When it comes to my travels I like to think of myself as a spur of the moment traveler. I make reservations for my first night in any city, however after that if I am traveling around I like to play it by ear. My thoughts on dining are the same. Before I go somewhere I will research the restaurants in the area. Sometimes there is a restaurant that just seems to be the place to try. One place to start is with tripadvisor.
However there is a word of caution. In the smaller towns and villages a place may get a great review but that is just because there is nowhere else to eat. I have been disappointed like this. But then again I have been pleasantly surprised.
As a general rule I tend to avoid any eating establishment that is close to a tourist site and has the menu in multiple languages. I may be missing out on a great place, but tourist trap comes to mind. Often times by just walking around the corner or a few blocks you can find a much better restaurant. Another way I sometimes choose a restaurant is by looking at the food on the tables and the people who are eating there. My mussels and fries above is an example of this Darwinian method. Spending a few hours in a seaside community I saw a restaurant where everyone was enjoying a plate of mussels and fries. The restaurant was packed and the mussels looked fresh. I can still taste them.
When it comes to selecting a restaurant in a larger city I will usually either email them myself or have the hotel make a reservation. This is one of the advantages of the internet. Most restaurants will have their menu posted on the internet. It does take out some of the fun when you preselect your menu from miles away, however a reservation is a guarantee of getting a seat. For some restaurants it is essential. While I like to keep my schedule flexible why chance it and end up with a 10 pm sitting if you could have an earlier seating. Irregardless of the length of my vacation I will only make 1 or 2 reservations. I just do not want to be restricted. A word about reservations. Show up on time.
Once in Paris I was dining at a little restaurant. A group of 4 came in 30-45 minutes late for their seating. Their reservation had been taken over by another party many minutes ago. What astonished me as I watched the exchange was their astonishment that the restaurant had not held the table for them. Think of it as a date-would you wait 45 minutes for your date to show up. They tried to intimidate the owner into a table and then resorted to begging listing how this had been on the list of places to try for months and they were only here for a few more days. It quite simply did not work. Nor should it.
Ultimately remember a great meal is very subjective. It is really about what you like. I have eaten at places with great reviews and not really seen what the fuss is all about. I have chosen places with no ambiance and can still fondly remember the food. My only request of myself is that I do not go somewhere and miss the opportunity to try a dish because I just did not know it existed.
This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads and Saturday Snapshots hosted by At Home with Books.
How do you choose where to eat?
Posts
21 comments:
Very good tips for choosing a good restaurant when you are out-of-pocket. I sometimes pick a place by how many cars are out front. Love to ask random people in the town also. We ate at an amazing hamburger spot last summer when we were in Utah using this method.
Oops. Sorry. The hamburger spot was actually in Oregon.
I always drool over your descriptions of life in Paris....but food in France? Ahhhh...so wish I were there! I haven't been to France since I was 16 :(
We also love to travel and try regional foods, though most of our travels are here in the US - but it's a big country with a LOT of variety!!
Sue
Book By Book
Several summers ago I drove across the United States. The best part of the trip was eating local cuisine. I completely agree, that a great part of traveling is enjoying the food.
I really would love to visit Paris sometime. Who knows, it may happen!
Here’s My WC
Great tips! My husband is allergic to red meat so I do a fair amount of research before a trip to try to avoid unexpected sources while getting the best of what's available.
Joy's Book Blog
Both your food photos look delicious. I thought the second one was onion soup at first. When me and my husband have driven round rural France we would often go for the set menus, as they would often be interesting and very local.
If those people were that adamant about eating at the restaurant, they should have shown up on time.
I agree you should show up on time for a reservation.
We don't typically search out the "best" restaurants we usually just follow our instincts. We avidly avoid fast food places esp. if we have that chain at home.
I am going to look out for Culinaria France. We have taken to doing a bit of research on restaurants before leaving home and booking online. But it does take a bit of the spontaneity out. Have a great week.
Oh dear, I always seem to do Paris on the cheap, and end up eating loads of cheese, fresh bread, fruit and salad bought in markets, or lunchtime omelets in street cafes! My Snapshot is at http://goo.gl/BIJkg
Great travel advice. The only thing I reserve in advance is a place to sleep. I make myself a little notebook with all the places I want to eat and see (complete with maps, if need be) and then go exploring. When I get hungry, I look through my booklet and check out the places that are close by. OR I do what you do -- simply look to see what people are eating and pick the restaurant that looks the best. I don't worry too much about dinner reservations, there is always some great place to eat.
Wonderful idea for travelers.
Where locals eat should be a good affirmation.
I feel hungry looking at the photos.
I haven't travelled abroad, but even in the US, I've found you really have to see what's available and them make your choices.
I totally agree, trying new foods is one of the best parts of travel. I traveled to Texas a bit over a year ago and I absolutely loved trying all those foods with very Southern names that just aren't found here in Australia- grits, po' boys, beignets. I'm researching for my next trip to Paris at the moment, and a lot of what I'm reading is about food! Sure I'll go see museums and churches, but I want to know about the great cafe or patisserie just around the corner too.
Whenever we travel we always skip the usual chain restaurants. We have had some fabulous meals by just watching for a place with a parking lot full on in-state cars.
We always reserve our hotels ahead of time, but hardly ever have any specific plans about restaurants. We go by sight - what the food and amount of customers look like. We found a wonderful seafood place over the summer because we could tell it was crowded with locals. I've had good experiences with street vendors so far, but have only tried them in the US and England.
We travel a lot and do some of the same things you do to find a good restaurant. The food is a big part of the experience for us. I agree with staying away from the tourist traps at all costs - they usually disappoint and are not worth the perceived convenience!
Esme, Those are some great tips about eating while on vacation. I share similar feelings about not being too boxed in when on vacation. My husband and I took a bicycle vacation in Provence. We only had reservations at the starting and ending hotel. In between, where ever our bikes landed us, we searched for a hotel. It was our best vacation ever. Exercise, like biking, also makes the food taste that much better.
Excellent tips for traveling and looking for that 'special plate' ...
I agree with your methods of choosing places to eat. I usually read travel guides and select one restaurant to try in a city, and then I do more research on the internet. I also like the walking around and looking at what people have on their plates method - that has never disappointed me. However, it only works if you vacation in places where outside eating is the norm!
Thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment