# Restaurants that can't do a specific thing well **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 30, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335 "2022-05-30T02:25:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/121 "2022-06-14T14:12:57Z")
I’m a Plain Eater - no ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc. so I always order my fast food cheeseburgers plain. When I place the order I always have to say - Cheeseburger plain with only cheese on it. Otherwise, I’ll be given a hamburger, because apparently, a plain cheeseburger means no cheese! ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/122 "2022-06-14T14:19:33Z")
I went to what was allegedly an Italian restaurant in Minneapolis that, somehow, someone up there thought was a good Italian restaurant. Being of Pure Calabrian Italian descent, I was first shocked by the fact that the place did not have even one red sauce menu item. Not one. Their white “sauce” (a corruption of the word) tasted like melted butter mixed in water. In short, their food was awful. So the “specific thing” that Italian restaurant couldn’t do was cook Italian food. Now, that’s hard to be as far as flaws go. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/123 "2022-06-14T15:56:20Z")
Sounds like a Northern Italian place which is going to be lighter on the red sauce items, if at all. Tomato is used, but not like in the south, which is what most Italian-American cuisine is based on. I’m curious now what this restaurant would have been. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/124 "2022-06-14T16:07:47Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > I’m a Plain Eater - no ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc. so I always order my fast food cheeseburgers plain. When I place the order I always have to say - Cheeseburger plain with only cheese on it. Otherwise, I’ll be given a hamburger, because apparently, a plain cheeseburger means no cheese! I started a thread here a while ago lamenting how often my hamburgers come with cheese on them, despite my requests to the contrary. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/125 "2022-06-14T16:17:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Tomato is used, but not like in the south, which is what most Italian-American cuisine is based on. I’m curious now There is a tiny Italian restaurant we like, owned and operated by an Italian grandma type with a foul mouth (part of the attraction). IIRC she is Sicilian. We took a friend there one night, and when the owner came around to see how we were doing, our friend mentioned that her grandmother was from Genoa (IIRC), to which the owner replied, “you’re not embarrassed telling everyone your grandmother was a whore?” We all laughed, but it was kinda cringey. The owner also drops F bombs left and right. She has homemade Italian salad dressing in cruets on the table. If you ask for a different salad dressing, she’ll tell you, “Fuck No! None of that shit on my tables!” We love her. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/126 "2022-06-14T16:24:03Z")
Something I’ve noticed is that in the NYC area , a restaurant that simply calls itself Italian is generally a “red sauce joint” , at least to some extent. Northern Italian restaurants will usually specify that. In other locations, I’ve seen the red sauce places bill themselves as specifically “Italian-American”. I presume in those places, an “Italian” restaurant might be any other Italian cuisine. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/127 "2022-06-14T16:43:38Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > i swear to og one-day m going to get on the Metrolink and find a hat location … everyone in south la and orange county swears by that place Maybe I’ve eaten at The Hat too often. I worked in the San Gabriel Valley for decades, and there was a wide choice of Hat locations. They’re cheap for the quantity, but the quality is so-so. I used to like their pastrami, but I really like their fries and rings the best. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/128 "2022-06-14T17:14:54Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > What is it with bbq joints being named after numbers? The one near us now in Maryland (which is properly good, sides and meat) is Texas 2:50. I have no idea why they would do that. Here in Texas the good barbecue places tend to be named after the original owner. They have names like Howard’s, Smolik’s, Hoegemeyer’s, Rudy’s, and Julian’s. Unfortunately the bad places also tend to follow that pattern. We have one “local” chain here in Corpus Christi which makes all their barbecue in San Antonio, then chills it and ships it to the various restaurants all around South Texas where all they do is reheat it. For whatever reason people still go there, but that one is also a mystery to me. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/129 "2022-06-14T17:30:51Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Them: But it comes with it. > > And I still don’t wamt cheese. Every single time I go in. This is a common problem in our society. Lots of people can’t wrap their heads around the notion that you might not want everything that’s included in the price. Try ordering a meal with “half the normal amount of fries” some time. Even if you’re a regular. There’s a butter chicken dinner at my local pub, that comes with rice and naan. I always get it without the rice, because I just can’t eat that much these days. So the cooks substitute extra naan, so I still end up leaving a lot uneaten. I’ve given up trying to explain it to them. ---
**Author:** ![hostility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hostility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hostility)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/130 "2022-06-14T19:44:05Z")
> Very tasty, delicious; ready to be eaten with aplomb. How did plums get mixed up in this discussion? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/131 "2022-06-14T19:52:02Z")
And how did they cross them with apples? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/132 "2022-06-14T22:02:38Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > There’s a butter chicken dinner at my local pub, What a great country you must live in! ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/133 "2022-06-14T23:44:42Z")
Not my quote, but that’s a peach of a reply. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/134 "2022-06-14T23:48:51Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I went to what was allegedly an Italian restaurant in Minneapolis that, somehow, someone up there thought was a good Italian restaurant. Being of Pure Calabrian Italian descent, I was first shocked by the fact that the place did not have even one red sauce menu item. Not one. Their white “sauce” (a corruption of the word) tasted like melted butter mixed in water. In short, their food was awful. So the “specific thing” that Italian restaurant couldn’t do was cook Italian food. Now, that’s hard to be as far as flaws go. Come on, you’re among friends. What was the place? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/135 "2022-06-15T00:21:55Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I started a thread here a while ago lamenting how often my hamburgers come with cheese on them, despite my requests to the contrary. I feel your pain. I can’t stand cheese on burgers, with two exceptions - bleu cheese crumbles are good, and so is shredded cheddar on an open-faced chili burger (a “chili size” if you’re in the know). American cheese absolutely ruins a burger for me, and any time I order a burger from a fast food place, I will pull it out of the bag and unwrap it at the counter to make sure they haven’t put cheese on it in spite of my “no cheese” request. Slapping cheese on the burger is so automatic for fast food cooks (and I should know, I used to be one) that I’ve even had it happen with burgers that don’t come with cheese by default, like the Jumbo Jack or the Whopper. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/136 "2022-06-15T00:36:09Z")
I’m the same. Wendy’s used to always add cheese. I got in the habit of saying “No cheese” multiple times when I ordered. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2022, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/137 "2022-06-15T01:31:33Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > so I still end up leaving a lot uneaten. Man, I love the heck out of “doggy bags”. Leftovers for lunch rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/138 "2022-06-15T04:43:09Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > I’m a Plain Eater - no ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc. so I always order my fast food cheeseburgers plain. When I place the order I always have to say - Cheeseburger plain with only cheese on it. Otherwise, I’ll be given a hamburger, because apparently, a plain cheeseburger means no cheese! When I worked at Burger King, “plain” meant that the sandwich came with just the bun and the patty, and absolutely NOTHING else. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/139 "2022-06-15T04:52:00Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > When I worked at Burger King, “plain” meant that the sandwich came with just the bun and the patty, and absolutely NOTHING else. At Jack in the Box, “plain” would have meant bun and patty plus any “premium” ingredients that are included on that sandwich. So, for example, if you ordered a plain Sourdough Jack (sourdough, patty, mayo, ketchup, tomato, bacon, Swiss), you would’ve got a patty on sourdough with bacon and Swiss, but not the sauce or the tomato. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335/140 "2022-06-15T11:24:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I feel your pain. I can’t stand cheese on burgers, with two exceptions - bleu cheese crumbles are good, and so is shredded cheddar on an open-faced chili burger (a “chili size” if you’re in the know). Thanks to someone here who posted a thread about cheese a few years back, I learned the joy of quality aged cheddar cheese. A burger or an omelette with that instead of the standard American “cheese product” is a whole different thing. By the way, am I the only person who finds the term, “cheese product”, somewhat unsettling? 🙄 🙄 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-cant-do-a-specific-thing-well/965335.md?page=8)