Take a bite at making ravioli
that has two happy hour margaritas on it, your server is losing money. Once you finish your meal and pay, it’s time to leave.
Snapping or clapping at your server
Yes, your server is there to make sure your needs are met, but it can feel demeaning if you snap or fervently clap at them to get their attention. For some people, working in the food industry is a great way to earn extra cash, but for many, it’s their main hustle, so treat them with respect. Try making eye contact with your server when you need something rather than snapping at them.
Asking ‘What’s good here?’
We get it, you’re at a restaurant you’ve never been to before and you want to know if they make their chicken wings just the way you like them. But try not to ask your server “what’s good?” on the fivepage menu. It’s easier to be more specific and ask if they recommend the chicken pot pie or the pasta with red sauce.
Saying you’re ready to order when you need more time
It’s important to remember that your server is busy. Saying you’re ready to order when you’re still unsure can be a time-suck, even if your intentions are good. Next time, just ask for five more minutes and let your server use that time to complete another task. Or better yet, try heading to a place where you don’t have to decide, like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Arguing over who is paying the bill
Every kid probably remembers what it was like going out to dinner with your parents and their friends. At the end of the night, there was always a fumble for who would snag the check first. While knowing how to deal with the bill is an etiquette question you may have, don’t hold out a collection of credit cards and make your server awkwardly decide whose to take.
Trying to get your server’s attention when they’re helping another guest
When you hit the town for a romantic Friday night dinner, it’s important to remember that it’s one of the busiest nights of the week for the restaurant’s wait staff. If you see a server talking to guests at another table, be patient — they’ll take your order and get you a drink refill as soon as they have a free moment.
Asking for split checks at the end of your meal
There are plenty of affordable date night ideas that don’t involve going out to eat. If you’re trying to keep costs down by splitting the check, be sure to ask your server to do so at the beginning of your meal rather than at the end. It can be confusing to figure out which person ordered what, and it takes time to split up a check after the fact.
Ordering drinks from the bar when you have a server
Sure, it’s fun when you walk into your go-to cocktail bar and your favorite bartender is working. But if you have a server, ordering drinks through the bar is a no-no. Servers make more money in tips if their check average is higher, and if you order a $14 drink from the bar, you’re taking money away from your server.
Not tipping or tipping on a discounted amount
The mother of all dining rules: tip. For most servers, their livelihood depends on getting tipped at least 15% to 20% of the bill. After spending hours on their feet to make sure the needs of every guest are met, it can be discouraging for a server to see a big fat $0 on the tip line.
Ravioli is one of the most popular dishes at America’s best Italian restaurants, and for good reason. Soft pillows of pasta brimming with a cheese- or meat-based filling are hard to beat. But if you want to make this specialty in the comfort of your own home, it’s a little bit more complicated than you might think, even if you already know all the tricks to cooking pasta perfectly.
“It’s important to have a very strong but at the same time a very light and elastic dough,” said Rome-born chef Antonio Morichini of Via Vai out of Queens. “The pasta has to be very thin.”
Many popular fresh pasta recipes call for whole eggs and flour. In order to ensure that his ravioli are soft and elastic, however, Morichini uses only egg yolks and no whites, powder-fine “00” flour and a small amount of oil.
After making his dough and letting it rest for an hour, he runs it through a pasta machine, starting at the highest setting and gradually reducing the thickness until it’s at “almost zero.”
He fills it with a mixture of ricotta, Parmesan or grana Padano, and nutmeg “to give aroma.” After letting it boil for just a few minutes, he serves it with a simple sauce of butter, pasta water and sage and garnishes with a sprinkle of Parmesan.