PERILS OF PREDILECTION
The second of a three-part series devoted to
The fine art of choosing your restaurant repast
If you have visited a particular restaurant on a regular basis and have done a little homework, ordering your meal should hold no unseen terrors for you. On the other hand, should this be your initial venture into uncharted culinary waters, you would do well to tread lightly.
When it comes to entrée selections, for example, until you are reasonably cognizant of the kitchen's idiosyncrasies, it is always wise to go with the grain rather than against it. In other words, order what the establishment purports to do best. You still might be in for a disappointment, but at least the odds are solidly in your favor.
There is one item, however, that is always a somewhat questionable call in any abode even remotely resembling a citadel of fine dining. That, of course, is steak. If you are unabashedly carnivorous by nature, there is really only one domicile (other than your own home) where your appetite for this particular predilection may be properly assuaged: a steakhouse. Anyone who even contemplates ordering steak in a seafood restaurant (regardless of its rank in the gastronomic pecking order) obviously has a death wish.
While most consider the obverse to be equally true, cow palaces have been known to turn out some perfectly agreeable thalassic offerings. And the reason for this anomaly is more a product of necessity than of virtue. Some years ago, as you may recall, Americans seriously curtailed their consumption of beef. In order to survive and prosper, eateries majoring in same were forced to add more finny fare to their menus and learn to prepare these various and sundry representatives with at least a modicum of competence. Even though beef has since staged a remarkable comeback, simply prepared seafood items continue to swim with the herd.
With regard to entrée selections, the prospective diner should note several additional points. First, he/she should pay careful head to the catalog of daily specials. Whether soliloquized in nauseating detail by your server or presented in written form, this often spells the difference between a ho-hum meal and a truly memorable dining experience.
In the majority of upper crust establishments, daily specials are (usually) to be preferred over items listed on the regular menu. This is because they (again, usually) represent the freshest of ingredients fastidiously prepared and exquisitely presented. In short, the consummate expression of the chef's unerring abilities. Depending upon the eatery in question, this may or may not be true. When it comes to matters piscatorial, however, one's penchant for daily offerings is more a law of survival than a rule of thumb. A particular species of finny creatures (however humble in origin) that puts in an intermittent guest appearance is bound to be in a more robust state of health than the sole or flounder that has taken up permanent residence on the printed bill of fare. Indeed, its youthful countenance may owe more to cryogenics than to creative cookery.
Secondly, should you find yourself on the horns of a dilemma with regard to your choice of entrée, it is entirely permissible to throw the ball back into your server's court: "Would you recommend the whatchamacallit or the what's-its-face?" Having undoubtedly sampled the goods, any lackey worthy of his/her salt should be able to offer up a semi-intelligent opinion. Even if an unequivocal endorsement is not forthcoming, sufficient information may be garnered to allow you to draw your own conclusions. Should the server merely give forth a shrug and sheepish grin, you know you're in deep yogurt and might seriously consider a change of venue.
One final word regarding entrées... As there are certain selections that clearly demonstrate your mastery at table, there are also those that, just as convincingly, expose your amateur standing. As previously noted, ordering steak in a seafood restaurant is one such faux pas. Ordering "Surf 'n' Turf" in ANY restaurant is another...
This maladroit contrivance is usually indigenous to middlebrow eateries attempting (unsuccessfully) to impersonate their betters. Its primary appeal is to those gluttonous individuals who suffer from the delusion that they are gobbling up the best of both worlds. Requisitioning this gastronomic nightmare is not only to hold your palate in utter contempt, it is also a dead giveaway as to your less than superior ranking on the culinary totem pole.
TO BE CONTINUED...go to Part III
Bon Appétit!
