Blog
Dining Out Differences
A few weeks ago, we went out to dinner with some friends at Bistro Vida, a nice French-style bistro in Menlo Park, a neighboring city to Palo Alto. We enjoyed a very nice meal and it reminded me of a few differences between going out to dinner in France and in the U.S.
Expense:
When we lived in Lyon, we were able to go to a very nice restaurant, order an entrée (appetizer in France), plat (main dish), a bottle of wine and perhaps a dessert for about $50 per person. Tips are not obligatory, but we would typically leave about five percent. The quality of the food was very high and the service was impeccable.
For this recent meal in Menlo Park, we each ordered only a main dish and each had a glass of wine. Our dining companions wanted white wine and we preferred red, so we bought individual glasses. We each ordered a glass of Côtes du Rhône at $14.00 per glass. My main dish, a delicious Bouillabaisse with lots of seafood and fish, was $36.00. Joe ordered Filet au Poivre (filet mignon rubbed in pepper) at $44 and he said it was cooked perfectly. We didn’t order appetizers or desserts. With tax and obligatory tip, our meal cost $80 per person. Again, the quality of the food was high and the service was impeccable.
I should note that it’s often possible in France to order what is called a “menu.“ This is a daily offering that may include a choice of entrée and plat, or entrée and dessert for a fixed price, and entrée, plate, dessert for a somewhat higher price. The entrées and plats usually don’t include all items on the carte (the carte is what we would call a “menu”), but instead are specific selections for that day. It may be possible to find something similar in the U.S., but I have not seen it.
Lingering:
After we finished our meal in Menlo Park, we sat at our table for about another half hour talking. At some point, one of our companions said, “Well, we better go so that they can ‘turn’ the table.” This is not something you would experience in France. Having made a reservation, the table is yours for the evening for as long as you choose to stay. In the U.S., after you’ve finished your meal, you will receive more frequent visits to your table from friendly wait staff inquiring whether you want anything else. This is a hint that it is time for you to go! In France, no one will do this. They may come by occasionally to fill your water, but otherwise, you are free to sit there for as long as you like.
Noise Level:
The noise level in many restaurants in the U.S. is unbearable. Perhaps this is another strategy for getting people to leave soon after they eat. There are a lot of hard surfaces in American restaurants which leads to noise reverberation. This, in turn, means that people start to speak loudly in order to be heard, which then exacerbates the noise problem. Joe has an app, Soundprint, that he uses to record noise levels in restaurants. For the bistro in Menlo Park, he recorded a level of 80 dB, and the restaurant was only about two-thirds full. (A comfortable noise level is 70 dB or less.) Frankly, because of the noise, we don’t enjoy eating at restaurants in the U.S.
In most French restaurants (we have experienced some exceptions!) the noise level is much lower. People speak softly. The atmosphere feels more tranquil and invites one to linger.
Gastronomy:
We are often disappointed when we go out to eat in the U.S. The bistro in Menlo Park was an exception – the meal, if expensive, was excellent. From our perspective, a lot of restaurants in the U.S. serve very mediocre food at high prices.
With the sheer number of restaurants in cities such as Lyon or Paris, there are also bound to be mediocre ones. However, particularly in Lyon, we felt confident about going out to eat, because of the consistently high quality of the restaurants we frequented. With a few exceptions that has not been our experience in the U.S.
A Note About Movie Theaters:
Going to a movie theater in the U.S. involves passing by the refreshment stand. Pre-movie advertisements remind you that it’s possible to buy popcorn, soft drinks, candy, hot dogs, etc. to enjoy during the movie. The floor, sticky with spilled drinks and leftovers, is a testament to the messiness of the public.
We have been to several movie theaters in Paris and Lyon. They universally do not have a refreshment stand and, in fact, eating and drinking in the theater is not allowed! They may have a café in which to enjoy something before or after the movie, but never during. Very civilized, in my opinion.
