All You Can Eat: Eat and Greet

You don't have to be a social butterfly to enjoy dinner and drinks at Butcher and the Brewer. But it helps. Here are tips from executive chef Jim Blevins on how to make the most of your communal dining experience.

Sit down

The long communal tables here seat about 14. So unless you're coming with a crowd, you're sitting next to strangers. "The first thing that everybody has to do is not be so uptight," laughs Blevins. "We built the tables this way for everybody to be interactive."

(Don't) shut up

Get to know the people around you by keeping it simple, says Blevins. "The easiest question to ask somebody next to you is, 'What are you eating?' and 'What are you drinking?' When people are talking about the food and about the beer, [they aren't] being so shy. Everybody gets it, loosens up a little bit and has a good time."

Mind your manners

Etiquette is more important when eating and ordering with a large group. For instance, don't eat directly from the serving plate. "The spoons are there so you can transfer [food] from the main plate to your own," Blevins says. "There are other things, such as wings, that are meant to be eaten with your hands."