subject: Fine dining in an age of economic woe [print this page] Fine dining in an age of economic woe Fine dining in an age of economic woe
In the throes of severe economic recession, going out for fine dining may seem like reckless extravagance. Especially if you cook well and enjoy preparing sumptuous meals for your family and friends, you may frequently prefer to perform the chef's duties yourself, allocating the big budget for better quality foodbetter grades of meat and finer fresh vegetables and fruits. You must admit, however, every now and then it feels good to delegate the cooking, cleaning, and serving to professionals, letting them do the work and wait on you for a change. To relieve yourself of all guilt, giving yourself freedom just to relax and enjoy a great meal, find a few fine dining restaurants that offer menu items you never-in-a-million-years would prepare at home.
Fine dining on international cuisine
Because we usually learn food preparation from our mothers and grandmothers, we learn to cook the favourites from our own cultures. We seldom cross national or cultural boundaries in our everyday fare. Therefore, a healthy craving for international cuisine provides a perfect rationale for an evening of fine dining. Where in your city can you find genuine Chinese dishes prepared in the painstaking traditional style and served in something other than cardboard cartons? Where can you find authentic Italian cuisine with all the sauces simmered to perfection and all the pastas done truly al dente? Where can you find a truly fine cut of beef and a chef who actually knows how to broil it just right? What about Thai and Indian cuisines?
While you are considering "exotic" as a synonym for fine dining, keep in mind that every city or geographic region has a signature dish. Would you get a cheese-steak anywhere but Philadelphia, or would you order barbequed ribs anywhere but Kansas City? Find the fine dining establishment that specializes in the very best of your region's distinctive fare.
What if the menu doesn't matter?
For hard-working household chefs, the cuisine may not matter nearly so much as the ambience and service. After all, the essence of the everyday chef's luxury lives in the fact that she does not have to cook and serve. Taken to the next level, though, fine dining may become a multi-sensory experience. Translation: what about the view? Dine atop a skyscraper and the breathtaking view will distract you from the slightly under-done carrots. Dine in any waterside setting and make it feel like you are a million miles from home. Or choose a little bistro known for its romance, and the food hardly will matter at all.
Life is short. Go straight to dessert.
How often have you wept at the beauty and wonder of the dessert cart at the end of a fine meal? By the time you finish appetizer, salad, entre, and accoutrements, each complemented by a lovely vintage, you easily can imagine the joys of dessert, but you cannot imagine actually eating any of the prize confections. For a complete change of pace, plan your fine dining strictly around dessert. Which of your city's eateries has built its reputation on exquisite pastries or an exceptional chocolate souffl? Treat your pallet and soothe your wallet with an evening devoted to all things sweet and delectable.
