Six excellent restaurants for dates and more
The beautiful pictures in this post come from my partner Aria Christen, check out her excellent blog and follow her on Flickr.
Taken at Night Daisy, all pics by Aria Christen
Over the past few weeks, Aria and myself have been trying out different Second Life restaurants. Based on our experiences, here are six of our favourites.
They are excellent date spots, somewhere you can go with friends, or even solo dining if you want (I mean, why not?)
An introduction to SL Restaurant RP
Taken at the Ishtar Hotel, all pics by Aria Christen
First of all, a word about restaurant RP. I admit, two years ago before I started reviewing Second Life Hotels, it’s not something I was really into.
I’m now a convert, and Aria and myself go to restaurants a lot, especially as many are attached to resorts we go to.
If you’ve not experienced it before, you make a booking, much as you would in RL.
You show up at the agreed time and are brought to your table. Given that this is RP, the decor matters a lot to the overall experience.
You then order from a menu, and your food is brought out to you. The levels of service, presentation and table anims vary greatly from place to place. However, the places we’ve chosen get most or all of these elements right.
If everything is done well, you get a really fun, immersive and often romantic experience. And who is to say that you can’t mirror it with your RL dinner at the same time?
OUR SIX CHOICES
So here are six we’ve been to, and that we’ve enjoyed. Four are RP places (you book and staff take your order just like in RL).
Two are self-service where the menu is on the table and you click and order. These are good if you are looking for something last minute.
Fete at the Ishtar
Fete has two locations, a main restaurant and a restaurant inside the Ishtar Hotel. Recently, we went to the Ishtar location, combining it with a stay in the brand new Ishtar Suite (see the main hotel review).
Fete’s Ishtar branch has a beautiful Arabesque design that reminded me of a lot of high end restaurants I have been to in Morocco.
Everything is beautifully presented, down to the menu designs, and the two owners, Exeter and Je’Von know their stuff when it comes to restaurant service. They are also able to ad lib when serving you, and don’t just read off a script, which is what you see in some RP places.
You can either stay at the Ishtar, like we did, or you can just book a dinner date - the main Fete restaurant is not connected to a hotel, though this does have occasional live events.
Hell’s Kitchen at Vegas SL
This is somewhere which you do need to combine with a resort stay, as Hell's Kitchen SL is part of the vast Vegas SL Resort.
However, a recommendation here would be to combine a stay at Vegas SL with dinner, and then one of the regular Saturday shows.
A one hour drag show alternates with performances by showgirls and singers such as Semina Bob Satanovic, take a look at the Vegas SL website for details.
Hell’s Kitchen is, like the rest of the resort, really well designed. It’s also a good place to go for a group celebration. After Aria and I had dinner the other week, a large birthday party came into the restaurant.
As well as Hell’s Kitchen you can book a private dinner outside of the Bellagio.
Vegas SL Website for bookings and information
Night Daisy
Night Daisy gives you the choice of a variety of themed restaurants, from underwater (which is what we chose) to Paris to Victorian. For LOTR fans you can even choose an Elven theme.
Lots of things impressed us about Night Daisy. The booking process involves you answering questions to make sure that dinner is customised to you and the owner, Emily Wand, provides service that is really polished and professional.
The table anims are also among the best we’ve seen, these include interactive dinner-date poses and animations.
Though you can book dinner on its own via a variety of packages that are available, you can also combine it with a stay in a themed suite.
So, as we had dinner in the underwater restaurant, we then spent the night in an underwater suite, with a small dive area attached.
Night Daisy Website for info and bookings
You can also make a booking at the in-world office (SLURL)
Rosa Fresca
Rosa Fresca is a newly reopened cafe-bar-restaurant that works well for groups of friends as well as couples. The setting is semi-formal, as opposed to formal.
You can book in several different settings, the rooms have a floral design, which isn't overdone.
Each room also has a different colour theme, we had dinner had dinner in the Sumer Squeeze room, with orange / yellow shades.
The RP is excellent, down to the chefs talking on local about making the food. Dialogue is unscripted and natural, and the team here clearly enjoys what they do.
There's also a consistent 'brand', with uniforms, mesh signs, and customised bottles, giving it the feel of an RL restaurant
Rosa Fresca Website for bookings and information
Want to go for dinner somewhere without booking? Here are two good self service options:
Little Kenya Restaurant
Little Kenya is on the Circuit la Corse on Corsica. As the name suggests, this is a Kenyan / East African themed restaurant.
Little Kenya is on a rocky plateau which you reach via a set of stairs, and you can then choose from a Kenyan themed menu by clicking on your place setting.
The welcome pack you can get on arrival includes your own Mini Cooper, which you can rez at various points along the Circuit la Corse, and one of the rez points.
As a result, Little Kenya could form the start of a continent tour and would make for quite a fun day out.
The restaurant itself is nicely designed, and adjoins a neighbouring animal sanctuary with lions and elephants.
Luciano’s Bistro and Lounge
Luciano’s Bistro and Lounge is owned by Luciano Lionheart, a Second Life singer with quite a wide following. His restaurant has a stage attached, so it’s occasionally used for performances.
The building also has a rooftop pool, meaning you can lounge in the sun before or after dinner. Finally, this is on a sailable region, there is a pier directly in front of the hotel.
Though you get food by clicking on the tables, it does look as if an RP dinner option will be provided soon, as there is currently a mailbox out front with a call out for waiting staff.
Luciano’s Bistro and Lounge SLURL
