For me, dining out is an experience, an event. I prefer a perfect meal at a new restaurant over late night drinks in Faneuil or shopping with mom and her credit card. I love exploring different menus, I like having multiple choices of what to eat, and honestly, after making dinner for myself night after night & cleaning up & washing dishes, it feels GREAT to have someone serve me wine & food, right to my table. It may come at a price, but if I don’t have to scrub a pan after a delicious meal, I’m thrilled.

I don’t necessarily want to start reviewing all the restaurants I go to. Part of my goal here is to make a list of every new restaurant I try and what it is that I order. And if I do that, I might as well comment on the things that spark my interest while dining out:

1. Bread – I look forward to the bread (almost) above anything else. It starts off the evening and provides a preview of the attitude of the restaurant and (sometimes) how well the rest of the food is going to be.
2. Menu & Food Presentation – the food options is one of the most important aspects to enjoying a dinner out. The food presentation is just a plus if prepared in a fun & unique way.
3. Bathroom – don’t ask why, but I have a fascination with restaurant bathrooms (or ones of a hotel, department store, doesn’t matter).  Fancy soap, don’t mind if I do! Strange architecture & design, duly noted. Paper towels, really?? Shelves in the stalls to put my purse, couldn’t be more efficient.
4. Wait Staff – could make or break the night. I always enjoy someone who takes their time on my party and throws in some personality. We’re spending a few hours together, we might as well share a laugh or two.
5. Overall Experience

At the end of each entry I’ll comment on “The Perfect Bite” of the evening. Usually with each appetizer, entree, or dessert I order there is an attempt to place each component of the dish on the fork at once, in order to acheive that tasy, delicious, unforgettable bite!