When I go to a restaurant and plop down my hard-earned money, there are just a few things I wish the restaurant employees/management to do/not to do. Sake Cafe (Vets.), please listen up:

*Please do not rush me when it comes to ordering. I know what time you close. Do not tell me that it's almost time for "last call" on the kitchen. If you would actually come to my table within 10 minutes of my being seated, I might have been able to ask you the questions I needed answered in order to place my order.

*Once you have rushed me to place my order, you know, since we were holding everybody up, proceed to take about 15 minutes too long to serve me my food.

*I do not need you to hover over me while I eat my dinner, but it would be nice if you checked our beverage glass levels or asked how our food was once it was served. Please make an appearance other than to pester me to hurry with my order, serve us, and to present us with the check.

*Once the clock hits Closing O'clock, it is not necessary to do the following while patrons are eating: spray nearby tables with cleaning solution, stack up all empty seats onto tables, sweep the floors.

*Also, when it's Closing O'clock, employees should remain in the waiter's section, not loudly chatting in the dining room about employee meals and personal matters (while they stack the chairs & spray the cleaning solution, of course).

*And lastly, please do not come to my table toward the end of my meal, ask, "howaseverythingguysihaveyourcheckhere", and expect me to answer you with a smile.

Freddy and I decided to take a night to ourselves, sans kids, and make it a date. We were in the mood for sushi, but couldn't make it out until 10:00 PM. After dropping off the baby at the M-I-L's in Metairie, we knew we had only one option; Sake Cafe on Veterans Blvd. Both Sake Cafe locations are open until 11:00 PM, but we didn't want to walk into the Magazine locale right at 11:00. We arrived at 10:30. I do not think half an hour 'til closing is too close to the closing time to have been treated as badly as we were. If it makes a difference, by the time we were served, there were still 5 other tables there other than us. (Oh, and don't forget the table of 8 next to us that played paper football!) I have worked in various aspects of the service industry for 12 years and know that no matter how close to closing time a guest comes in, you make them feel welcome. Don't want to be there? Get another job.

I have patronized the Veterans Blvd. Sake Cafe many times before (pre-Katrina) and have never been subjected to such poor service and an unpleasant atmosphere. No, it's not Galatoire's, but (A)sushi is not cheap, (B)Sake Cafe has tried to maintain itself as a nice establishment, and (C)one should not be treated like this anywhere.

This was the first time I agreed that it be appropriate to stiff a server. I did not even bother to speak to management since I know I will never return to that location. Yes, the food was good, but this young lady gave us the worst service in all my years of dining out. Where Freddy wrote in "0" in the gratuity spot, I added a little note, from me to them: "Worst Experience EVER. Thank you for stacking chairs while I attempted to enjoy my meal." I would have written more, but there isn't much space on a credit card receipt to do so.