Great list, JL. I especially love #1! So so true!

Because sometimes you have a craving for something you can't/won't make at home.

Because there are times when I ask my wife what she's making for dinner and she says, "Resverations."

Excellent, JL! I especially like #8.

FLIRV: Agreed. Any recipe that requires more than 3 steps is fun if you're in the mood to cook and impossible if you're not.

Well, this is the melee generation.

Great List - #1 is the main reason that we dine out.

How about, "to spend more time together eating as a family?"

I have 3 kids: 21, 18, and 15. When we go out, we spend quality time around the table. When (and if) we are all together at home, dinner lasts 10 minutes, tops!

Funny, I was just thinking about this over the weekend. The wife & I had a great night out on Friday, probably one of our last for a while - she's in her 8th month of pregnancy now. We started out at Talara - they have extended the happy hour EL mentioned to Friday now. We had the smoked salmon on beet chips (sublime), the chorizo-wrapped scallop (a bit pricey at $5 for 1, but delicious anyway), the Peruvian meatballs (also very good, nice and spicey; and yes, I actually tried all of the meat dishes), and something else I can't remember now. Also had my first Brazilian black lager, which went really well with everything.

After that, we walked to Pazo, just because we've only been there a couple of times (and to show off how great 8 months pregnant can look - she was adorable). We sat at the bar and ordered the potato croquettes (mashed with manchego, I think, breaded, and fried - sort of like MAG's deep-fried mashed potatoes - they were amazing, and it appears the bartender gave us a double order. My wife ordered the almonds (toasted with olive oil & salt), which went really well with my glass of tempranillo. The bartender gave us the bill and informed us that she had comp'd the tapas and to just pay for the wine! So dining out with a very pregnant, very cute woman seems to be a great way to trim the bill! Needless to say, she got a roughly 200% tip...!

We finished off at Meli with the glazed chocolate bomb (I can't even describe it...) and cappuccinos (hers was decaf).

I think we hit #1, #2, #4, #5 (Pazo really is a different culture...), #6, #8, #9, and #10. It was a pretty great send-off for the end of our selfish years!

#11: Because I love to cook but I hate cleaning up afterward.

(and to show off how great 8 months pregnant can look - she was adorable)

Sean's got a very lucky wife.

(and to show off how great 8 months pregnant can look - she was adorable)

Sean's got a very lucky wife.

Nah, I'm the lucky one! :)

Bonus points to sean.

Having a child doesn't mean an end to quality dining. When my first child was born, we took her to any number of first-class restaurants. Babies are actually great dining companions - if you time your trip correctly. Our 2-month-old daughter would suck down a bottle and fall asleep tucked into her portable car seat. It's only when kids gain mobility that they become a problem when dining out. After that you're stuck with the family-friendly scene. God help you then.

sean must indeed be "lucky" to make his 8-months-pregnant wife walk all over Harbor East and Fells Point on a Friday night out so he can cadge comped tapas and slurp wine while she nurses her decaf. Like the old Geritol ads said, "My wife -- I think I'll keep her." ;-)

hmpstd, you nailed it!

Actually, though, the whole thing was her idea! I think she felt the need to get out of the house and out of our neighborhood. I was a bit surprised that she wanted to hit so many places, but she was feeling good and we were centrally parked vis a vis the places mentioned.

And look how pretty!

One of my reasons for going out is that when there are just two of you there are some things you crave that cannot easily be made for two. And sometimes it is cheaper. I've managed to keep my DW for 39 years now, so I must be doing something right (like dining out regularly).

What restaurant serves this dish??

kathy, just mouse over it, and you'll see it is from Hell Point Seafood.

In 1973 when my first son was born, the night before we dined at Connelly's on Pratt St (long since closed). My wife felt great, she ate up a storm. When we got home (Lineboro in Carroll Co) she started with labor pains. So back down to GBMC. Four years later before my 2nd son was born we dined once again at Connelly's. When we got back home, you guessed it, back down to GBMC. Once Connelly's closed we decided not to have any more children.

I wish #4 were true, but there are simply too many, primarily younger, diners who do not know what dressing up means. Even such venerable institutions as the Johns Hopkins Club no longer require a tie and "suggest" that men wear a jacket.

Better wine cellar!

LOVED the list, JL! #10 made me laugh out loud, partly because it reminded me of one of my favorite films, "The Big Chill."

#12: You've cooked for 3 weeks straight and it's time for someone (ANYone) else to do the cooking!

Sean, she's lovely! Best wishes for an easy delivery of the wee bairn!

Finally: yesterday I got an email that The Prime Rib's Restaurant Weeks are continuing into the fall, Sunday-Friday, 3 courses for $30.09. There's no on-line menu, but I'm going to ask if RW will extend as far as 10/8, our anniversary. If so, hooray; if not, we'll probably go anyway (covers #1-4 & 8).

Dottie, go! The RW deal is very good, and the Prime Rib's beef is amazing. As has been mentioned, there is a $4 surcharge for the prime rib, but, really, it is worth it. It is a lovely meal at a very, very good price, and for your anniversary, it'll be very, very special.

#13: To see what your favorite chef is up to, how your favorite waitress is doing, how the renovations are going, and get the neighborhood dish along with your plate of food.

#1 is not a bad description of what I do at the altar each Sunday. There are still a few churches whose vestment sets include a maniple, a decorative strip of cloth matching the chasuble that hangs from the left wrist -- waiter style.