How I Successfully Ignored Noise at a Loud Restaurant

Earlier this week my husband and I celebrated two years of marriage by going out to dinner at a local restaurant.  It was a bit of a risk because they had just reopened after a remodel and we knew the acoustics to be harsh.  Still, we figured it was late on a weeknight, so it was better than a Friday or Saturday evening.

So we took the risk.  And you know what?  It paid off.  Sure enough, it was one big box of a space with hard surfaces, but here’s what made it work:

It was loud, but no one sat close to us. We didn’t have to listen to any particular conversations, just a general buzz.  There was no one in my direct line of vision to distract me so I could just focus on the two of us.  And our food.  Which brings me to…

The food came out lightning fast! This wasn’t exactly a fast food joint, but there was hardly any wait time.  So I didn’t have any time to start thinking about what was going on around me.  It’s harder to get distracted when you have food going in your mouth, trust me.  Knowing that, it might be a good strategy to make that bread basket last as long as you can until the food arrives.  And concentrate on that bread while you’re eating it if your conversation is not engaging you.

I had something to look at. Those beautiful plates in the photo (more from citypaper) are just a small part of the collection of oyster plates from the 1800s owned by the restaurant’s owner.  I love vintage collections, so being able to look at the intricate details took my mind off the noise.