What To Have

This is a little guide that Matt and myself have put together as a guide for eating out from our experiences.

1) Sit at the bar

If you are at a restaurant that you plan to visit fairly often, this allows you the chance to build a relationship with the bar staff. Most restaurants have 2 or 3 bartenders that cover all the time that the place is open and anywhere from 3-20 wait staff. Each time you go to the restaurant, the chances of getting the same wait(er)(ress) is slim. The chances of dealing with the same person behind the bar are high. This allows you to get to know them, and more importantly get to know you. They will learn what you like, what you don’t like, and how to make you happy.

2) Tip well, you cheapskate

I tip a minimum of 20%. (Generally because I’m terrible at math and that’s easy to figure out). Remember, the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour. No, that isn’t a typo, in a 40 hour week, most wait staff make about $85 from their employer. They make the money they live off of from tips. Most of these people have a family to feed, so if you think the service is good let them know…show them the money. Waitstaff remember people who tip well. If you want good service at a restaurant you frequent, this is the best way to get it.

3) Ask about the specials

You ever have a job where you did the same 5 things over and over again all day? You remember how boring it was? Chef’s probably feel the same way about cooking the same entrees from their menu that changes infrequently at most places. The specials are usually ways for them to stretch their legs and try new things. Generally, I find that these dishes can be awesome surprises.

4) Have “Your Place”

Find a place you really like. Visit there at least once a week for a month or so. Introduce yourself to the owner/bartender/manager. Follow steps 1-3. By the end of the month, you have more than likely made this restaurant “Your Place”.

“Your Place” will cook you special meals. “Your Place” may comp you food or drink. “Your Place” likes you being there and takes care of you.

Next time you are out and about, keep these tips in mind, and you may find that they improve the service you get and make your visit more enjoyable.

–Sean

Welcome to the site. It’s been a long time coming: The idea behind this site is to write reviews of food at different restaurants in downtown Raleigh and the surrounding area. DTR is quickly growing and has become a destination for dining and entertainment in the Raleigh, NC and surrounding areas.

I live and work downtown so I usually eat and spend my free time in the area as well. Numerous restaurants, bars and clubs have opened recently and there are many more scheduled to open soon. Friends are always asking me where to go for different occasions, so I thought I’d write about what I get into.

I’m going to focus mainly on the positive experiences I have. I’m not out to bash any establishments because I honestly believe people in general want me to have a good experience in their establishment. So, most of what you read will be excellent reviews, but if I have a multiple bad experiences in one place, I’ll write about that as well.

With that said, I want to stress that downtown Raleigh is a great place to eat, if you are open to new eating experiences and foods, there are tons of places to try.

//added 02-10-2007

A couple notes I wanted to add. I work for Ulanguzi, Inc., we designed and host downtownraleigh.com along with several other sites for downtown businesses. We however are not taking any type of editorial direction from any outside groups. I just wanted it to be known that everything expressed here is the true opinion of the author and not something trying to inflate the image of any establishments.

If anyone is going to leave comments, please only leave positive comments. Like I said above, we’re not trying to bash any establishment, this is simply a place to talk about the fun food/experiences to be had downtown. We decided this because open reviews in places like Citysearch are tainted by competing restaurateurs that like to bash their competition. We reserve the right to remove any negative comments.

So, I guess, on with the reviews.

–Matt