One of the many exciting parts of being an adult is eating dinner at a fancy place. From the moment you enter the door to your departure, these fine dining restaurants are full-service, high-class establishments that follow comprehensive systems to provide luxurious and comfortable experiences to their guests.
On your part, you want to exude confidence and sophistication when going to a fine dining restaurant. Here are some tips to make a lasting impression on your companions when dining at an expensive and sophisticated restaurant:
Confirm Your Booking
This is an important part of your top-notch experience in a fine dining restaurant, so make this one right. Contact the restaurant and check their address. This is because some fine dining restaurants with the same name have several locations. You will want you and your guests to go to the one within your city.
While confirming your booking, inform the restaurant about any dietary requirements or allergies your group has. By doing this, the fine dining restaurant will be able to do their job better when catering for you.
How to Eat Bread
Shortly upon arriving at the fine dining restaurant, the waiter usually serves bread. The bread plate is placed to your left, accompanied by butter. You may eat the bread immediately; you may also ask for more. Remember to butter your bread on your plate, and not in midair. You may use your hands to break it if it is a bread roll.
If they put the bread at the centre of the table, the right thing to do is offer it to the person on your left, take some for you, and then pass it to one on your right.
Meal Courses
The amount of courses in fine dining restaurants depends on the type of formal dining you are attending. For example, if it is a wedding, there is likely no menu to choose from for your meal. The meal choice has been indicated in advance and served from 3 to 6 courses during the meal.
On the other hand, if the menu is offered at your fine dining event, be free to make your own choice. It means you have more control over the number of meal courses you will be experiencing and eating.
Although many fine dining restaurants offer fixed menus that are consist of a specific amount of set courses, it is better to allow your guests or companions to set the tone if you are ordering courses from the menu. It means that if you are the host and your guests order 5 courses, then you order 5 courses. If your guests decide not to order a particular meal course, you should also do without that course.
The reason for this is that is considered bad etiquette to eat in front of your guests to a course that they have opted not to partake in, leaving them sitting without food while you eat. The same thing if you let your guests eat alone.
Here is what to expect to eat for the entire evening if the fine dining restaurant has a specific amount of courses but has no menu:
1 Course meal.The main course only
2 Course meal.The main course and an appetizer, or a main course and a dessert
3 Course meal.The main course, an appetizer, and a dessert course
4 Course meal.The main course, an entrée, an appetizer, and dessert
5 Course meal.The main course, an entrée, an appetizer, dessert, and a cheese course
6 Course meal.The main course, an appetizer or hors d’oeuvres, a salad course, a soup course, a fish course, and a dessert course
Wine and Food Pairing
When ordering wine at fine dining restaurants, you do not need to be a connoisseur to order your wine.Your sommelier is an expert in wine pairing, so you can trust them to make sure your wine complements your posh meal.
When it comes to good etiquette, do not tell your price range to the sommelier when choosing a wine from the wine list to accompany your meal. It is not necessary to announce your budget; pointing to a particular wine on the list will do. The sommelier will automatically understand that the wine is within your price range; thus will only recommend similar wine of that amount.
In fact, avoid asking about any prices on the menu so that both the host and the guests would not feel uneasy about eating in a high-class establishment. If you are a guest, avoid ordering the most expensive wine or meal on the menu.
Using and Placing Napkins
When your table napkin is presented in a swan shape or neatly arranged on your plate, do not tuck it into the front of your shirt. Just lay the napkin across your knee and use it for dabbing your mouth.
The napkin in fine dining has a secret language. You leave your napkin on your chair if you are not finished yet with your meal and need to excuse yourself from the table. However, if you are finished with your plate, leave the napkin on the left side of your plate (do not fold). This is a sign that the server can clear your plate.
Also, keep in mind that if you drop your napkin, you can retrieve it yourself as opposed to dropping your utensils accidentally.
Who Pays theBill
When it comes to paying the bill in fine dining restaurants, the one who does the inviting must shoulder the bill. If you are the host, it is essential that you arrive early at the restaurant and leave your credit card with the server upfront. This removes the hassle of grabbing for the bill when it is time to leave. Note that part of proper etiquette means the bill should never reach your table.
If the host is a female, presenting her credit card to the hostess early on will avoid male companions or guests to insist on paying. In case they ask for the bill, the female host can tell them that it has already been settled. She may also tell them that the company has taken care of it.
