How to game Devour Indy. A top chef's tips for the best experience

Devour Indy is here, and Indianapolis hosts lots of other restaurant weeks, too, like Savor Downtown Indy. That means we discount-loving diners will swarm restaurants like gulls on french fry.

Restaurant weeks can be so busy for servers, so monotonous for chefs and so crowded for customers that many serious foodies just say "no" and some food industry insiders wear grimaces disguised as smiles.

That’s not to say that restaurant weeks should be avoided. Devour deals are insane, including $35 three-course menus at top Indianapolis spots like Bluebeard, Black Market, Nesso Italian and Hyde Park Prime steak house.

The trick to having the best experience is knowing how to game the system, Indianapolis chef Craig Baker said.

Opening and running 14 kitchens in 20 years, including three Indianapolis restaurants, Baker has lived the ups and downs of restaurant week. These are his tips for having the best Devour Indy ever.

Pick the right day

Yes, Monday is a good day to avoid crowds. It’s typically a slow-traffic day for restaurants, but “if you want to have the best experience in a restaurant, go Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday because the chef is off Sunday and Monday,” Baker said. Plus weekdays are not as busy as weekends.

Time of day matters

Tables might be easy to score as soon as the restaurant opens, but early birds suffer disadvantages. “Eight is the best time because then you know all the prep is going to be done and the cooks are in the zone. The rhythm’s on. The game’s on. Everyone’s been doing their job or three hours. Now, they know what they’re doing.”

Menu maneuvers

“At beginning of restaurant week, I would start out with menus that you know are tried and true. If you’re going to a steakhouse, you know they are going to get it right,” Baker said. “The more adventurous menus? I would probably wait a little later in the week as they continue to tweak them.”

“Definitely try something you’ve never tried before,” Baker added. “The whole point is to try new restaurants. Pick a restaurant that pushes your palate a little bit because you’re going to get the biggest breath of flavors, because you’re getting a multi-course meal, for the best value.”

Never order this

“Risotto is like the worst,” Baker said. The cooking process is tedious, and rushing the dish invariably leads to a pasty mess.

Always order this

Seafood, especially crab cakes. “Restaurant week is so busy you never have to worry about not getting fresh seafood because the kitchen is constantly turning it over. I feel comfortable ordering anything seafood, especially short-shelf-life stuff like like skate," Baker said. Crab cakes are the best dish to order because they are easy on the kitchen. Cooks portion and shape the cakes in advance and then simply slip them into a pan when you order.

Where to sit

“I always think that it’s good to sit at the bar if you’re a two-top (two diners).  If you’re a four-top, it’s a little bit of a pain in the butt to serve you at the bar.”

Pace and patience

“I think the thing to remember, the most important thing, is that it is Devour,” Baker said. Expect crowds and longer wait times. If you’re hitting a Devour restaurant before a show, allow two hours for dinner. No matter the circumstances, relax. “Once you order, you don’t have to do anything as a customer. Put it in auto pilot and let it go."

Know the good maitre d’s 

“Here’s the thing,” Baker said. “You have all these people who are coming to your restaurant door. You’re already discounting the menu so much that you’re over-seating the restaurant. You’re making up for the reduced margin by doing more volume."

Whether you wait for a table or make reservations, either way, “it all comes down to the host or hostess,” Baker said. “Really good restaurants, “like Beholder, they control the flow. Control the door. It’s not just an open cattle call feeding. They know how many people to expect, and tables spaced out to give you a level of intimacy.

Research and respect

Read over menu specials at Devour and Savor websites before you arrive. Have a sense of the wine you’d like to pair with your meal. Tell servers straightaway that you'll be ordering the special menu and that you’d like wine. That way the server knows right away to make wine suggestions or summon the sommelier.

Voicing your plans “will change how a server interacts with you immediately. That puts the server in the mindset, that ‘Hey I have a Devour table. I know how long this is going to take and what to do,” Baker said. “It sets the tone, the rhythm.”

Being direct with servers is a way to pay it forward to waiting diners. “If the server knows you’re getting the Devour menu, they can alert the host that you’ll be there for around two hours. That's just nice for the host or hostess to know at that point so he or she can space tables.”

If your experience tanks, “just ask for a manager,” Baker said. “The server can handle a lot of issues, but if things have gone drastically wrong, then the manager can expedite the situation to get whatever needs to be fixed, fixed.”

Follow IndyStar food writer Liz Biro on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro, and on Facebook. Call her at 317-444-6264.