i’ve been really curious about sitwell’s for months. i first noticed it going to a movie at the esquire, and then again doing some mad-dash holiday shopping on the ludlow drag. recently i had reason to take myself through the doors when three friends decided we should meet there for a sunday afternoon of knitting and girl-talk.
i like sitwell’s for a number of reasons: it’s funky and has that cool bohemian i’m-a-smart-college-student-type feel. the crowd is young-ish, hip-ish, and tends only slightly toward the white-kids-wearing-dreads-and-too-much-patchouli sort. it’s crowded and noisy and generally has a happy but laid-back vibe.
but i might also dislike sitwell’s for that same vibe. it would all depend on why i was there.
if you’re in the mood to sit and gab, sip coffee that you don’t care to have refilled, and people-watch, then you’re in the right place: sitwell’s will likely entertain you for several hours. however, if you’re in the mood to, say, eat and actually get table service, well, you might be in the wrong place. the food is good (well, the cheese quesadilla i had was good) but you have to be willing to yell and scramble to get it. and usually, i’m just not.
our server came to our table, and none of us were ready. she did come back–this time–and two people ordered coffees. i told her i’d need a few minutes, and would order something when the coffees came. but i asked if i could have a glass of water in the meantime. she said yes, but she clearly meant no. when the coffee showed up i asked for the quesadilla. “anything else?” um, well, i’d like some decaf, but not quite yet…right now i’d really just like that glass of water. “oh, sure, yeah, ok.” when my quesadilla showed up 20 minutes later, i asked again if i could please please please quench my parched throat. she was very apologetic and brought my water immediately. maybe 10-15 minutes later i was ready for my decaf. but i never got a chance to ask for it, because the server never came back to our table. oh, she eventually showed up when she needed the table space and so dropped off our check to kick us out, but by that time i’d spent 30 minutes trying to get her attention (no luck) and looking around, wondering if the coffee was perhaps self-serve (nope). since i was too fed up to brave any additional exchanges with her, i gave up, went home, and brewed some damn decaf myself.
now, had i not wanted service, my time at sitwell’s would have been quite lovely. i was especially charmed by the sitwell quote on the front of menu: “i am an electric eel in a pool of catfish.” and it’s hard not to feel, oh, just plain smart, and cool, and interesting, and oh-so-early-twentieth-century bohemian when you’re sitting in a place named after the lovely ms. sitwell. so i’ll go back. but i just may take my own coffee.
I hear you about the service at Sitwell’s and agree — it’s pretty inconsistent. It was one of the first places I discovered when I first came to Cincinnnati house shopping, and it thoroughly charmed me, and the service was fine. (I blogged about it then.) And each of the next few times I was there, also good service. Lately, though, the last two times I stopped in, before going to the Esquire, I had some slack service. It was very busy and there was one waitress these times. Why? Maybe someone didn’t show or something… Anyhow, I like it enough to keep going when I’m up that way.
You must try the Highland Coffeehouse, a nice alternative to Sitwell’s and not too far away…
http://cincinnati.citysearch.com/profile/8167738/cincinnati_oh/highland_coffee_house.html
whatbabystuff.wordpress.com
I second the recommendation for Highland. It’s been too long since I’ve been there (hint hint, I’ll tag along anytime you’re going).
Man, you go to all the cool places.
Paul D.
When there is one waitress/one person making food and a full house of customers, you cannot expect service to be perfect. This is not a normal restaurant that has 10 people working at a time. As to your parched throat, Sitwell’s has a water cooler and many cups handy for customers to get their own water and for people off the street to stop by and hydrate. As a small business, trying to survive in an economy crisis, having more employees is just not possible. Take a minute and think about the $3.43 we make an hour. I am trying to put myself through college and people like you make me want to quit my job. Holding up your hand, snapping fingers at us and being outright rude is just not necessary.Seriously, come on in and apply for a job and do your 8 hour audition shift. You will see how busy, stressful, fast-paced and HARD these girls and boys work to make a living.
hmmmm. i could come in and apply for a job and do an 8-hour shift, but i’ve already put in my time in the food service world. like you, i put myself through college (and part of grad school) waiting tables and tending bar, and i have no illusions about how difficult it is. it is exhausting and often unrewarding work. and i’ve done my turn as a “lousy waitress” — i still cringe over the terrible brunch shift i worked by myself at a 12-table vegetarian restaurant when i brought one two-top the wrong order 3 times in a row. so i know what it is to be busy and stressed and understaffed and undersupported.
but the food service industry, as the name implies, is at least in part about service. given that, it’s not asking too much for customers to expect decent service. that’s part of the trade-off, right? servers want tips; customers want service; it should be a nice little circle of reciprocity. only sometimes it isn’t. and sometimes it’s the server’s fault. and sometimes it’s the customer’s fault. and sometimes it’s the fault of a business that doesn’t staff properly to make good service possible.
there’s no blame here. my waitress was in the weeds, no doubt. and i’ll still go back to sitwell’s. it’s just that now i’ve learned what to expect. that’s all.
btw, i’m with you on the people-who-snap-their-fingers. they always made me want to accidentally drop soup in their laps.