For me, it’s a few things. The ever-present, lazy charcuterie plate comes to mind. I don’t care what wonderful selection of fancy meats & cheeses is available at any given place, but I can slap those on a wooden board with a lil fig jam, Marcona almonds, fancy mustard or similar accoutrements and call it a day. There is zero skill involved in putting it together, and I’m most certainly not paying an upcharge for that.
Steak and most chicken dishes are also rarely of interest to me – too easy to make at home well, with fairly little skill involved.
When I go out for a meal, it’s to indulge in dishes for which I don’t have the time, competence, patience or access to ingredients & necessary cookware. The last thought I want to be leaving with is “I could’ve made this, and possibly better.”
That’s so interesting! I’m one of those idjits who almost always gets pasta at Italian restos, even though I make killer pasta at home. In fact, my killer pasta dishes were so killer last summer we never even went to an Italian restaurant
The other way around has some threads (although there was also a similar, older version of this, my new one ;-)), but I agree on deep-frying at home being a nope. Shitty ventilation n 'at.
Calamari is one of the few things I have actually made at home, frying oil stench residue in the entire house be damned (tho it’s been a while). I just toss them in seasoned cornstarch & they’re done in seconds. I’ve had decent versions out, but it’s not a must-order for me.
I won’t say never order, but rarely order. Chicken dishes, and sometimes pasta dishes. I think it depends on how the chicken is prepared, and what they’re charging. And sometimes I just want pasta with whatever mix-ins that have enticed me upon ordering.
But what would this site be without absolutes, definitives, and rock-hard convictions? Sure, I coulda included a few what ifs and buts… but where’s the fun in that?
I also rarely ever order a burger out, unless I am at a place that specializes in them. It’s pretty rare that I go to burger places, however.
The few times I might order a burger is if there is nothing else of interest on the menu, and my impression is that it might be the only good thing there. But those outings are generally not of my choosing.
I know there are “specials” that are legit, but I’ve heard my restaurant cook kid talk about food costs enough to know that many specials are designed to minimize waste. After a few memorably bad experiences I just order off the regular menu.
I roast chicken around once a week so I’m not craving it at restaurants. I don’t like chicken breast as much as dark meat so I’m not tempted by chicken breast.
I make pork chops at home. Not interested in most restaurant versions, except for Vietnamese pork chops, which I do order.
Milos does a good fancy fried calamari. That’s the gold standard for what I want. In Toronto, Joso’s makes a nice fancy version.
Fried calamari is something I order out. I do not make it at home. I am fuddy about fried calamari so I only order it at restaurants that make a better version.
If someone invited you to a restaurant you would order any of those dishes/meat sources? I’m confused. Why would you order something you don’t care for just bc someone else is paying?
