And since a professional won’t do this, then we shouldn’t either.
Wondering what to order for a romantic dinner? Difficult task. I would like to pamper myself. At the same time, there is no guarantee that an expensive dish will meet your expectations. We have compiled a whole list of dishes that a professional chef would refuse. Maybe you should follow the recommendations of the chief?
1. Lobster
There is nothing wrong with this beautiful marine life. But it’s worth it only if you are in a restaurant by the sea. “The fish should swim, not fly,” New York chef Nick Corby explained his choice. Indeed, what was brought to the restaurant far away from the world is unlikely to be fresh. And if the lobster was transported alive, then this is a mockery of a living creature. By the way, even if a restaurant offers to cook a lobster directly from an aquarium in the hall, this is not at all a guarantee that this particular specimen will be cooked, and not a colleague from the refrigerator.
2. Hamburger in a fish restaurant
It’s just sacrilege and a crime against taste – there is fast food, even expensive and pretentious, in a place where fish and shrimp are served. The cooks believe that in restaurants it is necessary to order: a – dishes of the cuisine in which the institution specializes; b – food that is prepared according to local traditions and recipes. By the way, in a restaurant where barbecue is prepared, it is also not advised to try burgers – for the same reason.
3. Steak in an Italian restaurant
Anyway, when is your first time in this establishment. Chef Louis Estrada from a restaurant in Brooklyn believes that the best test for an Italian restaurant is carbonara or risotto. “These are two dishes that, if prepared correctly, can delight even the most sophisticated palate. And they may just turn out to be slops. These dishes show how much the chef knows the art of cooking, how he can emphasize the simple and fresh taste of the products. And, most importantly, is there passion in these dishes, ”says Estrada. If so, then you can ask for a steak.
4. Chilean sea bass
It’s not even a matter of taste, but a matter of ethics. The demand for this type of fish is so high that its population has dropped dramatically. The seabass does not have time to either grow or reproduce, as it gets into the nets. Moreover, too young individuals are not so tasty. Well, after having gone through a trip to Russia, the fish is no longer too fresh.
5. File-minion
Many chefs believe that this expensive steak is over-hyped, but not all that tasty. The case when you pay for your reputation and not for your own impressions. Chefs give preference to marble steak, which is cheaper, somewhat smaller in size, but has the richest taste.
6. Fried chicken
To be honest, it’s easy to cook it at home. But ordering it in a restaurant is not forbidden if you are not in a steakhouse. “In such places, you need to order a medium-rare ribeye cooked in a dry hot frying pan. A good chef will make it with pepper, salt, butter, garlic and herbs – that’s all it takes for a good steak, ”says Oklahoma-based chef Jeff Chancholen.
7. Homemade food
Seriously, are you going to a restaurant to eat what you already cook at home? What’s the point? Choose something that you have not tried yet, or dishes with new interesting ingredients. Perhaps it will help enrich your own home cooking as well.
8. Risotto in a French restaurant
If the restaurant is only called French, but in fact everything is cooked there, we would generally think about going there. But if it is really French, then the chefs advise against trying risotto there. The French adapted this dish of Italian cuisine for themselves, for which they deserved the ridicule of the Italians. “The way they make it, only the inept cooks it,” – a derogatory comment from the cooks from the homeland of the dish. It is better to order foie gras in a French restaurant – better than there, it will not be prepared anywhere.
9. Truffle oil
Suddenly? In fact, truffle oil is extremely rare in restaurants. Usually this oil is saturated with a flavor identical to the natural one. Therefore, professionals advise to enjoy truffles in their natural form – in soup, risotto, even in pizza. And only in the truffle season. For black truffles, this period is from November to March, whites begin to be harvested in October.
10. Fish from the farm
It tastes differently than fish grown in their natural habitat. On farms, fish feed is balanced and all, it’s still boring. Such nuances of taste as the food that fish find for themselves in the ocean, human-made food will never provide. Chef Tim Magee from a restaurant in Georgia advises choosing local fish – it tastes better and has more health benefits.
11. Sushi and sashimi
Unless you’re in a specialty restaurant. Keeping fish fresh enough to serve it raw is simply impractical in other places. And making sushi and sashimi from thawed fish … Well, no, this is no longer sushi. Food for them should be only the freshest, and rice should be specially made for sashimi.
12. Chicken with oranges
A popular Chinese dish not recommended by professionals. In their opinion, the chicken is covered with too thick a layer of breading and is simply drowned in a heavy sauce with a bunch of additives. Instead, they recommend go-ba-chjou – meat in sweet and sour sauce. If cooked correctly, the slices are covered with a thin layer of sauce with a pleasant pineapple flavor.
13. Meatballs with gravy
Or meatballs. Or stuffed cabbage. Well, you can still order them in the dining room. But real chefs think that such dishes are too homemade to order in a restaurant. It’s like ordering a chop while dreaming about Mom’s cutlet. Or even order dumplings, remembering how they made them with the whole family before the New Year. In a restaurant, such a dish will certainly disappoint you, even if it is well prepared: it is simply not the same as at home.
14. Dishes served in large portions
Unless you order them for a large company. However, perhaps this is a matter of taste. “I prefer to try as many different and tasty things as possible, to discover something new for myself, than just gobble up a huge plate of pasta. I really like restaurants where they offer a tasting set from the chef – this is a guarantee that all the best will be served at once “, – Adrienne Grenier from Fort Lauderdale.
15. Bread
There are quite a few dishes worth eating with bread to get a better taste of them. Usually bread is just empty calories, volume that clogs up the stomach. The exception is original bread, which is made in a restaurant according to some incredible recipe. Then you should try it just out of curiosity or even instead of dessert.