Service Rescues Hair in Sandwich

The day before Thanksigivng, we decided to take a couple of hours off work to enjoy a pre-holiday lunch at Blue Smoke. I always had trouble getting into Blue Smoke without a reservation on Friday and Saturday evenings, but it was easy to find seating for three for lunch.

Everything was just swell - the $20 pitcher of Blue Smoke Ale was clean, crisp and just the sort of beverage needed to jumpstart a long weekend. We also ordered mussels and sweet potatoes for appetizers.  The sweet potatoes, which come has large wedges, were perfectly cooked and complemented the beer very nicely.

The trouble began when the entrees were served. I had no problem with my Texas Beef Brisket sandwich - huge portions and very tender meat served on buttery brioche buns. One of my lunch companions, however, had the ill fortune, after a few large bites, of finding a very long strand of hair embedded deep into the sandwich. It was not a pleasant sight, and I had to stop eating for a bit to regain my appetite.  We brought this to the attention of a waiter, and she quickly took away the dish.

Now, here was where I thought Blue Smoke showed its exceptional service. The manager walked out with our waiter and apologized profusely for the hair strand. He asked if we would like anything else, and I was sure we could've gotten something mad expensive, like a full rack of ribs if we really wanted to. Instead, we got the same pulled pork sandwich again, which the manager said would personally be made by the chef, as well as another pitcher of Blue Smoke Ale. We didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes before the new hairless pork sandwich appeared.  And the extra pitcher gave us the extra inebriation we needed to make the rest of the afternoon very dreamy.

Danny Meyer, the legendary restaurateur of great New York establishments such as Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern, has been known for his emphasis on great customer service and this commitment was clearly evident at Blue Smoke, where service was quick, response to a complaint was very effective, and the overall atmosphere was one of laid-back hospitality.

The food was okay - nothing spectacular - but sometimes, being treated well is a treat in itself. 

Blue Smoke
116 E. 27th St. (bet. Lexington & Park Ave. S.)
New York, 10016
Tel: (212)447-7733

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5 Gobbls  

Agree - good service is what separates a 4 from a 5 rating! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving...

Posted by dru, Nov. 25th at 2:35AM

I don't even like mussels but those look amazing.

Posted by diana, Nov. 25th at 11:33PM

haha i love it when they apologize profusely. sans hair strand, blue smoke sounds delish...i'll have to add it to my burger hit list.

Posted by yaeri, Nov. 26th at 1:19AM

Sounds like a great hit list opp =)

Posted by melissahui, Dec. 6th at 9:03AM

i go there a lot with my coworkers, now i'm gonna be afraid the next time...

Posted by rickychang, May. 14th at 2:02PM

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