Against the grain, part 2: early bird special

[Fat Guy]

Continuing along the theme of places where I'm out of step with the gastro-elite consensus, I like to eat dinner early. For me, the best time to eat dinner is virtually the second the restaurant opens for dinner.

First, it's easier to get a reservation. I get so many e-mails complaining that "they only offered me 5:30 and 10:30." Great! There's no better time to eat dinner than 5:30, and they just offered it to you.

Second, by definition the restaurant is empty when you arrive. This means three things: you can have pretty much your pick of table, you have the undivided attention of the waitstaff during the critical early phases of the meal (menu questions, wine ordering, rapport building, etc.) and the place is quiet.

Third, I find it physically unpleasant to eat late. An extensive, rich meal with wines isn't something I want to be finishing up at midnight. It's such a pleasure to have a wonderful meal starting at 5:30 and to be home in time for Gilmore Girls, relaxation, conversation and comfortable sleep. (Yes, I also prefer eating on Tuesdays, when in-demand restaurants are at their emptiest).

[weinoo]

Continuing along the theme of places where I'm out of step with the gastro-elite consensus, I like to eat dinner early. For me, the best time to eat dinner is virtually the second the restaurant opens for dinner.

Second, by definition the restaurant is empty when you arrive. This means three things: you can have pretty much your pick of table, you have the undivided attention of the waitstaff during the critical early phases of the meal (menu questions, wine ordering, rapport building, etc.) and the place is quiet.

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I agree with you on these points, and might add another: the kitchen isn't being slammed, and so often I find the food to be better and/or more carefully prepared and presented at an early hour, than say at 8:30 - 9:00 P.M.

Recently back from a week in Paris, you can actually go out at 8 - 8:30 and be the first ones in the dining room!

For some of the same reasons mentioned above, I also enjoy starting lunch at 1:30 or so, just as things might be winding down.

[Milagai]

If you eat that early, don't you get hungry later?

Milagai

[Jason Perlow]

If you eat that early, don't you get hungry later?

Milagai

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Oh, yeah, like thats a real problem for Steven.

[fifi]

I am going to dinner with you, Steven. It isn't that I like early dinner for all of the advantages in a restaurant, it is because of the digestion. I have very good digestion. But I do like to have some time for digestion before I go to bed. When outside of the US where the custom is to dine late, I just about don't eat at that meal. I may have an appetizer and a salad. I just can't eat a big rich meal and hit the sack, even within a couple of hours.

Now, if there is a custom of a long, leasurely and late lunch, I'm in there.

[Fat Guy]

I agree with you on these points, and might add another:  the kitchen isn't being slammed, and so often I find the food to be better and/or more carefully prepared and presented at an early hour, than say at 8:30 - 9:00 P.M.

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Not to mention, they haven't run out of anything yet.

[Abra]

Thanks for starting this, Steven. Because we get up early, and thus go to bed early, we like to eat early too, usually about 6:30 when at home. However, I always feel embarrassed to make such early dinner reservations, like either I'm insufficiently grown up and should be eating in the nursery, or else I'm a geezer.

[Mottmott]

I am going to dinner with you, Steven. It isn't that I like early dinner for all of the advantages in a restaurant, it is because of the digestion. I have very good digestion. But I do like to have some time for digestion before I go to bed. When outside of the US where the custom is to dine late, I just about don't eat at that meal. I may have a appetizer and a salad. I just can't eat a big rich meal and hit the sack, even within a couple of hours.

Now, if there is a custom of a long, leasurely and late lunch, I'm in there.

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You may well thank your dining timing for your continuing good digestion! I prefer my heavier meal during the day, too, when life permits.

But when dining alone in the evening, early is the best time . You're likely to get more attention and less likely to hear "just one?" I also find I can oftimes get a last minute, impromtu meal at a restaurant that usually needs a reservation, particularly mid-week. For some reason, I just don't know in advance that I'll be too tired to shop and cook, say, Wednesday two weeks hence.

[Busboy]

I like the way the Greeks, and, to a lesser extent, the French dine. Unless you have a ticket to an event, dinner is the evening's entertainment, it begins late -- after you've had a chance to change and shower -- continues virtually until bed time (or club time, on weekends), and is almost never done alone. Sure, I'll do whatever it takes to be home in time for House or, someday, maybe, The Sopranos again, but most nights I'd much rather wind my day down in the company of friends and family, with wine, food and conversation, than staring at the tube.

Early dining just seems so, I don't know, uncivilized.

[tejon]

I'm with you on this one. I like an early meal quite a bit. Allows me to take my time and still have some evening left afterwards. We eat at 6:00 most nights and rarely much after that when we dine out. Don't particularly care what others think of this, as it's my dinner to enjoy as I see fit.

Edited December 1, 2005 by tejon (log)

[TAPrice]

Continuing along the theme of places where I'm out of step with the gastro-elite consensus, I like to eat dinner early.

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Steven, you may be out of step with the "gastro-elite," but your preference for dining early is hardly unusual. Everyone at my grandmother's retirement home prefers to eat at five. See, the only odd thing is that you've acquired the habits a man more than twice your age.

Seriously, I'm not sure that I agree with you about service. I've gotten very inattentive service when I dine early at a nearly empty restaurant. With only a couple of tables occupied, the staff often gives off the air that they haven't really punched in yet. Of course, it's hard to draw any general conclusions from anecdotal evidence like this.

[Pan]

Steven, the other solution is to eat late and go to sleep late. Of course, those on 9-to-5 schedules can't do that. Also, in some countries, there's a very humane institution called the siesta.

[Fat Guy]

Of course, those on 9-to-5 schedules can't do that.

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Neither can those who want to eat breakfast.

[Kent Wang]

Seriously, I'm not sure that I agree with you about service. I've gotten very inattentive service when I dine early at a nearly empty restaurant. With only a couple of tables occupied, the staff often gives off the air that they haven't really punched in yet. Of course, it's hard to draw any general conclusions from anecdotal evidence like this.

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I think both of you are right. Sometimes the service can be outstanding, sometimes worse. It's a wash, in my mind. But I generally prefer dining out early as well.

What about freshness? Do you think restaurants might serve up leftover ingredients from the previous night or from lunch service to the first few customers? Do you think the likelihood of getting fresher dishes outweighs the likelihood of getting leftovers? I would appreciate input from someone that works in the industry.

[mramella]

Well Kent, you have certainly hit upon something. It's not so much leftovers, but items that were over-prepped the night before. If they prepped 12, but only sold 8, guaranteed you're getting one of the first four. The thing i don't like about eating early is the inattentiveness of the staff. Having been a hotel exec chef(read that as 24 hour restaurant service), our pre-meal meeting was at 5 pm. Before that, servers were too busy getting stations ready and preparing for the evening to worry about specials and such or god forbid a paying customer. Also, i always felt(and please don't let this offend all the wonderful servers out there, it's only my back of the house opinion)but, i always felt the servers were looking for the "dinner rush" to support their night and didn't pay much attention to the lowly "early bird-ers"

[Chufi]

I eat a light breakfast at 7:30, a light lunch somewhere around 1:00, and by the time it's 6:00 I am hungry! I don't want to snack and spoil my appetite.. I just want a good meal and it has to be served way before 8!

And I get very, very cranky when I don't get it.

edited to add: in the Netherlands, dining early is quite normal. Most restaurants do not have different eating-shifts. 6:30, 7:00 is quite normal to arrive in a restaurant, and the table is yours for the evening.

Edited December 2, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Fat Guy]

I think it's mostly the lunch crowd that gets the over-prepped stuff from the previous night's dinner. At least that's been the case in the kitchens I've observed. Not that there's anything wrong with that in most cases -- it's not like a piece of beef or lamb is going to degenerate noticeably overnight; even most seafood is pretty sturdy (you don't want to know how old most of the seafood you eat is!).

[Mayhaw Man]

(you don't want to know how old most of the seafood you eat is!).

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Well...yes...I do.

And I almost always ask in when dining in places that I am unfamiliar with.

It is of great interest to me. I like to know that each meal will not lead to a trip to the gastro doc.

[Jinmyo]

I agree about early dining being more pleasant for the constitution.

[Behemoth]

Naw, see...the way to do it is to eat dinner no sooner than 9pm, go out to the bars at around midnight, stay out until at least 5am, by which time you are a bit peckish, grab a small breakfast and go to bed.

Clearly I hang out with miscreants.

[Pan]

Of course, those on 9-to-5 schedules can't do that.

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Neither can those who want to eat breakfast.

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Breakfast is overrated!

[rooftop1000]

After 18 plus yrs in food service just noshing instead of having meals, I have discovered in my new office job that if I have more than soup for lunch my head goes crashing into my desk at about 1:15 ....very embarassing. After a buttered roll for breakfast and a soup for lunch dinner had better be on my plate by 6:30.

and they say I dont have hypo(er)glycemia ..I forget which one I think I have.

tracey

[elfin]

We like early for the above reasons plus the traffic/parking is better-we are getting back while everyone is going into the city.

[BarbaraY]

Another vote for dining early. I wake early so my day is done early. I do not want to eat and fall asleep in my plate.

[chow guy]

The biggest problem I've observered is that all too often, the kitchen is not quite ready by the opening bell (I was even served an undercooked quail at the first seating at Chez Panisse).

Also the soup of the day or other specials are not offered yet and I resent being treated like an"early bird" by the staff.