Longtime manager at Elvis' Café, Paul Rogers was the only server the night we ate there. Exhausted and embroiled in the huge menu, we became stymied. He waited patiently. He didn't roll his eyes and imply we were hogging a table. Instead, he brought us water, silver, napkins and gigantic glasses of homemade lemonade, steeped in ice and emitting a refreshing citrus-y smell. We sat for a long time, as we'd had a trying day and needed chill-out time. Finally, when we were ready to order, he appeared out of nowhere. Ditto with the bread and salad, the entrée and the dessert. The ideal: there when you need him, gone when you don't.
Elvis' Café, 15011 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-264-9149.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.