Non alcohol drinkers in fine dining restaurants

[Gabe Q]

Hi

I'm sorry if this topic has been talked before, but I didn't see any previous posts specifically about this.

My question is in regards to what to drink when you go to a fine dining michellin starred restaurant but you don't like alcohol. In my case I don't drink it simply because I don't like the taste of wine. I have tried to make myself like it, but I can't stand it. Also another issue that comes to my mind, though it may sound dumb or exagerate, is that for someone young like me being a college student and having to save just to make the trips to these places, I would rather save the money of not having wine with a dinner that is already pretty pricey.

So anyways, in this case what would you do??? What is the norm in terms of non-alcoholic beverages in this places??? Could you just drink water all the time???? Will they give you bad looks or a less quality service because of this???????

[beandork]

I usually don't drink when I go fine dining, I stick with still water.

Some of the more forward thinking places can actually suggest non-alcoholic drinks that go with the various courses, and that's something to keep in mind.

I understand what you mean about saving money for food and food only, especially because although a lot of places are upfront about the cost of the food, occasionally they may not be quite so forthcoming about the cost of drinks such as the predinner champagne for instance. I haven't experienced either bad looks or lesser service due my refusing the winelist, but I'm no michelin star veteran or anything. I personally feel that any worthwhile restaurant understands diners who don't drink.

[Daniel Rogov]

Gabe, Hello...

I'm a true wine lover but can appreciate that many do not enjoy wine and that even more, for various health reasons (allergies, hypersensitivity to alcohol, etc) cannot drink it. Certainly if you "cannot stand" wine, you should not order it. And that is not a question of cost but of personal preference.....

In most truly fine restaurants featuring what we might think of as either haute- or modern French, Italian or American cuisine, no-one will object or look at you askance if you stay with mineral water (still or sparkling as you choose). In many fine restaurants featuring the dishes of the Far-East you will also find a wide variety of cocktails offered, those including non-alcoholic cocktails that can make pleasant matches with the dishes served there.

You did not mention if you enjoy beer but in the case of Middle-Eastern restaurants and again, in many restaurants featuring Far-Eastern cuisine, beer is a perfectly acceptable beverage.

I will add that what is to be avoided in truly fine restaurants are soft drinks such as Coca Cola, Sprite and the like because if the truth be told, they will simply spoil the flavors of your meal.

[Muskoka kid]

I agree with Beandork, most restaurants understand when one does not choose to drink at dinner. My step father is a recent diabetic and whenever we go out for dinner he can't join in. He usually orders water and never have we had any problems in a variety of cities in North America. There seems to be a big movement in the water served in restaurants, as some now have water sommeliers. Anthony Bourdain comments in his latest book about the endless water selection at Alain Ducasse in NYC. Even if you choose water only, many restaurants will find a way to make you pay large for it.

[Macarons&Mozart]

WATER sommmeliers?!?!?!?!?!

oh god...

[hungryCAT]

My hubby does not drink at all. When we go to a fine dining restaurant, he

will order iced tea or a soda. I usually order wine and water. The servers

never think anything of it. I would be surprised if they did.

[Gabe Q]

Thanks for all the replies.

I was wondering because I remember reading a post in the French Laundry thread and someone talked about a bad service experience they had. He said that as soon as he declined the wine pairing menu and stuck with water, their service went down in quality. I'm sure that might have been a weird case, but still I was curious.

I guess in the end, you can't even count on drinking water to keep costs down when going out to eat hahaha.

[srhcb]

I prefer not to drink anything at all with my meal.

I'll have coffee while I wait, and afterwards.

SB (never wondered if anyone else cared or not)

[jsmeeker]

you might want to read this article.

http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/nonalcoholic/mocktail

It's pretty interesting. It actually presents some rather intriguing ideas. I'm not a "wine guy", but I do enjoy wine and when doing fine dining, will usually elect for wine pairings with tasting menus if that is an option, or have someone suggest something for me. However, I'm very aware that not everyone drinks and that even people who DO drink may not be able to (or want to) consume a lot of wine during the course of a meal. I've actually turned down complimentary wine before (after already enjoying two glasses) at a nice place because I had to drive home after dinner.

Anyway, I think this is a great idea. Hopefully, this will catch on.

[Daniel Rogov]

Jeff, Hi.....

Nikos Kazantzis, in his book "Zorba the Greek" had Zorba say: "If a woman invites you into her bed and you refuse, there is no greater sin". Perhaps or perhaps not true, but indeed there is no greater sin than turning down a complimentary glass of wine. That, after all, is why God invented taxis.

All in good fun......

[Adrienne Carmack]

The Epicurious article is a great idea. I'm pregnant, and went out for a nice meal for the first time last weekend (I just became interested in food again). I'm not avoiding wine so much because of fears about the baby, but because it will probably upset my stomach and really just doesn't appeal to me much these days (although I find myself looking longingly at my wine cabinet more and more often). I asked what non-alcoholic drinks they had, and it was basically iced tea or fruit juice. Thankfully, their iced tea was of good quality. And they did have a fine decaf coffee. The problem is that most non-alcoholic drinks have very high sugar contents and a lot more calories than wine, not something I want.

The good thing was that my husband was able to afford an even better glass since I was abstaining