Two Hour Meals
 

Here I go again….. asking the experts. This forum has helped us immeasurably in choosing destinations, distances, maps, guides, etc. Thank you.

My husband and I will be in France for 3 weeks in July. Having just found out we will be staying at the Hotel De l’Esplanade in Domme (6 days), I thought about their restaurant and in turn started thinking about two hour meals.

Food is not a priority for us. We have had fine food and do enjoy fine food, but sitting for two hours for a meal is not something we want to do daily. Of the 4 locations we will be visiting, I expect to have one “fine” meal(dinner) in each location. Lunch is not a problem. We will be just grab picnic food, or going to a cafe.

I have read in this forum about French restaurant service which is different from our typical dining experience. We do not want to be demanding of the wait staff, but… Is it possible to get a check after about one hour? ….Will the dining experience be shorter if we only order 2 courses? .......Do they have “take-out”? .......Are there other types of restaurants not as casual as a cafe where the meals are not as long?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

We ate at restaurants were the locals eat in the 13th and the 6th in Paris and
found that, they really do have 1 1/2 to 2 hour meals for dinner. We are like you, food is not a priority to us either
so 2 hours was out of the question to eat. We ordered the same things the locals did ( because we couldn't read the menu ! LOL ) and the pace of the dinner was set by us, not the waiter!

I'll be very curious to read the comments on this one. I'm curious where the OP got the idea that a two-hour dinner dining experience was the norm. 'Tain't so...at least not by our 2-week experience a couple years ago. Oh yes, if you want a drawn-out dinner experience, it's certainly possible, but it's not required!

Agree with Howard..you are readi ng too much into this!!!

Believe it or not there are many, many French people in France who do go to dinner before a show, or a meeting, or another planned event. It is not unusual for them to have a quicker meal as well. You will get the check when you ask for it and not until, so that part is set by you, not them. As soon as you've ordered dessert, or the last thing you're having -- ask for the check. "L'Addition, si vous plait."

Start with the first greeting to the waiter that you unfortunately don't have a lot of time and that you need to be somewhere by (fill in the blank). That will work better than a lot of watch looking and asking "where were you, and why is this taking so long?"

If you go to casual places, don't linger over your courses, and ask for the check when you are served dessert or coffee or when you want it, you can be out in any time you like. There are no time requirements unless you order a special dish like a souffle. All of this is the same as at home, wherevever that is.

We ordered by pointing to other tables and saying, I'll have that!

Thanks for all of your comments. It appears as if we have to start and pace a meal with time in mind, by letting our waiter know time constraints, not lingering over courses and asking for the check when ordering dessert…seems simple. Now, I feel as if we can eat anywhere and not worry about being confined for a couple of hours when….. we have places to go and things to see...

Sounds like you're already convinced, but my two cents is for the <fine> dining restaurants I would allow 2 hours. Besides that eat at more casual places and time it as you like.

I think you may have this impression from what you have read, because Europeans may linger over a long meal more typically than in the U.S., but it's not every restaurant every meal every day certainly.

Hi teach,

You might well find that spending a couple of hours talking to the people at the tables near you while enjoying your food and wine is a pleasant experience - especially in the Dordogne.

Look forward to your trip report.

((I))

I hope you don't try to rush through your meal if you're going to be eating AT l'Esplanade. I think it would be quite insulting to Madame the hostess. A meal there is worth savoring for every minute of two hours.

As a general rule, though, you aren't expected just to sit at the table and poke through each course. Neither are you expected to rush. You can usually set the pace yourself, unless you order things that take a long time to prepare.

And certainly in cafés and bistros and pizza places and informal places you can be in and out in 45 minutes or less if you like.

But for fine dining, take advantage of the long timeframe. You're supposed to linger over the food, engage in conversation, relax, be kind to your digestion......

The only takeout I've ever seen in the Dordogne is pizza, usually from a truck that sets up in the marketplaces. I think there's a pizza takeout place in St-Cyprien, too, and maybe the Pergola in Le Bugue would do takeout. But as a general rule, you can't ask for a confit de canard with a side of pommes de terre sarlaidaises to go.

I had the same feelings prior to visiting Italy in Speptember. I also didn't think that I could wait until 7:30 or later to eat dinner.

As Ira suggested, I found that a 2 hour or more dinner was a very pleasurable experience. Conversation, people-watching, and sometimes live entertainment can make the time go by quickly. Also eating slowly, is alot easier on the digestive process.

So, keep an open mind. When in Rome ...

Hi

I understand completely as food isn't a huge priority for me either, but, you are in France! Food is an experience (and taste) to be savored slowly. I've found when traveling with friends or a significant other, it's a treat to have a leisurely meal at least once a day. Sit back, relax over a bottle of wine, and if nothing else take it as a cultural experience you may not get at home ("eat and get out").

When I am traveling alone I don't linger though - so I do understand.

walkteach48, if you are serious about planning in advance to "pace your meal," then you're overdoing the planning. Just go and enjoy yourself.
Hey, it's no different than dining in the US. If you go to an elegant restaurant and having dinner is the main activity of the evening, then you linger over dinner. If, however, you have plans after dinner, then you probably aren't going to the same type of restaurant and will not take as much time to have dinner. And, you can really do it with out planning how you will pace yourself!

From everyone’s most recent replies, I am starting to think I am too concerned with the length of meals when in good restaurants. We should just "enjoy" if we decide on fine dining. StCirq, we did not plan to rush through our meal at L'Esplanade. We know it is a fine restaurant and expected to enjoy a leisurely meal there. Thanks again for all the dining-time input.

If you want a quick casuale dinner you can always have one - just go to a cafe rather than restaurant, order just an appetizer and main course - or main course and dessert - and tell the waiter you don't heve too much time. It can certainly be done.

My only question is - are there so many other things to do in the evening (event every night) that you don;t want to relax over dinner rather than rush through it? (I must admit when we go out with friends for dinner here at home - even in the most casual neighborhood place - it takes at least two hours - sometimes more - because we want to enjoy the evening.)

2-hour meals aren't all that unusual in the USA when dining in a good restaurant with friends.