dining out

It's been said that haute cuisine is true art, but I'd argue that composing a menu takes some serious skill, too. First off, the food has to read like it's appetizing. Then there's the issue of how many items should be offered. Everyone's got a different number: when I dine out at a restaurant that offers less than 10 menu items, my guy complains that there's not enough selection on the menu. Yet if I open a menu to find 100 offerings, I'll almost certainly be overwhelmed. As someone who has a tough time making decisions both big and small, I'd rather be faced with a terse menu than a paralyzingly long one. Getting the length just right, it seems, is quite a tough line to toe. Which do you consider the greater of two evils? And what's the magic number when it comes to menus?

popsugar poll

What's Worse: A Menu That's Too Short or Too Long?

The menu being too short.

The menu being too long.

Should you have faith in your waiter? Absolutely not, says the New York Post. A number of anonymous New York restaurant staffers have fessed up to being "actors" who "sell you the most expensive item" and admit to using psychological pressure tactics on customers in order to make another buck. This type of evidence is unnerving, since I'm the type who loves to ask waiters what their favorite things are on the menu. Do you tend to believe what servers are telling you?

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Do You Trust Servers?

Yes

No

Like Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day is a popular night for restaurants to create a special prix fixe menu. Although I've been known to order a prix fixe or tasting menu from time to time, when it comes to meals with a holiday theme, I generally avoid them. They seem overpriced and extravagant. What's your take on them?

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Valentine's Day Prix Fixe Menus: Love Them or Hate Them?

Love them

Hate them

Undecided

One of my restaurant pet peeves is when the food comes too quickly, in particular before the drinks have arrived. However, some people prefer it if the food comes too quickly rather than take forever. As long as I have a drink and the atmosphere and company are good, I'm OK with waiting for food. How about you? What do you think is worse?

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What's Worse: Food Coming Too Quickly or Too Slowly?

The food coming too quickly.

The food taking forever.

Chili's: it's a bar, a family grill, and now, a place to go to better know thyself. This week, we saw the introduction of a new "Wild or Mild" menu, which caters both to diners who seek foods with serious heat, as well as those who try their best to avoid them. For the same price, you can choose from "Kicked-Up Queso," with chipotle, pico de gallo, and roasted jalapeños, or good ol' melted cheese dip with ground beef and chips. The same thing goes with wings, which come in both honey-chipotle sauce or, for the less adventurous, maple barbecue. Chili's also offers spicy and mild items like quesadillas and sliders. Which one would you reach for?

Source

popsugar poll

What's Your Style: Wild or Mild?

I walk on the wild side.

I walk on the mild side.

Yesterday, the New York Post ran an article about the rise of dining and dashing. In the last year, the amount of people who eat at an establishment and leave without paying has increased by 20 percent. The story describes several popular New York City restaurants that have been recently hit by diners who dash; the people who do it are, surprisingly, well-dressed, non-teens, and parents. I'll be the first to admit that I've dined and dashed, but only once, in Europe, at a place where the service was atrocious. I've never done it here in the US. How about you?

popsugar poll

Have You Ever Left a Restaurant Without Paying?

Yes

No