It is inevitable for those of us who travel on business to wind up eating the odd dinner alone. Some opt for room service and the remote though that, to me, smacks of a serious lack of imagination. No sense sitting alone in your room, come to the cabaret… Well, perhaps not the cabaret but at least a place where you can experience a bit of whatever city you are in.
I tried Busboys & Poets in DC last week. On prior trips I’ve had interesting solo meals at Truluck’s in Dallas, Cesca in New York, Conduit in San Francisco, and many others. Almost wants me to sing, “Hey there, lonely boy…” but I view such evenings as an adventure. I spent three nights in a row at a dive bar in New Orleans watching the American League playoffs in 2003. I met new people every night and built up a rapport with the bartender. Food service consisted of a local guy with a bicycle who’d go get take-out for a tip. It was hardly fine dining but it was a lot of fun. Sadly, I don’t believe the bar reopened after Katrina.
What makes for a great place to eat alone? I have several criteria and I’d love to hear yours. I always look for a place that I can cruise by before I make a commitment. You know, I case the joint like a private eye. Seriously, once you’ve been out even a few times you can pick up the vibe of an establishment pretty quickly.
First, I tend to eat at the bar so that I can observe the scene, perhaps watch something on the television, or strike up a casual conversation to pass the time. That means I need a bar that welcomes diners and doesn’t just tolerate them. I scan to see if anyone else is eating and looking at the quality of the set up. If I can’t see that, I order a drink and see how readily the barkeep offers a food menu. The quicker the better. Steak houses seem to do a generally good job of this though that gets complicated if you don’t want a big hunk o’ beef. The restaurants attached to Kimpton hotels have also generally been good though there is a lot of variation across the country (these restaurants have to stand on their own as a business and so tend to be more interesting than a typical hotel eatery.
And speaking of barkeeps, an affable one certainly helps. A great barkeep knows how to judge if you want to talk or be left alone. I’m generally open to conversation and enjoy hearing their take on the local economy, the sports scene, or the news of the day. The absolute master of this is Norman Bukofzer at the Ritz-Carlton in New York (Central Park South). Norman is not only an entertainer at heart but knows your drink and name forever after you’ve ordered once and has an amazing ability to connect people to each other around the bar. He gets people talking to each other and that makes everyone feel comfortable and at home. I hope that Ritz-Carlton is video taping him and creating instructional films for the next generation.
Finally, I like a bit of light as I always head out for a dinner alone with something to read. Reading helps pace the meal and let’s you stick to yourself if that’s what you choose to do. I’m sure that Kindle owners will be smirking about now as their back-lit screens would overcome this problem. It might even give me an excuse to get one though I prefer being able to roll up The New Yorker and stick in my back pocket. Worse still are the iPhone owners who read Anna Karenina on their phones. I’m never sure if that’s reading or just desparate longing for an e-mail with an offer for something better to do.
How about you? Do you go out alone while on the road? What makes for a great evening when you do?