Anthony Bourdain's Restaurant Tips: What to Order and Avoid

In-Depth Analysis

### What to Avoid Ordering

Bourdain provided a wealth of advice on what not to order at restaurants, often emphasizing authenticity, food safety, and value. Here's a breakdown:

• **Bargain Sushi:** Cheaper prices often mean compromised quality, risking the use of lower-grade fish or inauthentic preparation.
• **Brunch:** The risk of leftovers and improperly stored ingredients, especially in items like hollandaise sauce, makes brunch a potentially risky meal.
• **Truffle Oil:** Devoid of real truffles, it's often just synthetic flavoring masked with a high price tag.
• **Anything Well-Done:** Chefs may use older or less desirable cuts of meat for well-done orders, as overcooking can hide imperfections.
• **Mussels:** Unless you trust the source, mussels can pose a food safety risk due to improper handling and storage.
• **Ground Beef Dishes:** Dishes like shepherd's pie and chili can be a way for restaurants to use up leftovers, disguising the age and quality of the meat.
• **Punny Menu Items:** Authenticity is key; menus filled with puns often indicate a lack of genuine culinary focus.
• **Swordfish:** High parasite risk and mercury content make this a questionable choice.
• **Kobe Sliders:** Grinding Kobe beef diminishes its quality, making sliders more about status than taste.
• **Chicken:** Often mishandled and a common source of salmonella contamination.
• **House Bread:** While now regulated, the practice of recycling uneaten bread was once a common industry secret.
• **Hollandaise:** The potential reuse of table butter raises hygiene concerns.
• **Chicken Caesar Salad:** Often a compromise dish lacking the chef's passion.
• **Steak if Sushi is Also on the Menu (and vice versa):** Restaurants attempting to do too much may lack specialization.

### Bourdain's Evolving Views on Fish

Initially, Bourdain advised against ordering fish on Mondays, believing it to be days old due to weekend market closures. However, he later retracted this statement, acknowledging the improved standards and practices in the modern food industry. He noted that the demand for fresh fish and greater consumer awareness have led to better quality control.

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FAQ

Takeaways

• Be cautious of bargain sushi and brunch items due to potential quality and safety issues.
• Avoid truffle oil, as it rarely contains real truffles.
• Consider the potential risks of ordering well-done meat.
• Stay informed about evolving culinary practices, as Bourdain's views on Monday fish demonstrate.
• Be wary of restaurants that try to offer "something for everybody," as specialization often leads to higher quality.

Discussion

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Sources

Disclaimer

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