Daily English Phrases
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Entries in restaurants (21)

Sunday
Nov272011

“You've got to try this sauce. It's amazing!”

English Lesson: You've GOT to try this!

You're eating dinner with a friend at a restaurant. You're eating an appetizer that comes with a dipping sauce. It tastes really good, so you want to encourage your friend to taste it. You say:

You've got to try this sauce. It's amazing!

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Thursday
Sep082011

“I'll have a chef’s salad, dressing on the side please.”

English Lesson: Dressing on the side.

You’re ordering lunch at a restaurant. You’re on a diet, so you’re trying to eat healthy. You order a salad but you want to put the dressing on it yourself so that you can control the amount. You say:

I'll have a chef’s salad, dressing on the side please.

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Thursday
Jun232011

“I'm all for moderation, but this is ridiculous!”

I'm all for moderation, but this is ridiculous!

You're eating out at an expensive restaurant with some close friends. When your meal comes, the portion sizes on the plate are really small. You complain:

I'm all for moderation, but this is ridiculous!

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Tuesday
Mar012011

“May I offer you a complimentary dessert?”

May I offer you a complimentary dessert?

You're a waiter at a restaurant. A customer is complaining about her meal, but she's already eaten it so you can't take it back. You want her to be satisfied, so you offer a free dessert:

May I offer you a complimentary dessert?

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Tuesday
Mar012011

“I'm very sorry that it didn't meet your standards.”

Sorry it didn't meet your standards.

You are a waiter at a nice restaurant. A customer complains that her food wasn't good, but she's already eaten all of it. You want to apologize, but you can't bring her another meal. You say:

I'm very sorry that it didn't meet your standards.

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Saturday
Feb192011

“Yeah, it's decent.”

A decent restaurant

You and your boyfriend are looking for a restaurant to eat dinner at. You pass by a restaurant that you've been to before. Your boyfriend hasn't been there, but you have. He asks if it's any good, and you answer:

Yeah, it's decent.

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Saturday
Feb192011

“Is this place any good?”

Is it any good?

You're looking for a restaurant to eat dinner at with your girlfriend. You pass by a restaurant which you've never been to, but your girlfriend says she's eaten there. You ask:

Is this place any good?

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Monday
Dec132010

“Do you know of a good burger place around here?”

Do you know of a good burger joint around here?

You are visiting your friend in another city. You're getting ready to go out to eat something together. Your friend asked you what you want to eat, and you feel like having a hamburger. You ask:

Do you know of a good burger place around here?

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Monday
Dec132010

“Is there anything in particular you're in the mood for?”

You have a friend visiting from out of town. You're getting ready to go out to eat something. You know of some good places to eat, but first you want to check to see if your friend wants to eat a certain kind of food. You ask him:

Is there anything in particular you're in the mood for?

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Monday
Oct252010

“I had chocolate cake for dessert, which was good but nothing special.”

You went out to eat at a restaurant, and now you're writing a review of your meal on a restaurant-review website. You're writing about a piece of cake that you ate, which wasn't very bad or very good.

I had chocolate cake for dessert, which was good but nothing special.

(have something) for dessert

You can use the word "have" to describe eating something:
We had Italian food. What are you having?

(something), which is (adjective)

Use this pattern to combine two ideas. For the example at top, the two ideas are:
I had a chocolate cake for dessert. The chocolate cake was good but nothing special.
Here are a few more examples of how you can use "which":
We're planning a trip to Australia, which we've never been to. Eric's mother is coming to visit us, which is great. It was less than $100 for the four of us, which is quite reasonable.

(something) is nothing special

The phrase "nothing special" describes something that is not bad, but not particularly good either. Use this when you wanted or expected something to be good, but it wasn't.