Eating out..

[Kayelle]

We went out for dinner tonight. I had seafood stuffed enchilada's. They were pretty good but I know I could have made them better. she said modestly.


It's almost a curse to eat out and be thinking of how it could be better.
Does anyone else here do that?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I do it all the time! I think people who like real cooking, like those of us here, are prone to thinking or knowing we could do it better.

To me, the only reason to go out to eat is so I don't have to do dishes.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Kayelle, I do that too! That's one of the reasons we rarely go out anymore. I will admit to being cheap, but I like to think it's cheap with a purpose. It's one thing to go out and spend $50 at our favorite restaurant and enjoy every bite of food and every bit of drink - I haven't a problem with that. But the last time we went out to a semi-regular place, spent $25, and walked out completely unsatisfied made me rethink going out. Part of the reason was I had just come home from the grocery store, bought only edibles (no toiletries or cleaning supplies), and knew I had two different proteins set aside in the freezer to use with what I had bought. I had enough food for the two of us for a week and had spent...around $50. Hmm. Decided right then and there I would cook almost always and go out maybe every month or two to one of our favorite places. I can count our favorites on one hand. As a bonus, eating home cooking has had me drop around 10 pounds...and I have no interest in finding them again!

 

[Dawgluver]

I do too. Other than the bread (that I don't bake), I prefer my sandwich fillings. Along with my steaks, chili, and drinks. If I can get stuff I can't make at home, or that has ingredients and prep I can't easily access, then I'm all for going out. Anything with duck, sashimi, or a vast salad bar comes to mind. We do love Mexican and Chinese too...

 

[powerplantop]

I have done that.

Also I have taken my wife to dinner and she would say that I can cook it better.

 

[Zereh]

We don't go out much for this very reason ... our splurge is on some good seafood or steaks and a great bottle of wine (or two) which we thoroughly enjoy at home.

 

[Rocklobster]

I feel like that all of the time.

I usually only go out when I meet up with my kids and it is their choice. It is more about meeting up and spending time together. My GF and I go out for breakfast occasionally but it is mostly greasy spoon style sausage and eggs. Or I will get a craving for wings and beer and go to a pub, but that is more for entertainment.

I will search out small ethnic places to try new stuff that I have never eaten and don't cook. But if I like something I search out the recipes and ingredients and cook my own versions at home.

I am feeling more and more ripped off because I know I could have done better for a fraction of the price. And, being a cook for so many years, I know what to look for and can tell you pretty much exactly what went into the preparation. It doesn't take much to wreck a night out, weather it is service or food quality. I am not a Foodie, but I do expect things to be done right.

Restaurants are some of the only places that you have to pay for something you didn't particularly like. For the most part, you can't look at your meal and then decide you will take it, like a retail product. If I knew what I was getting half of the time I wouldn't have ordered it. In some cases there may be nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but, you just don't like it, so you can't just send it back. Then, it becomes a question of do you want to cause a scene or have the staff hate you? If it has reached that point, then it is a bad experience, say what you want. Franchises are the worst for that. Nice glossy photos on the menu and what you get is nothing like them. I pretty much stopped eating in franchises all together.

I wonder what would happen if you decided to only pay a percentage based on the deficiencies of the food you ordered/ate? If it wasn't 100% to your liking then you could knock off a few bucks and give them what you thought was suitable. After all, sometimes they are knowingly passing stuff off that could and has been done better.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I like going out to places where I get meals that would either be difficult to make at home, or just not practical.

For example, I know a lot of people dislike those trendy little restaurants where they give you undersized portions with a lot of foo-foo on the plate. I actually like those kinds of places. I look at it somewhat like edible art, and try to appreciate it more from that aspect than whether or not it's going to fill me to the brim. I like it when chefs do something that I haven't seen before. It's like dinner theater.

I also like ethnic restaurants. Thai, for example. Although I dabble in Thai cooking on occasion, for the most part it would be impractical to make some of those dishes at home, unless I ate them frequently. Who could afford to have all those ingredients around that you only use for that type of cuisine? Same goes for sushi.

But to go out for something like a steak makes no sense to me. I can make a steak at home as good as any restaurant, and for a fraction of the price.

 

[larry_stewart]

When I go out, usually 2 things go through my mind.
The first is, if I like it a lot, I try to figure out how I can recreate it at home.
Unfortunately, many times I fall short. But thats the fun of it, trying to recreate or improve upon these things.

the other thing that typically goes through my mind, is how I can make the same thing for a fraction of the price. I try not to think about it, and realize that Im out for social reasons, atmosphere, trying new things .... But when i get my check after dinner, ( and since I do all the food shopping in my house), it sometimes drives me crazy

 

[Addie]

My parents, me and my sister and all of our kids grew up on seafood. So when I go out to a restaurant and order seafood, I expect the seafood to be cooked correctly. It is not that hard. Don't overcook it.

My youngest took me out to a restaurant that was known for its seafood. I ordered shrimp scampi. I couldn't even get my fork into the shrimp and they added the alcohol at the very end without cooking it off. Totally inedible. They took the price of the dish off the final bill along with the desserts.

The best dish I ever had in a restaurant was Linguini Alfredo. The sauce was to absolutely die for. I used my spoon to make sure I got every last drop. I even let my sister have a couple of mouthfuls. We had gone to see The Lion King, and after the show went to Teatro on Tremont Street. We got seated just before the rush of the after theatre crowd. The next time I was taken out to eat, guess which restaurant I chose.

 

[pacanis]

I always ordered something I did not make at home, so it was hard to draw a comparison. Even if the food was lacking, I went out more for the experience.
I rarely eat out anymore, so I just enjoy being waited on and don't think about if I could make it better or not.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Same here. There are no real quality places here to eat so going out is simply so I don't have to cook and can just sit back and relax.

When we are on vacation it is different. I like to try new places and usually do some research before we go. Plus I don't order things I can make at home.

I do it all the time! I think people who like real cooking, like those of us here, are prone to thinking or knowing we could do it better.

To me, the only reason to go out to eat is so I don't have to do dishes.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I'm with Pac, I order things I don't normally fix at home. I enjoy the restaurants atmosphere and service as much as the food.

I don't go out to eat anymore, but I do take people out to eat from time to time. It is just easier for me and often times cheaper to take folks out than it is to entertain them at home. Most importantly for me, at this point in my life, it is only one meal instead of a week of leftovers I shouldn't be eating!

The most recent venture was with my sister and one of her children, it was more about the people than the food. Great atmosphere/vibe, great seafood, soggy fries. Something simple like the fries irritated me because I only eat them a couple times each year and I want them crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I could have definitely made better fries at home.

 

[cave76]

I like to go out to eat---- preferably somewhere that can cook better than me or something I'm not likely to cook---- like pho.

But mainly I like to eat something that I haven't prepared and where I don't have to do the dishes!

 

[Roll_Bones]

We eat out for necessity, not because we want to eat out.

Or if I want oysters and Dos Equis on tap.

Mexican food is also beautiful in addition to tasting great. I would most likely pick Mexican if I had to choose.
Its hard to hit a bad Mexican place it seems. Most every Mexican restaurant I have visited was good to great.

 

[cave76]

RB---"We eat out for necessity, not because we want to eat out."

???? Can you explain that?

 

[Andy M.]

We don't eat out a lot aside from our 2 weeks in Aruba every winter. I read restaurant reviews and everyone loves the place and the food is great, blah, blah, blah. We go there and I am often disappointed. I can identify mistakes and more appropriate methods.

Sometimes I wonder if it's because I know more about cooking and food or if I'm overly critical.

 

[Mad Cook]

We went out for dinner tonight. I had seafood stuffed enchilada's. They were pretty good but I know I could have made them better. she said modestly.


It's almost a curse to eat out and be thinking of how it could be better.
Does anyone else here do that?

I judge a restaurant by whether the food is better than I could do. A bit arrogant really but why should we pay good money for something that we could do better ourselves?

 

[pacanis]

We don't eat out a lot aside from our 2 weeks in Aruba every winter. I read restaurant reviews and everyone loves the place and the food is great, blah, blah, blah. We go there and I am often disappointed. I can identify mistakes and more appropriate methods.

Sometimes I wonder if it's because I know more about cooking and food or if I'm overly critical.

They are probably hand in hand.
Your criticism has backing/substance because of your cooking ability.
My advice to you is to get smashed before dining out

 

[Andy M.]

...My advice to you is to get smashed before dining out

There's always a cocktail and a bottle of wine...