I returned to Jaleo just a couple days after my first visit. I had some time to kill before meeting up with my friend so I figured I'd stop in for a drink and possibly one or two tapas. I sat at the bar and contemplated my beverage options. I had already started my night with a couple dirty martinis and thought it'd be best to go with something a little lighter. I asked the bartender (Amanda?) for a suggestion and she offered to make something up for me. Believe me when I tell you that I'm not normally a fruity cocktail kind of girl but what she came up with was phenomenal! She started with Ciroc Red Berry and added their homemade rosemary-infused lemonade and fresh raspberries. She shook it all up and let me tell you - it made for one hell of a martini! After a few of those the other bartender, Alicia, decided it should be named after me. So if you want to try it at Jaleo, see if they remember the "C-Razz". Haha
I thought it'd be best to order a couple tapas if I was going to continue drinking and without hesitation ordered the gazpacho and Papas Arrugas. I was so disappointed when she told me they were out of the Papas Arrugas so I decided on the wild mushrooms over potato puree instead.
My gazpacho came first and it was heaven. I got the whole bowl to myself this time and I savored each and every spoonful. I really must find a recipe. And soon!
Then my mushrooms came. I was a little confused when I realized that there was no potato puree underneath. I asked Amanda (what was her name?!?!) what happened. She explained that they were made with butter so they kept them out for me. WHAT???? I told her I had ordered them a couple days ago and that my server specifically checked with the chef to make sure they were vegan and was told they were because they whipped the potatoes with olive oil. Amanda told me that she checked when I placed the order and was told they weren't.
I was bummed. I was confused. I was upset. Who was right? Who was wrong? Did I really eat those potatoes with butter the other night?
Enter: Michael Ploetz - General Manager of Jaleo. He came over to talk to me about this whole "potato situation". He explained that they had bounced around between using butter to make the potato puree and olive oil but that they now use butter again. So yes, I most likely ate potatoes made with butter a couple nights before. Uggh. The irony was that I wasn't even going to order the mushroom tapas and only did because they were out of my yummy baby potatoes. So when he offered to bring me an order I was confused. Amanda chimed in that they were out of them because you couldn't select it in their computers. Michael insisted that they had them and would bring me some. I was happy to finally get my wonderful baby potatoes but unfortunately I was once again full by the time they arrived. Haha Thanks Alicia for wrapping them up to go for me - it turns out they're also really, really good cold from the fridge!
Here's the moral of the story - - - I could have been extremely upset over the fact that I ate something with butter in it. Am I happy about it? Of course not. But I didn't do it intentionally and I believe that my server did actually check with the kitchen. Where the mishap occurred, I may never know. I also accept partial responsibility since I definitely know better than to not go directly through the manager or chef for all my menu questions.
All in all, I think Jaleo is an excellent restaurant. Yes, there was a snafu and depending on your personal perspective it was either catastrophic or not a big deal. Maybe it's somewhere in between. I think that's where I am because in my opinion, it certainly wasn't enough to ruin my feelings about the restaurant as a whole. Michael handled the situation properly - he addressed the issue with me and was very professional and helpful about it. Though I don't know for sure, I have a feeling Alicia brought it to her manager's attention because she saw how disappointed I was (it certainly wasn't because I asked her to). They definitely went above and beyond if you ask me and sometimes that's what makes all the difference.
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