Unfair Tactics at the Hubbell House
I was getting ready to leave my house and go pick up Carla. We frequently go out on Friday nights and tonight we had reservations for the Hubbell House. Just as I was going out the door, my phone rang and it was Sara (future daughter-in-law). As she spoke, I could tell she was in pain. Sara explained that she injured herself while hiking with the kids. Sara had stepped on the sharp point of a shed deer antler that pierced the sole of her shoe and went through her foot. She had managed to make it to her home in Kasson, but could no longer put any weight on the injured foot.
Sara explained that her mother was on her way to Sara’s home with plans to drive Sara to urgent care in Rochester. Sara had not been able to reach Aaron, my son, and she needed Aaron to carry her from the house to the car. Sara also needed someone to take care of Cadence and Max while she was in urgent care. I told Sara I would track down Aaron and that Carla and I would take care of the kids.
I found Aaron and he immediately headed for Sara’s. I picked up Carla and gave her the news. Carla wanted to get to Sara’s right away. The two of them developed a close relationship when Sara assisted Carla with Carla’s recovery from surgery last winter. During that time, Carla also got to know Cadence and Max. Carla is a retired elementary school teacher and she relates well to children.
As we pulled up to Sara’s house, Aaron already had Sara in the passenger seat of the car. Deb, Sara’s mother, was in the driver’s seat and ready to roll. Carla assured Sara that Max and Cadence would be taken care of. Aaron closed Sara’s car door and Deb took off. Aaron went back to work while Carla and I had a talk with the kids. We asked them if they wanted to join Carla and I for dinner at the Hubbell House. They immediately said yes, but Cadence had one condition. We could only go to the Hubbell House if we installed Max’s car seat in the back seat of my car. Cadence is eleven and Max is six. Max sits on a booster seat when he is riding in a car.
We were able to meet the condition set by Cadence and the four of us were soon on our way to the HH. We called ahead and increased our reservation from two to four. The reservation is for one of the dining rooms, but Carla and I actually prefer to sit in the bar area.
When the new owners of the HH reopened the restaurant this spring, they changed the seating policy for the bar area. You can no longer just walk in and take any empty seat in the bar area. You must be escorted to your seat by one of the hostesses. With the seating policy change, they also quit taking reservations for bar area seating. So, you never know if there will be seats available in the bar until you get there. That’s why Carla and I always make reservations for the dining room, so that we have a backup if the bar is full.
As we walked into the lobby, we were happy to hear that there were seats available in the bar. As the hostess was leading us to a four-person high-top table, Bob Yanish stopped the hostess and redirected her to the best table in the bar. We ended up being seated at the large round table by the stained-glass windows. As we sat down, I looked back at the bar and saw Bob talking to a beautiful woman. Bob had a giddy smile on his face as he talked to the woman. As their conversation finished, they both turned toward our table and I realized the woman was wearing a server’s outfit. Both Bob and the server, each gave me a very friendly smile.
Bob Yanish is the General Manager of the Hubbell House. If he is working when I’m dining at the HH, we always end up chatting about upcoming events in Mantorville. The other thing we always talk about are the new items on the HH menu. In particular, we always talk about Crab Cakes. I have never had a crab cake in my life and I seldom try new things. Bob is determined to have me try a crab cake. Every time I visit the HH, Bob insists that I try the crab cakes. Tonight, Bob is all smiles, but he has not said anything about crab cakes.
What I didn’t know at the time, was that Bob had been asking questions about me with the people of Mantorville. Bob had learned about my great weakness. The weakness that makes me very vulnerable. Bob had learned that I can’t say no to a pretty woman. This knowledge is what put the giddy smile on Bob’s face.
The server approached our table. The closer she came, the more beautiful she looked. She opened her mouth and spoke with the voice of an angel when she announced that her name was Jessica and that she would be taking care of us tonight. She set a box of crayons and a picture to color in front of Max. Then she took our drink orders. But, before she returned to the bar, she asked if we wanted to order any appetizers. I looked at Carla and she said she didn’t want any. So, I said no to Jessica.
Then, Jessica said, “Are you sure you don’t want to try some crab cakes? They are a new menu item and everyone that tries them, loves them.”
I looked up at Jessica, preparing to say no, but I was captured by her beautiful brown eyes. I froze, but after a bit of silence, Carla said, “Terry, Jessica is waiting for an answer.”
It took great effort on my part, but I eventually turned away from Jessica and said, “No, we will not be having any appetizers.”
Jessica turned and walked back to the bar. I looked to the end of the bar and saw Bob. He looked at me and gave me a sly smile. It was his sly smile that tipped me off to what he was doing. He was using Jessica to get me to try the crab cakes. I was now more determined than ever. I was not going to try the crab cakes.
After a couple minutes, Jessica was back at our table with the drinks. She set the last glass on the table before looking at me and asking, “Have you thought some more about the crab cakes?”
I looked up at Jessica, she had a captivating smile that had my attention. I tried to look away but ended up focusing on her eyes. As she moved closer to me, the beautiful brown eyes caught some rays of sunshine coming through the window. The brown eyes turned to shimmering shades of amber. She was so beautiful, but I was going to be strong and not let Bob get his way. My mind kept saying No Appetizers, but when I opened my mouth, the words that came out were, “Yes, we will have some crab cakes.”
Jessica moved even closer to me and put her hand on my shoulder. Then she said, “I will place the crab cake order right away. Then I will be back to get your meal orders.”
I began to watch Jessica walk toward the bar, but then focused on her reflection in the mirror because then I could see her face. As she approached Bob, she gave him a thumbs up. Bob looked at me with a satisfied smile on his face.
I should have been mad, but I wasn’t. I felt good because I had made a pretty woman happy.
Jessica was soon back at our table to take our orders. Before we received our salads, the crab cakes arrived. One order of crab cakes consists of three crab cakes on one side of a plate and a generous amount of red aioli sauce on the other side of the plate.
For my first bite, I decided to try the crab cake without sauce. I took my fork and cut a small portion from one of the cakes. I placed the piece in my mouth and was pleasantly surprised. It tasted good and I was pleased that I had discovered a new appetizer.
For the second bite, I decided to try the sauce. So, when I had a portion of the cake on my fork, I dipped the fork in the Aioli sauce. When I placed the fork in my mouth, OH MY GOD! There was a flavor explosion. The taste created by combining the crab cake with the sauce is unbelievable. After seeing my reaction, Carla, Cadence and Max all wanted to try the crab cakes. I moved the plate to the center of the table and the four of us quickly consumed the crab cakes.
Just then, Cadence received a call from Grandma Deb. Things were going well at urgent care. Deb and Sara would be home before us.
Max finished his picture before our meals arrived.
During dinner, I learned something about how a six-year-old perceives the world. We were half way through our dinner when Max asked me if I was the boss where I worked. I replied, “Yes.”
Max said, “I thought so.”
Carla asked, “Max, do you know what Terry does at work?”
Max replied, “He doesn’t do anything, he’s the boss. He just tells other people to do the work.”
As our dinner came to an end, we asked Jessica to get us seven slices of Bunny Cake to go. As we exited through the lobby, I recalled many of my previous visits to the Hubbell House and how so often I would learn something new during my visits. Tonight, had been eventful. I had discovered crab cakes with the help of Jessica and Bob. And, I was looking forward to the future, to watch how my future grandson’s perception of life was going to change.
Terry Eckstein is a Mantorville business person and the president of the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce. He is writing a column on restaurants, businesses, organizations and changes in Mantorville.