Want to spend a bit more time dining out but don’t have the time or money to do so? Bring the restaurant to you. Recreate the restaurant experience at home and have some fun with your dinner; even if you’ve got no one to share it with, it’s a worthy experience to have alone too!
But if you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got some tips below for you. You can dine out when you’re dining in with just a little bit of preparation. And remember, there’s no harm in treating yourself from time to time when it comes to your diet!
Set a 3 Course Menu
The first thing to do is set your menu, whether it’s going to be just you dining or you’re inviting a few people over. Take your time with this – a good menu can use basic ingredients, but they have to be cooked/presented in a gourmet fashion. Like sprinkling a bit of crab into mac and cheese, or adding parmesan and breadcrumbs to a pasta dish.
Buy Fancy Tableware
Presentation can make or break a good meal. The more fancy the plates, the more high end the experience. So why not splash out a little and buy some nice crockery for your at-home restaurant? You can then use these plates, cutlery, and glasses every time you want to do something luxurious.
Birthday parties, Valentine’s dinners, anniversaries, a close friend needs cheering up – you can outfit them all with perfect items for the occasion. And if you needed an excuse for a trip to a home decor store, this is your chance to book one in!
Don’t Forget About Side Plates
You’re going to need something on the side to pick at, like a bowl of salad or fries or just a bit of salsa. Make sure these are included on the menu alongside the bigger dishes you’ll be bringing out. Even if it’s just something bite sized to cleanse the palate after a course, put some thought into what you’ll be serving. These intermittent sides and ‘snacks’ are often the best part – think of the breadsticks at places like Olive Garden!
Become an Expert on Sauces
As we’ve said, presentation is everything! And a big part of that is the sauce served with any food – either on the side or drizzled over the plate. So you need to find out how sauces are made, what makes them a good pairing for a dish, and how you can best create them out of your own kitchen.
A good sauce is just the right viscosity, has a deep flavor to it, and adds to a dish and lifts it up, rather than drowning out the taste of the food it covers. So, it might take you some time to perfect the preparation process, but it’s worth it for your at-home dining experience. If you learn how to make homemade tzatziki sauce, you’ll be right up there with the best sauciers on the planet!
Get Dressed Up
Treat your dining room, or wherever it is you’re eating, as if it’s a real restaurant. You don’t want to walk in wearing lounge pants or a dirty t-shirt. You need to dress up like you’re really going somewhere impressive.
Not only will this help you feel like you’re really eating out, but it’ll bring a whole new vibe to your dinner table. When we look good, we feel good, and that’s especially true when there’s a whole load of lovely food in front of us!
Set the Mood
Now it’s time to make the room look good. Decorate either in a theme or just in a ‘luxurious’ way, with a bit of intimate, low lighting as well as some faux gold and silver items. Candles, vases, a tablecloth bordered with highlight brocade – they’d all look amazing in your dining space.
You should also add aroma into the air with a bit of incense, or simply just a plug-in air freshener. And don’t forget about making the seats more comfortable; chair cushions really wouldn’t go amiss here. If you’d like to sit through a 3 course meal and talk for hours with friends, you’ll need something soft underneath you!
The restaurant experience is something you can reliably recreate, as long as you know what makes dining out so special. So, invest in some nice tableware, cook up a big meal with some gourmet style, and be sure to lower the lights a little too!
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