How Do You Prefer To Dine?

A Poll on how you prefer to dine out. We're asking what your preference would most often be. That doesn't mean it's the only one; just the one you would prefer much of the time. Choosing one does not preclude you from not having others. We're just looking for the choice you would probably make more often when you're dining out.

There are plenty of options for dining out these days. The old standard model used to be full-service restaurants that served pre-set entire meals of several courses centered on one major dish. (Basically, this is what we made; so what do you want?)

Then the 'all a la carte' or open choice menu came about, with each item priced individually.

Buffets (sometimes all-you-can-eat; sometimes priced by the full plate everytime you go through the line)

Cafeteria Style, serving line with either pre-plated or personal portions.

Tapas/Small Plates - originally considered Spanish, now can be anything. A menu of small-plates, one or two bites of a dish priced individually, with any number of dishes available. Encourages diversity and experimentation.

Communal or Family Style, aka Southern Style, sometimes Russian Style --where large bowls or platters of prepared foods are delivered to the table and you take what you wish from each food.

You forgot to mention "Drive-through".

A la carte unless there's a good prix fixe deal at the restaurant. A prix fixe offering or two is becoming more common in "upscale" restaurants around here, where "upscale" has more to do with the food than a dress code.

I voted but these options are usually less relevant for me than the more important factors of a) how good the food is and b) whether i am in the mood for that kind of food!

[Robin Garr]

A la carte, but it was a tough choice between that and tapas/small plates.

Small plates and a la carte can overlap, depending on exactly how it's done.

I chose a la carte because flexibility is important; my second choice would be the full menu. I want the Kitchen involved in the food; buffet service is really grazing on recently-abandoned food....

I cast my vote for tapas/small plates. Which, yes, is the ultimate a la carte.

Allows me to sample the diversity of the restaurant's offerings, each in small quantities, to the extent that I like.

I chose tapas over a la carte because many of the a la carte still focus on full plates/main plates---one particular dish. I like variety, and I like the idea that instead of having one large serving of chicken, I can sample smaller servings of beef, pork, fish, etc.

Also, tapas allows greater diversity of wines--with different items sitting on the table, people don't look so much at the wine list as a "what single wine will I have tonight" as "which wines would I like to try. (Or, of course, you could just order a nice dry Provencal Rose' and not have to agonize!)

[Jenise]

Hoke, before the small plates concept was even born, I was someone who has gone to restaurants and ordered three appetizers and no main course as a way of creating my own "small plates". I've often thought this was where certain chefs did some of their most creative dishes where the mains tend to involve large pieces of meat including the obligatory dishes you have to have, a surf and turf item say, for people who only dine out on birthdays and anniversaries.

I would probably vote for it if it were more the norm where I live, which is a dining Siberia. Bob and I suffice by making our own small plates--we order two main course we'd both like and switch plates halfway.

Hoke, before the small plates concept was even born, I was someone who has gone to restaurants and ordered three appetizers and no main course as a way of creating my own "small plates". I've often thought this was where certain chefs did some of their most creative dishes where the mains tend to involve large pieces of meat including the obligatory dishes you have to have, a surf and turf item say, for people who only dine out on birthdays and anniversaries.

I would probably vote for it if it were more the norm where I live, which is a dining Siberia. Bob and I suffice by making our own small plates--we order two main course we'd both like and switch plates halfway.

Cogent observations, Jenise. I used to do the same "appetizer grazing", simply so I could sample a variety of things the chef did. We took foodie friends to one restaurant here in Portland, which will go un-named but is one of the top-rated foodie places in town, and ordered several apps to share, and a main plate each. After the meal all four of us agreed that the apps were the star of the meal, the main dishes less so. If I were to go back again to this restaurant (and I would) I would order off the apps menu.

After I posted this poll, I had a though: since this is Portland, I should have listed food carts and cart pods!

[Jenise]

After I posted this poll, I had a though: since this is Portland, I should have listed food carts and cart pods!

Cart pods? This is a new phrase to me.

I had to go with a la carte. Probably because of many years of conditioning, it's what I'm most comfortable and familiar with. This may largely be because I rarely eat at places that are set up to offer small plates. That said, I've also been known to order a couple of appetizers and a dessert, or something along those lines, rather than a main. Sometimes, that's because I'd like a little more variety and sometimes it's because I know the entrees will involve larger portions than I want to eat or even have in front of me.

While we most often eat out at a la carte when with friends or because the places we want to try are often a la carte, my preference is for small, share plates. We like to try different things.
A really good degustation is great,but this genre can be a) expensive b) pretentious
A proper Chinese banquet with a group is hard to beat, as is dim sum.
Tapas p, oh yeah
A thing we learnt to do, particularly when travelling in the RV, was to go to good places for lunch and order two entrees each ( starters in American) so we got to have four different dishes without overload. Very often we walked in and got a table for weekday lunch where th ewait for dinner res could be weeks. Also meant i only needed to do soup and toast for the evening meal when we had settled into camp for the night
So how come I voted a la carte?


BTW Jenise I googled cart pods ( I was totally with you re whaaaat?). Apparently a site with two or more food carts/trucks u

[Jenise]

BTW Jenise I googled cart pods ( I was totally with you re whaaaat?). Apparently a site with two or more food carts/trucks u

That was the last answer I expected! I was imagining some extra tiny, very portable one-person cart like the guy selling ice cream at a parade or something. I believe I've read about 'food truck courts' in Portland--same thing I guess.

Yes, the trend is quite popular here. An otherwise vacant or unused (or underused) space is rented out to a number of carts, often with seating areas (and this being Oregon, covered seating areas) in the middle), so you can sample different things from different carts if you wish.

I believe the first "cart pod" was the one in downtown Portland, where the carts ring the entire block around a parking area. But the newer ones are usually on a smaller scale---old used car lots, defunct gas stations, etc. One local pod has Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, savory and meat pies, Lobster and Shrimp Bisque, pizza, Salvadoran pupusas and a few more.

We have also recently gone to two different brick-and-mortar places in our neighborhood which were carts before. Both are quite successful.

And the latest hot thing right now is Pop-Up restaurants, where a chef will open or occupy a space for a finite amount of time---a week, a month---and then just move on.

[Jenise]

I remember seeing one of those pods up the block from Pok Pok last time I was in Portland. Which is about the only time I was recently in Portland. Two years ago this month! On our way home from L.A. after a long illness there, and still not entirely mobile. Very cool little neighborhood for dining.

I remember seeing one of those pods up the block from Pok Pok last time I was in Portland. Which is about the only time I was recently in Portland. Two years ago this month! On our way home from L.A. after a long illness there, and still not entirely mobile. Very cool little neighborhood for dining.

I'd say it is time for you to come back.

[Jenise]

I remember seeing one of those pods up the block from Pok Pok last time I was in Portland. Which is about the only time I was recently in Portland. Two years ago this month! On our way home from L.A. after a long illness there, and still not entirely mobile. Very cool little neighborhood for dining.

I'd say it is time for you to come back.

It is! And I need to bring your first Reynvaan experience.