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When I was about 12, and my brother 9, my family went on vacation from California to Maine. One night we were in a small restaurant, it was later in the evening, and we were almost the last people there. Our waitress was probably in her 80s. We all 4 ordered lobster, and when she brought our lobsters, we must have been looking a little perplexed. None of us had eaten a whole lobster before and didn't know how to start. Our waitress pulled a chair over from the next table, sat down with us, and started pulling pieces off our lobsters and showing us how to eat them. She'd take a tail fin from one persons plate, a leg from another, etc. It was oddly bizarre, freakishly strange, and endearing all at once.

I have a pro 5 qt. It's wonderful. I got it on Amazon, they have factory refurbished ones cheap. I think it was about $130 a year ago, with a 6 month warranty

This was one of the hardest contests to pick winners in ever. The stories here were filled with fun, touching, and "yeah, we've been there, too" anecdotes. The voting was contentious, but here are the winners, with notes.

hungryinhouston: Amazing and touching story. We can totally see how you would incorporate "G.D." and "G.D.S.O.B." into your vocabulary. You're lucky to have grown up in that environment. Sounds like you had a great childhood.

joanpieroni2: A great example of Scouting's "Be prepared" motto in action. It's small things like keeping a Tide pen in your apron that make great servers. And this story can serve as a tip to other waiters and waitresses. Not a bad idea.

sarahbeek: We admire the waiter going way out of his way to fulfill your Coke order and also relate to how you felt after finding out what lengths he went to. We think everyone's been in this situation before.

practicallydone: Another extra-mile story to restore your faith in humanity.

dbcurrie: We've all been mortified by our parents at some point. It was nice the way your waiter eased your embarrassment.

Congrats to the winners, and a big thank you to everyone else who told a story. We really had fun reading them all. Winners will be contacted by email for shipping info. A list of the winners here also appears on our Contest Winners Page.

The best service I have ever received at a restaurant was The Sardine Factory in Monterey.

My wife and I were there on our honeymoon and wanted a nice meal out. We're not dress up for dinner type people, so I called ahead and they said jeans and a nice shirt would be fine.

Once we got there, we were greeted as though we were family by the incredibly friendly maitre'd who greeted us with a warm "Welcome Home", and sat us at an awesome table in their aviary dome thing. He made me sit with my back to the wall so that "the lady could have the wonderful view" of the trees outside.

Our waiter, Sunny, was incredibly patient with us as we dissected the menu, made insightful suggestions, and attended to our every need. This is the only place I've ever been given a chilled salad fork.

Nothing that was super above and beyond, but I have to say, from entry to exit, the most consistent, and best service I've ever had in a restaurant.

hungryinhouston, you win. That is the best story ever.

On our second to last day in Edinburgh, we'd hired a tour guide to drive us around for an off-the-beaten-path tour. We ended up spending most of the day in East Lothian, home of some of the coolest castles in Scotland, and so devoid of tourists that we'd have entire castles to ourselves.

We broke for lunch in The Ship Inn in North Berwick. Upon entering, the proprietor greeted us and led us to our table. We chatted for a bit - typical tourist patter: where are you from, how long are you going to be here, how do you like it so far, did you try the haggis yet (yes, and it was DELICIOUS)? I mentioned that we were looking to finally have a pint of Deuchars, as we were told by our guide that we can't leave without having had at least a pint (we'd already gorged on Bitter and Twisted and Tradewinds that previous week).

The proprietor grins and says "Oh well then. Deuchars, eh? I think I can find you three something better than THAT. You just wait here, I've got a little surprise for you girls." Did I mention that he had a most charming burr? I kind of enjoyed being called a "guuuurrrrrrl."

He came back with 3 tasting glasses filled with beer. He smiled, rubbed his hands and said to pass each one around, and choose which one we'd like best. Glass #1 was the winner by far: almost citrusy, clean and incredibly refreshing. The proprietor grinned, and pronouced that he just knew we'd like that one: it was a glass of Early Bird. The one we liked the least? Deuchars.

It was a semi-full restaurant, and I'm sure he was plenty busy, but it was so incredibly sweet and kind and welcoming for him to spend a little time with three asian girls who'd wandered into his very nice restaurant/bar.

Whoever said that the Scots are a surly bunch is full of lies. This guy was charm personified.

Also, may I recommend the lamb sausages should you ever go? Freaking Brilliant.

When I went to Nougatine during restaurant week the waiter and chefs were REALLY nice and adjusted the menu for us despite their not having to do that at all. It involved extra legwork for the waiter and we really appreciated it. Everyone was swell. :)

I think it was at a place called The Brown Derby. We were pretty young and it was our first fancy dinner out. The waiter sensed we didn't have an extensive knowledge of fine dining and he guided us through our selections in a completely non-patronizing fashion and he was kind and attentive and anticipated our every need. It was an absolutely sensational experience!