One is the loneliest number
I recently got the following e-mail from Beverly. It's not something I can answer because I eat out enough with other people that when I'm alone, I'm happy staying in and just making myself a plate of pasta or something. If I am out alone I like eating at a restaurant's bar. That way you can always chat with the bartender if you're feeling lonely.
I also found this article with tips on eating out alone on the AAA Web site. ...
(Photo courtesy of the AAA Web site)
One subject I've never seen you cover, probably because you never eat out alone, is which restaurants offer especially good service to single diners. ...While I feel comfortable eating at Olive Garden and similar places, as well as Harryman House Sunday brunch, after reading your review recently on Tersiguels, I've been yearning for a fine dining experience. But I don't want to feel like (or be treated like) an oddball.
Any suggestions?
Comments
"Fine dining experience" means a good experience? If so... When I dine alone I always eat at the bar. I'm not sure why you'd want a table unless you're in a real funk or are having a relationship with your laptop. At any rate the following are great: Tusks, Salt, Wine Market, Helen's Garden, Sobo Cafe, Henninger's, etc. It's a great way to meet and talk with people. There are a lot of interesting people out there and good bartenders too.
Posted by: Dave | November 13, 2007 1:41 PM
"I'm not sure why you'd want a table unless you're in a real funk or are having a relationship with your laptop"...Dave, i dine out alone a fair bit and I can tell you that for the most part, I would much rather sit at a table than a bar, and for many reasons: I'm interested in enjoying my meal and don't want to listen to other patrons/tv set/bartender; generally the bar is NOT smoke free; it's a whole lot harder to inconspicuously people watch at the bar than a table; i was brought up to eat dinner at a table and when I dine out like to do so.
Posted by: Aussiewonder | November 13, 2007 7:48 PM
I am having visions of a "top 10 places to eat solo" in the future :)
I'm going to need a little help from my friends on that one.
Posted by: Eric | November 14, 2007 1:03 PM
Not to sound like a broken record, but Petit Louis is great for this. I have eaten solo for lunch and dinner and have been very happy with the experiences.
I would never eat at a restaurant's bar, solo or not, I like my food without smoke. (Well, maybe after February.)
Posted by: Janet | November 14, 2007 3:25 PM
I also dine out alone quite a bit, and I usually sit at the bar unless I brought something to read. I like meeting different people. But I'm not sure I would be as big a fan of hanging out at the bar if I were female.
Posted by: Jon Parker | November 14, 2007 4:45 PM
I recently dined alone at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco and felt ignored by my waiter, especially compared to how he treated his other tables. Maybe it was because I was a lone female, since he was attentive to a solo male diner seated near me. I had to flag down a female server to get bread, water, etc. I know that women have a reputation for not being good tippers -- perhaps that is why I did not get good service (which in turn meant I left a less-than-generous tip).
Posted by: JJK | November 14, 2007 6:48 PM