4 reasons to check the menu *before* you go out to eat

i went to a crepe place on the upper west side last week with one of my friends.

when we finally shut up enough to place our order (the lady came to the table thrice before we'd actually even opened the menus) and the waitress asked my friend what he wanted, he pointed to his choice on the menu and replied, "i'll take this one - but i want goat cheese instead of the cream fruh-shay, and i'll take some rata--whatever that is-- too."

he was trying to say 'creme fraiche' (pronounced 'krem fresh'), but missed the mark on that one, and he didn't even try on 'ratatouille' (pronounced 'rat-a-too-ee'). and though i didn't correct him, i definitely wanted to.

no. i'm not trying to be judgemental or stuck up. i promise. because i, too, have had this problem before (i swear i still forget every now and then whether 'duck confit' is pronounced 'con-fee' or 'con-feeT'). but i'd be remiss if i didn't use the opportunity to provide a simple piece of advice. whenever i go out to eat, if i know the restaurant ahead of time, i get online and look up the menu before i head to the restaurant.*

why, you ask?

1) see whether there's anything you don't know. this is especially important if you're going out with clients/work people/a classy date etc. um, how about the time i didn't know that steak tartare is raw, finely chopped beef, and my boss asked if she should order some for the table, and i was like, "sure!", and then when it arrived, i looked like an idiot because i really, really couldn't bring myself to eat any.

2) see if there's anything you don't know how to pronounce. see something you can't say? google the word + pronunciation, or go to dictionary.com, where there are audio clips for the pronunciations of a lot of words.

3) if you're allergic, vegeterian/vegan, or just a picky eater, you'll figure out, in advance, if you'll have any complications ordering something you can, or will want to, eat. and you won't keep the table waiting while you do so. in the event that you see nothing on the menu that will work for you, you can even call the restaurant to ask about special order possibilities, or just eat something beforehand and be prepared to ask the waiter/waitress to refill the bread. again.

4) know about the money situation. you don't want to be (or look) shocked by the prices, especially if you're paying. and reading the words "cash only" when you only have credit cards, especially on a date, is not a fun feeling. if you're not paying, this will make it easier to not be the terrible date/employee/friend who robbed your meal-companion of every last nickel they had.

*note: if the restaurant doesn't have a webpage, try menupages.com, citysearch.com, yelp.com. these sites often have online menus for restaurants.