My intentions were good. I heard about your restaurant from Tabatha, and to avoid places like Taco Bell and Boston Pizza, I decided to throw caution to the wind and treat myself to dinner at The Rainbow Room at the Crowne Plaza.
My reservation was for 5:00 p.m., the first seating of the evening. It’s off-season in Niagara, so I’m not too worried about there being a crush of people in the restaurant. I like my quiet time.
I was seated by the window with a view of both sides of Niagara Falls and my waiter’s name was Fernando -he came complete with salt & pepper hair and an accent. It’s like you shipped him to Canada, just for me!
As a girl on a budget, I rarely treat myself to a gourmet meal, so I was on my best behavior. There was a moment when all the silverware confused me, but then I remembered Pretty Woman and I was totally okay.
I ordered a glass of Chateau des Charmes Icewine and the Lobster Bisque to start. Did you know that you can drink Icewine with any course? I don’t think you do because the glass I received was very tiny. It was like a frosted fluted shot glass. It was weird, every time I picked the glass up, my pinky finger would stick out like I was at Afternoon Tea.
The Lobster Bisque came in a pretty white bowl and was an orangey-red in colour, with a spinach oil drizzled on top. It smelled divine. I waited for Fernando to finish explaining the soup before I slowly dipped my spoon in. I was slow and trying desperately to hold my hand steady as I raised the spoon to my mouth and allowed the bisque to slip between my lips, into my mouth and down my throat. It was delicious. I felt triumphant. I lowered the spoon into the bowl and raised it to my mouth again. As I let the bisque slide down my throat, warming my tummy, I noticed something heinous. There was an orangey-red drop of bisque on my white shirt which was under my grey one!
I looked around slowly. Nobody saw. Thank goodness. I quickly adjusted my grey shirt and my cardigan so nobody could see the spot. When I was satisfied that all was okay, I picked up my spoon and slipped it into the bisque again.
I managed to drink 2 or 3 more spoonfuls before it happened again, except there was the spot was on my grey shirt. Thankfully it was hard to see! Then I looked down and notice two more spots on your lovely white tablecloth. Damn. It’s kind of hard to hide my faux pas once the table-cloth has been stained. I think it was then that I blushed and my hand became even less steady as I tried even harder to be a lady.
My next few spoonfuls were quick. My goal was to get the bisque into my mouth before I spilt more. Once it was in my mouth, I savored it, especially the succulent chunks of lobster meat. Every time Fernando came by, I was nervous. What would he think? I was trying so hard to be a lady and look like I actually belonged in your restaurant! And then, it happened. Something worse than spilling bisque on my shirt. I raised the spoon to my mouth, got distracted and dropped bisque into my hair! My hair! OMG what the hell is wrong with me? Who in the hell drips bisque into their hair?!?!?! I admit, my hair was resting on my shoulders, but still!! To say I was mortified is an understatement. This was definitely a first for me.
I must confess, when I dripped bisque into my hair, I gave up. That was it for me. There was no way I was going to attempt to put spoonfuls of your delicious creation in my mouth. If I had been at a regular restaurant, I may have lowered my standards and asked for a mug. But no, not here, not in your fancy dancy restaurant.
Fernando was lovely. He was gracious and never let on that he knew about the bisque. Of course, he didn’t know it had landed in my hair as well. I had orginally planned to leave and head out to see friends, but after failing to finish the bisque I felt guilty and ordered the lamb, which, by the way, was amazing! I’ve had lamb many times before, but this time it was succulent and not as gamey.
So, yeah, I’m sorry about the tablecloth. I know white is classy and all, but you can’t possibly be surprised by the fact that someone dropped food on it and stained it. Can you?
Anyway. Thank-you for the food and the memories, and once again, sorry about my non-ladylike behavior. Next time I promise to do better. I’ll order salad instead!
Sincerely,
A Traveling Foodie
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About Pamela
