I am literally disgusted with my experience at this restaurant. I heard that it had a nice environment and great food so I decided to give it a go after work. So I did what anyone would do at a sushi place, I ordered sushi. My server seemed well-mannered and attentive to my needs so I told him that I had a seafood allergy. Politely, he asked me, "To what and what kind?" I told him I was allergic to shrimp and crab, so if he could give me the Las Vegas Roll without any of that, it would be great. My friends around me even made a joke about how I was hospitalized for it when I was 19. He seemed like he got the message and he went to go order my food. When he returned, he brought me my alcoholic beverage and a few minutes later, he brought me my Las Vegas Roll. It looked delicious. On the menu, it said it had salmon, avocado, seaweed, caviar, and shrimp. I wanted all of that, except for the ingredient that makes my circulation build up in my head and makes my body try to kill itself. Surely, this smart young man told the Sous Chef to leave out that one ingredient, right?
It was a beautiful dish. It looked like an exotic asian salad. I asked my friends, "Where's the sushi?" and they replied that the pieces were underneath all the delicious seaweed and caviar. I took a bite and the flavor bursted in my mouth like a metaphoric culinary rainbow. I chewed it very slowly, savoring the taste. It was new and yet familiar at the same time. And that was when I felt a tingle in the back of my throat. It must be the spicy mayo kicking in.
Nope. The tickle turned into an uncomfortable burning and I knew something was wrong. I dug around the sushi with my chopsticks and I noticed my heart was pounding faster, and then I started to feel a little light headed. I found a piece of shrimp. This was when I was scared. In disbelief, I turn to my friend to my right and ask him, "Hey, this is fish right?" No. They told me it looked a lot like shrimp. I turn to my left where my server was, and I ask him, "What is this??" and he just gives me this deer-caught-in-a-head-lights look. "I told the chef about your allergy, I guess he forgot."
At this point, I'm not mad. I'm just uncomfortable and I just want to feel better so I can enjoy hanging out with my friends again. So I ask him if he has any anti-allergy medication, or even an Epi-Pen. He tells me he'll go look. He leaves and I see him walk halfway into a door in the back and he comes back. "No, we don't have one. I'm sorry. Is there anything else you would like?"
Is there anything else I would like? I would like for a server to take my allergy seriously and not try to brush aside my issue. I really have been hospitalized for this before and I felt like he wasn't addressing the issue that was escalating. Giving someone food that they are allergic to is the same as poisoning them. Now I know that there are people out there with, "Gluten allergies" and say it just to say it. 90% of people here in the Valley don't even know what Gluten even is unless they googled it. But I have a real allergy and I demand to be treated very carefully when I go out to restaurants, just like everyone else. This isn't even the main reason why I'm so angry. I only ate two bites, but I know my body. I'll only throw up, have palpitations, deal with a headache and I'll be fine. I stopped drinking my one alcoholic drink that I BARELY sipped on and sat patiently while my friends were trying to cash out. I couldn't drink my beverage because it will only make my condition worse.
So my friends ask if we can cash out so we can get the hell out of here and run to HEB to grab some Benadryl or Loratadine for me because I am clearly uncomfortable. The friend in front of me even pointed out I was developing a rash on my neck. But I was calm. I just wanted to pay my bill and leave. I understand mishaps happen all the time in the dining industry and I get that. I worked at Outback Steakhouse when I was 18 and sometimes things just happen. This is when the waiter asks if we want to pay together or separate. We wanted separate checks. So he gets the full check and starts dividing up our orders. I was the last one to order, so I was last. When it comes to me, he turns and says, "Now, what did you order again?"
This was when I felt my blood beginning to boil. My eye twitched as I said, "Oh, not much. I just ordered the poisonous dish, a sweet tea, and a yoko-rita."
"Oh, I'm very sorry. I'll get your check right away."
"You'll get my check? Did you even tell your manager about what's going on right now?"
"Yeah I told him."
*Silence*
"AND?"
"He knows about it, would you like to talk to him?"
"Send him over."
I couldn't believe this was happening to me. This was supposed to be a seafood restaraunt, right? Sometimes, people have allergic reactions, and it is bound to happen here sometime, right? So why don't they have an Allergic Protocol or something? read more
