Good for you! The waiter should not have stopped en route to your table. Pretty bad form which is probably why the owner wanted to do something extra for you.

I do this. People say I'm weird, but I hope it's comforting to you that you're not alone. :D

Yup - especially at a new restaurant, I'll do what Analise does, and scope out the items served while I walk to my table. This gives me ideas on what the salads look like, portion sizes, how much is fried, garnished, etc. This helps me make choices. For instance, I like lightly breaded and fried stuff, so if something is thickly breaded I'll avoid it - that description is not always apparent in the menu. I like large salads but am picky about the types of greens (prefer romaine lettuce). I like my fish without rice underneath (low carb) etc. There are a couple places where I've ordered a meal seemingly without rice but it came with rice despite no mention of it on the menu. It's not always easy to eat around it, if it's mixed into the rest.

Important reconnaissance information!

I don't wander around the tables after I've eaten, though. Occasionally I take a trip to the restroom, if needed :)

Usually before ordering I will look around and will ask the waiter if something looks tempting, but I won't ask another diner.

I also find that while ordering it is a good idea to ask questions. Just recently I ordered a dish which didn't mention grated cheese on top on the menu, and it was difficult to push the grated cheese aside, which I didn't care for.

Funny Dan, my partner love doing this as well... and I hate it.

I tell him to stop staring and salivating.... :)

Now... I did not pay attention when you had dinner with us.... but you seemed to know that Dinosaur menu pretty well... did not see you looking around.... :D

On some cases yes. Especially in restaurants and cuisines I am not familiar with.

Count me in as another who definitely checks out plates on the way to being seated. Once seated I usually don't make special trips or look too much after sitting but especially in a new place on the way in I'm checking out as many meals as possible.

I typically won't look around at what others are having - takes all the fun out of ordering the unknown!!!

Same here. If spot something tempting and would like further elaboration, I'd as the waiter/esses. Feels alot easier than the though of disturbing someone else's dining experience.

As previously mentioned, I usually look and listen when desserts are going around.

Ordering food in a foreign country and you can't read the menu and can't speak the language adequately.

Looking at neighboring plates and pointing is all we can do. We have "chosen" well many times.

Reminds me so much from seeing all the foreigners staring at the Dim Sum cart repeatedly in HK. :D

Back in the old days, when they used to serve dinners on flights (and still on Int'l), that was the only way I'd choose my own meal - see what everybody else ordered and what looked the least offensive :D

At a new restaurant, I've been known to tell the waiter to surprise me if I couldn't make up my mind between 2 or 3 items. Kinda freaks 'em out :)

DD

Sometimes if the person at the table next to mine has ordered something that looks interesting, I'll ask for a bite. :p

Seriously, I usually do a bit of looking around and will occasionally ask someone what they are having if I don't think that it will disturb them.

Oh, of course! A couple of nights ago in Brooklyn, noticing someone else's chicken agrodolce prompted us to order it, and it was one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had. My sister practically had to stop me from licking the plate.