Now, I'll preface this by saying that I was a waiter for MANY years in a variety of restaurants before I became a professional cook. So I have a unique empathy for waiters, but I also have high expectations for what constitutes good service. And I'll admit that this was a Monday lunch, so perhaps the two servers on duty that day were new--to either the profession or the restaurant. But it wasn't that busy, the manager was RIGHT THERE, and there were a series of really basic mistakes that both servers made that really affected our enjoyment of the meal. The first so baffled me that I continue to be surprised by it.

I asked the relatively common question, "Where is the beef from?" because I decided some time ago that I would limit my beef intake to small producers and preferably grass-fed animals to limit my intake of hormones and "downer" cows. The waiter went to check and said, "The chef says it's 100% chuck from Del Monte (a distributor)." It surprises me that in this age of customers being familiar with farmers, brand-name meat producers, and locally grown produce, that a restaurant wouldn't be more attuned to this kind of question. Especially a chef who has worked at some impressive places in larger cities. The distributor and cut of meat not being at all what I was looking for, I chose a different entree instead of pushing the issue.

Luckily, I chose the bucatini alla amatriciana (pictured at the very top; $13.50), because it was the best item we ended up tasting that day. The bucatini, hollow strands of pasta cooked perfectly al dente, was generously sauced with tomatoes, bacon chunks, caramelized onions, and a hearty dose of red pepper flakes. The dusting of freshly grated parmesan on top rounded out the flavors perfectly. I loved the spiciness of the sauce and barely shared any of my dish with my friends. They were busy themselves, attacking a potato-leek soup ($3.50 a cup), a "Harvest" goat cheese salad ($8), and BLTT--a bacon, lettuce, tomato, and turkey sandwich (also pictured above; $9).

Another couple of service blips before the food arrived included a dirty water glass (taken away without an apology and never replaced) and iced tea served with no sweetener offered. But the soup was smooth and rich without being gummy, and had slivers of fried leek floating on top. I liked it that the bowl was cushioned by a slip of a former menu cut to fit the saucer. The mixed baby greens on the salad were lightly dressed with a well-balanced vinaigrette and topped with a scoop of goat cheese, pine nuts, and roasted slices of pear. The roasted pear was a welcome change to this combination and added a good flavor contrast to the fresh cheese. The BLTT contained thick slices of roasted turkey and it was served on a crunchy flavorful roll, with thin fries alongside that were hot and crunchy without being too salty. The sandwich also had a pesto aioli that added a twist to the flavor that we enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the pizza two of us ordered wasn't even fired until after the other two of us already got our entrees. That is a really basic service error that should never be made. It would have been better for the kitchen to hold the other two entrees until the pizza was done, even if they had to remake the fries and pasta. It's always uncomfortable when some people at a table have food and others don't. When the pizza did arrive, it was probably taken from the oven just a bit too hastily, as the crust was cooked but not as crunchy and flavorful as it could have been. The toppings on the "Humboldt" ($13) included nicoise olives, arugula pesto, oven-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and goat cheese. It was good, but there was perhaps a bit too much bitter pesto to balance the sweeter tomatoes. Slightly less arugula and slightly more tomatoes would have made this pizza a real winner.

For dessert, we could have chosen orange creme brulee, but instead tried the Maker's Mark bread pudding. As bread pudding fanatics, we enjoyed this version with its big chunks of bread and freshly whipped cream. The bread was oddly not very cohesive, and I might have liked more custard, but the flavors overall were excellent.

The experience was a confusing one, because rarely have I had such delicious, well-considered menu items matched with such inattentive, slipshod service. I would like to try Tuli again because so many other people have enjoyed it thoroughly. I can only hope that the manager trains the servers a bit better before letting them loose on the floor again.

Tuli Bistro
The corner of 21st and S
916-451-8854
Mon-Thu 11a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sat. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Tuli Web site