Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dining

Twin Cities For Adults (No, not that kind of Adult.)

Ookseer — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:25:54 -0800

I'm meeting a friend in Minneapolis to help celebrate his birthday. Neither of us are familiar with the area. Help me find some places that he would he like. It's mostly going to be several days of old friends catching up, so I'm looking for places (restaurants, bars, coffee shops) where we can relax and enjoy conversation. Not looking for places to have a big party. Places he would like are generally the kind of place that has regulars. More specifically:

- Social but not crowded.
- Quality food and drink.
- Professional service.
- People watching a plus.
- Either formal or casual, cheap or pricey.
- No chains.

We're staying in central Minneapolis, and have a car, but would prefer not to drive to the suburbs. (Or at all, frankly.)

Did people really sit at opposite ends of those enormous tables?

Tomorrowful — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:35:08 -0800

We've all seen plenty of depictions, in fiction, of enormously long dining room tables, with a husband and wife sitting at opposite ends. Usually we see those images in period pieces set in Victorian times, or more modern eras but evoking the hyper-formal rigidity that we (correctly or not) associate with the Victorians. Now, with tons of inexpensive servants for every middle-and-upper-class family, that seems doable, but did it really happen? Did people actually sit separated by ten feet of carved cherrywood as they sipped their soup, served entirely by footmen and maids? Or was it closer to how most of the modern-day families I know use very large dining room tables - everyone sitting around one end (perhaps with the head of the household at the head of the table), with the rest of the table going unused if there was no company over?

New York Restaurant Recommendations for a French mother-in-law

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:38:18 -0800

I'm heading to New York in 3-4 weeks, and haven't been back in a couple years. I feel "out of the loop" when it comes to restaurants, and on top of that, I'm going with my French mother-in-law, who is pretty tough when it comes to food. In the past, being French, she's liked Balthazar & Pastisse, but found Otto too loud and kitchy. I have 3 dinner meals to book, and have NO IDEA where to start, any suggestions?

Food contest for professional cooks

Bunny Ultramod — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:33:09 -0800

Help me organize a food contest for professional cooks! The goal is to gather a number of regional cooking professionals and have them cook their version of a regional favorite food (already predetermined.) There would be a few celebrity judges and a few people who are pretty knowledgeable about food. The contest would be public and there would be a few recipes. How would you suggest this be done? What should be included? What should be avoided?

Best restaurant inside McCarran International / Las Vegas airport?

ZakDaddy — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:50:57 -0800

For a boring list of logistical reasons, I'll be inside the Las Vegas airport today at dinner time, waiting for a late departing flight. I'll be hungry. Airport food is generally pretty vile. Can anyone tell me what doesn't actually suck? I'll take recommendations for any kind or style of food. I'm on an expense account, so my budget is pretty generous. Thanks! :)

Portland OR restaurant for 20th anniversary?

dbmcd — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:30:17 -0800

Our 20th is the 23rd of May - and we want awesome food! To clarify we'll be in town that Thursday - Sunday evening. That's Memorial Day weekend, but we'll be coming home on Sunday.
Thursday is the Big Day, but we could do any day of the weekend.
We'll have a car, and would like recommendations for great (truly) food. Price is (almost) no object - we'll only have one 20th anniversary.
For background, we've enjoyed Simpatica in the past, but our last two outings there were not as good as previously; we just don't care for one of the new chefs.
I searched, but I know the Portland restaurant scene changes quickly, and I'm seriously Yelp-challenged.
Thanks!

Fine dining in Berkeley

gnutron — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:22:30 -0800

Seeking nice restaurant recommendations for an anniversary dinner in Berkeley or nearby. My wedding anniversary is approaching. My wife and I rarely get nights out from the kid, so we decided to splurge and make reservations at Chez Panisse. The next day it caught on fire.

Can you please suggest some nice restaurants in Berkeley or the surrounding East Bay area? We're omnivorous, and we've already eaten at Gather and FIVE.

Restaurants: reservations vs. walk ins

librarianamy — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:46:24 -0800

Are you, or have you been, a host/ess at a restaurant? If so, can you tell me what was going on with the reservations vs. walk ins at a restaurant we went to over the weekend? Just out of curiosity. On Saturday, after having attended a theater matinee, we decided to join friends for dinner at a convenient, fairly popular sit down chain dining establishment. We've all eaten there before, and usually lean on having reservations, especiall on a Saturday at 5:00 pm. However, since we didn't know when the play would end, we decided to chance it without resevations.

The first member of our (four person) party approached the hostess and was told an hour wait. We had already paid to park our cars, so decided to wait it out. As we sat there, I remembered seeing the OpenTable sticker on the door when we walked in, so checked out the app on my phone. I was able to sign up for a 5:30 reservation. I went up to the hostess and canceled our friend's name on the list, and we were seated immediately.

When we were leaving, as we put our coats on in the lobby, we heard one hostess tell a walk in that the wait was then close to two hours (at 7 pm). Just because I'm nosy, I checked the OpenTable app quickly, and sure enough, there were tables available for 7:30.

So I'm just curious - how does the reservation vs. walk in system work at a standard restaurant? Are establishments that use OpenTable required to leave a certain number of tables open for their users? Or is it something else, like that particular place really wants to discourage walk ins? I've never worked at a restaurant, so I'd really love to learn more. (I've googled, and while I've read some on the OpenTable business model, nothing to the first hand explainations I'd like to hear.) Thank you very much!

Pittsburgh restaurant recommendations

librarianamy — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:40:32 -0800

I would like your help brainstorming the perfect Pittsburgh restaurant(s) to suit the needs of my local group. Special requirements (of course) inside. The local professional group that I'm a member of will be hosting a "dine around" later this month. I've never actually attended one, but they're defining this as "meals with different hosts at various restaurants around the city scheduled at the same time on the same night." Our members can then pick which host/restaurant they want to dine with that night, for networking and fellowship.

Usually when I eat out, it's just the two of us, and we stick with our favorite haunts. (It's not that I'm not willing to try new places. It's just that I love Piper's Pub that much.) So truthfully coming up with a venue that can meet the requirements (below) is stumping me.

1) Most importantly, a place that takes reservations. We're probably looking at four or five different places that can seat six to eight people at the dinner hour. We're leaning towards a Tuesday or a Wednesday, so we're not fighting weekend crowds.
2) I'd prefer local, not chain.
3) Vegetarian friendly.
4) A place that isn't going to balk at splitting checks. This is minor, but would be a perk.
5) Relatively affordable. A large chunk of our membership are graduate students on a budget.
6) With good food. And drinks.
7) Geography isn't important. We're mostly in the city, as a whole. I'm fairly certain that one of my CMU/Pitt colleagues will host in Oakland, and someone else has claimed dibs on Kaya (the Strip). I'm most familiar with the South, but as I said, flexible.

Diners and pizza place suggestions for a specific NYC area & schedule

victoriab — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:51:50 -0800

So we're taking our kids (6 & 8) on an overnight trip to NYC and we need diner and pizza restaurant recommendations near Grand Central, the Empire State Building and the American Natural History Museum. I've been to NYC quite a bit on my own but this will be my first trip with my family (aka picky eaters) in tow. It's a test run for a more extensive trip so we're doing limited sightseeing and need some food suggestions based on the following schedule -

Lunch near Grand Central Terminal
Dinner near the Empire State Building
Breakfast near 36th Street & Madison Avenue
Lunch near American Natural History Museum

Since eggs, bagels, hot dogs & pizza are always popular, diners that serve breakfast all day, good delis and thin crust pizza joints are probably the safest bet but feel free to make other suggestions if we'll be near a place you really love.

Delicious DC dining with desserts; difficulty: Sunday night.

QuantumMeruit — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:56:00 -0800

DC/Northern Virginia experts: The other half and I have our first kid-free date night since, uh...too long. We're flexibile on dining options but I would like to find an awesome dessert place. We wouldn't mind driving someplace separate after dinner. The wrinkle is that this is for Sunday night (with a late start due to babysitting scheduling), and we'd like to avoid cupcakes. Hope us?

Last minute Valentine's Day dinner in Manhattan!

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:39:27 -0800

I'd like recommendations in Manhattan for an off the beaten path Italian restaurant that would likely still have tables available for a Valentine's Day dinner. We are in our mid 20s and price isn't an issue. Just something romantic and delicious. Many of the famous restaurants are all booked and that's fine with me - I'd prefer something a little less known. Please, any recommendations or personal experiences!

Not playing in Peoria

caryatid — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:25:58 -0800

I have to go to Peoria, IL for a week starting February 6 to tend to the affairs of my mother, whose dementia is getting worse. I grew up there but I haven't been back for years, and when I did go back I stayed at Mom's. Now there is no room at Mom's because she's in assisted care. Where should I stay? In particular I am not looking forward to eating fast food or at a restaurant every day, so I am considering taking a room with a full kitchen at the Residence Inn by Marriott. It's close to a Fresh Market, and also three miles from Mom's assisted care facility. The rooms there list for $159 a night. That's Plan A.

Plan B is another Marriott property, Springhill Suites, with a microwave and mini fridge for $139. The rate goes down to $109 for the weekend. It's being renovated, according to the website. Also close to Fresh Market, three miles from Mom.

Plan C is a downtown "boutique" hotel, the Mark Twain, with a microwave and mini fridge for $129. There is a restaurant in the hotel, so there's room service. Since it's downtown I assume there are other places to eat nearby. I could be wrong. It's also more than twice as far to Mom's.

I've looked at hotel reviews and these seem like the best bets (Peoria apparently has a lot of awful hotels). Price is an object but not much of one - the $159 is more than I want to pay, but I can manage it if I have to and if it's worth it. I think being able to cook might be comforting. I anticipate this being a rather stressful visit, while I am used to a lot of solitude and serenity.

Anybody live there or been there for business recently? Is it worth it to be downtown for dining options? Got a better recommendation than my Plans A B or C? Any place decent to eat that you could recommend? Anything else I should know about Peoria in February? (I live in Denver.) I will have Mom's car.

Any tips on dealing with unkind demented mothers is appreciated as well. I had a hard enough time dealing with the constant criticism when she was not suffering from dementia. SO not looking forward to this.

Your favorite fast casual restaurants please!

timpanogos — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:58:40 -0800

What is your absolute favorite fast casual restaurant in your city? I'm working on a project where I'm trying to get exposed to more of these by region. I would love to hear the name of your favorite soup or sandwich or burger joint in your area. The parameters are that you have to watch your food being made, and you have to pay at a register, where you don't tip anyone formally 15% (tip jars may be present). We're talking your LeBoulanger (CA) your Milio's (WI), your Fresh City (MA), etc. I'm looking for places that have 3-15ish locations ideally, so not just one location but not 20+.

Thanks AskMeFi!

Help us get this food budget under control.

third word on a random page — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:34:15 -0800

Our eating out spending is out of control. We obviously have a problem with planning and making meals at home. What have you done that's helped you? We're a couple in our late 20s, both with great jobs that pay well but keep us very busy.

I just crunched some numbers to see where our money was going. We're doing well with savings and investments, but we're spending a ridiculous amount on eating out -- about $1100 a month. Husband and I are both shocked and ashamed at that number.

Obviously we need to get this under control, both for health and financial reasons. While we can, technically, afford it, we'd both much rather see that number go to savings or to a nice vacation.

We've done the weekly meal plan thing before, but each time, work gets busier and our plans fall to the wayside. The fact that we don't drive, but instead walk/cycle to the supermarket tends not to help matters (we can't buy more than we can carry home).

I'm looking for tips on how to make sure this doesn't happen again. How do you plan your meals? How do you keep them interesting, and motivate yourself to cook when it's so much easier to just go have brunch?

Please, no judgement. A few years ago, we were basically living on the amount we now spend on food, and I'm ashamed enough that I have to ask a question like this.

Where to eat in Vancouver on Christmas Day?

lesbiassparrow — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:23:48 -0800

Where can a currently not very mobile person go in downtown Vancouver for dinner on Christmas Day? (There are, as always, a few complications: see inside.) I had foot surgery last week and thus am on crutches and not able to do my usual trick of fleeing Canada at Christmas. But I'd like a nice dinner, even if I'm going to be my own and I'm not going to up for shopping and cooking one. So I'm looking for somewhere rather pleasant in downtown Vancouver to eat on Christmas Day. However, it has to have something decent for vegetarians and not make me feel like a freak for being there on my own. I'd really like specific recommendations for easy to get to places because of the crutches (though I am happy to take a cab, I don't want to have to spent 40 minutes in one to get there). Price isn't really a huge consideration. I live near the downtown core, hence the preference for somewhere there.

Sandwiches on restaurant menus - only in Canada, you say? Pity.

Chaussette and the Pussy Cats — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:33:53 -0800

Is it unusual to see sandwiches and burgers on restaurant menus outside the US and Canada? I have a relative who left Canada in the 60s to move to the UK. Since then, she and her family have lived in the UK and Northern Europe. Whenever they visit us, they get very annoyed (and judgy) about how our restaurant menus almost never have "proper meals" on them. They go to great lengths to point out that most of the food on the menu is a sandwich, burger or wrap or, perhaps a selection of pastas and stirfries, and then only a few items that are "proper meals'.

I've countered with the fact that they are going to fast casual restaurants, which I understand to be somewhat uncommon outside the US and Canada. I've also noted that these menus have many selections that feature entrees, but that they (and my Canadian relatives) choose not to order them as they range from $18 to $30 and my family prefers to dine out happily more often for $8-$12 meals.

I let them know that, if they wish to go to a restaurant that is not fast casual, they would find most of the entrees would be "proper meals", as they call them. And that, in those cases, they would also be paying the prices they are used to in the UK/Europe. I explained that fast casual restaurants are more like pubs than what they expect, since many of them do double duty as sports bars.

Incidentally, when they do order a "proper meal", they complain that they are not getting meat covered in a "proper sauce". I gently explained that perhaps the meat here has more traditionally been of a quality where sauces were not needed and so not ever meal we serve has "sauce". (Sorry - after that much complaining, I wasn't quite as keen on being polite.) So maybe they just have it in for everything here.

Anyway, per the chicken sandwich question earlier today, I wondered about traditions in other countries. I am a bit baffled by them, as I've travelled to many countries around the world and I think there is a wide variety of restaurant items. And I'd expect that, taking countries like NZ and Australia into account, menus couldn't be that different. So perhaps it's just the UK and Europe or the kinds of restaurants my relatives visit? Or their desire to complain and distance themselves from all things Canadian?

Fast casual restaurant examples: White Spot, Moxie's, Earls, Cactus Club, Boston Pizza.

Help me find recipes that are interesting to eat with your eyes closed.

Mayhembob — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:16:03 -0800

I want to treat my girlfriend to an unusual dinner. There are restaurants that serve food in complete darkness.
I want to replicate this experience at home. I am looking for some recipe ideas that would work well when eaten while blindfolded. Dishes that engage the senses of smell and touch (and maybe sound!) in interesting ways. So far I have come up with falafel for the texture and maybe something with cinnamon for dessert (for the smell). She doesn't like foods with creamy texture, and I think things fried in breadcrumbs sadly will not be a hit. Meat is ok.

Vegan in Vegas Hotel

colin_l — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:06:20 -0800

Family trip to Vegas. Mostly plan on lounging around the (downtown, not strip) hotel and environs. One member of the party is vegan, the rest happily eat everything. What's the dining outlook for the vegan? There have been a bunch of similar questions, but they all seem to assume that the vegetarian diner is also calling the shots.

We'll be doing a big family thing in Vegas (Golden Nugget, downtown) in January, and my sister, a vegan, may be a bit stuck. The rest of us are planning a very low key, low effort kind of trip, probably with lots of meals in the hotel. None of the menus seem terribly vegan friendly.

Any advice/experience in this department? How likely is there to be much of the way in vegan options at the buffet?

Thanks

What to do in Santa Rosa?

rhiannonstone — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:42:52 -0800

What interesting things should I see, do, eat, and (maybe) drink in and around Santa Rosa this weekend? I'll be there primarily for a bike ride* but will have a day before the ride and a day after to do other stuff, as well. I'm particularly interested in great places to eat and somewhere my partner and I can get mani-pedis. I'd also love to know about neat places to shop and any really, truly amazing wineries you love.

We'll be driving there from Berkeley, so stuff in-between is cool, too.

Already on the agenda:

Coffee at Flying Goat
Dinner at Cyrus
A visit to Seghesio winery

*And, hey, any other MeFites doing the GranFondo? Look for me with the purple bike and the purple hair, and probably a bright orange jersey. I'll be riding the Piccolo route, and staging with the Intermediate Beginners.

I eat fast, maybe too fast.

jackbishop — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:13:59 -0800

I eat very quickly. I enjoy my food well enough, but I seem to enjoy it at a rapid pace, which can be a bit awkward in company. Is there an easy mental realignment to eat slower? So it seems that I eat quite quickly in comparison to other people. I certainly like what I eat, and chew sufficiently, and I take authentic pleasure in it, but I rarely "savor" stuff as such. This isn't a problem with the meals I take alone, and in fact it makes them quite convenient, but it's a bit awkward in company, where I often finish first and, as it were, reproach others with the emptiness of my plate (it's particularly evident in the company of my girlfriend, whose eating habits are as languid as mine are rapid). While being able to inhale food is occasionally useful, it doesn't feel entirely normal, and for all I know I'm depriving myself of some pleasure I could gain from a more leisurely approach. Is there an easy way to "retrain" myself to linger more over my food?

Where to dine in Logan UT?

BrooksCooper — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:33:15 -0800

So, work takes me to Logan, Ut where I'll spend Sunday night. I need to consume the evening meal there. I have no dietary restrictions and like all cuisines I've tried. Where would I enjoy a solo dinner in Logan on Sunday night? Thanks

El Paso After Hours

El Sabor Asiatico — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 16:29:41 -0800

Late night food options in El Paso? Difficulty: Sunday night, downtown, after midnight.

A Nice Night Out Near Augusta, Maine?

The Whelk — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:41:54 -0800

Recommend me a nice/ special occasioin restaurant within an hour's drive of Augusta, ME? Pretty self explanatory, looking for a nicer, romantic place for dinner within an hours drive of Augusta. Ideally it's in a place that can explored/hung out in for a while before dinner but not necessary. No other restrictions aside from ' they take reservations.'

Best Crab Legs in Suburban Chicago?

Angel de Lune — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:10:40 -0800

Where are the best crab legs in suburban Chicago? My birthday is next week and as a tradition I reward my annual aging by dining on crab legs (my fav!). In the past we have gone to Pappa Deaux in order to satisfy this convention, but the conveniently located one is closed now and I figured we may as well mix things up anyway. Where can we get the best crab legs in suburban Chicagoland? I live in Schaumburg and my parents live in Des Plaines and we'd prefer to stick around the surrounding area rather than heading deep into the city. Any recommendations? We have been to Pappa Deaux's, Red Lobster, Joe's Crab Shack, and Shaw's. I was considering Bob Chinn's, but that place looks crazy expensive and I saw it got some mixed reviews. Thanks for your suggestions! :)