Maybe you’ve decided that a table near a window sounds better than a front seat near a windshield. It may be time to splurge on a nice dinner out. It’s easy to find a nice sit-down restaurant without breaking the bank. Especially in a tough economy, restaurants will do almost anything to get your business. Lots of places offer a Restaurant Week menu all year. Take advantage of the early-bird special. You can have a fancy dinner at a much lower price.
Many restaurants are chain restaurants; this means they have restaurants of the same name and type in many towns or cities. At many places, you can call ahead and make a reservation, and they will save a table for you at a certain time. They’ll ask what time you’d like to eat, and how many will be in your party. Some restaurants won’t take a reservation. For those places, you check in at the hostess station when you arrive. The hostess will write down your name and call you when a table is free. Some very popular restaurants have a very long wait for a table. The hostess may give you a cool little gadget to hold while you wait in the bar or outside. When a table becomes available, the gadget buzzes and vibrates and little lights start flashing. (This can be very entertaining!) The flashing lights mean that your table is ready. The wait is no fun, but the little gadget sure is.
SERVER: Hi. Welcome to the Farkel Family Restaurant. I’ll be your server today. You’re just in time for our early-bird special, so you can choose from that menu or from the regular menu. Can I start you off with some appetizers and something to drink?
ALAN: I think I may have a beer. What do you have on draft?
SERVER: We have Statler Lite and Orange Cow on tap.
ALAN: What’s your house wine?
SERVER: The house red is a Napa Valley cabernet, and the house white is a chardonnay from Mendoza, Argentina.
ALAN: I’ll have a glass of cabernet.
SERVER: And for you, ma’am?
LIA: I’m driving so I’ll just have an OJ.
SERVER: Would you like any appetizers?
ALAN: No, I think we’ll just have the entree. I’ll have the filet mignon.
SERVER: Sure. How would you like it?
ALAN: I’d like it rare. And hold the mushrooms.
SERVER: And for you, ma’am?
LIA: I’ll have the seafood combination with rice.
SERVER: The dinner comes with a vegetable. What would you like?
ALAN: I’ll have broccoli and a side salad.
LIA: And I’ll have some sautéed onions with the seafood.
| Tip 3 |
Steak is usually prepared to order. If you like your meat very lightly cooked, order it rare. More cooked, but still pink is medium. Cooked for a longer time with no pink is well done. |
| Tip 4 |
A party in a restaurant is not necessarily a birthday party, although it could be. Confused? A party is simply the number of people in a group wishing to share the same table. |
| Tip 5 |
The law is very clear: Don’t drink and drive! Many people have a “designated driver” when they go out. This person will not drink any alcohol, and he or she will be responsible for driving. |
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appetizer: a small dish of food served before the main meal
breaking the bank: costing too much for your budget
check in: let the staff know that you would like a table
dinner out: Yes! Eating anywhere but home
early-bird special: a lower-cost menu, usually offered before 6 p.m.
entrée: the main meal
filet mignon: a very tender cut of steak
flashing: going on and off very quickly
free: available; can also mean at no cost
gadget: a cool little device that has some special use
hold: don’t include something
hostess station: usually at the front of the restaurant, where the staff will take your name
house wine: the brand of wine a restaurant serves if the customer doesn’t want something particular
how would you like it?: how you would like your meat cooked (rare, medium, or well done)
just in time: arrived right before it’s too late
Napa Valley: a famous wine region in California
OJ: Orange Juice
on draft, on tap: pulled from a keg, rather than served in a bottle
party: the people who are joining you for dinner
Restaurant Week: a week when fancy restaurants offer a special menu at lower cost
sautéed: fried quickly in an open pan
seafood: various types of fish
server: also called a waiter or waitress
side salad: a small salad served with or before the entree
sit-down restaurant: a nicer restaurant with tables and waiters who will serve you
splurge: spend a little extra money for a special treat
upscale: a little fancier; more special
windshield: the large front window of a car
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