I came across the three posts in the header earlier this week and took it as a sign to do this week’s food thread about a memorably bad restaurant meal.

I have a friend who moved away (about a 5 hour drive). Every now and then when he comes back to visit he and I and another mutual friend will meet for lunch. Out of town friend wants a Reuben sandwich, local friend suggests a place we’ve been to before and we set a time. We meet at the restaurant and I’m not particularly Jonesing for a Reuben. I notice a salami grilled cheese on their specials for the day so I ordered it. The place was pretty busy, it was lunch time on a Saturday and a lot of folks were out that day. I was okay knowing we’d probably have to wait a while and as long as they kept the coffee cups filled we were having a good time catching up.

We were there a long time. I noticed another table that got seated after us was settling their bill and we hadn’t seen our food yet. The servers and bussers were keeping the coffee cups filled so I wasn’t too bothered but I definitely noticed our table didn’t seem to be a priority.

When the food finally arrived my sandwich was both burnt and cold at the same time. The top of it looked okay but when I picked it up off the plate the bottom was charred black. The tomato slice was soaking wet so it made the bread mushy, that is until it slid off the cheese that at one time was melted but was now congealed and slimy from the tomato. Fries were also cold and at that point I didn’t dare try the slaw on the side. I had one bite of the sandwich which ended up being one bite too many. My friends ate their meals but I didn’t bother to look at the conditions of their plates. I also felt it would be a lost cause to say anything to the server, the place was still busy and I did not want to be there any longer than I had to.

I’m afraid that place may  come up as a destination again. If so I’ll offer an alternative but if that gets shot down I’ll go to spend time with my friends. I will eat a good meal beforehand and only have coffee there.