Something new today. Once a month, I’ll share some thoughts on a recent Dining Adventure. I may not eat at as many restaurants as some folks, but I do get about now and then. And some of the places can certainly be interesting.

Here was the intended gastronomic victim from last Friday night:

The Bing Crosby restaurant in Walnut Creek, CA

I've heard how good the food and beverages were here, if a bit pricey. But we were going out for my father's birthday and he wanted to give it a try. So, away we go!

Our reservation was for a group of 6 at 8 pm on a Friday night. Prime time in the restaurant biz, right?

We arrived about the time for the res and were shown right to the table. Not the best in the house, right next to the front door, separated only by a partition and a curtain. Should have been a hint... (It was just to the right of the view above.)

Cocktails got off to a rocky start as well. My mom went for her usual Tanqueray on the rocks and my dad ordered a Manhattan. Two of my brothers opted for the brews on tap, Sierra Nevada and an unidentified Hefeweizen. The wife ordered a Cosmopolitan. I needed a moment to decide.

The Manhattan wasn't. Somehow had lime mixed in with it. Sounded to me like the bartender got lazy and didn't rinse his cocktail shaker between drinks. That went back for a second try. I asked for a shot of Bacardi Anejo on the rocks. After the server came back with Manhattan #2, he informed that that they did not have any Bacardi Anejo or any aged rum for that matter.

Again, the warning bells are going off... This is supposed to be a four star establishment. Best place in town, etc. Katherine Crosby personally involved in the design and operation of it.

Ordered a mojito. Nicely done, good mix of mint, et al.

We ordered appetizers and entrees. Two Wedge salads, one soup of the day (cream of asparagus with brocolli and cauliflower, if I recall), one Bing Crosby Special Salad and two orders of Crab Cakes - one for me. Took about 10 to 15 minutes before the arrived at table.

Crab cakes were good. Until that is I bit into a piece of crab shell an inch square. Another bell going off...

We all finished appetizers and the wait began. Almost an hour would pass before they were finally all served at the table. Most were warm if not hot. I had the Bing Crosby Special Filet. Again, a nice piece of beef with veggies and potatoes.

While the entrees were served, the manager on duty did come to the table with two plates. However, at no time did he ever apologize or even verbalize anything.

After we finished the entrees, our server did appear and informed us that dessert was on the house in way of apology. But even that gesture was somewhat hollow as they took a bit to be delivered and coffee to go with them had to be brewed -- they ran out of both regular and decaf.

All in all, just bad show.

In the restaurant biz, service is everything. And in this case, that was not even sub-par. It just wasn't there.

From the perspective of service professional, I was plain embarrased by how much the manager on duty did not communicate with the customers. Admittedly, he had issues in the back of the house that must have lead to the slow production. But if one ever hopes that your customers will have the kind of experience that leads them to return or tell their friends to do so, then doing your Houdini impression isn't the way to make that happen.

To top the evening off, another guest had a medical emergency that required the paramedics and an ambulance to transport him for further care. On his way out, the Sinatra wannabe lounge singer launched into his rendition of "That's Life". A further example of poor taste and no class.

Somewhere, Mr. Crosby is looking down and is frowning...

Bing Crosby, a confirmed train traveler.