Enthusiasm is an essential part of quality service, and it’s impossible to fake convincingly. An unenthusiastic server can do a perfectly fine job, but for a truly great dining experience, enthusiasm is a must.
On a recent visit to Waterfront Wines in Kelowna, British Columbia, I was almost overwhelmed with enthusiasm: Everyone who interacted with my table seemed be be overflowing with it. Dishes were described with verve, wines produced near rhapsodic states and one cheese nearly brought a grown man to tears. All in all it was memorable, if perhaps bordering on religious fervor.
That said, none of it was faked, and indeed some of the dishes and wines did deserve the praise. An elk tartare was one of the most inspired versions of the bistro classic that I’ve ever tasted: The gaminess of the meat was at once tempered and echoed by the richness of the juniper aioli that accompanied it.
Also worthy of zealotry was the house-made charcuterie, which demonstrated both a deft hand an impressive patience in the curing process. The portion size was almost comically large, especially since we paired it with a cheese plate. Selections were largely drawn from Canada at large, and the province in particular, and we were sufficiently impressed with several offerings from Upper Bench Creamery that we stopped in there the following day.
The wine list too was highly praised and mostly delivered. Drawing heavily from the surrounding wine regions, it offered not just solid glass pour offerings, but quite a few bottled selections, including a few older vintages. Two featured glass pours were also available, and they were well worth the slightly higher price point, which I should point out still wasn’t all that pricey.
The atmosphere was lively but not aggressively so, though we did arrive towards the end of service. The decor was slightly naturalistic without being over-the-top, though the vibe was slightly marred by a television playing what I can only assume was an official tourism video on a constant (though thankfully muted) loop.
The experience, all told, was highly enjoyable. While I was initially taken aback by the sheer energy emanating from the service staff, once we got into the food and wine I was fully ready to be swept up in the thrill of the ride. That probably explains why we ordered as much food as we did.
