Consistency is Key

I've said in this blog more than once that in cooking, fresh ingredients really make all the difference. What I haven't said is that for a restaurant to be successful, the key is consistency. Perfect a dish and be able to execute it night after night after night. That being said, after singing the praises of the Labrador Lounge in my last post, I am now rescinding my recommendation.

I went to Labrador on Tuesday night with Rockstar and Legs, days after posting about my second trip. I was tempted to order the Asian baby back ribs that Mr. RRR had on our last visit, but instead, chose the "Marion's Famous Crab Cakes".

After waiting over 30 minutes, our food finally arrived. The crab cakes were extremely dry beneath an inch of over browned crust and ice cold on the inside. As particular as I am about my meals, I NEVER send food back. Well never say never. We called our waitress over and she brought them back to the kitchen, convincing me to give it another go, even though at this point I was already done with this meal.

Second time was not a charm. They were warm but still dry and in a word...inedible. The mound of remoulade sauce didn't help and I wound up taking two bites before throwing in the proverbial towel (or napkin in this case).

Our server was extremely apologetic and removed the crab cakes from our bill. She also informed us that we were not the first to complain about this dish and when she left the couple next to us also expressed displeasure with the crab cakes.

Note to Labrador Lounge: If you are reading this, I suggest removing this dish from your menu. If you can't execute a dish consistently, you shouldn't bother. Perhaps you should try to rip off this excellent crab cake recipe from Tyler Florence.