Guy Anthonys Restaurant

http://www.guyanthonys.com/www/guyanthonys/restaurant/index.asp

Located at 2208 Jerusalem Avenue, Merrick NY, Guy Anthony's seems a bit out of place, located next to a strip of typical cheesy Long Island shops including a Barber and a 24hour Smoke shop. We were invited to meet friends here last night and were pleasantly surprised by a really outstanding meal. While it was not horrible, we cannot say the same for the service.

When we entered we were abruptly met by a woman who said "TWO?" There was no warmth or welcome in her monosyllabic "greeting". We explained we had reservations with a couple we were meeting. The service person then said she'd put us at a table for four while we waited. We suggested we wait at the bar which looked quite nice. Don't most restauranteurs know the key to profit is to usher guests to the bar?

A moment later our friends arrived and we sat at a table anyway. We were served throughout the meal by a very introverted and fidgety young waiter. I suspect he was very new. At one point my husband asked him for a recommendation for a light red wine and this kid just looked puzzled. It didn't surprise me. I don't think he's old enough to drink let alone know the variations of wine.

The one annoying thing about this guy was that he hovered and asked us a million times if we were ready to order when it was plain as day that we were still reading our menus. It was getting a bit irritating, but the meal was well worth it.

I cannot remember the name of my dish but it was a daily special. It was a chicken topped with very thin eggplant and mozzarella cheese in a fabulous tomato sauce with penne. This sounds simple, but it was very fresh, and seasoned perfectly.

I hope this restaurant gets some service training soon because that would make the experience there perfect. I would definitely go again, twerpy young waiter or not.

Service Magic

I don't know what the outcome will be but I thought I'd post about my experience so far with ServiceMagic.com. I need to get my 1950's bathroom tiles removed and replaced including new wallboard. I'm sick of the crazy contractors around here who try to rip you off. Last year we had our sidewalk re-done and got quotes on the driveway as well. I received quotes ranging from $1500-$5000 to have my driveway covered in blacktop. The guy who quoted $5000 showed up in a brand new massive HUMMER. Please! Like I need to finance another car like that for him by being some sort of a chump.

I heard about ServiceMagic and gave them a try. Basically you enter your needs and contact details on the website and licensed and insured contractors call you to arrange a visit and quote. You can later review the service person on the website and once they bid, you can review their history and reviews.

I have to say that so far I like the service. I only have had one person call, but he called me Thursday and came here today. He was VERY nice, personable and seems willing to work towards finding a price we can agree on. I basically told him I"m broke and can barely afford to fix the walls so hopefully he can come up with a figure we can handle. He's going to e-mal me the price over the weekend. I'll post a follow up when he contacts us again. I figure this method cannot be any worse than searching the PennySaver or phonebook for a tile guy.



UPDATE---

It is now Sunday afternoon and I have not recieved my quote via e-mail yet. I'm hoping to hear from this man soon as we are hoping to sort out our tile problem before things get really nasty in our bathroom

UPDATE #2---

It is now Monday evening and still no word from our noble service man. Things were starting off so nicely but now he's ignoring us. I don't want to call him because WE are the customers and should wait to see how reliable he is. If he cannot even quote when promised, then who knows what will happen if we hire him.

Adopt a Dalmation

While I know this blog is intended to discuss Customer Service etc., I cannot help posting a few posts about these dogs. This Dalmation is named Looloo and she is 5 years old. The poor dog probably used to have a family but who knows what happened? If you or anyone you know is looking for a pet, please consider adopting a shelter dog like this one. To adopt Looloo please contact Monster Mutt in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Contact Hannah @ monstermutt@monstermutt.com Alternatively you can visit animalhavenshelter.org to find out more.

---- Update---- I checked the Animal Haven Website today and learned that Looloo has found a new home!! Congratulations Looloo!!

Fantastic Dogs for adoption

If anyone is looking for a dog, a great place to adopt dogs from is Animal Haven Shelter located in Flushing Queens. They often visit Long island with their Mobile shelter van bringing "Pets to the People" This dogs name is Midas and he is a Collie/Lab mix who is nine months old. To adopt him please visit their website: www.animalhavenshelter.org.

Welcome to Long Island Living

I am just getting this blog set up and will shortly begin adding comments and information regarding my experiences on Long Island, New York. I hope to include all sorts of information including shopping, doctors, dining, contractors, and just about any type of business or practice that has shown good, bad, or okay levels of service.

I invite your feedback in the comments field. If you have something special you would like to share please feel to add it.