A little restaurant messiness

Usually we leave the restaurant criticism to our esteemed colleague at Mouth of Tampa Bay. But this just struck as a disheartening statement about the state of help in our favorite dining spots these days.

Has this ever happened to you?:

You're waiting for a table in a restaurant. There's not really a waiting area, so you squeeze in near the entrance near the hostess. And then you see a group leave the table right in front of you. The hostess slowly, ever so slowly realizes that a table is open, and moves to clean the table by ... shaking off crumbs and chunks of food off the tablecloth and onto the floor ... where they remain, waiting to be squished underfoot by an unsuspecting diner (not you, because you can see this Tampa Bay don't happening and have demanded a different table).  It is then, and only then, that you notice that there are food chunks on the carpet near the door, a napkin carelessly tossed that didn't make the trashcan by the bus table and various other signs of a restaurant in serious need of a Gordon Ramsay kick-butt moment. 

Do you speak up and risk a blank stare? Or just  scratch that one off your list?

Sigh. Doesn't anyone know how to use a broom anymore?

-- Anne Glover,  former mall janitor and sweeping expert

Screaming in public ain't pretty

So, Tampa Bay, here's one in a series of etiquette lessons: Don't squeal and scream "There's a man coming out of the women's bathroom!" in the middle of a restaurant or bar. First of all, even if it is a man, why the hell are you freaking out about it, especially if it's a single-stall layout? Maybe he remembered to put the seat down, so chill. And secondly, it's likely that it's not a man at all  but perhaps an androgynous lesbian. So now you've embarrassed yourself AND a complete stranger. Besides, women use men's rooms all the time when there's an "emergency" and the ladies room is full. Potty parity works both ways, so just be mindful the next time you want to create a dramedy of errors.

-- Anne Glover

Ybor's equivalent of the mirror shot

If you go to Ybor at all, I'm pretty sure you'll know this statue. It's the wonderful bronze sculpture of legendary journalist Roland Manteiga reading a newspaper and leaning against a wall along Seventh Avenue. It's been there since 2003 as a tribute to the late La Gaceta editor.

And he attracts his share of "fans." I've seen everything from a sombrero for Cinco De Mayo to someone putting a dirty magazine on top of his blank bronze newspaper. It's often amusing, I highly support having a little fun giving Roland some decorations from time to time.

But people, please stop hanging hang on the statue night after night. It seems that every drunk guy and girl who comes into Ybor just has to get a picture with the statue. The picture with you reading over his shoulder has become so overdone it's fallen into the typical myspace shot concept of holding the camera above your head. If you have to do a picture with Roland, at least try to be original and bring some props to give him his props.