's not to say that my meal wasn't fantastic - it was. I had the homemade linguini with clams and sausage and it was to die for. Unfortunately, the service I received was less than stellar and I don't want to go into that here, except to say that I felt compelled to write Chef Chiarello a note to let him know that perhaps he needed to step up the server training when it comes to giving good guest service to women who are dining alone. It was a shame his excellent food was marred by the service I received. That won't, of course, prevent me from going back there again. I'm still a loyal fan of Chef Chiarello's. My experience just left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth (and it certainly wasn't from the food).
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