Slopping the Hogs

Tonight, Steve and I went on a double-date with Nick and Caroline, catching J Edgar at the AMC Castle Rock 12. We followed the movie with a visit to the deservedly packed CRAVE burger joint. It was the perfect ending to a too-brief holiday.

I wanted to dine at CRAVE because it’s a newer restaurant located in an under-developed strip mall. I figured we’d be helping a poor restauranteur stay in business one more day. And then we walked in. The place was wall-to-wall people, a crush of humanity. Scribbled on the chalk board above the line cook, a sign read “78,515 burgers served since July 4, 2010.” We were going to have to wait our turn to support this fledgling venture.

Our server at CRAVE quickly landed on the Top 10 Servers list, a theoretical, hypothetical list of amazing waitstaff who have made our dining experiences “oh-so-perfect” over the years. I say “theoretical, hypothetical” because, in fact, I have no such list. I just remember the way the guys at Oceanaire took care of us on our anniversary. And the way the waitress at Augustine Grill nursed me through a late-night craving for a decadent chocolate dessert, though I walked in as they were closing up. There are those moments that are imprinted on the memory, and tonight’s server was a brilliant hue of indelible ink.

Sadly, I didn’t notice his name, which is a testament to his skill in creating a diner-centered experience as well as an indictment of my inattentiveness. The diner-centered experience, by the way, was a zany but not overpronounced menu presentation. He could speak as fast as the JimmyJohn’s commercial voice, but more distinctly. And with a smile and a wit.

And CRAVE has (until now, unbeknownst to me) 70 Yelp reviews and 248 Urbanspoon reviews averaging 4½ stars – for creations like the Colorado – a burger topped with shredded lamb, poblanos, onions, pepper jack, avocado, chipotle mayo and tomato. And the Luther – a burger topped with bacon, cheddar, egg and onion with 2 LaMar’s glazed donuts as the bun. There are 14 crazy choices in all, and I mean, crazy.

Anyways – back to our server – he excelled at quietly breezing the table to check food quality and beverages. And when we engaged him, he was really funny! – but not too; he was informative, but not excessively so. You know the difference. Simply put, his service was perfection – or as close to perfection as you can get, when a hoppin’ joint is exceeding it’s capacity by a crowd.

So, here’s to superb servers. Guys and gals who excel at the art of slopping the hogs and entertaining them, too. Tonight, we especially appreciated you.