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Should you unplug to dine?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They won’t really hack up your BlackBerry, but NEO Chef de Cuisine Giuseppe Napoli, wielding the cleaver on the left, and executive chef Eric Chopin encourage you to Unplug the night of Oct. 29
Does it drive you nuts when cell phones go off in fine restaurants?
Have you ever been tempted to chop your companion’s BlackBerry in half so he or she will stop checking e-mail during dinner?
Eric Chopin is here to help.
The affable executive chef at NEO at the Mansion likes to pay diners a tableside visit sometime during the meal.
He didn’t get very far with the guest who feverishly text-messaged while he chatted with her companion one night.
“She never even acknowledged me,” he sighed.
The chef got to thinking. It seems many diners appear to be breaking bread with their BlackBerries, communing with their cell phones. Why not offer diners the options of a wireless meal?
The team at NEO decided to go for it. On Oct. 29, the elegant restaurant is holding an “Unplugged” event. Diners can hand over their precious electronics to the Mansion’s courtly butlers and - get this - actually enjoy their meals.
“Forget business for one hour,” Chopin says.
The contemporary Italian restaurant will feature candlelight and an acoustic guitarist during “Unplugged.”
Chef de Cuisine Giuseppe Napoli would love the idea to catch on with other restaurants. And woe betide he or she whose phone chirps during “Unplugged” and disturbs other diners.
“We’ll bring them back in the kitchen to peel potatoes,” Napoli joked.
For reservations the night of Oct. 29 or any other time, call 404-995-7545.
Do you have an Unplugged rule of your own at home or while dining out? Do you think more restaurants should consider having diners check electronics before dining?
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