Dining Done Right

For months New Yorkers await one special week to arrive in order fully experience the fine culinary delicacies available around every city block: Restaurant Week.  Restaurant Week began in 1992 to promote fine dining experiences around the city.  These days New Yorkers and international travelers alike look forward to the two weeks in the year where they are able to crash some of NYC's superior dining options, sans financial worries.  

What exactly is Restaurant Week? A handful of the city's dining locations feature a prix-fix menu of some of their best dishes.

The interesting lesson that I learned this past week however is that Restaurant Week is not limited to bargain-hunting daters or girls-night-out.  It seemed that businesses and employers are now taking advantage of the slashed menu prices to pool together industry talents, thus turning what was once a social gathering into a full-blown networking event.

As I spent the week mingling among these bright minds and fresh acquaintances, I couldn't help but notice that some of them possessed dining skills that were slightly under par.  It got me to thinking the importance of perfectly mannered etiquette and the first impression it leaves upon new acquaintances.  And so after much research and discussion with some of the city's top etiquette and career coaches, I have compiled some fixes to the common dining mistakes and mysteries.

•  In formal scenarios, enter your chair from the left and exit at the right.
• Be cautious when ordering alcohol.  Never during lunch and limit it to one glass at dinner. To veer  on the safe side, substitute mineral water for wine.
• Cut only one bite-size at a time
• Keep you glass on the right side so as not to confuse your fellow diners.
• Utensils usage starts from the outside and works its way in.
• Always pass the salt & pepper even if no one asks.  
• Speaking of passing, pass from left-to-right
• Place your napkin on the left side of your plate to signal that you are ready to leave

Spoon? Fork? Or is it your fingers? There's nothing more awkward than not knowing which utensil to use on certain foods.  Here's a cheat sheet.

The french fry paradox: fork or no fork?

Spoons

Ice cream, melons, peas, and souls

Forks

Cakes, clams, Ice Cream served on top of cakes, pizza, french fries, pastries, shrimp, and fish

Fingers

Caviar on toast, corn on a cob, cheese on crackers, olives, hamburgers, onion rings, and berries with stems