by Marco Angioni II

Created on: March 11, 2011   Last Updated: March 14, 2011

Going out to eat at an expensive restaurant can be a great experience.  Great food, good ambiance, and pleasurable company make a night out at an expensive restaurant an evening to remember.  The only problem is the “expensive” part.  Everybody should be able to enjoy the culinary concoctions produced by skilled chefs without having to break the bank.  Fortunately, if you avoid certain temptations and stick to an ordering plan, you can enjoy a great meal at a fair price.

-Water-

Any upscale restaurant will ask whether you would like bottled water with your meal.  Avoid purchasing the bottled water and stick with iced water.  A bottle of water may fill three glasses before becoming empty.  As such, should you want more than one glass of water, you will have to purchase an additional bottle.  Before you know it, you have spent $20 on water.  On the other hand, iced water is free and so are the refills.  Additionally, if it is an upscale restaurant, the iced water will be filtered and thus, you do not have to worry about the quality of the iced water.

-Wine-

Avoiding wine will certainly keep your bill low, but if you feel compelled to enjoy a glass with your dinner, opt for buying wine by the glass instead of by the bottle.  Although the cost per glass is more if you buy by the glass, one glass of wine is far less expensive than a bottle of wine.  Additionally, it is likely that you will not finish the bottle of wine.  As such, avoid wine, but if you must, buy only a glass.

-Table Snacks-

Table snacks are the complimentary items that restaurants provide to their guests.  The most common table snack is bread.  However, other common table snacks are olives, chips, cheese, and wontons.  Remember, these items are free, and you can ask for refills at no charge.  As such, instead of spending money on an appetizer, wet your appetite by eating the free table snacks.  

-Appetizers-

Unless you go to some snobbish restaurant, your entrée portion will be filling.  As such, avoid ordering appetizers.  You can still enjoy the quality food of the restaurant without having to spend money on the exorbitant prices for appetizers.  Besides, chefs shine most in their entrées.  As such, you will not have a diminished experience should you order only entrées.

-Entrées-

When it comes to entrées, protein costs money.  In

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