Driving down Court Street the other day with the windows down in the car, I commented to Tuti what a wonderful smell that was that was filling the street, and I wondered what it was.
"That's our black beans cooking." she said.
"Nuh-uh"
"Yeah, it is."
"Wow."
I've smelled our food cooking before, various things, sometimes the black beans, sometimes the Guava Honey BBQ sauce, it usually does flow into the alley from the vents in the kitchen, but I was really surprised how far it reached that day. All the way into the street, detectable even inside the car as you drove through uptown.
There are several stages of smell associated with the cooking of black beans, each is a unique and enjoyable experience. First comes the smells from the fresh veggies that must be chopped, there is a bit of sting from the onion, a mild peppery freshness from the green bell peppers. These are then sauteed in olive oil with garlic, this creates the "sofrito" the base for many Cuban dishes. To this is added white wine, cumin, paprika, oregano and salt and our locally sourced Shagbark black turtle beans. It is then that the magic begins. Without fail, the aroma of black beans begins to flow into the alley. Our signage is not ready yet, but should be ready for installation no later than next week, at which point we will hopefully start to get acknowledged credit for the source of good smells. After only a few short minutes, the spices begin to meld with the wine and sofrito, the beans soften and begin to release their starches, some eventually turning into sugar, giving a slightly sweet, almost banana-like quality to the overall uniquely Cuban aroma being generated. Enjoying these smells, I can sometimes imagine myself sitting near the ocean in Havana, A traditional meal of black beans and rice with maybe pork or some other main course in front of me, a gentle tropical breeze swirling the elements of cuisine and salt ocean air together for an experience like no other.
We only have an alley, and there's no ocean, but the wonderful aroma is here. Come to Sol, linger outside a bit even before coming in if you like, then be transported. To Havana. Maybe to Little Havana. But you will definitely feel like you are somewhere else. And that's part of the magic of Sol.
From your tastebuds to the sights and sounds, Sol Cuban Fusion Restaurant is designed to make you feel like you are somewhere completely different. Located at 33 North Courth Street in Athens, Ohio we offer traditional Cuban cuisine as well some of the best fish, steak, and ribs you can find anywhere. Lunch hours M-SAT 11-3, Dinner Hours M-W 5-9 and TH-SAT 5-10 Call for dinner reservations 740-592-1740 www.solrestaurant.net
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Customer Feedback - Specifics
My last post was of a more general nature, but I'd like to get into some more specifics. I mentioned feedback from customers. For the most part, this has been extremely positive, though there has been negative as well, and I want to talk about samples of both.
Obviously, no restaurant can produce food that can make everyone happy, there are too many palettes out there, and as I have learned from our short time in business, there are a few people out there that NO ONE can make happy, in fact, it seems to me their only happiness seems to come from making others the opposite. That's too bad, and I really can't help those kind of people, though I do my best trying. I have had only a few customers who do not fit into this category of "unpleasable" but HAVE complained about various items, to food not being quite hot enough to the music being a bit loud, or service not quick enough, etc, but they are always polite, and gracious, and understanding. I have even had (especially when we first opened) customers who told me to seat other parties who were not ahead of them because they could see us struggling to keep up, and our limited number and arrangement of tables, and overall very understanding about wait times (which we have drastically reduced.) I can't tell you how nice those kinds of things are to see and to know that for some people, it's really about that - people. Selfless acts can be small and have a big impact. More of those, and the world would definitely be a better place.
On the other hand, this small population of people who seek to make other people miserable. It is very hard to deal with. I have had people tell me how horrible their experience was or the food terrible (when a table next to them with the identical dish has praised it up and down without solicitation.) Interestingly enough, often these same tables that have blasted the quality of the food end up taking their leftovers home. I have also had people use the word "inedible" for something as refined and exotic as our Malanga soup, something we see consistently come back with bowls all but licked. Personally, malanga is not my favorite root vegetable, but I tried the soup and really liked it. I understand if you have a different palette than someone else, but I really feel the word "inedible" is taking it a bit far. Simply ask for something else. We will gladly accomodate that request.
Then, as I have recently discovered, there is the small population of people that not only want to make you miserable, they also only have the guts to do it from behind a computer. I really do not understand their motivation. As an example, on Urban Spoon our food was recently described as bland, both the waitresses and the sophistication of the entire Athens populatation insulted, etc. We are pretty good about keeping an eye on all of our customers. I know for a fact this particular customer did not complain while he was in the restaurant, either about the food or service, but simply waited until he had exited to blast us. How do you respond to that? You don't. And I don't need to. It has nothing to do with the success of Sol. It's in the real world, not the cyberworld where that success takes place. Where we talk to the customers who are praising what we do, watching them laugh, have a good time, enjoy the music, even breaking out in impromptu salsa dancing during their visit.
Anyhow, enough about the negative responses, I'd like to talk about some of the positive responses. First off, we have had many Hispanics from various countries (Argentina, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, etc, and of course Cuba) come to our restaurant. Consistently we have received praise for the authenticity and flavors of the cuisine. I mention this first, because, it helps us to know we are on target with how the food is supposed to really be. In other words, its being eaten by the people who know what it is supposed to REALLY taste like. If it was wrong, they’d know. We could be making food that tastes great, but has no authenticity, and that authenticity is important to us. Locals have praised it as well, and so now we know we can make it authentic AND they'll like it too.
A young woman was in the other night with one of my regular customers, and he told me she wanted to talk to me about something. It was the Sol steak. She said she loved it and that it was one of the best steaks that she'd had, and that every bite was edible and delicious. I had a short discussion with her about how we'd met with suppliers and cooked and eaten boxes of steaks to make sure we'd have the best product out there. I understand the disappointment in getting a steak that is not only inconsistent, or improperly cooked, but that you end up having to cut off 1/3 of it and set it to the side of your plate. It's not satisfying to only eat 2/3 of something nor is it appetizing to have to look at the remaining 1/3 all discombobulated on your plate. We KNOW this and we approach everything based on our own experience, and how WE would like it to be. So that specific feedback was very good. It is EXACTLY what we are aiming for.
Several people have stopped by the kitchen and told us how good everything was, or asked to talk to Tuti on her nights in the kitchen, when they see that she has had a chance to take a break in the dining room.
We have received lots of compliments on the dining room, and what we’ve done with the space. People share their experiences in the Keys, Cuba, etc, and understand exactly the feel we were going for. Again, all of this confirmation from customers makes us feel very good, and lets us know our vision for the food, the environment and the service are all being executed as we had hoped. It is always fun to hear about how a customer has found us and the surprise they have when they open a door in an alleyway and find this almost secret place. While I enjoy hearing about their surprise (and I often actually see it on their faces when they open the door, unsure they are even in the right place) I am ok if the “secret” gets out. The more people that know the better!
Of course, as I recently mentioned in a response to an online review, we are not resting on our laurels. We are constantly reviewing everything we do, asking for customer feedback, and striving to correct mistakes, and achieve a very high level in everything we do.
If you’ve come to Sol already, and had a good experience, we’d love to hear about it, Urban Spoon is a good place, also our Facebook page, or even here on the blog. While we do talk to as many people as possible, we do not get the chance to talk to everyone, and we like to hear your comments. It’s also been my experience that most people only comment on sites like Urban Spoon when they want to express something negative, and I’d like to see that balanced out by the positive feedback I get in the actual dining environment. While I know most everyone is having a good time, and I have no worries regarding that, it would be nice for out of towners to find us online and not be influenced by unbalanced online reviews that do not accurately portray the overall experience most people are having.
I will continue to share customer comments here, and again, we appreciate so much everyone’s patronage of our restaurant and really enjoy seeing you all have a good time. That’s what it’s all about!
Obviously, no restaurant can produce food that can make everyone happy, there are too many palettes out there, and as I have learned from our short time in business, there are a few people out there that NO ONE can make happy, in fact, it seems to me their only happiness seems to come from making others the opposite. That's too bad, and I really can't help those kind of people, though I do my best trying. I have had only a few customers who do not fit into this category of "unpleasable" but HAVE complained about various items, to food not being quite hot enough to the music being a bit loud, or service not quick enough, etc, but they are always polite, and gracious, and understanding. I have even had (especially when we first opened) customers who told me to seat other parties who were not ahead of them because they could see us struggling to keep up, and our limited number and arrangement of tables, and overall very understanding about wait times (which we have drastically reduced.) I can't tell you how nice those kinds of things are to see and to know that for some people, it's really about that - people. Selfless acts can be small and have a big impact. More of those, and the world would definitely be a better place.
On the other hand, this small population of people who seek to make other people miserable. It is very hard to deal with. I have had people tell me how horrible their experience was or the food terrible (when a table next to them with the identical dish has praised it up and down without solicitation.) Interestingly enough, often these same tables that have blasted the quality of the food end up taking their leftovers home. I have also had people use the word "inedible" for something as refined and exotic as our Malanga soup, something we see consistently come back with bowls all but licked. Personally, malanga is not my favorite root vegetable, but I tried the soup and really liked it. I understand if you have a different palette than someone else, but I really feel the word "inedible" is taking it a bit far. Simply ask for something else. We will gladly accomodate that request.
Then, as I have recently discovered, there is the small population of people that not only want to make you miserable, they also only have the guts to do it from behind a computer. I really do not understand their motivation. As an example, on Urban Spoon our food was recently described as bland, both the waitresses and the sophistication of the entire Athens populatation insulted, etc. We are pretty good about keeping an eye on all of our customers. I know for a fact this particular customer did not complain while he was in the restaurant, either about the food or service, but simply waited until he had exited to blast us. How do you respond to that? You don't. And I don't need to. It has nothing to do with the success of Sol. It's in the real world, not the cyberworld where that success takes place. Where we talk to the customers who are praising what we do, watching them laugh, have a good time, enjoy the music, even breaking out in impromptu salsa dancing during their visit.
Anyhow, enough about the negative responses, I'd like to talk about some of the positive responses. First off, we have had many Hispanics from various countries (Argentina, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, etc, and of course Cuba) come to our restaurant. Consistently we have received praise for the authenticity and flavors of the cuisine. I mention this first, because, it helps us to know we are on target with how the food is supposed to really be. In other words, its being eaten by the people who know what it is supposed to REALLY taste like. If it was wrong, they’d know. We could be making food that tastes great, but has no authenticity, and that authenticity is important to us. Locals have praised it as well, and so now we know we can make it authentic AND they'll like it too.
A young woman was in the other night with one of my regular customers, and he told me she wanted to talk to me about something. It was the Sol steak. She said she loved it and that it was one of the best steaks that she'd had, and that every bite was edible and delicious. I had a short discussion with her about how we'd met with suppliers and cooked and eaten boxes of steaks to make sure we'd have the best product out there. I understand the disappointment in getting a steak that is not only inconsistent, or improperly cooked, but that you end up having to cut off 1/3 of it and set it to the side of your plate. It's not satisfying to only eat 2/3 of something nor is it appetizing to have to look at the remaining 1/3 all discombobulated on your plate. We KNOW this and we approach everything based on our own experience, and how WE would like it to be. So that specific feedback was very good. It is EXACTLY what we are aiming for.
Several people have stopped by the kitchen and told us how good everything was, or asked to talk to Tuti on her nights in the kitchen, when they see that she has had a chance to take a break in the dining room.
We have received lots of compliments on the dining room, and what we’ve done with the space. People share their experiences in the Keys, Cuba, etc, and understand exactly the feel we were going for. Again, all of this confirmation from customers makes us feel very good, and lets us know our vision for the food, the environment and the service are all being executed as we had hoped. It is always fun to hear about how a customer has found us and the surprise they have when they open a door in an alleyway and find this almost secret place. While I enjoy hearing about their surprise (and I often actually see it on their faces when they open the door, unsure they are even in the right place) I am ok if the “secret” gets out. The more people that know the better!
Of course, as I recently mentioned in a response to an online review, we are not resting on our laurels. We are constantly reviewing everything we do, asking for customer feedback, and striving to correct mistakes, and achieve a very high level in everything we do.
If you’ve come to Sol already, and had a good experience, we’d love to hear about it, Urban Spoon is a good place, also our Facebook page, or even here on the blog. While we do talk to as many people as possible, we do not get the chance to talk to everyone, and we like to hear your comments. It’s also been my experience that most people only comment on sites like Urban Spoon when they want to express something negative, and I’d like to see that balanced out by the positive feedback I get in the actual dining environment. While I know most everyone is having a good time, and I have no worries regarding that, it would be nice for out of towners to find us online and not be influenced by unbalanced online reviews that do not accurately portray the overall experience most people are having.
I will continue to share customer comments here, and again, we appreciate so much everyone’s patronage of our restaurant and really enjoy seeing you all have a good time. That’s what it’s all about!
Internet media, feedback, and advertising
So, we have been very busy at Sol Restaurant, and I haven't had much of a chance to get on here and do any blogging. But, there is quite a bit I'd like to discuss, and so I am going to try to do a few entries over the next day. I wanted to share some statistics regarding the blog, here is the latest:
As you can see, interest in the blog has remained steady, with over 7500 views (the majority of them in the last month and a half since we posted a menu.) Even with very little activity on the blog, interest has remained. I hope that the activity increases as more customers come in, and I continue to add entries. There is interest in several parts of the world, I have had friends that live in other countries tell their parents who still live in Athens about it and they've come in to dine. I think that's pretty cool, information traveling around the world and making it back, turning into an actual customer. I mention all of this not as a pat on the back, but simply to share what other people are thinking and looking at with regards to Sol, and to segue into my next topic, our patrons.
We have with the exception of the Visitor's Guide done no advertising. We have no sign in the alley, no sign over the sidewalk, no lighting, we have not even had a chance to finish the trim above the door and a (what was supposed to be temporary) piece of plywood still hangs above it, the finish nails I temporarily tacked it up with rusting in place. All of these will be addressed in the next few weeks. Yet with all of this, we pack the house consistently Thursday - Saturday and have done the same M-W of this week. Lunch is picking up and following suit. Again, not back-patting...I'll get there...
Sol's concept is different than most other restaurant's, especially the chains. We want to do more than serve a meal, kick out the customer, add the dollar to the ledger and move on. We are trying to create an entire experience, and it sincerely matters to us. We take it personally. We want it to be a personal experience. I feel that the majority of our customers are having this experience. I believe that most of our customers are leaving happy, and I see repeat customers, so I know they are enjoying themselves. The point I am getting to, is that Sol is not advertising, it is not numbers, it is not corporate or packaged, or an exact formula, it is people, it is community, it is an idea, and it is a success, and it is because of the people that have come in, enjoyed themselves, talked with us, and talked with other people. We sincerely appreciate everyone's kind words and support, their feedback, their positive criticism, and we will continue to work hard to offer the best, most enjoyable experience we can. Thanks!
As you can see, interest in the blog has remained steady, with over 7500 views (the majority of them in the last month and a half since we posted a menu.) Even with very little activity on the blog, interest has remained. I hope that the activity increases as more customers come in, and I continue to add entries. There is interest in several parts of the world, I have had friends that live in other countries tell their parents who still live in Athens about it and they've come in to dine. I think that's pretty cool, information traveling around the world and making it back, turning into an actual customer. I mention all of this not as a pat on the back, but simply to share what other people are thinking and looking at with regards to Sol, and to segue into my next topic, our patrons.
We have with the exception of the Visitor's Guide done no advertising. We have no sign in the alley, no sign over the sidewalk, no lighting, we have not even had a chance to finish the trim above the door and a (what was supposed to be temporary) piece of plywood still hangs above it, the finish nails I temporarily tacked it up with rusting in place. All of these will be addressed in the next few weeks. Yet with all of this, we pack the house consistently Thursday - Saturday and have done the same M-W of this week. Lunch is picking up and following suit. Again, not back-patting...I'll get there...
Sol's concept is different than most other restaurant's, especially the chains. We want to do more than serve a meal, kick out the customer, add the dollar to the ledger and move on. We are trying to create an entire experience, and it sincerely matters to us. We take it personally. We want it to be a personal experience. I feel that the majority of our customers are having this experience. I believe that most of our customers are leaving happy, and I see repeat customers, so I know they are enjoying themselves. The point I am getting to, is that Sol is not advertising, it is not numbers, it is not corporate or packaged, or an exact formula, it is people, it is community, it is an idea, and it is a success, and it is because of the people that have come in, enjoyed themselves, talked with us, and talked with other people. We sincerely appreciate everyone's kind words and support, their feedback, their positive criticism, and we will continue to work hard to offer the best, most enjoyable experience we can. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)