The best nights to eat out

[MarkG]

are you more likely to get good food when a restaurant is busy/super busy or when a rest. is having a slow/dead night??

[mcf]

Anthony Bourdain says Tues-Thurs in Kitchen Confidential, if you're serious about food freshness and quality. He says chefs/restaurants know that foodies come out mid week, and folks on Fri and Sat are just out to get out on the weekend.

[visciole]

Go the day after the closing day -- like Tuesday if the place closes Monday. You'll get the freshest food (especially fish) and it's usually slow.

I don't recommend Sunday, especially if they serve brunch. Tired staff after a long weekend, leftovers from what they stocked up on Friday, everyone wants to go home early.

[anonymouse1935]

I'm happy to see all the recommendations against Sunday, makes my favorite eating out day even more people free.

[Harters]

I wouldnt go to a high end place on a Sunday - it's likely to be chef's day off.

And, depending on if I thought I might order fish or other seafood, I'd probably give Monday a miss - as they're unlikely to have had a fresh delivery.

[mcf]

+1.

[anonymouse1935]

"The best nights to eat out"

Sunday. No yuppies. No kids. No crowds at the magic hour of 7:00pm. All the service you want, all the food you want served at the intervals you want, never mind this BS of a one hour wait.

Yup. Sunday, no question. Next best is any weekday. Saturday is horrific.

[Janet from Richmond]

I was going to say Sunday as well. We often go out to dinner on Sunday. We always go out on Fridays, then usually 2 of the three of Tuesday, Wed & Thurs. We only go out on Saturdays for a specific reason.

[MarkG]

the question is: how is food quality affected by the slow/busy issue

[bookhound]

At a high end place I don't think you're notice the difference. At mid to lower mid level place you'll have the b-team in on the slow night of the week and there may be a marked difference.

[visciole]

Too busy = less food quality, unless it's a high-end place. No way you can prevent slipping a bit when you're rushed.

Too slow, OTOH, can equal its being the chef's night off... you can always ask, most places will tell you. Flattery helps.

[jhopp217]

I recognize you from a lot of similar post and wonder where in Southern Westchester you dine. I find that Sundays, especially in the winter are very busy in neighborhood places. Partly because of football and partly because at the end of the week it's nice to have someone else cook for you. Most local places are packed with kids. While I'm not a big "service" person, Sundays are traditionally he worst for service.

In busy places, many times because a restaurant is closed on a Monday and the wait/cooking staff is winding down from a busy weekend. You're also getting stuff that was order Friday and it's past it's peak of freshness.

This all being said, I don't think you can pick a better day to go out than Wednesday. It's not the first day back in a nice place, so everyone is working full throttle. The food is nice and fresh and many places even have some mid-week specials. Plus, it's always nice to break up the work week with a nice dinner made by someone else.

[anonymouse1935]

Really, jhopp217? I guess I've been lucky, or just cook more during the winter!

Wednesday is our go-to day for the ladies, and it too is a great day. I get a kick out of the must have 7:00pm reservation on Saturdays and the resultant sturm und drang, but I can understand if it's 'the' only free night.

As to fresh food, I guess I've been lucky. I've never noticed a difference in the food on Sundays.

[Janet from Richmond]

I haven't either and the staff is generally very happy to see you and IME you get extra TLC and the atmosphere is more relaxed.

[ChinoWayne]

Or Tuesday at 6:00 at the free standing restaurant adjacent to any suburban mall.