MOORHEAD — Service is a notoriously difficult quality to quantify. What, exactly, makes it good?
Jacque, at Rustica, is good. Attentive but not intrusive. Willing to recommend, but not to sell. Friendly but not familiar. Able to explain a wine you don’t know but sensitive to what you’d like. Quick to admit a mistake before you’ve even noticed it yourself. Brings your drinks when you want them, not when the bar wants to make them. Brings the appetizers first and then the entrees when you’re finished — all of them together so no one waits and nothing gets cold while everyone else feels like they have to wait. The dessert menu doesn’t show up until everyone is finished dinner and the bill doesn’t show up until everyone is, well, finished.
The food is pretty good, too. And the atmosphere is