St Anslem's--Brooklyn

718-384-5054

Went here a few months ago to try the famous rib eye for two.  It was a Tuesday night, and since they don't take reservations we decided to head on in a touch early.  Tuesday, 7pm, 1 hour wait.  No problem, we'll just grab a drink at the bar.  Sorry charlie, no drinking at the bar. Try our short order place across the street Fette Sau (which I've never reviewed by the way).  Been there, thanks.  Thanks maybe next time (big smile).

Fast forward to last Saturday.  We wanted a steak dinner and since we don't like getting Peter Lugered we figured this place is the only place in our neighborhood to get a guaranteed non butcher steak dinner (certainly Dresslers or Diner or somewhere else may have a steak special, but who wants to risk it when you have a hankering...).  We knew there would be a wait so we headed in at 6 p.m. thinking even if we have to wait an hour, we were still eating at a reasonable time--as we were told by some mystical creature that had happened to eat there the cooking/resting time on the rib eye is an hour.  The wait?  Two mother fucking hours!  They entire restaurant could turn and we would still have to wait.  Normally, I would say good for them.  Here are some entrepreneurs that opened a small beer bar (Spuyten and Duyvil) and then opened a cool kitchy barbeque place (Fette Sau), and have finally arrived serving steak to the carnivorous locals.  But the hostess, with her i-pad and horrible hippy-esque corduroy's and awful second hand boots, was so motherfucking smug, so unapologetically proud of the fact that she was turning away another customer that I wanted to punch her square between the eyes.  And after the group behind us, a party of five no less, was told three and a half hours I evacuated, swearing never to return.

We eventually met up with the friend we intended on meeting there, and he told us that he was asked tonot to stand behind the bar while two other friends finished up their dinner.  Okay, so now I know I'm not crazy.  This place is too much of a good thing, and since it is reinforced by insanely patient consumers, the attitude of the staff has clearly gotten out of control.  I don't understand why you would not take reservations if you have waits of two and three hours.  I would understand not taking reservations if you had a loitering kind of bar, or if it was truly first come first serve, ie., no poorly dressed asshole with an i-pad.  A two-hour wait in a forty cover restaurant means that you're perfectly willing to turn away business that may not come back.  And this arrogant attitude has infected the staff since they're all too happy to tell tell people to try your over-rated pickle bar across the street.   And since everyone is on the bandwagon of amazing food and my new favorite restaurant I can only assume that your popularity is due to the exclusivity that creates such buzz.  What am I to do, other than say  I hate restaurants that are cooler than their customers, especially since I'm the coolest guy I know.