The places to eat out in California are aplenty. As per a report, there were 76,201 restaurants in the state in 2018. But when you’re specifically looking for a fine dining experience, you must look for the best restaurants in California.
Irrespective of whether you’ve just moved to California or lived here for years, searching for the best restaurant can be a real task. That’s because eateries open and close all the time. In this article, find some tips to help you select the best restaurant in the state of California.
The Dining Experience
If you’re out for a fine dining experience, you must first ensure that the restaurant is a “fine dining restaurant.” If you want something more casual, you’re likely to find many coffee shops and fast-food chains all over that might suffice.
Fine dining restaurants cater to upscale clientele and are known for being expensive. A casual eatery or cafe won’t qualify as fine dining. Therefore, you need to make sure that it’s an authentic fine dining restaurant.
You need to first look at the formal atmosphere and the menu. They’re usually located in posh areas, with the menu listing several local and exotic delicacies. Depending on the restaurant, they might also have a formal dress code.
Price is always on the premium side, and reservation is often necessary. If you see all of these qualities, you can be confident that it’s a fine dining restaurant.
The Location and the View
As previously mentioned, fine dining restaurants are located in posh and premium areas. It’s also one of the reasons they charge more than the others.
Several places in California are considered posh. Santa Monica-North Beach is a prime destination with many expensive hotels and motels in Santa Monica. Home to the Santa Monica Pier, which is renowned for its gorgeous sunsets, it also attracts a lot of tourists. Hotels provide a good view of the sea and beach to make the experience as pleasant as possible for all guests. That’s precisely what you should look for when dining at one of the restaurants located here. Sorrento Beach is another popular beach area.
The Third Street Promenade is an expensive locality known for shopping, dining, and entertainment inside the city.
Chefs and Menu
All fine-dining restaurants serve a variety of delicacies, both local and exotic. And these can’t be cooked by any average Joe. So research the chefs that work there. The chefs should be experienced and renowned.
Along with the chefs, you should also inspect the menu section. It doesn’t stay the same unless the restaurant specializes in a specific cuisine. Ideally, the menu should cater to your taste and contain a few dishes that you might like to try out. Check out their website for this information.
Read the Reviews
Reviews are a great way to filter your options down. People who have visited fine dining restaurants usually leave a review describing their experience and give feedback on things they did or didn’t like. You can read through these to get first-hand information on what to expect. This information is readily available on the hotel’s website.
Any Special Offers
While it’s not a necessity, it’s ideal if you can find some running offers. Be it a discount, a complimentary wine, or a free premium membership, you should look forward to these freebies. It sweetens the experience knowing that you saved a few bucks on your dinner.
A fine dining experience is unlike anything. Given the premium cost, it’s worth the time to research the best restaurants in California before booking a table.