Message: | There is no dress rehearsal, but unless you like writing savage reviews you don't go the first week. Leave that joy to the owner's family, neighbors, and investors, and go a bit later. If you go too early the waiters don't know the menu or wines, and they haven't developed the teamwork with their colleagues or a working relationship witth the chef.
I generally don't go until at least a month or two has gone by, in order to give a sense of the place after it has settled into a groove. This does drive some publishers nuts, as most are traditional newspapermen who are running every other section with a "Get the scoop! Be first!" atttitude, and they can't figure out why the restaurant section wants to operate under different rules. |