Burkenstocks

Richard D. wrote:

>Just wondering if anyone has been back to Burkenstocks in Wake Forest
>since they moved into their new place.
Vicki and I eat there almost every Friday night.  By getting there before about 6:15, you can generally get seated quite quickly.  The food is generally excellent, but there are occasional glitches from the kitchen.  Last Friday night, our oysters and shrimp were overcooked.  One person in our party asked for some less cooked broiled oysters, and Todd Skipper (owner) brought her a replacement plate of them that could possibly be some of the finest examples of Oysters in the state.

I'd gotten the AYCE, with fried oysters and shrimp, plus broiled scallops.  The first serving was a tad skimpy and overdone.  Todd is extremely conscientious about seeing that everyone is happy, so when he came by the table, I asked him if the second helping could be a tad less cooked.  I cannot say whether he did it himself or had the kitchen just take better care, but my second helping not only filled the entier plate, the scallops were the size of my thumb and were so tender that you could crush them with just your tongue.  The oysters were absolutely perfect and huge.  The shrimp was as tender as I've ever had.

Vicki had ordered the fried oyster plate as her meal.  Surprisingly, when it arrived with my own overcooked first go-round, her own oysters were huge and perfectly prepared.

What anyone eating there should remember is that Todd WANTS the food to be perfect and will bust his hump to make things right if it isn't. Having eaten an overcooked meal there a couple of months ago and going away mad about it, I decided I'd simply ask Todd to redo something that I didn't feel was right.  For example, they had a new bartender one evening who measured our a martini to the closest CC.  I told Todd that the next time, I'd like a real martini- and the next glass was overflowing.

My personal appraisal of Burkenstock's is that you have a young couple who are working their butts off to serve a darn good meal at a reasonable price.  By giving them immediate feedback of something that isn't right, you do them a favor and are assured of having it straightened out promptly.

Tom