Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage: Check Please!

I had to call my dad this morning and tell him that I overdrew my back account by nine dollars. It's only the second time I've ever had to say that, and I hate having to do it. Except this time, it really wasn't my fault; I got trapped.

I'd had plans with my friend Vanessa (who's in my class at UNCSA) for months to see Bruno Mars, an old friend of hers, perform at the Dakota Lounge in Santa Monica. The show started at 9:00pm, but another girlfriend of ours, Hallie, was joining us and couldn't meet us to eat dinner until 7:30 because of her work schedule. We were a little pressed for time, so we decided to go to Dakota, park, and find a place to eat within walking distance so we wouldn't be late for Bruno.

We were so thrilled to see that there was a restaraunt called Melisse less than a block away from the lounge! (We were all dressed up in heels and didn't want to have to walk very far). We pranced in, feeling pretty and ready for a flirty night of fun on the town. The hostess rained on our parade a little when she gave us a snide look after Vanessa told her we didn't have reservations, and was apparently so offended that another hostess had to take over her job! We couldn't believe it and almost left right then, in favor of eating at the pool hall next door...but decided that this place may be safer.

Finally, after the second hostess practically made Vanessa fill out a personal survey (why in the world did they need her telephone number??), we were seated in a booth that was at the far back corner of the restaraunt. Vanessa got her phone out to text, and a waiter swooped down and informed us that cell phones were not allowed. Where in the world were we? I was pretty stressed out by the customer service at this point, but I felt like I was doing a good job keeping my cool, especially when a HUUUUUUGE plate of bread arrived. Carbs always make a girl feel better, right?

We were chowing down on our selections of bread when another waiter brought our menus by. We chatted and enjoyed each other before opening them. When we finally did, about 10 minutes and five dinner rolls later, I felt sick. There were literally four things on the menu less than fifty dollars, and the vast majority of items were in the one-hundred to one-hundred-fifty range. It was clear by the set up of the menu that we were expected to order an apperizer, first course, second course, entree, and dessert. My mind switched into problem solving mode, and we tossed around some ideas on how to handle this situation before deciding that we had to stay in the restatraunt and deal with it; we'd beaten the hostess, eaten bread, drank water, AND we were in the very back of the place - we would have to do a long, embarrassing walk of shame if we left. Maybe we could pass as anorexic models who didn't really eat very much? (Ha.)

It soon became evident to the waiter that we were in over our heads, especially after he delivered a round dish of what looked like spreadable cheese to our table and Hallie curiously asked him what it was for. Turns out it was to 'compliment the bread, should we choose to enjoy unsalted butter'. Then I presented the wrong plate to the bread boy, who I couldn't really understand because he had a vey thick foreign accent, and was promptly shot down. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.....minus the prostitute and man who pays part.

Luckily, Mr. Waiter had a sense of humor and took pity on us. Probably, he could have easily dismissed us from the premsis. Instead, he brought us two free appetizers (one was very good...the other we choked down out of gratitude) and allowed us to order only one item from the menu apiece - the cheapest ones. Vanessa got a twenty-nine dollar dessert, and Hallie and I ordered twenty-five dollar salads. Did I mention that everything was mini-sized? No wonder you have to order so many courses, with portions like that.

By the time Mr. Waiter had to split our bill three ways (something else that it seemed the restaraunt staff wasn't accustomted to) the giggly embarrassment had turned to pride and laughter. What a story we would have to tell! And honestly, the food we did eat wasn't that great, besides Vanessa's ice cream. I would've been more satisfied with a baked potatoe and a salad from Wedny's.

Comments

Lesson learned, hopefully. Don't eat out at the places that are beyond your means. :)

If you hear of a good place that you're dying to try, there are some good websites like Yelp and Citysearch that will give you the price range (and reviews from people who have eaten there!). They also often post the link to the restaurant's own website, where you can view the menu and the prices for all the entrees.

New York has a great site called Menupages, but I think that's just NYC, not LA.

I know sometimes it's fun just to go to a swanky place where you can "see and be seen." But in that case, if it's really expensive, see if they have a bar. A drink or two at the bar can be fun - and then go to eat somewhere that's more in your starving actor budget.

Posted by: Justine | July 02, 2009 at 10:59 AM