When we arrange a group dinner, we almost always ask for tables of six or eight. Restaurants do not always understand why. To them, a group meal is often a special occasion: a birthday, a rehearsal dinner, an anniversary. Everyone has come together, so everyone should sit together. One long table seems festive. Impressive, even. But a party and a dinner party are not quite the same thing. I would often rather take over an entire room with several smaller tables, or scatter ou