4 Tips to Avoid Sauce Stains at Italian Restaurants

When you dine out at an Italian restaurant, the leftovers you take home should come in a box rather than on the clothes you wear. Red pasta sauce can easily stain clothes, along with the oils used in many Italian dishes. Instead of going home with a dirty shirt, you can take some proactive steps to avoid stains when you dine out. Check out some of the biggest tips to help avoid sauce stains. The tips work with many of the signature dishes you will find at an Italian restaurant.

1. Soak Up Extra Sauce

Splattered sauce can easily create stains on shirts in multiple areas. When you first get your dinner dish, use some Italian bread to soak up the extra sauce. If needed, you could order extra Italian bread. The Italian bread will soak up extra sauce and prevent splatters while you eat. Once the bread soaks up the sauce, you can eat the bread and enjoy the mix of flavors. Soak up the extra sauce as you go along and avoid extra splatters as you reach the end of the meal. The process is often referred to as Scarpetta and is known as an Italian tradition.

2. The Slow Swirl

Spaghetti meals are one of the most common ways you can cause shirt stains at a restaurant. The long strains of spaghetti can whip around and cause sauce to fly onto your clothing. As you eat spaghetti, try to swirl your fork slowly. If you move the fork too fast, the sauce can whip into the air and land on your clothes. A slow swirl will not only help you avoid splattering sauce, but you can have more control over your bites with the slower swirl as well. The slow swirl allows you to control how big each bite is.

3. Cut Smaller Pieces

When you order Italian meals like lasagna or ravioli, you may feel tempted to take big bites of the food. However, the stuffed contents inside the food could easily drop out and land on your clothes. If you do order some type of stuffed meal, then cut the food down into smaller pieces. You can control the smaller pieces more and will get to eat all of the middle cheeses without dropping any. The same also applies to any Italian pizzas you order. Instead of lifting up a big slice, cut the slice in half to minimize the size and the drips of oil and cheese. When you dine in, the first slice will often be so hot that the pizza is better with a fork and knife anyway.

4. Order a Seltzer Water

No matter how much you prepare, sometimes accidents occur and you could end up with a big red stain on your clothes. Instead of letting the stain set, take some proactive measures to clean yourself. Order seltzer water at the start of the meal. If food drops on you, then take a napkin to dab up any chunks or larger parts. Next, dip the edge of a clean napkin into the seltzer water and then dab at the area to help remove the stain. The fizz and bubbles in the seltzer will help remove the stain and clear up your clothes once the water dries.

The seltzer water not only helps with food stains, but it helps with wine stains as well. Red wine pairs well with Italian food and in some cases, you may drip a little red wine on your clothes. Follow the same process to blot out the wine stains and minimize their appearance. Once you master these tips, come visit us at Picano's Italian Grille. See our extensive authentic Italian menu online and everything we have to offer. If all else fails, we can provide extra napkins to tuck in the collar of your shirt to ensure you get no extra stains.