From aperitif to digestif, approach every meal with savvy and grace.Weve all experienced Fancy-Pants Restaurant Jitters at some point the fear that you will unknowingly commit some fine-dining crime, whether its using the wrong fork, picking an amateur wine, mispronouncing foie gras, or gasping when your fish entre arrives with its head still attached. Relax. The Mere Mortals Guide to Fine Dining is the ultimate antidote to restaurant anxiety. Where does your napkin go when you leave the table? Should you sniff the wine cork? And why, pray tell, are there so many forks? This comprehensive and accessible primer answers these and dozens of other questions and offers the basics on every aspect of fine dining, including:* How to navigate a place setting* Speaking menu-ese and the language of fine food* A refresher on polite and polished table manners* 911 for wine novices* A carnivores guide to beef, pork, lamb, and veal* What local, sustainable, and organic really mean* Japanese dining dos and donts* Whos who on a restaurants staff* How to be a regularor get the perks like one* Top restaurants across the country* What the food snobs know (and you should, too)* And much moreWith a little help, any Mere Mortal can order wine with confidence, get great, attitude-free service, decipher menus, and finally, truly, savor any dining experience.From the Trade Paperback edition.