Inside the House is a DCist feature offering an insider’s view of fine dining issues by the hostess at a D.C. restaurant.

By DCist contributor Nadya S. Nikiforova

A perfectly paced meal is like a smooth commute to the office in the morning. The engine purrs, the green lights come on obligingly when you approach, every car road tools along smoothly, and you are at your desk slurping your java by two minutes to nine. A perfectly paced meal gives you time to linger over the menu and settle down before dessert, yet never leaves you stranded at the bar, nursing your drink and resentfully looking at the hostess who STILL wouldn’t seat you 15 minutes after your reservation. A perfectly paced meal doesn’t leave you drumming your fingers and wondering whether your entree got shanghaied on the way to the table.

What goes into a well paced meal? Much like traffic on a busy highway, it requires that the many actors of the dining game play well together. That includes the kitchen, the service, and yes, the diner.