Good Evening!
So....
We had just finished another wonderful dinner at Cafe Sim-Sim - a great Russian (Azerbaijani cuisine) place in Brooklyn - when the owner called me and my friend, Eric, over to his table. "Aran" had greeted us when we came in, and helped us decipher and translate a couple of the menu items before we ordered. He also informed us that it was only the second day on the job for our waitress, and continued to check in on us throughout our meal.
When we approached his table, he motioned for us to sit down, and the waitress start setting up some more plates for us. Both of us were truly full, but when the owner - and head cook - of a restaurant calls you over to his table, well.. You go. He was having his "staff meal" with his staff, and there various salads and grilled kebabs spread all over the table. He placed a piece of grilled lamb on each of our plates, then motioned to the salad of red bean, walnuts and garlic(!!!), as well as some marinated shredded carrots. Then he motioned to the waitress, and the next we knew, there were shot glasses placed in front of us.
Vodka! -Salut!
Then he placed a piece of grilled chicken on our plates. We started asking him questions about his background and his restaurant, and he was more than happy to share a bit of his personal history with us. One of the most impressive things he shared with us was that he personally shops for all the meats and vegetables for the restaurant. "When I look at a piece of meat, I don't look at the price tag. I look at is the best thing I can serve my customers." -And since his lamb kebabs are all with the $7-9 range, I'm pretty sure he is buying some quality meat, and most likely not making that much money on those items.
More Vodka. -Good Luck!
By that time, Eric and I were really trying to find some way to make a graceful exit. Not only were we both now "over full", but after two shots of vodka... That's when I decided to ask why he doesn't drink Russian vodka. We were drinking Tanqueray Sterling tonight, and we've noticed on past visits that he serves Finlandia. He said he does drink Russian vodka, but also pointed out that some "Russian" vodkas here in the States are made in the States - not imported from Russia. However, he said he did like Smirnoff. -And since the bottle of Tanqueray was almost empty...
As they say in Russia, "Three or Thirty-Three!"
Thankfully(?), we were able to leave at that time, and not have to stick around for "thirty-three".
