Food is average 6 out of 10 Service subpar 4 out of 10

Hosted friends for dinner Saturday night and they wanted to try Caesar's original restaurant. Somewhat crowded at 7:30pm and told the wait was over 30 minutes. But I quickly noticed people slipping the doorman tips and they got seated within minutes. So I do the same and less than three minutes we had a table! Whatever, it's Mexico.

Of course we tried the Caesar salad. The menu has two offerings: one made in the kitchen the other with an up charge for preparation table side. I requested four Caesar salads and pointed to the lower price on the menu because I did not see the point of having it made tableside. Regardless of my request, the waiter came out and made it at the table and we were charged an extra $1.50 per salad....So be it. I just wanted my guests to be happy. Salad was overdressed however. They also used raw eggs, which in Mexico makes me nervous because there, eggs are not pasteurized nor refrigerated.

We also ordered escargot and spicy octopus to share. Both done well. Knowing from experience escargot come preprocessed in a can and are stuffed into sanitized shells with herb laden butter. I was pleased with the flavors of the butter. The baby pulpo or octopus was delicious as well. Our main courses were 2 prime rib dinners (both way too salty to eat) and 2 pasta dishes.

After our hot appetizers were cleared the ladies excused themselves to use the restroom. They asked the waiter where it was and left the table. Before they even got to the restroom our entrees were delivered. I told the server that the ladies would not return for another 5 minutes or so and to please keep the food from getting cold. He disappeared and never came back. That made me mad. Typical gringo disrespect.

Our food was not served very warm to begin with and by the time the ladies returned the food was barely warm at all. Not to put a damper on the evening nothing was said about the food or service. Not once did our waiter return to check on us. No one ate more than half of their meals either. Poor service and unprofessional.

But the kicker came when I asked for the check. I paid the bill in pesos with just enough to cover the amount and was planning to leave a cash tip. But since there was no check holder to put the tip in, I thought I'd make the waiter wait on me while I excused myself to use the restroom. It is I’ll-mannered to let your invited guests see how much the check is and the tip.

While I was away the waiter had the nerve to tell my Mexican friends in Spanish that I was expected to leave a minimum 10% tip for service. My friends said he made them think I was a cheap gringo and that I was not going to tip him!

So when I returned and heard this, I was really put off. How unprofessional and embarrassing. When the waiter was passing by I grabbed his arm and in perfect Spanish told him how rude and unprofessional he was. To embarrass me in front of my Mexican friends like that because I am a gringo has no place in a fine dining establishment and he should be demoted or terminated.

My friends said the 2 floor managers were listening as were a couple of tables nearby. Good for them! I hope that the owners read this and take the appropriate actions necessary. Tourists are the heart of their business. The color of our skin or our nationality should not matter. Treat all people with respect, especially when in the service industry.