By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

It’s your anniversary! You want to treat your sweetie to a fancy dinner out, but your budget says “Mickey D’s.” What can you do?

It’s true. Dining out at an expensive restaurant can be a memorable experience, but it’s easy to run up your tab. 

But there is a way, and it does not involve dine and dash or any other action that could get you in trouble.

As several of you pointed out in response to our recent column on controlling our weight while dining out, some of those approaches – sharing plates, making a meal of appetizers and more, are just as effective at saving bucks as they are at shaving calories. 

But wait, I can hear you saying. Aren’t you going to irritate the management by pinching pennies? In my experience, that’s not a huge issue. The customer may not always be right, but a savvy restaurateur is generally willing to go along with most reasonable requests.

To get a reality check, I asked my friend Will Crawford, who operated the delightful Westport General Store a few years back, how he felt when a couple wanted to split an entree to save bucks?”

His response was reassuring, mostly. “From the owner/manager point of view, sure, I would have rather had two entrees. But usually the couple is drinking adult beverages, and if you make them feel welcome, they come back. … I think most owners just want buns in the seat.”

So there we have it. Next time you want to eat fancy but abstemiously at the same time, just do it. A tuned-down celebration is a lot better than no celebration at all. 

The good news is that you can make quite a few simple decisions that can help you enjoy a fancy evening an expensive restaurant without breaking the bank.

To start with, we should probably define what we mean by “expensive restaurant.” To some extent, you know it when you see it: White tablecloths, tuxedo-clad servers, a hushed atmosphere. Upscale signals like this suggest that the eventual bill is going to be a heavy lift. 

But it’s probably more accurate to look at the total tab. If menu prices suggest the toll for two is going to move toward $80 or even the three-figure range,  I start looking for ways to diminish the pain. Here are a few.

Enjoy a lunch … or Happy Hour

Many quality restaurants offer a lighter lunch menu. Check the restaurant’s website or social media page to find out what’s available. This only works if the restaurant offers lunch, so check before you go.

I had put off a visit to Paseo on Baxter last year, intrigued but stymied by a $56 seafood paella and moarentrees in the $28-$48 range. When they launched a weekend brunch menu, though, I was there, indulging on entrees reduced to $14 to $22.

Share a plate

The entrees menu at a fancier spot can impart sticker shock right at the start of your meal. This is when I think about splitting a sizable main dish, backing it up with a couple of small-plate appetizers and a dessert.

Alternatively, you can splurge on two entrees, perhaps mining the lower end of the main-dish range, then share an appetizer or dessert. Or both!

I used to put off visits to longtime favorite like Anoosh Bistro (now replaced by Äta) because its entree pricing from $38 to $62 was just beyond my budget. Even appetizers were mostly over $20.  But when we went for a birthday celebration and coped by choosing a beef lomo saltado starter plate (pictured at the top of the page) for $22 in preference to a main-course steak dish. Then we shared a single $38 entree, an amazing veggie bolognese on spaghetti squash, and got out with a hefty but doable tab.

When I surveyed social-media friends, plate-sharing came back as the most widely used strategy, along with a couple of concerns:

• Does the restaurant object? Will a chef come out of the kitchen brandishing a cleaver and chase you out? Well, no. Restaurateur Will Crawford cleared that up for us, and I’ve never had pushback about plate-sharing. 
• What about splitting fees? Some restaurants charge extra for sharing.  That’s true, but the fee is minor compared with the charge for a second entree, and it’s not unreasonable if the kitchen carefully separates and plates your dishes. And here’s a hint: You needn’t disclose what you’re doing. You order a small plate. Your pal orders an entree. No one is going to yell at you for nabbing a few bits off her plate. Except maybe her, but that’s a personal problem.

But wait, there’s more!

Those top approaches – going for lunch, and sharing – can nudge your dinner into budget territory. Other tactics can save still more.

• Alcohol can blow up your bill. It’s an open secret that high-end restaurants make a big share of their profit from fine wines and cocktails. Wine by the bottle may go at triple the wholesale price, double what you pay at the liquor store. Cocktails build in a similar upcharge over the actual cost of your shot. No, you don’t have to go teetotal, but making a less fancy choice, stopping at just one drink, or even going with Louisville Tap can shift that booze dividend from the restaurant to you. 
• Watch for special deals. From the frequently advertised Burger Weeks, Taco Weeks, You Name It Weeks to coupons and social media promotions, it’s possible to jump on a bargain and gain a real cost advantage.
• Look for a prix fixe menu. I recently raved about Perso in Shelby Park, where you can choose a three-course prix fixe menu Sundays through Wednesdays at a flat $29. We took advantage of that plus a couple of a la carte items, and enjoyed one of the best dinners I’ve enjoyed lately for a more than fair charge.