Summary
"Specials" and the "Specialties of the House" can be fruitful menu categories. But somehow, using all of your black belt powers of observation, you must ascertain if the daily special is a response to what's fresh, or just another day's random, forced, or rote offering. Is the specialty of the house a hyped-up bad habit the cooks can't break, or a highly-evolved symbiosis of culture, place and art?
Beware the local recommendation that smacks of cultural institution, as in, "You haven't really been to [name of town] until you've had the [name of dish] at the [name of restaurant/bar]!" Sometimes these dishes pan out and sometimes they don't-so proceed with caution.Sometimes you're close to decoding the menu but can't quite get it, and then you realize that what you want isn't exactly on the menu but could be. If they have scallops in oyster sauce, for example, and they also have green curry with chicken, then you might consider asking for deep-fried scallops in green curry? If the kitchen's on the ball and goes for it, they might even learn something. But be warned, your success in such high-angle ordering can depend on things that are beyond your control, like restaurant politics-who owes who a favor, who in the kitchen has the hots for your server. If your dining companions are running out of patience, and you have it narrowed down to two but can't decide, sometimes you can trick your gut into tipping its hand with the flip of a coin. Tell yourself "Heads, I'm gonna order the mee chowfim and tails, the sum yung guy. If, at the coin's decision, you're like "yes!" then there's your answer.See the full content of this document
Extract
The Menu Black Belt
When dining out, sharing food at the table is fun. Passing dishes around, or eating "family-style," are beautiful ways to eat together. Except when you order better than your companions.
When I was 12 years old, eating a bowl of soup at an Italian restaurant in Boston, I noticed Julia Child sit down at an adjoining table, her back t...See the full content of this document
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