As your cooking skills improved did you change your dining-out pattern?

[buckytom]

i think the answer to the question would be that as i've improved my cooking, i enjoy eating out even more now than ever. that kinda sounds backwards, but then so am i.

i first learned how to cook largely because i liked to eat out and wanted to see if i could make some of the dishes i had in restaurants at home.

the more i learned and the more my cooking improved, the more things i wanted to try when i ate out. learning how to cook has made me a more adventurous diner, and the more i enjoyed eating out the more i wanted to learn how to cook those dishes.

i used to avoid eating things in restaurants that i knew i could make at home better or much cheaper, but then i started to eat out so often (due to work schedules) that eating with such a mindset became impossible, so i then just started to order what i wanted within a certain rationale . i mean, i wouldn't get sushi from a street vendor, nor would i order ham and eggs in a kosher diner, or a burger in a chinese place. you have to use your noggin sometimes.

but i've found that fairly often you get a nice surprise by eating something out that you easily can make at home, and it has a new twist to it that you haven't tried before, or employed a different technique that you could use to improve your home cooking.

 

[Hoot]

We don't eat out very much these days, but when we do, I take the opportunity to ask about the specialties of the house. If it is a fancy place (even more rare) I ask for the chef's best dish. I rarely ever have the same thing twice when eating out. So far, I have not been disappointed. Mrs Hoot, on the other hand, is not as adventurous. Best so far is Waterman's at the oceanfront, Va Beach (if you can get in during the summer). A little on the pricy side but mighty good food!

 

[jabbur]

Since joining DC, I've become more adventurous in my cooking. We try to eat at home most of the time just because it's cheaper. We tend to go out for lunch after church on Sundays since it would be mid afternoon to eat otherwise! DH is fairly simple in his tastes but he'll usually eat whatever I cook. There are a few dishes he didn't like (the sesame noodle recipe didn't go over well) but he'll eat it. I haven't mastered asian cooking yet so if we want Chinese we tend to order it. I can't seem to get the veggies right.

 

[cjmmytunes]

How do you all feel? Would you rather do the work and have something you think is better tasting? Or do you just want to get away from cooking and are OK with average?

Me personally, I'd rather go less frequently and get a much nicer meal most of the time.

For me and my mom, most times I am the one doing the cooking. We get hooked on certain meals and don't feel like going out to eat them. We do treat ourselves once a payday and get a nice seafood plate from our local seafood restaurant (totally local, not a chain restaurant). That's the one thing i would really rather not try to cook at the house.

 

[Hoot]

For me and my mom, most times I am the one doing the cooking. We get hooked on certain meals and don't feel like going out to eat them. We do treat ourselves once a payday and get a nice seafood plate from our local seafood restaurant (totally local, not a chain restaurant). That's the one thing i would really rather not try to cook at the house.

I see you are from Elizabeth City. The C&H Oyster Bar is, without a doubt, the best place of its kind anywhere near these parts. Not sure if that is the place you go, but if you haven't, you should, JMHO, mind you.
Welcome to D.C.!

 

[cjmmytunes]

Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I hit the frozen food aisle and buy mozz sticks, meatballs, wings, bagel bites, etc. Turn on the oven, bake and we sit and snack on all that for dinner, topped off with a German Chocolate Cake or some such...

That sounds like something I'd like to do sometime. But I'll wait until I see some stuff on sale before I do it. I would think that having some fresh veggies out with it would be good, like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and such along with some ranch dressing to dip them in.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That sounds like something I'd like to do sometime. But I'll wait until I see some stuff on sale before I do it. I would think that having some fresh veggies out with it would be good, like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and such along with some ranch dressing to dip them in.

LOL! Have fresh veggies on "Junk Night" would be sacrilege...The goal is to ignore our diets for one night.

 

[cjmmytunes]

I see you are from Elizabeth City. The C&H Oyster Bar is, without a doubt, the best place of its kind anywhere near these parts. Not sure if that is the place you go, but if you haven't, you should, JMHO, mind you.
Welcome to D.C.!

Hoot, thanks for the welcome. And what exactly do you consider the be "The Edge of the Great Dismal Swamp", NC city or VA city? Actually, my mom is asleep during the time frame that the Oyster Bar is open (she works the night audit at a local hotel), we usually go to Quality Seafood up near Waterfront Park because they open at 10am so we can get our lunch when we finish our shopping and take it home.

 

[Hoot]

I will have to check that place out!
I am in NE NC about 60 miles west of Elizabeth City. Ain't too far from the Great Dismal Swamp, which is our nearest major landmark. 'Bout a thirty minute drive.

 

[powerplantop]

I don't mind spending money on good food and drink.

What I hate is spending large sums of money in pretentious hot spots.

I look forward to eating in a couple of well established places when I travel. The planning and research that goes into finding them is half the fun. They might be expensive old restaurants or lobster shacks covered in seagull poop it doesn't matter. The tradition and the commitment to quality is what impresses me.

The rest of the time I cook at home and enjoy it!

You summed up a lot of my feelings on dining out.

I travel for work a lot so I do eat a lot of meals in restaurants. I hate going someplace spending $20 on some crap that came out of a Sysco bag. I do not mind spending more on good well prepared food.

Recently I found a Mexican buffet with drink was $10 for lunch. Great home style food. One of my co workers was from Mexico and could not believe how good it was.

Some of the meals I eat in restaurants do chalenge me to get in the kitchen and learn how to cook that.

 

[Addie]

I no longer enjoy going out to eat. I am a slow eater and tend to hold everyone up when they finish. And at home, I sorta cook myself. If I make something special by request, it is for one of my kids to take home.

Mother's Day is coming up. I will put a smile on my face and go out to eat with my daughter and her family. But I will order something that I know won't have a lot of food on the plate. Of course I will come home with a doggie bag. I always do. I would rather go out for breakfast at the local diner. Bacon, eggs, hash brown or home fries, coffe and whole wheat toast. And I am lucky if I can finish that.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I no longer enjoy going out to eat. I am a slow eater and tend to hold everyone up when they finish. And at home, I sorta cook myself. If I make something special by request, it is for one of my kids to take home.

Mother's Day is coming up. I will put a smile on my face and go out to eat with my daughter and her family. But I will order something that I know won't have a lot of food on the plate. Of course I will come home with a doggie bag. I always do. I would rather go out for breakfast at the local diner. Bacon, eggs, hash brown or home fries, coffe and whole wheat toast. And I am lucky if I can finish that.

Addie,

I think you should let them know how you feel!

On Mother's day you should be queen for a day, if breakfast is what you want then you should have breakfast!

They might even breathe a sigh of relief!

I have never enjoyed eating out on a holiday. No matter how good the restaurant the prices go up and the quality goes down. I always feel rushed and when I get home, no leftovers to pick at!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Addie,

I think you should let them know how you feel!

On Mother's day you should be queen for a day, if breakfast is what you want then you should have breakfast!

They might even breathe a sigh of relief!

I have never enjoyed eating out on a holiday. No matter how good the restaurant the prices go up and the quality goes down. I always feel rushed and when I get home, no leftovers to pick at!

I agree, Aunt Bea! Mother's day should be what you would like, not what the kids want to do. Let the kids know that you would rather not got to a restaurant. They can't know if you don't tell them.

 

[Dawgluver]

Oh yes, our "Whole Foods" clone has a fantastic deli, soup, salad, olive and hot dish bar. $8.99 a pound which is easy to overspend. We get in trouble there a lot.

Oh yeah. I practically choked when I paid for my $18.99 salad at a WF in MPLS. Thankfully, DH and I were splitting it, it's hard to stop adding just a bit more here and there....

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Oh yeah. I practically choked when I paid for my $18.99 salad at a WF in MPLS. Thankfully, DH and I were splitting it, it's hard to stop adding just a bit more here and there....

And olives, and cheese, and...oh look they have tuna salad, chicken, ham and....

 

[Dawgluver]

And olives, and cheese, and...oh look they have tuna salad, chicken, ham and....

Glad I didn't get the soup too. Would have had to take out a loan...

 

[Addie]

I agree, Aunt Bea! Mother's day should be what you would like, not what the kids want to do. Let the kids know that you would rather not got to a restaurant. They can't know if you don't tell them.

If it is her chemo week, we won't be going anywhere. She is headed for Florida tomorrow. Her husband is taking her on a short vacation. I know what my Mother's Day present will be. There is a shop that sells all cotton dresses with pockets. She brought me one last year and I fell in love with it. So she is going to get me two more. I will be happy with just those. No meal necessary.

 

[fairygirl69]

I hate to buy food from somewhere where it's adequate but I know I can do a better job for less moolah. That being said we try to reserve going out as a treat to be savored maybe twice a month because my own food is healthier and cheaper. Also our money's limited so I try to use my skills to make restaurant quality fare at home. It means a lot to Mr Hubby that I do this for him. For him my cooking gourmet meals for a special occasion is like an extra gift for him and he showers me with appreciation.

 

[Andy M.]

I want to add to my earlier post.

The OP makes it sound like you would lose interest in eating out because you became a better cook. There are other factors. I think my improved cooking skills enables me to appreciate dishes I didn't before.

I don't feel like my restaurant options have diminished because they can't cook dishes as well as I do. There isn't a great selection of interesting restaurants close to home. We have to drive into the city (Boston) to really have a good selection. So maybe I've just gotten lazy.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

The restaurants we do frequent, it's because they are exceptional at a price we can afford. Twice a month an visit to each one. Of course...I do eat at both more often, because i order along with my co-workers from both places. Will never get tired of their food.