Going out on Valentine’s day is a rip-off. Crowded kitchens, busy staff, and overflowing dining rooms mean your meal is going to be unsatisfying. Chefs are the first to say this. Gordon Ramsey explained to Town & Country that you can’t get a feel for a restaurant when it’s just too busy.
Chef Ramsey suggests that we all cook at home on Valentine’s Day. Truthfully, there is nothing more romantic than a bottle of wine and a home-cooked meal.
Don’t Order Your House Specials
Ordering a version of your homemade family favorite is going to be a letdown. Rye McKinney CEO Tanner Agar suggests choosing meals that require high-tech equipment or skills to make.
In short, for the best gastronomic experience, you should order foods that you can’t make at home.
Luxury Items
If you don’t want to get ripped off, there are some menu items that should be avoided. Luxury foods like white truffles, and Kobe beef, for instance, may not have the quality of the value. Since everyone is aware that such foods are delicacies, the restaurant knows it can mark them up to any price.
The rare value, and the fact that you usually don’t prepare them at home, make it easy for restaurants to turn a profit. But the reality is, you can make these delicacies at home, and it’s much easier than you think. You will save a bundle too.
A Well-Done Steak
Why Bother? Beef jerky is a lot less expensive and tastes pretty much the same. Ordering a steak well-done is essentially asking for a meal with all of the flavor cooked out of it. Food poisoning is no joke, but medium or medium-rare is sufficient.
Chefs agree. One chef known as Chef Geoff sparked a red-hot Reddit meme. when basically stating that anyone who has the audacity to order a steak well done, should be promptly asked to leave.
Watch Out for Diet Cocktails
It turns out that people imbibing in diet cocktails consume more alcohol than other drinkers. One study found that people who consumed bar drinks made with diet soda tested at a blood-alcohol level that was 25 percent higher than those who drank standard cocktails.
Plus, folks tend to order more and eat more when they drink diet mixed drinks.