Congratulations, Eli (and Mrs. P)!!
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Thanks 
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Almost 7 years ago I made the move from NNJ down to the Jersey Shore, and unexpectedly found out that if there are other things to do (hellooooo live music), I didnāt feel the āneedā to be out to dinner on the weekends. That + living in a ādestinationā town = staying out of my local favorites most of the time during the high season.
Add to that (pre-pandemic,) the fact that my dining out habits changed because I was losing a bunch of weight, and I made the decision that if I wasnāt having a meal with someone else, I wouldnāt eat out. Suddenly the hidden fat/salt/sugar wasnāt in the mix that often (nor was the alcohol), and I realized again that when there are other āentertainmentā options, being out in a crowded restaurant on a Saturday night just didnāt matter to me that much.
Add to that the fact that decades ago I read that you should have something fun planned for Sunday afternoons/evenings to hold off the Monday blues, and I guess I stopped following the crowds that way as well. I started hosting friends for early dinners on Sundays on a regular basis. It gave me a chance to try new recipes and see people whose schedules didnāt always align with mine (friends w young kids, for instance). The pandemic has changed that, but eventually Iāll entertain again. Maybe. 
Suffice it to say that I havenāt lost my love of food or cookbooks or food discussion, but all of these things have affected my interested in being out on a Saturday night - thatās for sure.
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Whew
Iām a working stiff so a fancy dinner during the week isnāt relaxing. I prefer Friday for a special dinner as it is a nice wind down from the week. Saturday I prefer to cook a nice meal since I have time to get ingredients and take my time to prepare it.
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Well, Iām a little late to the party but I think the recurring theme has been established: weekends are mostly a āthingā with the working folks. āBack in the dayā I use to be āMr. Saturday Nightā at any of a few select restaurant / watering holes. Every single Friday/Saturday night I / we were out and about, but guess what?
I got āolderā, wiser and a heck of a lot less patient. I will still go out on a Friday or Saturday night, but I no longer look forward to it or plan for it. Weekend dining is mostly restricted to socializing, weāll go out if we have plans with another couple, otherwise we are home on the weekends. The only other reason you might catch me out on a Saturday night, Iām sitting in on one of my daughterās reservations.
My daughter and future son-in-law (late 20ās) and both establishing themselves in their careers, they are Saturday night people. My daughter also likes most of the more āpopularā places (Gabriellaās in Middletown) some of which I also enjoy. So, she books reservations weeks in advance to āsecureā them, but sometimes she has a conflict so I will sit in, so she doesnāt get a reputation for not fulfilling her reservations.
One other āoddā observation about myself, I quit drinking (again) at the first of the year. Iāve done this from time to time, always with the intention of going back sooner or later. This time is different honestly and Iām in no rush and have no plans on resuming. Iāve noticed as my āpenchantā for having a drink has subsided, so has my overall desire to be in that environment. I truly enjoyed going out having a few cocktails and 'unwinding"ā¦now the idea of stopping at a bar for an unsweetened iced tea and playing on my phone for an hour while āunwindingā at a bar isnāt as appealing as when I had a martini (or 4).
For me personally I think itās just more about; ābeen there done thatā. Iāve spent so many years working and playing in restaurants and bars, Iām actually somewhat happy to be retired. When I go out these days itās so much more about the company and the food than the experience. When I was younger, I wanted to be āin itā, whatever or wherever āitā was - thatās where I wanted to be! Now if you tell me; āHey Jrā¦āItā is right over thereā!!!..yeah, Iām going the other way. lol
Leave me alone and stay off my friggin lawn!!!
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Lots of truth in your reply 
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Retired. It is Monday night. I am polishing off my second martini. I am about to grill pork chops, street corn, and heritage tomatoes. Yeah, it could get more special, but every nightās dinner is fun. Saturdays are only special if we invite someone to join us.
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After venturing to the Grand Tavern Friday and earlier in the week walking up to Porta, I will be cooking even more at home.
The octopus at Porta is now 30 bucks, and four of us at the Grand Tavern almost hit 400 bucks, now there were two bottles of wine and cocktails but still some sticker shock having not been to either of those places for about 6 months.
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WOOOOOOOOOOOW.
Yes, prices have definitely gone up around here, but thatās crazy! I think it used to be $18.
Well, that puts things into perspective. Where I live, $100 pp with drinks would be pretty reasonable, for an upscale-ish place.
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Yeah, I tend to agree however I donāt really consider the Grand Tavern to be an āupscale-ishā place. They are putting out some good food, and they are charging for it, but to say itās upscale? Thatās probably an adjective I wouldnāt use to explain it.
Throw me a link, why donāt you. I donāt know where it is.
Grazie!
Upscale: beer list (some of it, anyway), gochuchang, shallots, cornichons, ramp pesto
Not upscale: no liquor brands revealed on cocktail menu, American cheese
Verdict: upscale
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To each their own I guess. Iāve been to Grand a few times, like I said good meal/food but if Iām thinking of a āupscaleā place to go, this isnāt even on the radar.
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Maybe YOU have ramp pesto at every meal, but for some of us, itās a luxury.
ETA: Just looked at pix of the interior on Yelp. No white tablecloths! So, I see what you mean.
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Please, I said the food is good/very good however āup-scaleā to me is a lot more than just food. Take Peter Lugers Steakhouse for instance, probably one of the most highly acclaimed steakhouses in the country, do I call it upscale? Absolutely not.
To me up-scale is a complete dining experience. You can have excellent food, but if itās coming out of a Food Truck, Tavern or bombed out district in Brooklyn, none of those are in the āup-scaleā category to me.
If for you up-scale is only the quality of food, then for you sure this is upscale.
Itās ok for us to have different definitions of what is āup-scaleā - however I would hate for someone to read this and walk away from the experience with a different impression they went into it with.
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No, itās also the service and the atmosphere. Buffets, cafeterias, food trucks: not upscale. But āupscaleā is also not my fanciest rating. (And keep in mind that I originally referred to this place as upscale-ISH.) My fanciest rating is āfine dining.ā
See for me the two are practically interchangeable. (up-scale/fine dining) Which is why I wouldnāt consider this āfine-diningā either.
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