Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Whew, tough room.

was she drunk again?

That's me retirement grease!

Am I the only one who was SURE it was Kenny Shopsin's mop?

I hate that I guessed who that was before clicking through :-)

Paula may not be a haute couture frou-frou chef, and maybe she uses way more butter than is necessary, but you can't fault her for being a successful, happy woman, doing what she loves, and surrounding herself with family. I admire her spunk and her sparkly eyes. Thanks for the post!!!

Up above, we've had very mixed opinions on her restaurant. I've never been there, but four or five years David Steingarten, who travels the world eating and writing it up in the "Weekend" section of the Wall Street Jounral
(how's that for a dream gig!?) ate there and gave it a VERY negative review. Don't remember the details, but it was four or five thumbs down.

Uh-oh - the jig is up. My wife read this post. I trusted you with that inside info Ed! Now there's no way I can claim, "Sorry - I didn't notice that on the menu until just now..."

As for the being able to afford it, I guess I usually do order beyond my means - but hey, I eat for a living, so as long as I tell myself that it's "research," then I can at least justify it to myself - if not to the credit card company.

I kind of don't understand the concept that your dining partner doesn't want you to order something. Is it that they don't want to eat it? Pay for it? Don't want you to eat it? If you are secretly ordering things behind their back do you not want to look into why? If they don't want to eat it, why are they stopping you? If they don't want to pay, that's easily discussed and fixed. If they don't want you to eat it, maybe you have bigger issues. Secretly ordering isn't going to help any of these situations. I see from the comments that many people secretly order as a surprise, that I get and sometimes do myself.

I don't order that way, but that's because I know I wouldn't finish everything and I hate to waste food. Somethings, like scrambled eggs from a diner, don't make good leftovers. Plus BF and I don't tend to share dishes.

It has never actually occured to me to order extra dishes for the table without asking (except for maybe an appetizer if we are all ravenous)! It just seems gluttonous to have more entrees than people at the table. Do you eat it all or take it home to eat later?

I don't order that way on a regular basis, but when we're trying to create a festive mood for a group, I don't think there's a better way to make people feel a little special than by having a surprisingly bountiful order show up at the table. Well, maybe picking up the tab is a better way—but when we take it upon ourselves to order with abandon, we usually do that, too.

I do also fancy myself the other kind of menu whisperer, sussing out not just the best overall dishes on the menu, but also the best matches for particular dining companions. Usually I keep my mouth shut, but if someone is having trouble deciding what to order and I know them well enough, they may find themselves the recipients of a little unsolicited whispering.

I wasn't thinking about the economics either -- just the indulgence of ordering something extra or unexpected to share. In my case, it's the little things like sneaking in a side of bacon to share with my friend who loves it, but never gets it because she likes eggs benedict better (which doesn't usually have a side of bacon). Or appetizers for the table, or an extra dessert to share with my friend if I know she's on a budget -- stuff like that. I adore indulging my cravings by ordering two appetizers or desserts instead of an entree -- things like that -- unusual ordering habits as special treats and surprises.