# Best and Worst Appetizer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 28, 2023, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257 "2023-12-28T05:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/61 "2023-12-29T17:05:43Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The meatballs with grape jam are much better than they sound. I’ve made meatballs in tomato juice and cranberry sauce. Simmered for hours on low in a crockpot, the sauce tastes nothing like tomatoes nor cranberries. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/62 "2023-12-29T17:23:23Z")
> [@solost](#): > > …the ambrosia salad… With mini-marshmallows, of course. > [@silenus](#): > > Which reminds me of the best Single Guy appetizer: a block of Philly cream cheese covered in Pickapeppa sauce with a box of Wheat Thins. I endose this snack. Also a block of cream cheese with Jalapeno jelly on top. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/63 "2023-12-29T17:26:28Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > With mini-marshmallows, of course. Of course! > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The meatballs with grape jam are much better than they sound > [@solost](#): > > It’s a Midwestern thing. I just remembered an amusing plot line from an otherwise so-so “fish out of water” sitcom called “Bless this Mess” involving this particular appetizer. This is all from memory, so I won’t get the details exactly right: Dax Shepard and Lake Bell play a NYC couple who move to a small town in the Midwest. A town pot luck is coming up, and, eager to fit in, the Dax character asks his neighbor who is organizing the pot luck if he could be assigned a sure-fire hit for a dish to bring. She tells him “here’s one you can’t screw up and is sure to please: put equal parts grape jelly and Heinz chili sauce into a crock pot. Don’t mix. Add meatballs.” On pot luck day he’s excited for her to try his meatball dish. She does, and immediately yells out angrily “YOU MIXED IT!!!” ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/64 "2023-12-29T17:29:17Z")
It’s the thought that counts! But you’re absolutely right, fresh made tortillas are things that cannot be imagined by people who haven’t had the joy. I spent over 12 years living in southern New Mexico, and a couple of restaurants (!) had in-building factories which you could see them being made at as if it were Crispy Creme! No concerns about freshness when you saw them come from plancha to your table. And that leaves out various mamacitas that did it all by hand for their pop-ups. The stuff done for most catering and/or mega mart pinwheels. Nope Nope Nope. ( aside: glad holidays are going well for you at the Home, I for one was worried that as the holidays rolled in that there would be opportunities for moping! ) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/65 "2023-12-29T17:33:45Z")
Last night we enjoyed Salted Cantaloupe Jam on crackers, made by a neighbor. It was delicious, and I’d never heard of it before. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/66 "2023-12-29T17:38:25Z")
(Awww…that’s sweet. _Au contraire_ to the max. This place is best described as a cross between a cruise ship and a sorority house. I **am** a card-carrying moper, so I won’t deny that there were a few moments. But doesn’t everyone have them around the holidays? There’s so much pressure to be _happy, goddammit!_ I’m always relieved when Jan 1 is over. _More elsewhere later._ 😘 ) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/67 "2023-12-29T17:52:42Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > But you’re absolutely right, fresh made tortillas are things that cannot be imagined by people who haven’t had the joy. When I was a teenager we used to fry our own tortilla chips at a restaurant I worked at. We didn’t make the tortillas themselves from scratch, but I would routinely cut a big stack of round soft tortillas into quarters with a big chef’s knife and throw them into the fryer basket. I still remember the taste of the tortilla chips fresh out of the fryer. I’m sure I had a perpetually burned roof of my mouth and tongue, though. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/68 "2023-12-29T18:05:35Z")
Sate sticks are a big winner with me. I also like cocktail shrimp and just about anything I can make with phyllo (no recipe needed, just common sense). Cheese balls are not for me and neither is 'lil smokies in bbq sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/69 "2023-12-29T18:20:07Z")
I don’t care for bacon-wrapped shrimp… it’s a bit too “hat on a hat” Shrimp cocktail is the king of appetizers for me. Runner-up would be a cheese ball of any stripe. Deviled-eggs are one of the few foods I actively despise. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/70 "2023-12-29T18:43:19Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > I don’t care for bacon-wrapped shrimp… it’s a bit too “hat on a hat” Bacon-wrapped shrimp, maybe, but bacon-wrapped scallops? The contrast of flavor and texture between the delicate scallop and the aggressively ‘bacony’ bacon is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/71 "2023-12-29T18:52:00Z")
Vienna sausage. It’s what’s for dinner ™. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/72 "2023-12-29T18:52:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > (_Timidly_…) Um, I kinda like those. They’re actually a lot better than they should be. I don’t make them myself, but whenever I go to a party, somebody seems to bring those, and those are among the first appetizers gone. I like pretty much anything. My favorites in restaurants are fried mushrooms, but they need to be battered, not breaded, to achieve their maximum yumminess. Meanwhile, of common fried appetizers, I don’t like mozzarella sticks. They’re just … too much … or something for me. More generally, I like pretty much any cold appetizer. There are many times I’m happy to just make a meal of them. Just gimme a selection of _meze_, some pita, and I’m a happy boy. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/73 "2023-12-29T18:53:41Z")
Same here. I have never made them either but they do seem to show up at a lot at parties and they do seem popular (I like them ok…I’ll certainly have a few). ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/74 "2023-12-29T20:20:38Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > 😃 Seriously, tortillas (both flour and corn) are best fresh and hot with appropriately compatible fillings applied only moments before. Yeah, if see one of those big round planchas in a restaurant with abuelita mixing the masa? Yum! Freshly made tortilla chips from freshly made tortillas are sublime. Most places they’re dreadful. > [@solost](#): > > It’s a Midwestern thing. At a potluck you’d likely find it between the tater tot hot dish and the ambrosia salad. Like the St. Louis Sushi? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/75 "2023-12-29T20:29:25Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Like the St. Louis Sushi? Ha, that’s a new one on me. I had to google it. But then St. Louis, while still I suppose being the Midwest, is the very west Midwest, well west of me. > **[HBO Show Captures Our Trashiness With 'St. Louis Sushi'](https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/hbo-show-captures-our-trashiness-with-st-louis-sushi-39978480)** > > A recent episode of Somebody Somewhere features a pickle, cream cheese and ham concoction called “St. Louis sushi” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/76 "2023-12-29T20:33:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There are many times I’m happy to just make a meal of them. Appetizers, that is. I call that a “snack dinner.” Yum! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/77 "2023-12-29T20:38:02Z")
A Mermaids (after the movie) dinner! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/78 "2023-12-29T20:52:42Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Appetizers, that is. I call that a “snack dinner.” Yum! I remember when apps were “cheap” at a restaurant. Then they figured out people would just eat the apps. So, now, apps at restaurants often cost the same as some mains. As someone who would make a meal of a couple apps this bums me out. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/79 "2023-12-29T21:24:48Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Deviled-eggs are one of the few foods I actively despise. I don’t get the love for these, my family makes them a lot and everyone raves. I can tolerate eggs, even like them in quiches or eggs benedict but these are so disgusting to me. For favorite appetizers- I like any kind of chips/dip - our family makes up for deviled eggs by also adding a softened brick of cream cheese covered with salsa (always Pace Picante) and lots of avocado. Also, any type of shrimp appetizers and back to dips, I love crab, clam, salmon or smoked trout dip. Add some cheese, kielbasa and crackers and I don’t need a main meal. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257/80 "2023-12-29T21:34:28Z")
> [@LVBoPeep](#): > > > [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > > > Deviled-eggs are one of the few foods I actively despise. > > I don’t get the love for these, my family makes them a lot and everyone raves. Me, neither. I like eggs well enough, although hard-boiled isn’t my favorite. But deviled eggs are just hard boiled eggs that have been made to look pretty and taste a little worse. It seems like an awful lot of work to doll up a hardboiled egg. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-appetizer/995257.md?page=5)