What's your typical restaurant food?
Well there's a wide ranging catch all of a title if I ever made one.
When it's not your responsibility to cook, what do you find yourself ordering most often? Do you stick to your tried and true favorites? If so, do you pick items that you can make yourself, or something that you've never made but eat regularly? Do you challenge yourself, ordering something you have never tried to expand your horizons?
Being a DINK, I find that the part of my income my Catholic parents think should be going toward baby formula and diapers makes a decent cushion to support my city's local (and chain) eateries. Thus I have lately been watching my ordering habits to see if I detect a pattern.
I remember, early on, I would order steaks more often than not when visiting a restaurant that offered them. This was, I believe, because steaks at the time were an expensive, special occasion, reserved for those moments spent in much celebration (clearly, I did not visit restaurants as often back then). As I eventually got married and came into possession of a patio and a grill, I found that, regardless of what they claim on the menu, no restaurant could get the steak quite as perfect as I could after a year or two of practice under a gas grill (yes, I'm that guy. I like the taste of meat, not charcoal residue).
Later, I entered my burger phase. This may seem counter intuitive; after all, if you can perfectly cook a medium rare, olive oil crusted steak to your personal tastes, how is it possible that a simple burger be out of your culinary ability? The answer, my friend, is variety. Most people can cook a burger. Many can cook a good burger. But at my house at any given time I'll have ketchup, mustard, salsa, jalapenos, and, if I'm lucky, some bleu cheese salad dressing with which to decorate my ground meat. This just won't do. What if I want a guacamole and provolone burger? A cheddar bacon pepper burger with a side of waffle fries? The meat was truly the least important part of the dining experience; the pattie was nothing but a blank slate, upon which another's original ideas could come to life.
Eventually that phase, too, faded. Now I find myself in a seafood phase. Assuming the catch of the day is not that hobo meat, tilapia (seriously I'd rather eat fried goldfish), it more often than not is my choice for an evening's meal. Perhaps this is because seafood does not leave my stomach feeling quite so uncomfortably full that the last half of my third beer settles uncomfortably in my esophagus, inches from the branch to my larynx. Perhaps it is because the bounty of the sea provides a landscape of tastes so vivid and varied that no chef has yet to produce a flavor identical to one I have had before. Even a dish as simple as fried fish and chips: each plate has its own personality, its own unique contribution to the experience. Does the chef use thick batter to provide a healthy crunch to the fish? Does he prefer to let the taste of the fish stand with only a minor batter, risking a messier and possibly fork-required dining experience? Is that meaty cod or ocean perch, or did the cook punk out and serve me hobo-tilapia? Is the cole slaw made in house? Is it sweet and creamy with a mayonaise base or tart and crunchy with a vinegar base? Does the barkeep recommend a half n half, a black and tan, a Guinness, or a Harp to complement the flavor? Is the barkeep such an idiot that he tries to serve me a summer wheat beer? Am I such an idiot that I turn down his suggestion (I am most certainly not! btw Blue Moon makes an excellent pairing to several seafood meals).
I wonder what the horizon holds. Inevitably I find myself being drawn to the healthier options on the menu. Hopefully I will not turn into the person who convinces himself he is eating healthy by ordering the buffalo chicken and boiled egg salad.
(take this entire post with a grain of salt. Anyone who knows me will tell you straight off that, when attending an eatery I have never before visited, there is only one thing I plan to order.
Sig
Never steak, rarely burgers, never seafood (I'm allergic to shellfish but I just stay away from things that grow/live in the water).
I usually look for unique stuff I can't make at home, because I'm not going to pay for a stinking grilled cheese sandwich. I generally stay away from anything that uses whole chicken breats as the flavor usually runs out quickly and I'm stuck with 'dry' plaing chicken breast.
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Hmm.. food. I love going out to eat, although my ability to do so has been drastically reduced by getting married and having kids. I absolutely do have some favorites to go out for though, so here they are in no particular order.
1. Mexican food. Damn, do I love me some good Mexican food. I'm in TX currently, so that's why this one finds itself at the top. As for what I like, it'd be easier to list what I don't enjoy
. But as for favorites, fajitas are always awesome. Tacos are good too, and I'll never say no to good quesadillas or a burrito.
2. Chinese food. I'm super picky about this though, as I love to cook(inability to make tortillas kills being able to cook mexican) and I have some AWESOME recipes for my staple Chinese favorites. Sesame Chicken, General Tso's chicken and Lo Mein(Pork or Chicken) top the list here.
3. Diner fare. To me, this means omelettes. There is really nothing like a bigass diner made omelette. It's another skill I'm not good at. But for this, if I can't find a good diner, IHOP will certainly fit the bill. Chain to be sure, but the Colorado Omelette with it's delectable combination of steak, bacon, sausage and ground beef topped with cheese and salsa is win. They had one a while back that was a vegetarian black bean chili w/ cheese and sour cream was also outstanding. Rounding it with my standby is the Country Omelette. Ham, Onions and Hashbrowns = nomnomnom.
Most of the other things, I'm even pickier about. Steaks, I find I can make as good or better than the places I'm likely to go to; it really takes going to a $90/plate restaurant to get a steak superior to what I can grill at home over match-light charcoal with minimal effort. Burgers are much in the same boat, although I have been known to hit up a Burger King for their flamebroiled goodness, or a What-a-Burger for a double/double w/ Bacon and Jalapenos. Just one of those oddball things, I guess.
On the topic of healthy foods, anything that is a salad, preferably with some sort of chicken involved, preferring grilled. And honestly, I find nothing unhealthy about a fresh green salad w/ grilled buffalo chicken strips. You can keep the hardboiled eggs though, the sulfur smell is nauseating.
Coldstream wrote:
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If it's breakfast and the restaurant has huevos rancheros, that's what I'm having. Otherwise, I evaluate restaurant meals on a case-by-case basis.
A hunk of meat or fish simmered or sauced with tasty spices and a side of some kind of veggies. If there's starch or carbs involved, I try to replace them with more veggies or a salad to balance my meal since there's probably a porter or stout beer.
ColdForged wrote:
When I eat out I definitely prefer to eat food that I don't normally cook at home. So when I do eat out, it is often at various ethnic restaurants. Indian food especially is a favorite of mine. I love to grab Indian buffet for lunch on the weekend. We also have a great Cajun restaurant in town where you can get big plates of delicious Jambalaya or Maque Choux. mmmmm
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Italian cuisine. I love the fact that Italians fall in love with Slovak women, come over here and start restaurants. It's not just pizza and pasta, it's also meats and cheeses and pastry and all the other stuff. All made with love and care, just how I like it. They also tend to talk a lot when you show interest in their cooking, last week I spent hour just talking to an Italian chef. When it comes to cooking, there's no language barrier.
Robear wrote:
I have a couple of guiding principles.
(1): If there's an animal on the menu that I've never eaten before, I order it. I have a life ambition to eat one of every animal before I die.
(2): Steak - usually once every 6 months or so, and I'm usually disappointed unless I'm in a stupidly expensive steakhouse, which doesn't happen more than once a year at most.
(3): Seafood. I love everything that lived underwater, and I take advantage of living on the coast.
(4): Spicy food - I used to love food that was crazy hot, but my aging butthole doesn't like it anymore, so I've started to steer away from it.
(5): Variety - often, I'll order a dish on the basis that I've never had it before. This is particulalry true with some of the south-east asian foods that I've not really been exposed to before I moved to the US (thai, vietnamese, pho), and mexican food to a lesser extent.
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Amoebic wrote:
The type of restaurant I eat at normally decides what i will get. Below are a few types.
Standard Chain - TGI Fridays, Applebees, Perkins
I normally find something on the menu that I know the guy in the back can't really mess up. Having worked at a Perkins, I know for a fact that at most chain places any meal that isn't a sandwich is going to be a microwave piece by piece creation. My example is the turkey diner at Perkins. You take a few slices of thick cut pre cooked turkey breast and throw it on the grill. You then microwave the mashed taters, green beans and stuffing that comes precooked and frozen. Throw it all on a plate and put some gravy that was made from a package of gravy concentrate and hot water. Anything that you know your mom spent hours slaving over a oven to create is something you should skip at any chain. If they server breakfast, that is normally a good choice, but if it is in the evening and I don't feel like eating Briner, I will normally get some sort of sandwhich, possibly a burger, depending on where I'm at and what I have had there before.
Small town/local diner
Your mom and pop coffee shop. I love the food here. My folks owned and ran the diner for a small town of 300 people. I have never eaten so well
. You are normally safe to eat anything there as it will be pretty simple stuff, but I stick to the daily special. In most cases it was prepared that day and they are planning on selling out of everything. If you see something on there like meatload sandwich, or Turkey commercial, that usually means it was left over from yesterdays special. I will grab the left overs every time. You get amazing comfort food, and because they want to get rid of the leftovers, you get a great price.
Greasy spoon/Late night - Waffle House
This is like the small town diner, but you will probably be here only if it is 2 am. If I want eggs, it is omlet time. If not I get a patty melt. Patty melts are hard to mess up, and always taste delicious. Especially at 2 AM
Fancy/specialty Places
I try and stick to the chef special. To me this is much like getting the dinner special at a local diner. The chef has prepared a set amount of it that day. It normally tastes amazing, and you get somethign different everytime. Often this is a seafood dish which also helps me to stay away from things that I will normally make at home. If I'm at a steak house or a BBQ place that is known for it's Steak or BBQ, then I just get what I would never get or be able to make at home.
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AnimeJ, pick your self up a tortilla press. If you seriously like cooking and mexican food then its a must have.
Jonman, see if there is a Bahn Mi shop around you in Seattle. Imagine a traditional French sandwich, with a Vietnamese flair. Living 4 blocks from an area known as 'Little Saigon' spoils you in terms of South Asian cuisine. Bring me more Blanchan chips!
Feeank wrote:
I eat lots of Thai food. So much Thai food, in fact, that two places here in town know me by name. With one of the restaurants, all I have to do is say my name over the phone and they know exactly what to cook and tell me it'll be ready in 5 minutes. The other Thai restaurant actually changed their menu because I order a certain dish with zucchini added.
So far keeping it together's been enough
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If I'm out for brunch/breakfast I tend to go for some form of eggs benedict since that's something I'll never make at home. If they don't have any interesting bennies on the menu my second choice is usually huevos rancheros.
For lunch or dinner I really don't have any "typical" food - it depends on what I'm in the mood for and what's on the menu. If there's an animal I haven't eaten before, I'll usually give that a try.
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Broadly speaking, I order something interesting. I can make chicken parmesan at home, I don't order it out to eat. That goes for four star restaurants or diners. i'll almost always order the seafood.
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I'm always looking for something I haven't tried yet. If it sounds interesting I will give it a try. I love spicy food and could eat Indian extra hot every day of the week. I just recently tried Korean for the second time, and I had this super spicy stew with mussels, squid, shrimp, and other seafood. I can't remember what it was called, but it was awesome! Kick ass spicy, but really good. The waiter even looked at me kind of funny when I ordered, and said "You know that is really spicy, right?"
That being said, if Fish and Chips is on the menu, and they have a conspicuous bottle of malt vinegar, I'll probably get that. I just can't get enough.
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A burger is usually a safe choice when the estuarant quality is questionable, but I generally go for stuff I don't get at home. My wife is a very picky eater, so I never get to have any fun with dinner.
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if i'm eating out, it's generally either a places like BW3's or whatever is local (not a chain) and I'm near the location. I used to go out to asian places pretty frequently but I lost my ability to eat the filth that is American chinese food, I cook a lot better and when my wife and i are together that's pretty much what we eat everynight.
I used to really like burgers but I love to grill a good burger so much more than eating out. I'll never turn down good seafood.
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I will usually order chicken in mediocre restaurants. Fine dining, if they have seared tuna, I'm all over it. I'm not a huge seafood eater, so I don't usually go for shellfish or other fish. Chains are all about sandwiches. Any place with aged beef is all about the tenderloin.
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If you'll be in town for PAX '09 this year, I know a fantastic Thai place. The head cook goes back to Thailand to visit once or twice a year and comes back with tons of hometown spices and peppers. Their portion sizes are generous, their vegetables fresh, and the curries are thick, hot, and flavorful.
ColdForged wrote:
I always order dessert as my appetizer.
For my meal I tend to order items that are a pain for me to cook at home. I generally stay away from pastas as well.
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My typical restaurant food depends on the restaurant. My favorite places locally are the Thai, Indian, and Japanese non-chains. I love me some Mutter Paneer, Tom Yum, and good sushi. I was raised in Alabama on good (not fried all of the time) Southern cuisine, but as an adult I greatly prefer more exotic stuff.
Living in the Northeast U.S. it's VASTLY easier to find good Thai/Indian than to find good Southern/soul food.
I suppose that I always order things that I wouldn't be able to make at home.
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I'll order the seafood. I'm the only one who eats seafood in the house, aside from the occasional salmon filet, so I'll order that when I go out, as long as I'm something fancier than a chain restaurant.
Care to share? Those are some of my favorites, but I've never learned to cook them. (This may be complicated by the fact that I do not own a wok, and have an electric stove, not a gas stove.)
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So that means everything is deep fried and there is ginger beef.
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Pho and Laksa are my go-to dishes. Fairly cheap, always tasty, and a hassle to make at home.
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My Food Network hero also swears by the Tortilla press. It's in the works, just a matter of when. Probably when I get to OH after school in TX.
I love Thai food too and forgot to mention it. It's a rare exception though, because I'm very one dimensional. Red Curry chicken, medium hotness, extra rice, spring rolls. Occasionally I'll get sushi if they serve it, but that's a rare occasion.
Electric Stove, not an issue. Gas gives you better control over temp, but not a big deal. Same thing with the wok, a good sautee pan with bamboo tools works(I prefer bamboo for just about anything anyway though). As for recipes, all the ones I use are on the internet; Allrecipes.com is my staple source.
Coldstream wrote:
XBL
I usually let the restaurant dictate what I end up ordering; if I'm at TGI Fridays or something like that, I'll usually grab a burger, or if I'm at a pub I'll usually grab fish and chips or a chicken parma. I love good, simple food like that, as long as it's done well. I used to order steak a lot, but I rarely do that now -- very few places do a better steak than I can do at home, and most of those charge so much for the steak that I'll usually order something more interesting.
My real favourite, though, is heading out to a fancy-pants restaurant and having a tasting menu, often without actually looking at the menu beforehand so that each course is a surprise as it appears. The best meal my wife and I have had was at Vue de Monde, perhaps Australia's finest restaurant, where there's no menu at all. Once you're seated they simply ask what kind of budget you had in mind, and whether you have any special requirements, and that's it -- everything from then on just unfolds before you.
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That sounds awesome. I doubt I'll ever make it to Australia, but I need to keep an eye out for something similar here. I can just about order from all of my local eateries without even looking at the menu these days (except I know exactly what I'm getting), and that's BORING.
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if someone can find me a restaurant in the Midwestern United States (somewhere in the Chicago / Detroit / St louis triangle) that does this, I would be eternally grateful. I have been dreaming of an eatery like this for years, I had no idea one actually existed. if the Midwest is too backwater, I'd be willing to go to NYC or Philadelphia.
Otherwise, I'm going to have to wait till I retire from my first career and open my own place.
Sig
Subway has become a staple with the $5 foot long deal. That is pretty much it when it comes to fast food. Otherwise I can be found eating mexican, chinese, and indian food. Really love korma! I also really love gyros and hummus but I haven't found a close place to get that regularly.
I always have a hard time deciding what I want, not that anyone would ever know. Before I get down to picking I will find something safe just in case I'm still waffling when our host returns. Oh and for some reason I find it hard to order the same dish if someone at the table orders it before me. I've learned not to tell my wife my 1st choice cause I think sometimes she orders it just to watch me squirm. Which usually leads to me picking something at random. I don't usually think about anything when I choose, just go with my gut feeling and pick what looks interesting.
Friends have made fun of me because I can eat the same thing 24/7. If I like something it never gets old. Like for example there was this chinese place within walking distance of my apt when I was going to school. Almost every day for a year I'd drop by and get chicken cashew for dinner. The owner and most of the workers got to know me by name. Anyway one day as I was walking into the place the owner saw me and waved at me while yelling "Chicken Cashew!" As I was getting my wallet out I told him actually I think I'll get the moo goo gai pan instead.
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Tip: Whenever you go to an Italian restaurant that you may consider revisiting, I order the Veal Parmiagana for the first time. Veal Parm is the easiest thing to make on the menu next to pasta. If they screw that up, then the restaurant most likely sucks.
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My general eating habits include steak, lots of steak, hell, steak with a side of steak and a steak cookie for desert.
I buy entire steer rumps, or rib fillets and get them sliced for me from the butcher. I'm not sure what steak costs in the US but I usually get away with steak under $10 australian a kilo... hmmm, quick conversion... $4.50 a pound. The last side of beef I bought was at about $3.20 a pound.
So you'd think that when I go out I'd go with something else instead of something I could have at home but for a ridiculously marked up price...
No.
To add a little variety I'll get a surf and turf or a half steak half ribs order, or something like that to spice it up.
EDIT: Hmmm... Vue de Monde... I wonder if they have steak.
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