Eating out at a restaurant is a favorite past time. A menu is placed in your hands, you scan the list of (hopefully) delectable meals, then choose the one that sounds best. The dish is served to you by the hospitable waitstaff who dance around the table refilling your water glass and pouring the wine. The meal is flavored with exotic spices and sauces, which you adore. And the very best part: there are no dishes to clean up afterward. Sounds simple, right? I thought so until I read Adam Roberts' article "10 Things That You're Doing Wrong at Restaurants." If you have a spare five minutes, I highly suggest that you read the whole article by clicking here. If you're just into the highlights, these tidbits are some of my favorites. I sincerely hope this list helps shape and change your dining experiences in the future. I know it has changed mine.
10 Things You're Doing Wrong at Restaurants (an excerpt)
2. Listening To Your Server Instead of Your Craving.
Don't get me wrong: your server is a fabulous resource for finding out what's good and fresh on the menu. Often a server will espouse their favorite menu items. That's very helpful, but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is knowing what you're in the mood for and sticking to that instinct. So if you're craving steak and the waiter puts on a whole song-and-dance routine about how much he loves the fish, nod nicely and still order the steak. If it's a good restaurant, the steak will be as good as the fish.
7. Asking The Kitchen To Leave Off An Element.
I understand that some of you are allergic to mushrooms or zucchini or mushroom-shaped zucchini. Fair enough. But if there's a dish on the menu that has, as a component, something that you don't like or that you're allergic to, you're better off choosing a different dish than asking them to remove that component. That component is there for a reason: it's meant to balance out the other elements on the plate and if you throw that balance off, your dinner will be disappointing.
9. Sharing One Dessert.
Sure, if you're on a budget or a diet, sharing one dessert is a fine way to go about things. But if you want to seriously experience a restaurant, you have to give the pastry chef their due: order two desserts and share them. I recommend one fruit-based dessert and one chocolate-dessert, that way you get to experience the best of both worlds.
Photo Source: colros
