Successful restaurant experience

[lydia]

Last week I went to a very classy restaurant with others. I did not do my homework and check their menu out beforehand. I usually seem to be able to find a baked potato or some plain rice.
Anyway I ordered the vegetarian option because it had eggplant and mushrooms etc....thought I could at least pick out the veggies....Well the dinner was unbelievable. It was 3 extremely thinly sliced eggplant deep fried layered with a very rich cream sauce in between the layers....and I am not sure I could have eaten it if I were starving because it was so rich. I picked a few veggies out of the mix and suffered from heartburn all night. (Honestly, I think I would have been better off with the filet mignon.)

THEN, I was basically stuck with going to the same place again this week. So, knowing there was nothing I considered edible, I stopped by the restaurant 2 hours ahead of time. I requested veggies sauteed in no oil and they suggested they would be able to get in baby roasted potatoes in time to cook them for my dinner. (very accomodating) The dinner was prepared exactly as I requested and delicious.

I was glad to be in the position to tell them that not everyone appreciates totally rich foods.

[ETeSelle]

Good for you! Yeah, chefs appreciate a challenge! You don't even have to call ahead, usually-- just asking the server if the chef could make you something vegan with as little added oil as humanly possible will usually get you something awesome--everyone at the table might be sorry they didn't get what you got!

I've done that many times and been happy with the result. Cheapo places this doesn't work, but nice restaurants w/ real chefs will try to accomodate you.

[Rob]

You've right. However, I think many of us are hesitant to make these special requests because we don't want to be perceived as being 'difficult' or detracting from the social aspects of the occasion. I've generally had good experiences with restaurants when I have made special requests. As you point out, it certainly helps to check the menu and call in advance at the nicer restaurants.

[Vanilla Orchid]

Now tell us the name of this restaurant so we can patronize it. We need to REWARD the good ones and let them know they can make make good money by serving us.

[Judith511]

Super, great idea to call ahead.

[DianeR]

You folks must have more accommodating restaurants than we do in our area. We call in advance and most (well over 90%) say they have nothing without oil/butter and will make nothing without oil/butter. I am not talking about chain restaurants either, but higher end places. We tell them about sauteing with water, veggie broth, etc. and are told that it won't work or they flat out refuse. They are going to put oil on their pasta before any other sauce, oil in their plain white rice, oil, oil, oil. ("oh, we just use healthy oil ...")

Oh well, it makes me cherish the very few places we've found. And most of those require calling a day or even two in advance.

I would be careful about telling places to minimize the oil, rather than saying none at all. Judging from cooking shows, what is deemed to be a "little" oil is quite a bit. We found that places seemed a lot more accommodating when we used to say we wanted vegan, with no added fat. Once my husband started saying he just had heart surgery and must avoid oil completely, restaurants started turning us away. So obviously we had been getting hidden oil all these years -- which would explain the heart surgery, wouldn't it?

OK, we just got back from a lunch where we said no oil and they said sure ... but what we got sure tasted like it had oil and my stomach is reacting as if it did. Grrrrr

[Faith in DC]

whew at first I thought you were going to say the first meal was your successful meal.

That is great on their willing to help the second time around. We just have to keep in mind to not try and do this before a busy friday or saturday rush too. I'm sure they don't feel too creative then.

[ETeSelle]

I would be careful about telling places to minimize the oil, rather than saying none at all. Judging from cooking shows, what is deemed to be a "little" oil is quite a bit.

No doubt that's true, but you're not going to find ANYONE in a restaurant who thinks they can saute w/ out oil. So I think it's a pointless request. I just assume that if I'm at a restaurant and ordering the pasta with the veggies with "as little oil as humanly possible" that this counts as a "feast day" and that I'm slightly off plan. It's better than it could be; not as good as it should be.

This is why I try not to go out at all!

[DianeR]

We've found that will saute without oil -- but it can take a lot of looking and some persuasion

[lydia]

I got no resistance when I said "no oil", the woman wrote it down and from my tasting(which is pretty discerning now) they did not use oil. The other day I asked for a stir fry at another restaurant with no oil Their response was, "Oh we have done that before for someone else." People are teachable. I think it is critical that we educate people that it can be done.

[frozenveg]

I had lunch with the team from my office yesterday at one of the nicer restaurants in town, and I tried to have the portabello mushroom crostini "without oil, olives, or feta." The server was doubtful about the olives, and I said that was the least of the "no" preferences so I could live with that. I also ordered a green salad, with Balsamic on the side.

However, when the dish came, the bread, which I assume is the crostini part, was toasted a light tan and shiny. I told the server he might as well take it back to the kitchen, because it had butter or oil on it, and he tried to tell me that they had brushed the bread with balsamic!!! Now, 5 years of cooking, marinating, and making salad dressing with balsamic tells me that the very white bread would have been nearly black if it had been brushed with balsamic! I wasn't being unpleasant, I just set the plate with the bread aside--but why the line? In any case, the mushroom portion, which was a tiny dice that was mostly tomatoes, made a lovely salad dressing!

This is how I work it when I have to go to lunch from work; I always have to assume that I will be eating a raw salad with vinegar--so I always bring my lunch and eat it at work, and then go out and eat my salad.

There is a bar DH and I like to go to, and the chef there is very happy to make me a totally veggie pizza. The only downside is that the dough is white and made with fat. But going to Bernie's counts as a feast for me!

[Faith in DC]

Are you sure that Portabello wasn't with some oil? That is one thing I never order because it always has oil to keep it from drying out.

[ETeSelle]

Ditto the portabello. I do think that it's highly unlikely chefs are back there cooking mushrooms w/out oil. Just isnt happening! The key is to assume that there will be some oil on it and (1) limit how often you go out, (2) just do the best you can, and (3) realize that it counts as a feast day, so back to #1.

[ETeSelle]

Also, to most people, "balsamic" means "balsamic vinagrette dressing" (which includes oil) and not "plain balsamic vinegar."

[frozenveg]

I know, I know--I really am not nuts about going out to restaurants anymore, but I try not to bum out my companions! That's why I get the green salad, and I get the cruet of balsamic, or else a lemon wedge, to put on the salad. (I can tell it's just vinegar because it's next to the matching cruet with the olive oil, that everyone else was having on their bread!