Choosing The Best Restaurant Dishes When You Eat Out
Some people invariably order the same thing when they dine in restaurants because they are afraid to end up with an expensive plate of food that they will not enjoy. They end up eating the usual steak or chicken wherever they go. Some people though like to try new things whenever they eat out and they make some good discoveries but quite just as they will end up getting a dish they don’t particularly like.
For both types of diners there are actually ways to have a certain amount of assurance that they will be able to choose the best restaurant dishes whenever they have a night in town. There are pointers that can help you avoid wasting time or money when you eat at a restaurant and a few recommended dishes that you might want to try.
• Do some research whenever possible. If you are going to do some serious dining out then it is possible to do a little research about the place you will be going to. Some restaurants even publish their menus online so you can look through these. While you’re at it, take note of their entrees. If any are unfamiliar to you, get busy and look them up in the internet. You will get helpful information that can prevent you from ordering food that is going to taste unpleasant to you.
• Find out from those who have been to the restaurant you are about to visit what they would recommend. People can be quite vocal about a bad meal and reticent about praising foods they liked but at least you will have an idea of what’s good in the menu.
• Once you are seated in a restaurant, don’t be embarrassed about asking questions and asking for adjustments to your order. For example, if you’d rather not have too many peppers in your casserole, go ahead and say so.
• Ask them what the specialty of the house is and when they tell you what it is, ask what it is like. Is it sweet or savory? Is it spicy? There is no shame in wanting to have more information.
• Read food reviews about the restaurants near you that you might visit someday. Usually you will find customers who put their comments in their blogs so go over those.
Some cuisines have managed to catch the attention of diners worldwide and you might want to try them some time. If you find yourself in a Korean restaurant, the safest choices for you would be Kalbi, the barbecued short ribs that are marinated in soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. If you prefer pork then samgupsal may be the dish for you. Not as well known but just as tasty is Kalbi jim, the beef rib casserole which is cooked with dates and a sweetish sauce. Another option is the tofu soup (sundubu ) that most Korean restaurants serve. This tofu soup will have either beef or seafood as base and you can usually ask the restaurant to make your soup hot, very hot or mild.
If you go to a Thai restaurant, you can also tell the kitchen how hot you want your food to be. The usual bestsellers in a Thai restaurant are pad Thai, noodles with just a hint of tamarind sauce, tom yam which is a hot and sour soup flavored with lemongrass. If you like fish and the restaurant you visit turns out to be one of the few that makes fried shredded catfish (pla doofoo) with mango salad then try it.
If you like barbecue, you might want to try dining at an Argentine restaurant that specializes in asado, their version of grilled meat. They will usually have an assortment of meats available – chorizo, skirt streak, short ribs and chicken. This is served with chimichurri on the side – a vinegar based sauce with garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, pepper, paprika and olive oil.
All good restaurants have a dish that they prepare well. Take note that this might not be their most popular one but do try to find out what the waiters have to say when you order. After all, they have first hand information on which dishes evoked praise and appreciation from their customers.
