Expensive restaurants. High quality, cheap and fast food.

Smiling, the couple left the restaurant leaving $20 as a tip on the table. Got to the Lexus SUV with the kayak on the roof and drove away.

The quality and quantity of food in restaurants is a hot topic for discussions recently.

When on the trip, often the time is more expensive than the money and one still can not live without food. How to solve the problem? Fast food restaurants seem like a natural choice but it is not a pleasant one.

Here is an alternative solution one of my friends found recently

• Get to the expensive restaurant, the one which serves fancy or at least nontrivial appetizers. 
• Do not forget to call in advance to get in front of the waiting list, if such exists
• Order two, three or even four appetizers for a couple, right after getting to the restaurant and at the same time as ordering the drinks.
• Get the drinks and appetizers brought to you in a few minutes.
• Eat, drink, 
• Pay and leave.

The solution delivers best of all worlds:

• Most of the time the food quality is exceptional.
• It is fast, as appetizers meant to be fast
• It is not that expensive, appetisers even in top level restaurants are not excessively priced.
• Feeling of  nice lightness in the body and feeling of the inspired mind after such a meal. 
• It is a great feeling when the pleasure from ambiance and nice food presentation is not overshadowed by an overstuffed stomach.

Being back on the road fast to enjoy the trip is very important. Such visit to restaurant can be easily done in less than 30 minutes and makes life bright without loading the wallet or belly too much

Overall summary and Key takeaways

• Find a restaurant with $$$ using the google price classification
• Reservations are needed! Even if you are standing in front of the restaurant door, call and reserve the table and only then enter. It is just a part of the culture and you will be treated nicely if you do.
• Appetizers/Starters are the king, nicely served and pleasant to have. There will not be a lot of food.  Sometimes food will be served in strange combinations, Like nicely presented pieces of meat with sauce dots on the rest of the plate.
• Eating the appetizer slowly makes you full way more efficiently than the big dish. So the standard choice of two or three appetizers is great. 
• If you still feel hungry and have a bit more time , two starters and one simple main entree for a couple is also an option, even though it will take more time.
• Price difference most of the time is not even twice compared to the cheaper restaurants, but the pleasure and experience are definitely there.