Critical Conditions
A professional restaurant-goer’s tips for getting the most out of the experience
By Tom Sietsema
The place: a restaurant somewhere in Washington. The maitre d’ welcomed me and my friends as if we were longtime customers, and the room — all smooth wood, soft banquettes and flattering light — was precisely where we wanted to find ourselves on a winter evening when the thermometer had plunged to near-Arctic numbers. Even before our water glasses were filled, the restaurant was making a fine first impression. read the full article
Appetizers tend to be more interesting than main courses. Chefs tend to have more flexibility with appetizers, whose purpose is to excite and stimulate your senses, rather than fill you up. Entrees, larger in size, are more apt to grow tedious. As chef Ann Cashion told me, “It’s easier to keep someone entertained for five bites than it is for 14.” Honestly, if I didn’t have to order the full scope of a menu for work, chances are I’d ask for two or three appetizers instead of the traditional starter and main course.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3435-2004Feb24.html