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On Party Etiquette: Is It OK to Bring Cake to a Restaurant?

Susannah Chen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:15:12 PST

Let's face it: dining out is a totally subjective experience, and I've often wished there were hard and fast rules in place for issues like splitting the bill or whether coat checks should be mandatory. The question du jour? Whether it's OK to bring a birthday cake to a restaurant.I've just turned 30, and I'm celebrating by having dinner with a dozen friends at a small, family-owned ethnic restaurant. It feels apropos to have a cake for the occasion, but since the event takes place at a restaurant, I worry that the whole cake-and-candles thing could not only be disruptive, but also put a strain on the restaurant.

Guidelines on birthday cake etiquette seem to vary. Some restaurants are happy to do it; some request a call ahead; many other high-end establishments charge an (often pricey) cake-cutting fee. Still, others think it's a practice that should be cut out entirely. "I'm always baffled by people bringing their own cake. Do you bring your own steak?" one commenter asked rhetorically on a discussion board about the topic.

I want to hear what you think: if a restaurant doesn't focus on dessert, is it OK to bring your own birthday cake, candles, and lighter to dinner? What do you think of a per-person plating fee? Please weigh in below.

Mario Batali's Quips on Restaurants Today

Susannah Chen — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:03:06 PDT

To kick off the third morning of the NYC Wine & Food Festival, four of the industry's top tastemakers, restaurateurs Mario Batali and Marcus Samuelsson, TV host Andrew Zimmern, and Food & Wine editor in chief Dana Cowin gathered for a panel discussion to talk about what makes the best restaurant experience.

They all had plenty to say about the state of dining - especially the jocular Batali. Here are just a few of his one-liners.

On turning tables: "We have loud music at Babbo while you're eating soigné food. From 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. we turn it up and make it faster to get people out of there."
On tables in New York: "The beauty of New York is, even if five million people on Yelp hate me, there are still eight million left."
On how far the industry's come: "Thirty years ago, restaurant staffs were people who just got out of jail or people who'd just gotten out of the military and were on their way to jail."

Keep reading for the rest of Mario Batali's restaurant zingers.

How to Eat at a Trendy Restaurant

Katie Sweeney — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:21:30 PDT

Many new and popular restaurants do not accept reservations. While I understand an establishment's motivations for not taking reservations (it's more convenient, cost efficient, and eliminates the issue of no-shows), it can be incredibly frustrating as a diner to want to eat at a trendy establishment that is known for its long wait. As an avid girl-about-town, I've devised the perfect plan for minimizing the wait. Here's what you do:

Research the eatery before you arrive. Some places don't take reservations, but they will let you call in advance and add your name to the list. If that's the case, call up to two hours before you want to eat and politely give the hostess your name.
Go earlier or later. Show up at the restaurant about 15 minutes after it's opened; chances are they won't be full yet, and you'll be able to enjoy a meal without having to wait. The opposite option is to get there on the later side: after 9 p.m. You'll miss the dinner rush and hopefully be greeted with a shorter line.
Be prepared to wait. Don't eat at a hot spot when you have a limited amount of time to dine. Got to be someplace after the meal (the theater, a party, a sporting event, etc.)? Then, select an eatery that can get you in and out quickly, not one that has a long wait.

To see the rest of my tips, keep reading.

What's the Most You're Willing to Spend on Street Food?

Susannah Chen — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:28:41 PDT

We spent last weekend at the San Francisco Street Food Festival and didn't walk away with too much damage to our pockets, but that could be changing. According to SFoodie, the latest event to hit San Francisco is a Street Eats Benefit Gala that'll set attendees back as much as $225.

The price tag - which is awfully steep to pay for something coming out of a cart or a truck - got me thinking about what the price ceiling is when it comes to street food. What seems like a reasonable amount to pay for offerings such as banh mi tacos and caramelized s'mores? I don't think I would spend more than $12 on any single item I've ever seen come out of a food truck. Do you, like me, have a magic number?

Want to Open a Restaurant? 6 Things to Consider Beforehand

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:42:34 PDT

San Francisco food festival SF Chefs is in full effect! Yesterday I attended an interesting panel discussion in which many of the Bay Area's most successful restaurateurs talked about what it's like to open an eatery. It was fascinating to learn the things that a restaurateur has to consider. It's not just about finding the right chef; everything from the location to the lease of the building matters. If you've dreamed of opening a restaurant, read on to see what you should think about before you make the investment.

How to Save on Hundreds of Calories, but Still Eat Out

Michele Foley — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:26:54 PDT

It turns out that posted calorie counts on restaurant menus aren't always accurate. For those of you watching your weight, this might feel like a major blow, but it doesn't have to be. The next time you dine out, follow these easy tips to keep calories in check.

Research the menu before you go
A few days before the reservation, check out the restaurant's menu online. It gives you time to assess if there are healthy menu options, and, if there isn't, you can call the restaurant ahead of time to see if it can make any modifications to its menu for your diet. Most restaurants don't mind making a diet-friendly plate, but giving advance notice will give the chef time to think out a special plate for your needs.

Skip the bread basket
The bottomless bread basket is an easy way to tip the scale when you're watching your weight. (Not to mention that the crusty baguette is probably made from refined grains.) The average piece of bread contains about 100 calories, while a pat of butter adds another 36. The apps haven't even hit the table and you've already eaten 150 calories. If you absolutely can't pass on the bread, try and limit your portions and skip the butter for olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead.

See more calorie-saving tips after the break!

Starbucks Bistro Boxes Target Health-Conscious Diners

Susannah Chen — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:04:35 PDT

Starbucks doesn't just want its coffee drinkers to drop in for joe each morning; it also wants customers to stay for lunch.

Today, the coffee company rolled out a new line of Bistro Boxes - all-day meals and snacks under 500 calories with a focus on healthier, more wholesome food - to approximately 5,400 Starbucks locations across the United States and Canada. The target? The 45 percent of Americans who are "wellness seekers looking for healthy options," according to one executive.

The lineup includes $7-and-under entrée-sized Bistro Boxes, such as Chipotle Chicken Wraps, Sesame Noodles, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and a Salumi & Cheese box. Also available are the smaller-sized Tuna Salad, Protein Plate, Chicken & Hummus platter, and Cheese & Fruit box.

Given the trend of healthier on-the-go menu options, this rollout seems to make sense for Starbucks. But considering the fact that these items don't come cheap and Americans aren't willing to pay more for healthier options, it remains to be seen whether these offerings will be successful. Will you try them?

Source

Frequent Dining Out May Foreshadow Obesity

Susannah Chen — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:13:51 PDT

Are you a frequent diner-about-town? If so, it could be making you fat. The USDA has been examining the relationship between restaurant food and obesity, and it turns out that eating just one meal a week outside the home correlates to roughly two extra pounds a year.

Non-shocker: in comparison to homemade meals, restaurant portion sizes are larger, higher-calorie, and filled with inexpensive, obesity-promoting foods like processed grains and trans fats, all factors that certainly promote weight gain. That's a staggering statistic when combined with the fact that more than half of all American adults eat out more than three times per week.

Are you one of them - and if so, are you worried about its long-term impact on your waistline?

Kate Krader Talks Cocktails and Restaurants

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 03:07:48 PDT

For the past 18 or so years, Kate Krader has been the restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine. If there is anyone who knows about dining trends, it's Kate! After she candidly described a day in her glamorous life, she spoke with us about cocktails, menus, and more. Here's how the conversation went down:

YumSugar: You recently came out with Food & Wine Cocktails 2011. What's your favorite drink in the book?
Kate Krader: There's a bunch of awesome cocktails. Phil Ward's old-fashioned with tequila. The new drinks that are made by chefs are cool. More chefs are getting involved in cocktail programs! Linton Hopkins's sidecar is really good. Wylie Dufresne's sake drink is the best one I've ever tasted.

To see if Kate prefers a short or long menu, keep reading.

After Baconalia, Denny's Lightens Up

Susannah Chen — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:50:33 PDT

Forget bacon flapjacks, bacon meat loaf, and maple bacon sundaes: Denny's has moved on to lighter pastures with Fit Fare, a new line of lower-calorie options. The items fall under four different classifications: "lean," with less than 15 grams of fat; "light," which comes in under 550 calories; "protein," for items with 20 grams of protein or more; and "fiber," with at least 8 grams of fiber.

The menu includes the Fit Slam, with scrambled egg whites, spinach, grape tomatoes, turkey bacon, fruit, and an english muffin; a chicken avocado sandwich and cranberry apple chicken salad for lunch; and tilapia ranchero for dinner. Some of these dishes - like the Fit Slam breakfast and the tilapia ranchero - actually sound healthy in a refreshing way. Could you see yourself heading to Denny's more, now that they've created a lighter menu?

Source