Smoke House Restaurant

I know I'm high maintenance.  (Lots of people do by now, really.)  So when I order food after a long day of work and it isn't right and I have a hissy fit and it is the end of the world, I get rather ... em... cranky (replace with other adjective starting with "b" and ending with "itchy").

I ordered from the Smoke House last night.  I dunno - I was being totally lazy (as I have now become accustomed to) during the week.  I was thinkin to me, 'Hey me, how about a big fat juicy steak?'  Why not?  I can sit in my jammies and eat it in front of the TV with equally-lazy Desert Dawg (who really shouldn't have the protein at age 15 as she gets so evil).

I have tried the Smoke House's fantabulous ribs before (let's be honest to oneself, DG; several times).  Smothered in barbecue sauce and the meat falls right off the rib.  They make great sides like really fresh steamed veggies (so WHAT?  I want to feel healthy when I'm eating my "low cal" rack of ribs!), mac & cheese, cole slaw, black eyed peas, etcetera and yada.  I've also had the battered fish before and wow.

So, I ordered a medium rare ribeye through 6alabat.com.  (Me sorry, but "well done" is sacreligious in the world of Desert Girl. You people who eat well-done don't know how to live.)

A very nice delivery dude shows up a while later.  Very polite.  He left and I was on my way to a great night... until... wait!  What DAT?!  Leather in a box!  Yikes!  It was well-well done.  C'est impossible!  Noooooooooooooooo!

So I call the restaurant and dude who answered the phone is arguing with me that 6alabat just said "medium".  (Even IF - it was still well done, not medium.)  He was so argumentative!  'Do you want to argue or do you want to make it right,' is what I axed him.  He said that my area was too far to send another order to.  WHAAAAT?  Oh no he di - int!

I called back and asked for the manager (I was hungry and about to have a throw-down. I just knew it;  because it is impossible for most restaurants to make it right once an incident has occurred.)  I was completely shocked at what happened next!  Manager dude, Ali, says (in a perfectly loooovely British accent) that he would be happy to send me another steak if it would make it okay for me.  What's THIS???  Good customer service???  No WAY! Shocking!  I can hear the sincerity in his voice.  How is that possible?  Does he practice in front of the mirror?  Did he go to customer service school?  Did he learn the Patience of a Saint? I'm giggling on the phone out of giddiness.

(Okay plus I think that Briddish accents on Arab guys are just way sexy/disarming.  You girls know what I mean.  I met a Saudi who had studied in London and then Texas one time.  He wore cowboy boots, spoke with a British-Texan-Arab accent and my jeans almost fell off... oh wait... back to the other steak story...)

So, little while later, driver dude shows up with an entire new meal cooked perfectly.  Driver dude apologizes profusely - like it was his personal duty to ensure the food was okay and he felt bad.  (It's otay little buckaroo.)

Fast forward 24 hours...

Then, and then, and then.. guess what happened?  So all day, leftover steak in my refrigerator is calling to me, "Eat me, Desert Girl, eat me..." and I can't wait to go home and warm it up.  (Does this sound dirty??  I didn't mean it to, but hey - it's me, and that's what happens.  What to do?)  I had just finished it off when I get a call from a strange 222something number and I'm thinking, 'Oh no!  Something's wrong with my mom!' and pick up the phone in a panic (my mom has had some health issues lately).  It's Ali The Amazing Manager again!  He was just calling to make sure that I enjoyed my meal.  Dude!  Perfect timing!  I just enjoyed Part Deux of a fantabulous steak meal.

I LOVE SMOKE HOUSE!  They do real Southern food!  Dude rocks.  Food rocks.  I love them.  Ali's my new favorite person.  I'm going to get down there to the restaurant in Mahboula sometime (next time I venture out of my cave).  Check them out on www.6alabat.com.  (If you order steak and want it cooked other than well-done, make sure to make note of that in the "special instructions" box.)  Ribeye is only 3.850 - a real deal.

I find it hard to believe that an Arab dude with a Briddish accent can rock a southern meal the way they do, but it's THA BOMB!

Thanks, Ali.  You made my 2 days. :)