100 x 3= 300 posts

Happy 300th Post to ME.
Gotta say, I never thought when I wrote my first post that I would ever get to 300th. Or that anyone would read 300 posts...haha.
I decided to make my title a multiplication problem because I have been doing nothing but multiplication with my 3rd graders that I tutor. It's on my mind, what can I say?

I considered not posting tonight because it was a long, rainy, miserable day. The kiddos were terrible, but who can blame them? No recess makes for crabby kids and a crabby teacher. Do you know what makes for an even crabbier teacher? Finding out at the end of the day that I am getting a new student next Monday. Yup, that's the same week that I have 15 parent conferences (the rest are the next week). Awesome.

But, not posting is not going to make my day any better. Let's answer another question. If you want to ask me one, click here.

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000006873 StartFragment:0000002516 EndFragment:0000006837 What do you look for in a "good" restaurant?

Good question! I do a lot of restaurant reviews on my blog so it might be useful to know what my idea of a good restaurant is...

Atmosphere- I am not someone who is too picky about the overall atmosphere of a restaurant but one thing I absolutely hate is when you are basically sitting on top of the people next to you because the tables are so close together. I feel like I'm eating with random people and I don't like that.

Menu- The menu must be online. I never go to a restaurant without looking at the menu online first. If you have important daily specials, you can get bonus points for being awesome like Myers & Chang and having a twitter account where you announce these. I also like the menu to explain a lot about the dish I am going to eat. Is my chicken grilled or fried? Is that pasta going to have cheese on the top of it? etc. I think this is important for people with food allergies and also for people who are just trying to eat healthy.

Service- Of course I like the hostess and waitstaff to be nice to me. Particularly I do not like them to act annoyed if I ask for something with no sauce or some kind of small change. I do not ask to have IBS, I would rather I did not have it so please do not get frustrated with me if something is going to bother my stomach so I ask for it to not be there. I know it's annoying to have to make lots of changes, but frankly it is their job. I do not get annoyed when I get a student who needs to sit at the front of the room because he or she cannot see well. Sure I have to think about it when I make seating arrangements, but I don't get annoyed. I don't get annoyed when I have a student with a disability in my class even though it always requires slightly more work. That may seem like a crazy comparison, but seriously- I am not trying to be a pain- if I eat that cheese I will not make it through dinner without feeling sick, that may be slightly irritating or the wait staff- trust me it's more annoying for me to deal with it every day. So there. Also, it's nice if they can refill drinks as much as possible and bring more bread quickly haha.

Authenticity- I'm not saying I don't frequent the occasional cheap Italian chain or greasy Chinese food spot. However, to be a really good restaurant I think you need to be authentic to the kind of food you are claiming to make. I am especially happy if my tomato sauce tastes like I am sitting in Italy...

Price- I like the price of the food to reflect the quality. Of course, it's even better if it can be high quality at a low price. Eric and I like to eat out a lot, so we try not to spend TOO much on each meal. This probably goes without saying but I'd rather have a smaller portion at a cheaper price so I really like places that often half portions for a lower price.

Taste- This is the most obvious one but the food has to taste good. What taste good to me is usually something that is high in quality and does not need a ton of sauce and condiments to be good. Just me though :) Eric loves his sauces and condiments.


What do you look for in a good restaurant? What's your favorite restaurant in the world?