In the Restaurant
While in the park chatting about their plans for the summer, Tara invited Matt to dinner at her favourite restaurant. This time it's Tara's 'treat', which means she will pay for the meal, though usually she and Matt 'go Dutch' which means that each of them pays a share of the cost.'
Lots of people like to eat at this restaurant,so Tara wants to make sure that there will be a place for herself and Matt to sit. So she makes a reservation. A reservation is when you call the restaurant on the telephone and ask them to keep a place for you. Tara's reservation is for 8 p.m.
At 7.45 in the evening Tara and Matt arrive at the restaurant. They must wait to be seated, which means they can't sit anywhere, but must wait for the waiter to take them to a particular table. Tara has asked for a table in the non-smoking area, because she does not want to be disturbed by cigarette smoke while she eats.
Because they are slightly early, Matt and Tara decide to have an aperitif at the bar. An aperitif is a light drink that you have before a meal.
Now they are at the table, The waiter brings a wine list, so that Matt and Tara can choose what wine they want to drink with their meal. The wine can be ordered by the bottle, but Matt and Tara decide to have just one glass each. Now it's time to study the menu. The menu lists what food you can order at that restaurant. The menu has three courses. Each course is one part of the meal. There is a starter (also called an appetizer or hors d'ouvers) a main course, and a dessert. The dessert is the last course of the meal.
For her starter, Tara has chosen the vegetarian option, which is a spring salad. Most restaurants try to have at least one vegetarian option for people who do not eat meat. Matt eats meat, and has chosen beef soup. For the main course, Tara will have salmon, and Matt has decided to have a steak. (A steak is a large thick slice of meat - and that's a really big steak Matt!) In this restaurant, and in most restaurants, it is normal to order the starter and the main course, and order the dessert after these two courses have been eaten.
If Matt and Tara need to call the waiter, it is polite to wait for him to notice you looking at him,or even to give a small wave. Don't click your fingers or shout! See? The waiter has seen that Matt and Tara have finished their main course, and he has come to offer a dessert menu. Matt chooses a chocolate mousse, but Tara thinks this is too fattening, and has a vanilla sorbe instead.
Now that they have eaten Tara and Matt are ready to leave. So they ask the waiter for the bill. (In North America they would ask for the 'check'). To thank the waiter for the excellent service he has given them, they pay him an extra twelve percent as a 'tip'. (How much to tip a waiter is different in every country, and sometimes even in different parts of the country, so it is a good idea to find out how much to tip before going to the restaurant.)
After they have left the restaurant Matt and Tara decide to stop for coffee. Tara is drinking hot chocolate and Matt has ordered a cafe latte. Enjoy the rest of your evening!
