Unforgettably Rude

I don’t know how you could honor the Morellos from Olio e Limone, who are the rudest restaurateurs in town. Many, many years ago, when they were fairly new in town, we had reservations to eat there before a show at the Granada. They were pretty much running the place with just the two of them, she doing the front of the house and he doing the cooking.

Evidently some VIPS were at a nearby table, and they were yakking with them. Meanwhile, we were waiting and waiting after we put in our orders. It looked like we might be late for the show, so we politely asked if we could get our dinner soon so we wouldn’t be late. With that, he, in a huff, said to us, “When you come here you should not have other plans, as you come here to dine, not just to eat.” Needless to say, we never went back.

One of our best friends has done all the California restaurant reviews for Gourmet magazine. It was always an honor to be written up; it was invaluable advertising. She had been planning to write them up, but after hearing our rude experience, she decided never to write about them.