Dress for a 'fine" dining experience in America - Page 3

Originally Posted by kennethpollock

Some people sleep around; my wife and I eat around-4 good restaurants a week.
We do not have too much choice here, once you eliminate the chains, the hip "scene" places where the food is usually terrible and recognize that all Thai restaurants seem alike to me, as do most Indian and many Chinese, etc. We are forced to go back to all of the "better" ones once every 3-4 months, even if they are far from perfect, just to get some variety (and we keep hoping for improvement).

Originally Posted by Violinist

Here's a thought:

If your life is so boring, pointless and dull that you always strive for this Nirvana like experience, wherein there's an amalgum of the perfect clientel, spotless service and whatever else that satisfies your fetishism, then obviously it is a very important part of your life. Again, your aristocratic opinions do not match up with where you live. Move out of that cultural cess pit and get an apartment in the Upper East Side and be done with it. Clearly you are out of your element.

Either that, or just start ripping coke when you go out. Then I can guarantee you'll have a good time.

Originally Posted by Bouji

Exactlly, I can relate to this. I was brought up in a boarding school in the English midlands, only because that was the best there was. As soon as I could I ran back to London, whence my parents were living. There is no doubt that life is dull for us hedonists outside places like Paris, London, New York, and a few others. Yet, I have no sympathy for hedonists who live in backwaters, but do nothing but complain, if you want to be a hedonist, you have to be able to afford it, and that includes the sky-high real estate prices of these urban centres.

Originally Posted by Violinist

Yea, I really can't stand people who want the royal treatment, talk about it, but consistently put themselves in a situation WHERE THEY KNOW THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT, then go on self indulgent diatribes about how terrible it was. An epicure in Atlanta is one of two things:

A man of good taste being held at gunpoint, or, the more likely situation: A broke ass motherfucker who likes to go to dealerships and ask for test drives. The kind of people 50 Cent talks about in one of his latest hits, "Window Shopper".

Originally Posted by kennethpollock

My wife and I went to Baccanalia in on July 7 to celebrate our anniversary. It is Atlanta's most popular "fine" restaurant; the only one that is full every night. Both Seeger's and The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton of Buckhead are considerably better, but are not well known, perhaps because they cost about 1/3 more. We went to Baccanalia because we had been to Seeger's and The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton more recently. Dinner for two at Baccanalia, with a modest bottle of wine runs about $250.
There has always been something about that place that I have not liked; maybe it is the California "attitude." Both owner/chefs, a married couple, are from there. The hosts dress very badly, as in California. More disturbing to me is the appearance of the place; it is in an old warehouse, which in many respects still looks like an old warehouse. The yellow tiled walls make me shudder; too much like my old high school cafeteria from the 1950's.
The dinner was pretty good; the cheese from the cheese board was excellent, as was the plate of charcuterie. Desserts were weak. The waiter was quite chatty, like he was waiting on very inexperienced dinners at first, but at least he did not tell us his name. The wine list was quite short, but most around us seemed to be drinking wine by the glass. The sommelier was surprised by my silver plated French wicker wine basket, but pleasantly so. He remarked that it made the wine much easier to pour and was quite elegant. When we finished our wine, he took the basket away briefly to show it to some others.
Overall, the experience just lacked something for me. I am 90% sure it was mostly the dress of the other men. Of the 45-50 men there, I was the only one in a coat and tie. Two wore ties, but no jacket (weird). About 5-6 wore jackets, but no tie [corrected] (a look that I personally detest). The rest were in open collar shirts, about 50-50 between long and short sleeves, with about 1/2 of the short sleeves being knits. When I told my friend E*****t (banned) about this, he asked if I made several trips to the men's roon to vomit. I did not. I am gertting used to this look in America. At least there were no caps.
As usual in such places, however, about 40-50% of the women were quite well dressed, in cocktail dresses.They certainly did not "match" their dates. I am not sure of the reason for this.
The waiter asked if we wanted champagne to begin, but I passed as the guy at the next table was in short sleeves. Champagne just seemed wrong in such an atmosphere.
Comments?

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

I'm still trying to picture actually walking into a restaurant with a silver wine basket in hand.

Originally Posted by Stax

I'd rather wear short sleeves.

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

Me too. But what if it was a dark ("French") blue short sleeve with a blue tie? That might be a little bit of a harder call. Little being the operative word.

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

I'm still trying to picture actually walking into a restaurant with a silver wine basket in hand.

Originally Posted by odoreater

I don't even know what a wine basket is.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Many people also bring their own wine glasses, and cutlery to restaurants as well so a wine basket isn't particularly offhand or non sequitur.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Many people also bring their own wine glasses, and cutlery to restaurants as well so a wine basket isn't particularly offhand or non sequitur.