Best Service

When your water glass has been empty for an hour and you're eating steak with a spoon, when your second course arrives a half hour after the first and your check is set down before dessert, remember this: You could be sitting in the elegant Briarwood Inn, sipping champagne and celebrating the kind of ser-vice this town hasn't seen on a consistent basis since servers started getting 401(k) plans. At this 21-year-old bastion of good taste, many of the staffers have been here from the start -- where else would they want to be? -- and the veterans train the new hires. As a result, everyone understands that genuine cheerfulness, efficiency and decorum -- rather than condescension, laziness and eye-rolling -- are essential service elements, and warmth and professionalism permeate the Briarwood experience. Until the economy tanks completely and people start begging for service jobs, diners can take heart in the knowledge that they'll be treated well at the Briarwood.