When is the best time to dine in a fancy restaurant? When will you get the best service and the best food? Read on for the answer.
I can tell you when not to go. Do not go during the lunch time period. Great restaurants do not have their best kitchen personnel working during the day. Daytime is when they bring in junior chefs to give them experience. The same holds true for waiters and waitresses with no experience. People going out for lunch simply do not have time. If something is not perfect, they will not complain or send it back. They simply do not have enough time to make trouble and restaurants know this. A lunch "hour" is rarely more than an hour.
So by all means go out for dinner, but do not go early. The only ones who dine at five or six in the evening are seniors. They do have time and will complain if everything is not perfect. This drives the staff crazy. They are usually in a foul mood. I do not advise dining during the early hours.
Of course, the busiest time of the evening is when the best food is served, but there can frequently be long delays. Don't risk your evening waiting for food. Avoid restaurants before 8:30. There is a reason this is called the "rush hour."
The best time to dine is at 8:30 P.M. The best chefs and waiters are all still working, yet the crowds have gone down somewhat. Also, it is rare for restaurants to run out of popular dishes before nine. Finally, no one in the kitchen or out in the dining room considers 8:30 working late. So they are all in pretty chipper moods.
Yes, for the best dining experience, make a reservation for 8:30 and be ready for a great time. This is a universal hint, no matter where you find yourself dining, from Paris to New York. Not too early and not too late means you will have a really fun date!
I got an interesting e-mail the other day from a reader of this blog. I thought there might be others out there who have the same question but were too embarrassed to write in. I will save you all the trouble by answering it here publicly. The question went something like this:
"I recently went out on a date with a great looking girl. Everything was going fine. She loved the restaurant I picked, and we were having a charming conversation. She nodded approvingly when I ordered the onion soup and then a rare steak, and even asked me to order for her. I picked a salad made with fresh salmon and a pomegranate-based dressing. She gave me a warm smile with a twinkle in her eye that seemed to indicate that she was feeling mischievous!
"Then, the waiter asked what I wanted to drink and I ordered a Pina Colada. I couldn't understand why she suddenly was scowling at me until the drink arrived. It was in a tall glass and had whipped cream. There was a straw with a little bamboo umbrella hanging in it and a plastic sword with a cherry through it floated on top. She said she had to go the ladies room and left the table. She never came back."
Has this happened to you? Gentlemen, listen up. If you are trying to impress a lady, order a single malt scotch. Nothing else. First ask the waiter what brands he has. It does not matter what he says, always choose the last one. When it comes, sip it slowly and gaze into your date's eyes. She will always come back.
