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| Waiting for 2 Amys To Open |
Eating out can be a delicious, relaxing experience - that is, until annoying hassles like endless waits or loudmouths at the next table turn your night out into a nightmare. We asked for your DC dining pet peeves - click through the slideshow below to see what irked you most, along with a few recommendations for alternatives. If we missed your biggest grievances, let us know in the comments.
I refuse to wait an hour for a table. I don't care how much buzz the restaurant may have, as they likely have a just as buzzy competitor that will take my reservation. I have more important things I want to do with my time.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! Food shouldn't be all about the hype.
DeleteThe noise level in DC restaurants is more than irritating; it's a plague -- brought on by the foolish notion that loudness means buzz, means desireability. What it means to me and lots of friends I know i the Dupont Circle area is: Don't Go There. Two places with otherwise decent food but intolerable, conversation-killing noise levels: Mintwood and Bistro du Coin. Avoid at all costs.
DeleteA lot of the problem with restaurants is the noise level. With some places the noise just bounces off the walls, floor and ceiling with no drapes or carpeting. In the more crowded places it's way worse, and then people get louder as they drink. It's impossible to have a relaxed dinner conversation in such places. I won't go to restaurants where I can barely hear the people I'm with and have to shout.
ReplyDeleteI, too, won't go to restaurants where I have to shout to carry on a conversation. When I see a place advertising live music, my first response is "NEXT!"
ReplyDeleteI don't mind eating at odd hours of the evening, so a no-reservation policy usually doesn't phase me, but when I go out to dinner with someone, it's not only to enjoy great food, but to have great conversation with someone that I care about. If a place is noisy, I can't do that, and it can get very frustrating!
ReplyDeleteWhen you're paying for ambiance as well as food, too bright is at least as bad as too dark. Bright lights are for diners and fast food places; a restful, relaxing dinner should involve muted lighting. Mrs. K's is a major offender--its lighting belongs in a Denny's.
ReplyDeleteTake reservations or don't take them, I don't care, but if restaurants are going to use Open Table, they should learn how to use it. If OT says I can make a reservation at 8 and I show up at 7:50 and have to wait until 8:45 for a table, there's a problem. Especially when it happens again and again (Belga, Cava, Sticky Rice).
ReplyDeleteReel off the specials, without the prices. This IS a commercial transaction, right? You want payment?
ReplyDeleteYou forgot cramped dining rooms with tables too close together, so that you can't escape your neighbors' conversation, or else the staff bumps the back or your chair as they pass by.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest complaints about going out to eat - my food isn't hot when it arrives at the table. This recently happened in a restaurant in Rehobeth (who wants cold mashed potatoes or fries and limp, cold soft shelled crabs?). I didn't send it back because I didn't want microwaved crabs that would end up over cooked. AND - why do wait staff insist on clearing the table before everyone is done eating? This happens in fine dining restaurants everywhere. I've even had to stop a waiter from taking my plate when I wasn't finished. Literally - taking it away while my fork is in my mouth!
ReplyDeleteMy annoyance comes from the fact that I do not like eating in any establishment that is so dark that you can not easily read the menu without a flashlight. Yes my smartphone has a flashlight and I used to use it to read menus but now I walk out and find another place to eat. Dark dining rooms are not the essence of ambiance, they are the mark of stupidity and a warning to not eat there. Think about it - maybe they keep the place dark so the patrons won't see the dirt and filth on the floors, walls, and other things. If the dining room is potentially dirty, then what about the sanitation in the kitchen? Walking out is the best choice.
ReplyDeleteWho can remember recited menus? What sides come with which entree and with what sauce? Add the above over the top noise problem
ReplyDelete