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Romantic Paris Dinner – Top 5 Spots for Pure Enjoyment

November 29, 2014

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Romantic Paris Dinner – Top 5 Spots for Pure Enjoyment

There is nothing like the quiet of sitting on a balcony somewhere and taking in everything around you, the sounds, the people, and the look of your sweetheart, gazing back at you. While this might seem like a dream, it is just a night out on the town in Paris.

There has never been a city more prone to lovers of every kind and people just looking for a pleasant and fun evening.

Romantic Paris Dinner – Passage 53: Is an ideal location for some sushi and sake. In addition to its very French décor, this restaurant also has some of the best chefs in Paris. Straight from Japan and also from Spain the food has been raved about by every critic between those two different countries.

The head chef boasts two Michelin Stars and the cuisine, is to die for. If you are looking for a perfect fusion of French culture and amazing cuisine, this is your location for a savory experience.

If you have been dreaming of traditional French opulence, with its gold and crème splendor, you will want to dine at Benoit. This is a beautiful traditional French restaurant replete with velvet winged back chairs and frescoes ceilings; this is the perfect place to take a someone for an anniversary or a proposal and an ideal place for a romantic Paris Dinner.

As a part of the Hotel de Ville it is one of the most coveted locations in Paris for opulence, luxury and a great location on the periphery of Marais which will allow you to enjoy the swanky district around the restaurant for the perfect champagne after dinner.

Le Train Bleu is a perfect experience for a romantic Paris Dinner.

Le Train Bleu is for anyone who wants the traditional French cuisine as well as an excellent location to allow you to kick back and relax in perfect old world style. The restaurant is designed to make you feel as though you are in a train station waiting on a train.

There is no better way to be able to kick back and enjoy a traditional meal than in this location with this Victorian surrounding. You will marvel at the food as well as to the cuisine you will be able to experience.

Spring is another location which is perfect for a romantic Paris dinner evening out, although it looks rather unassuming on the outside of the restaurant; this is an excellent place for a cozy menu for two.

The food is prepared completely from scratch every day and it is a mid-range price which means that you will be able to enjoy the very best at an affordable price.

Plan on getting ready to settle into one of the best locations for romance and price, run by an American chef, all of the ingredients are local and offer the best prices as well as the best fare in Paris.

Another hidden gem is Le Chardenoux is also an excellent location for having dinner with your sweetheart. All of the creations on the menu are sourced daily and the menu changes every day depending on what the chef can find in the market. This is right in the middle of the arts district and the perfect place for a night out.

With plenty of amazing choices to choose from, you’ll always be able to find some unique place for a perfect romantic Paris Dinner.

Enjoy!

Restaurants mentioned:

Le Chardenoux is one of my personal favorites and every time my wife and I go to France, we make sure to eat there. Service is great, food even better.

Italian Business Meals – What to Expect

October 31, 2014

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Italian Business Meals – What to Expect

Ah! Magnificent! What a great experience this can be, Italian Business Meals! After your successful business meeting, it is very common to go out for a meal. A little forewarning though, it can last a long time, be full on the stomach, but completely enjoyable!

If you are traveling for business to Italy, you may well make a friend for your career life, or just life in general. Cultivating friendships is an important part of business etiquette in Italy. Be patient and genuine, and learn a bit of Italian, so that you will appear gracious. Oh, thins one was a problem for me as I had been wanting to learn Italian for so long. I can’t say that I’m very good, but it was a problem for me, and maybe it’s a problem or desire for you, too? This solution worked really well for me and I’d totally recommend checking it out: learn Italian.

Italians prize education, intelligence, imagination and inventiveness. They maintain personal relations scrupulously, with an especially high value placed on loyalty. This is especially true in families. The most important affiliation for Italians is the family.

Meeting and Greeting

When you are introduced for Italian business meals, shake hands with everyone, including children.

You will also shake hands before you leave. Ladies extend their hands to men, first. Friends may be greeted with kisses on both cheeks.

Use business associates’ last names and proper titles until your host or the colleagues themselves invite you to use their first names.

Maintain strict eye contact when you are speaking with potential business associates. Otherwise, your hosts may feel that you are trying to hide something from them. Italians use body language a great deal, probably more than most other Europeans.

Italian Business Meals – The Discussions

Business conversation is avoided at breakfast, but brought up at lunch, in Italy. Guests should not pour wine – this is for the hosts to do. Dinners are opportunities for social networking. If you invite your Italian business counterparts for lunch or dinner, be expected to pay.

The beginning of the meal is reserved for chit chat and catch up. Business talk is reserved until later.

Early dinner conversation consists of small talk, about sports, culture, wine and food. Business entertainment usually takes place in a restaurant, at dinner or lunch. Dinner entertainment is usually more social than business-related. But, be prepared, dinners can start early and end very late, with course after course of food being served.

Cocktails are not often seen in Italy. Eating almost always accompanies drinking. It is not normal nor appreciated to drink heavily. Even a mild case of intoxication is considered to be ill mannered.

Dressing for Success

Conservative business suits work exceptionally well in Italy. Choose sedate colors for your suits, ties or dresses. Even casual dress should be well fitting and sharp. As you enter a building, remove your head coverings.

Old-Fashioned Niceties

In Italy, it’s common to practice niceties that Americans would consider old-fashioned. Stand up for elders and avoid asking questions that are personal. Be prepared for gifts by bringing something for your hosts. Corporate gifts, music and wine are acceptable gifts.

Large lunches or dinner parties begin often with an aperitif (campari, vermouth, cinzano, etc.). They will end with the hosts’ after dinner drinks, like sambuca or grappa (prepare for an intense rush from that!).

As mentioned above business meal in Italy may start early and end late!

But that’s because of all the courses, great food, and conversation. There generally is an order that’s followed and normally goes like this:

Antipasto – This includes appetizers, such as pates and fruit or prosciutto.
Antipasta – Tomaten Mozzarella
Soup
Minestrone, italian vegetable soup with pasta
Pasta
Carbonara Spaghetti
The Main Dish
Salad
Cheese
Dessert
Cannoli
Fruit
After-dinner drinks and espresso.
cafè espresso

Etiquette for Business during Dining

Much depends on how developed a relationship you have with your Italian colleagues. As a rule, business decisions are not made during meals. Take your cues from the Italians at the table.

Corporate Culture

English is a commonly used language in business in Italy, but always be sure whether you will need an interpreter or not. It is polite to interject Italian phrases when you are speaking with your hosts, as long as your pronunciation is acceptable. However, the meals are also supposed to be “fun,” a time away from the office. Don’t be shy in trying out a few Italian words and never fear in asking for help. Italians love to help when it comes to there language and if they laugh, it’s because they’re enjoying the moment.

Italians love to show off their homes, so if an invitation is extended during a business meal, oblige them by visiting their home.

Without question Italian business meals is a social event, used to get out of the office, get away from the scene and an opportunity to build that relationship. Take the lead from your host, they’ll be open about asking you what is appropriate or not to discuss at the table. Family is important to Italians so they may want to ask how your family is.

While American’s tend to keep personal and work topics separate, sometimes the lines are blurred. And when the meal is wrapping up and you’ve downed your grappa, make sure to have an espresso, it’ll help make sure you get back to your room that night.

Enjoy!

Dinner in China – Always be Prepared When Going Out

October 20, 2014

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Dinner in China – Always be Prepared When Going Out

I can remember the first time I was invited out for a dinner in China. It has been the early 2000’s, I was in my early 20’s, and I by nature, I was expecting dinner to be exactly like it was in NY! I mean, when I thought about it, I had many friends in New York, had had dinner in there homes, but nope! Dinner in China is a real adventure, a real treat, and some awesome food. I’ll be writing about many kinds of meals, dinners, meanings by dinners, proper placement of seating, who eats first, who eats last, uh-oh I don’t know how to use chopsticks, do I need to drink beer or smoke, and so so so much more.

An example of a private dinning room in a Chinese Restaurant

But, that first dinner… coming into the well lit room with a large round table in the middle with a lazy susan on top, couches on the side, a Mar Jong table on the other side and a TV playing in the front? Not exactly what I had expected, but certainly was a dinner I’ll never forget! Oh, and I do tell the whole story in another post, so be sure to check back!

These are some great tips and suggestions for your dinners. A quite FYI, not all these “rules” apply all the time, but I would follow these rules as my guidelines for all dinners I attended. But, as mentioned above, their will be plenty more!

You might feel confused as to why you need to be prepared when all you will be doing is going out to dinner in China, but you have to keep in mind that you are in an unfamiliar foreign country and you have to observe the rules, customs and traditions of the country you are traveling in. This is why it is always best to be prepared and bring all that you need so that you do not get any unpleasant surprises along the way.

As a tourist and an American citizen, I totally understand why some of the rules may seem really odd; Chinese culture and their rules are different from the culture and rules we follow in the United States of America. I have listed some of the dining etiquettes that you need to observe while having Dinner in China:

Always bring cash.

Credit cards are not always accepted in different Chinese restaurants, which is why it is best to avoid embarrassment when you are paying for a good meal. You should always have some amount of cash with you so that in case you are faced with a situation like this, you can pay the restaurant in cash. Never depend on credit cards in China because they either do not work or are not accepted in different restaurants.

If Invited to Dinner, Bring a Gift

Yes, that is necessary. If someone invites you to have dinner in China with them, it is mandatory and a sign of good manners for you to bring the host something of significance. It can be a token present such as flowers, wine or anything such as that, but it says a lot about your nature and your gratitude. This is one way of showing that you are pleased to be invited and that you are thanking the host for inviting you to dinner.

You also have to take care of basic Chinese etiquettes when you are having dinner in China.

You have to be mindful of things that they consider important so that you do not seem rude to them. Here is a checklist so that you can be on your best behavior when you are dining with your Chinese friends.

While it is normally considered rude to put your elbows up on the table whilst eating, in China it is considered perfectly normal.
Never be late for a meal.
Never sit in any random place, instead wait for the host to assign you a seat.
Let the older people eat first as it is a sign of respect to them.
You should not only refill your own bowl with rice but also proceed to refill other’s plate whilst asking them if they need refills. Elders like to be offered refills by the younger people on the table.
Close your mouth and swallow soundlessly so you seem more civilized. Chinese people have no patience for ill-mannered people on the table.
Do not hold your chopsticks in such a manner in which your index finger or your middle finger points toward the guests as this can be misconstrued as something obscene or offensive.
Do not spear your food with chopsticks under any circumstances.

I know this seems like a lot for dinner in China, but don’t worry or sweat even an ounce because I have tons more tips to offer so you don’t feel lost for a millisecond!

Plus, these are super quick tips to pick up, they’re often shown to you when you arrive, and most Chinese guests will not take offense if anything above is missed. Chinese are very happy to show why. But, having Dinner in China is filled with more subtleties, and each one of them is like adding a point onto a checklist Chinese keep in there minds.

But! Most important of all! Have fun! The food is fantastic, many sorts of varieties and most does not look like what we have back in America.

Be sure to check back for more posts. Is it true tea is served all over the country? Well…. Or, rice is the staple food, right? Not really… And why is chicken served first and fish last? Or one of my favorites, did he REALLY just eat the whole fish??? Why? And, do I really need to eat that???

Oh, and why do locals tap two fingers when tea is being poured?

Enjoy!