Artemis

There are so many great restaurants now, which is a good problem to have. The challenge is that there are very few true “hidden gems” anymore. With the reach of platforms like Michelin, Infatuation, and Eater, most notable places are widely known, and as a result, reservations can be difficult to secure without planning well in advance.

That’s where things become tricky. I often don’t know my schedule, who I’ll be with, or even what I’ll feel like eating far enough ahead of time to book weeks in advance. Because of that, we’ve adapted by joining a few of the new crop of  private clubs where we know we can reliably get a table, or by going to strong local spots that don’t always show up on “best of” lists.

That said, when I do go out, I still prefer to try newer or in-demand restaurants. To make that work, we’ve found a couple of helpful options. One is Dorsia, where members can secure reservations by agreeing to a higher per-person spend. In practice, this usually aligns with what you might already spend on a full dinner with drinks, so it’s a manageable tradeoff for access. Another, and most notable, is Artemis, a service that uses technology to find and book reservations on your behalf. You can specify the restaurants you’re interested in, along with a range of dates and times, and agree to cover any applicable cancellation fees. Artemis then monitors availability and books when something opens up. It doesn’t always work, but it’s effective often enough to justify the $85/month cost. In particular, it tends to work well within 24 hours of when you plan to dine, when cancellations are more likely to occur. Think you'll find, like me, this is an app worth its weight (carry) in gold.