Shy types do not care for table d'hôte -- the original meaning, that is -- but hotels and restaurants should revive the idea en masse. Sometimes you want to dine in peace, but usually you want to eavesdrop, and at the common table, eavesdropping is art.
The magical Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe has the perfect common table. Friendly, how-do-you-do Texans in parkas parked next to locals reading the classics. Me? I'm just shoveling griddled polenta by the forkful and trying, unsuccessfully, not to stare.
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