I like a really wide range of places. Like I love diners and even fast food (carl’s jr, chick-fil-a, and sonic are my favorites). I like street food too or dingy hole in the walls. For me it’s about what the food is trying to be, what it actually is, and what it costs. That and effort! There are some unforgivable things that I see a lot that are just a matter of diligence, and those totally kill a place for me. It’s like, don’t you love the food? Why would you do this?
My number one pet peeve is food that isn’t prepared well. I go out to eat 100% for the food. Like, we went to a foodie hipster type french restaurant, it was expensive too, and I could tell instantly the salad hadn’t been washed properly. The edges of the greens were dark and wet too, like they were just beginning to turn. There were tiny chopped up green beans in the salad, which were hard to spear, but then the tomatoes were quartered and they were huge. Just no care or love. That energy was so unappetizing.
The side-dish vegetables were frozen and they’d tried to make up for it with the liberal application of truffle oil, lol, which always makes me laugh. And everything was really salty! Like so salty. They also did some generally odd things like served tuna tartare with a giant mountain of parmesan cheese on it. And the place was filthy! There was so much dust on the edge near where I was sitting, and I just feel like if you don’t clean front of house properly you definitely don’t clean back of house properly. The dirty front of house doesn’t bother me much if it’s a hole in the wall place, and cheap, but if it’s pretending to be fancy and then there’s visible dust? Major turn off for me.
Another restaurant we went with he same couple was a super expensive Cuban place. It was beautiful inside, great service, and the menu looked good, etc. The food was pretty but it was so insanely salty and not cooked well. I could have bounced my shrimp down a hallway, lol. The stuffed peppers also had so much water in the bottom, which is like a super rookie mistake, and it sogged the whole thing out. Just not well done. Low conscientiousness cooking is what I call it in my head. It doesn’t cost anything to do things right! LOL, that’s what makes me nuts! Cheap places do this too, of course, but the expensive examples are the worst due to cost.
It’s all about taste in the end for me! Simple and beautiful is wonderful. Complex and sophisticated is wonderful. But I think a lot of places over-intellectualize food and simultaneously disrespect it. I don’t care about the concept of the food or the provenance of every item on the plate when you aren’t even WASHING THE LETTUCE. Like, girl please. I’d rather get a hot dog and call it a day, lol. I do like haute cuisine though, when it’s really done with care. 11 Madison Park is incredible and 100% worth it IMO. I’m not averse to expensive food, I love it, and because I love it I want it to be good!
ETA: Also, if this reads angry that’s not my intention. I’m just super passionate about food, lol. Picture an old Italian grandma saying this while slightly tipsy.
it was so so so bad.
I have diagnosed your friends as smokers. I am terrible
