Why do you go out to a restaurant? To eat? I don’t think so. Not me, anyway. I go to a restaurant not to eat, but to enjoy eating. This means eating with someone . . . and generally having a conversation. You can’t have a decent conversation if you can’t hear. It’s tough to beat the combination of good food and a lively conversation.
The worse place I have ever eaten was Chuck E Cheese’s with those mechanical characters. Wow! Too many yelling kids. I also stay out of most bars . . . too many yelling kids over the age of twenty-one. Exceptions are El Toro (in Ponders and Tacoma), and Katie Downs along Tacoma’s waterfront. I love the food and the wait staff at El Toro. At Katie Downs I almost always order the fish and chips with a couple of the prawns added for good measure. I have switched from the curly fries to salad. I eat at these places in spite of the noise, but have a long history with them.
A new place that is just plain loud might get a walk in from me, but I might be just as quick to turn around and leave. A friendly bar with good food and normal conversations is always a good find.
My favorite places for food and conversation are Bruno’s in Lakewood, Lobster Shop on Ruston Way, and Pacific Grill in downtown Tacoma. We also like Anthony’s by the ferry landing at Pt. Defiance. These restaurants have been around for some time and know how to keep their customers happy.
“Restaurants are so loud because architects don’t design them to be quiet. Much of this shift in design boils down to changing conceptions of what makes a space seem upscale or luxurious, as well as evolving trends in food service.” – theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/how-restaurants-got-so-loud/576715/
It can get a little loud at the bar in Pacific Grill during happy hour, but it’s always worth it. It’s the hard surfaces that make restaurants loud. When we go for fine dining at Pacific Grill, the tables are far enough apart that conversations have never been a problem. The restaurant also has high ceilings.
When my buddy Jim and I go out for lunch each month we like to talk. If we can’t hear each other, it makes it difficult to tell stories and enjoy ourselves. Three months ago we visited an oriental food place for lunch, but they were chopping food so loudly we couldn’t hear. It’s the same when Peg and I go out to breakfast with friends on Sunday mornings. We want to hear, laugh, and kid each other.
Sometimes I go to lunch with clients, so I look for a relaxed atmosphere, good food, and a low noise level. When I dine with my wife Peg, we are looking for good food and a chance to share.
Have you been to HopJacks now Hops n Drops? Worse than Chucks with no children running around. NOISIEST place I have ever been to.
Darliss,
Thanks for writing. Hops n Drops . . . I looked up images of them . . . just looks loud. Hard surfaces everywhere.
I will take your word for it and stay away. Peaks and Pints (Proctor area in North Tacoma) could be like that, but they have a separate room, where our group sat and raised our own decibel level. You might try them out.
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Don
I would go with you if you’d just shut up. I can’t hear myself blabber when you’re talking over my wisdom as though it was a bad pun.
Dennis,
I thought the word was blather . . . As Marcel Marceau once said there are no bad puns . . . just slow mimes. Puns should come fast and curious. No pun should be expunged. I just hate it when noise (other people’s conversation) disguises my humor and your attempts. Thank you so much for sharing. It’s been wonderful.
Don
Because my husband is hard of hearing, and wears hearing aids, there are very few good restaurants that we choose to dine at due to the noise levels. We dine at the Lobster Shop frequently but that too gets noisy as does Anthony’s at Pt. Defiance so I don’t agree with you on those two restaurants not being noisy.
DeeDee,
Everything depends on when you visit a restaurant and where you sit. We usually eat early at Anthony’s, but we never sit in a booth, which gives you 360 degree noise. The best for you is probably the SW corner. I spent too much time listening to live rock and roll, so my hearing is not the best especially listening to the higher register (women). My wife and I prefer almost any table at a window . . . but usually look for one without chairs butting up against our’s. At the door let them know where you prefer sitting . . . and then if you find the acoustics bothering you, tell your waiter. Most have been there for a while . . . and they want happy customers . . . who tip! At the Lobster Shop stay away from happy hour if you can, but come early (4:00 to save money and put up with eventual louder neighbors). The Lobster Shop is also accommodating. Ask for Diane and see what she can do for you. Probably the best place for you would be the southeast corner with a view of the port and Brown’s Point. On the western side they have a private dining room . . . it never hurts to ask. Diane probably doesn’t know me by name, but if you mentioned I’m the guy who like lots of cherries in his Shirly Temple she probably would respond. Again, there people want your business, so let them know what you need to enjoy an excellent dinner. Have fun!
Thanks for reading and for sharing.
This might be surprising to hear from a rock-and-roll drummer with a 2,000-watt stereo in a sound-proof drum studio as part of my home, but I can’t stand loud restaurants! Not only that, I also get really annoyed by restaurants having 20 huge televisions plastered all over the walls–and all on different channels! It’s too distracting.
Chris Kimball? THE Chris Kimball . . . suggesting I might be surprised by anything you have to say about drumming and rock and roll and restaurants? Weren’t you born with a drum pad in your hand and beat on it with Tinker Toys? Didn’t your mum expect you to be the next Ringo Starr? Haven’t you plowed all your profits into a low slung English sports car? Where in the world did you go right? Distracted by too many TV channels? Pick half a dozen and just keep the beat . . .
Thanks for writing and sharing.
Don
p.s. I thought you used the sound-proof studio to practice your speeches and comedy routines with your boys.
D