The waiter has disappeared, the bread he left in the basket on the table is cold and stiff, and the restaurant is so loud we take out our phones and text.
\n\u201cWhy do we even go to restaurants?\u201d my wife writes from the other side of the table. \u201cWe could have stayed home, we could have saved a lot of money, we could hear each other talk, I could have cooked something nice for us.\u201d
\nHeard, chef.<\/p>\n
I remember the scene in \u201cThe Bear,\u201d where aspiring Michelin-star Chef Carmen \u201cCarmy\u2019\u2019 Berzatto is explaining to his brother, Mikey, why he wants to open a restaurant.
\n\u201cPeople go to restaurants to be taken care of, right?\u201d Carmy says. \u201cThey go to restaurants to celebrate, to relax, to not have to think about anything else for a minute.\u201d
\nMikey gives him a look, furrowing his brow.
\n\u201cWe could do this, right?\u201d Carmy persists. \u201cWe could take care of people. We could make it calm. We could make it delicious. We could play good music. People would want to come in there to celebrate, right? They\u2019d want to come in there after they had great days and they\u2019d want to come in there even more after they had s\u2014 ones. We can make people happy.\u201d
\nMikey gives him another look. Then, after a while, he smiles.
\n
\nScene from "The Bear" on FX featuring Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto. (FX\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n
I remember the time I was 15 with my family at The Shed in Santa Fe, one of my favorite restaurants growing up in New Mexico.
\nThere may be other things to order from the menu at The Shed, but I\u2019ve only ever ordered the No. 8. Two soft blue-corn burritos rolled with pinto beans, cheese and onions in a red chile sauce that comes out of the kitchen bubbling on the plate.
\nIt\u2019s New Mexico heaven to me. Heaven served with a crusty chunk of garlic toast to scrape up any sauce you may have left on your plate. Which I\u2019ve never left on my No. 8 plate at The Shed.
\nCourtesy
\nCreative cooking at The Shed, on Palace Avenue just east of the old plaza in Santa Fe. One of my favorite restaurants growing up in New Mexico. (Mark Gauert\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must have really liked that!\u2019\u2019 my Uncle Urban said from across the table. (This was before texting, or impossibly loud restaurants.) \u201cIf I ordered you another, would you eat it?\u201d
\n\u201cI think I would!\u201d I said, before I\u2019d even finished the last crust of red-chile-soaked garlic toast. This was when I had the metabolism of a roadrunner, the state bird of New Mexico.
\nSo Uncle Urban ordered me another No. 8, and I became the stuff of family legend by eating two plates of soft blue-corn burritos at The Shed in one sitting. The same day Uncle Urban became my favorite uncle.
\nYears later, when I was introducing my fiancee to my family around the table at The Shed, my mom and dad told her the story. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you did that,\u201d she said, looking sweetly at me from the other side of the table.<\/p>\n
We both ordered the No. 8, and I could tell she\u2019d started to believe because she finished her plate before I finished mine. I was just about to stick a fork into my last bite when she reached across the table and forked it into her mouth. That was the day my fiancee became the stuff of family legend, finishing her plate and mine.
\n\u201cHe must really like her,\u2019\u2019 my mom whispered to my dad.
\n\u201cI guess so!\u2019\u2019 my dad said.
\nLong after we got married, my wife and I kidded each other about that. About how I liked her so much I didn\u2019t mind that she\u2019d finished the last bite of my burrito at The Shed. About how she still owed me a bite.
\nMany years later, we were celebrating our anniversary at The Shed. We\u2019d just finished our No. 8s when the waiter arrived with another plate for me that my wife had ordered on the sly.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re even now,\u2019\u2019 she said, looking sweetly at me from the other side of the table. And she smiled.
\nWe split it. The best anniversary gift yet.<\/p>\n
The best restaurants \u2013 the ones we hope to find \u2013 know why we go to restaurants. That our best memories sometimes happen in restaurants.
\n\u201cWhy do we even go to restaurants?\u201d my wife writes from the other side of the table. \u201cWe could have stayed home, we could have saved a lot of money, we could hear each other talk, I could have cooked something nice for us.\u201d
\nWe go because the best restaurants know we come to celebrate, to relax, to not have to think about anything else for a minute, like Chef Carmy says on \u201cThe Bear.\u201d The waiter doesn\u2019t disappear right after you sit down, the bread in the basket is warm and fresh, the dining room is lively \u2014 but never so loud that you have to text across the table.
\nThe best restaurants \u2014 the ones we hope to find \u2014 know this. That our best memories sometimes happen in restaurants. That restaurants are special places.
\nThat they can make us happy. Sometimes for the rest of our lives.
\nMark Gauert is the editor of City & Shore magazine, which is published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached at\u00a0mgauert@cityandshore.com.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the main reason people go to restaurants?
\nA: People go to restaurants to be taken care of, to celebrate, to relax, and to not have to think about anything else for a minute.
\nQ: What makes a restaurant special?
\nA: A restaurant is special when it knows why people go there, and it provides a warm and fresh environment, with good music and delicious food.
\nQ: Can restaurants create lasting memories?
\nA: Yes, restaurants can create lasting memories, especially when they provide a special experience, like a favorite dish or a romantic anniversary celebration.
\nQ: What is the role of restaurants in our lives?
\nA: Restaurants play a significant role in our lives, as they provide a space for celebration, relaxation, and socialization, and can create lasting memories and happy experiences.
\nQ: How can restaurants make people happy?
\nA: Restaurants can make people happy by providing a warm and welcoming environment, delicious food, and good service, which can create a sense of comfort and joy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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