Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact

In Search of Grace, the holy grail of hospitality

  • November 25, 2013
  • Brad A. Johnson

After nearly a year at the OC Register, I finally awarded my first 4-star rating. (See my review of Blossom in Las Vegas). Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found a restaurant in OC that lives up to the ultimate rating. If it were easy, lots of restaurants would do it. But it’s not. It’s hard. Very hard. Almost impossible.

People constantly ask me, “What is it going to take to get four stars?”

My answer is simple: grace.

Extraordinary food is a given. As is a great atmosphere appropriate for the concept being reviewed. And service must be appropriately polished for the venue. All of these things must be world-class and in sync. But the thing that remains most elusive is grace.

What is grace? Grace is consistently the most difficult aspect of hospitality to understand and achieve.

Grace is the pace at which staff move through the restaurant.

Grace is the confidence in a waiter’s delivery.

Grace is not merely the way a chef decorates a dish, but also the manner in which the busboy removes the dirty dish after it’s been eaten.

Grace is the noise – or lack thereof – that’s made when resetting tables.

Grace is not only the way someone answers the telephone, but the delivery of their apology if the restaurant is fully booked.

Grace is knowing how loudly to play the music.

Grace is the way a manager respects his or her employee in the presence of customers.

Grace is knowing when to interrupt a private conversation, and when to join it.

Grace comes from within. It is the ultimate expression of hospitality, from start to finish, and it’s one of the most difficult things to teach.

But when you experience it, you will know it. And you will understand why it’s a crucial element of the fourth and ultimate star.

The original version of this story appeared in the OC Register along with my 4-star review of Blossom in Las Vegas. 

For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

Share
Tweet
Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the James Beard Awards, Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, World Food Media Awards, pdn Food Photography Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as restaurant critic for the Orange County Register.

Previous Article

Yes, America’s Best Chinese Food is in Las Vegas

  • November 14, 2013
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
Next Article

Review: Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles

  • April 30, 2014
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • California Hotels
  • California Restaurants

Headfirst into the Dawn, Los Angeles to San Francisco on $700 a Day (a Memoir)

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • December 26, 2020
View Post
  • California Hotels
  • California Restaurants

Hotel Review: Cara, Los Angeles

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • November 7, 2020
View Post
  • California Restaurants

OC’s Best Places to Eat 2020

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • October 9, 2020
View Post
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: United States

Quick Look: Niner Wine Estates, Paso Robles

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • August 15, 2020
View Post
  • California Restaurants

Dish of the Week: Kohada from Sushi Ii, Newport Beach

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • July 27, 2020
View Post
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: United States

Quick Look: Presqu’ile Winery, Santa Maria

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • July 18, 2020
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: United States

Blackbird, Chicago 1997 – 2020 (RIP)

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • July 3, 2020
View Post
  • Travel: Adventure
  • Travel: Australia
  • Travel: Culinary

Australia’s Winter Truffles are in Season. Get Some While You Can!

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 17, 2020
There have been too many to list them all, but these are some of my favorite margaritas to-go during this never-ending pandemic. Story in today's @ocregister⁠⠀ 177 10
Modern Italian(ish) cooking in Westminster. Story in today's @ocregister⁠⠀ 113 1
Sticky toffee pudding really is "the best pudding." I could eat this stuff all day long. ⁠⠀ 138 8
This might be the best cassoulet you ever eat, delivered to your door from an old French bistro that no longer exists. Story in tomorrow's OC Register (online now at ocregister.com). Bonus: cheese! 135 8
How it started vs how it's going: The most extraordinary bites of a tumultuous year. ⁠⠀ 177 7
Cocktail of the Year: La Niña at @perla.dtsa⁠⠀ 166 3
Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.