The time to ask the wait staff to "hold" your entree is before he brings the salad, or in the worse case, just as he brings the salad. At that point he still has time to run back to the line and ask that your table not be "fired", and so the chef won't put your double thick lamb chops into que for the broiler in order to serve them to you in 18(=/-) minutes. The kitchen has to work on averages and although you can send your double thick lamb chops back to the kitchen to "hold" while you finish your salad, you then cannot expect them to come out fresh, hot, and cooked to order. They will either be just warm, maybe, or if reheated, overcooked.
I think it only right if you are either in a hurry, or want to take your time, that you alert your wait person. They cannot read minds (sometimes, they are pretty good though!)
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