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Several minutes after Naomi Kaminsky and her cousin departed from a recent dinner at Jaleo in Bethesda, the Chevy Chase reader realized she had forgotten their doggie bag containing coffee mousse. By the time Kaminsky returned to the Spanish tapas restaurant, her table had been cleared and the desserts thrown out, as per Jaleo's policy, a hostess told her.

"I sent an e-mail to Joseph Volpe, the general manager, griping about the failure to hold doggie bags for at least a few minutes for forgetful patrons," Kaminsky wrote me. "It had turned a pleasant outing into a disappointing experience." Volpe's response: a chat with the staff about Jaleo's rule and a $50 gift certificate for the diner. "This was totally above and beyond any remedy that we anticipated," a grateful Kaminsky concluded (and I concur).

When I spoke with Volpe to confirm the incident, he said Jaleo treats the problem of forgotten leftovers on a case-by-case basis; the restaurant has been known to make fresh orders of dishes that have been discarded and even chase down customers who have left food behind. "We have big windows," adds the manager, the better to catch up with the forgetful.

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