Get off hold with the hostess at Chez We'll-Be-With-You-in-a-Moment, and log onto www.opentable.com, a website that's hooked up to the electronic reservation books at restaurants in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.
OpenTable users get descriptions, maps, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, hours and parking info. And there's a box for special requests. ("It's my husband's birthday, can we have a candle in the desert?")
Once you've make the reservation, you can send your dinner companions a fax or an email with the details and a message.
January, 2000
©2000 Bon Appétit
