Apr. 30, 2004
Scott's Harbor Grill gets the picture
Take a look at our photo with this column, and then ask yourself whether you'd know us if we knocked at your door or passed you on the street. More to the point: If you were a restaurant server, would you recognize us if we showed up tonight at one of your tables?

Becky Saxton did. She's a server at Scott's Harbor Grill. When we sat down at one of her tables last week, no sooner had she asked, "Can I start you off with a drink?" than she suddenly added: "I know who you are! I read your column all the time." She extended her hand and said, "My name's Becky." We introduced ourselves, chatted for a minute, and proceeded to enjoy excellent food and service.

"So," you're probably saying, "of course you'll get good food and service if they know who you are!"

Well, maybe yes, and maybe no. We'll get back to the Harbor Grill in a minute. First, let's talk some more about the picture thing.

When we began these columns a year or so ago, we debated the "picture question" with our editors. The paper uses photos of all its columnists, but for obvious reasons of anonymity we suggested hiding our faces behind menus. Inevitably, the editors had their way, and our photo runs with every column.

Naturally, some people think we might as well wear signs that say, "Restaurant Critic."

If that's the case, however, then why would we ever get anything but good food and service? However, we encounter enough mediocrity to suggest strongly that a lot of restaurants haven't a clue who we are. We still attempt anonymity by not reserving under our own name or not calling from home. But this isn't the big city, and a lot of restaurant people know us anyway, with or without photo.

In most of the restaurants we write about, we don't gauge the viscosity of the Petit Suisse or make sure the droplets of white truffle oil in the soup are of uniform size. Much of the time, in fact, we just take note of whether the food's good and fresh (and as advertised), and the service friendly and attentive. That means no cold food, please, and don't forget we asked for cream in our coffee or horseradish for our beef. Remember to bring bread and butter. And please don't bring our entrée so fast you make us choose between unfinished salad and a cold dinner. Such faults diminish both pleasure and value anywhere.

More to our point today: Restaurants that chronically do things this way can't suddenly train people to do it right when a critic shows up at the door.

As we see it, a restaurant either has a hospitality gene or it doesn't. And restaurants that routinely do these things right don't need to worry about it, because they have the gene. Scott Neumann's Harbor Grill comes quickly to mind. But we think our delightful dinner there had far less to do with us than with Becky Saxton. She came across to us as an experienced server in a well-run restaurant who took genuine interest in her customers' satisfaction. And we aren't at all ashamed to say so in print even if she did recognize us from that picture.

She gave all her other tables the same attentive service we got (we watched very closely). No one else's could possibly have gotten better perch or ribs, either. It likely was that way for everyone, because the place was crowded, many of the customers were obviously regulars, and people were plainly having a good time.

Scott's served us classic American Great Lakes folk cookery at its best. The salads were bright and fresh (except for those hard, pink tomatoes restaurants just can't seem to avoid). The dressings were light and flavorful and anything but ordinary -- one was an orange balsamic, the other an avocado ranch. The ribs, rich with meat that just fell from the bone, were slathered with just the right amount of tangy, smoky sauce. The chicken was grilled perfectly, and the fries were that golden combination of slightly crisp and crusty outside but white and fluffy within. And the perch were perch the way Sherri remembered them from 30 years ago when she first started coming Up North. Yellow perch from Lake Erie, Scott said. They were lightly but crisply breaded, and flaky and moist right through. Was it haute cuisine? Nah! Was it good? Well, let's just say we hardly paused long enough in our enjoyment of it to give each other a forkful to taste.

What's more, the harborside surroundings were delightful, and the price was right -- about $34 plus tax, tip and a glass of wine. It was the kind of experience that makes going out to dinner fun even when we aren't working.

DATA: Scott's Harbor Grill, 12719 S. West Bay Shore Dr. opp. Cherry Bend Rd., Traverse City; 231-922-2114. www.scottsharborgrill.com