Many years ago, I read a column by an out-going restaurant critic about what to order at restaurants. (I thought it was Frank Bruni, but no.) I still use this little tidbit whenever I find myself at an elegant restaurant and want to be wowed.
Order the oddest looking thing on the menu.
The reasoning goes that popular foods — your seared tunas, pork bellies, beet and goat cheese salads, burrata anything, molten chocolate cakes — are on the menu because the chef wants to please the customer and offer something restaurant goers will want to order. Granted, all those menu items are delicious so it makes sense we all want to eat them. The trouble is that you may end up eating the same dish every time you eat out.
So, if you really want to be wowed, try to find the odd duckling on the menu. The critic reasoned that the only reason a chef would have an odd item on the menu was if the chef personally loved it. Of course, to follow the advice, you have to be game to try anything.
This is how I ended up with the pickled herring and beer spread at Aquavit under Marcus Samuelsson. It was complex and tastebud affirming. I order pickled herring all the time now, trying to recreate how delicious that dish was. Or, this popcorn egg and octopus platter at Commonwealth. It tasted like reconstructed breakfast. Mind blowing and fantastically creative.
Let me know if you give it a try!
