# Restaurants that don't serve essential dishes/items **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 18, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451 "2025-02-18T13:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/141 "2025-02-20T03:40:27Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > transparent, rice paper wrapped cold spring rolls Those are summer rolls to me. Transparent enough to easily see the big shrimp inside. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2025, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/142 "2025-02-20T03:48:42Z")
For those following along at home, what I refer to as “spring rolls”, and what I believe @pulykamell likely does as well: [![](https://healthynibblesandbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Vietnamese-Spring-Rolls-7.jpg) ](https://healthynibblesandbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Vietnamese-Spring-Rolls-7.jpg) Taken from: > **[Simple Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls (with video)](https://healthynibblesandbits.com/fresh-vietnamese-spring-rolls-with-video/)** > > A step-by-step guide (with video) on how to make tasty and beautiful Vietnamese spring rolls. These spring rolls are filled with shrimp, vegetables, herbs, and noodles. And back to the OP, we’ve had multiple different terms that could be applied to two or _more_ different dishes, confounding expectations! ---
**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:** [February 20, 2025, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/143 "2025-02-20T03:49:32Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > and what I believe @pulykamell does as well: I refer both to those and the ones in my picture as “spring rolls,” depending on whether I’m in an East Asian or Southeast Asian resturant. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/144 "2025-02-20T03:52:21Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > u say that, but sometimes it’s something you just want/miss. So you find another good reason to go there and happen to hit it up because you were there _anyway_… To be honest, I drive out of my way to avoid ‘chain’ restaurant food, not because it is especially awful (although increasingly so it is) but just because I’d rather patronize a local business and maybe discover something remarkable versus eating some warmed over crap that some corporate shill commoditized within an inch of being edible. Stranger ---
**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:** [February 20, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/145 "2025-02-20T03:58:00Z")
I understand, but I think there’s the nostalgic or emotional involvement that often overrides any objective quality assessment. For the first, how many threads have we had about White Castle memories/tastes, the McRib, or the elusive Sichuan sauce for McDonalds nuggets, many of which comment along the lines of “and now I remember why I only want this _because_ it only shows up every few years!”. And there are chains, and there are chains of course. PTerrys in Austin TX, was a (local) chain [badly damaged by Covid], and there burgers were the best sort of “cheap and cheerful” burgers imaginable. Or the New Mexico Lotaburger chain (though corporate enshittifcation has been making itself felt even there). ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/146 "2025-02-20T04:21:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I mean, isn’t part of visiting other places NOT getting food exactly the way you’re served back home? There are people for whom even considering a McDonald’s (or other American chain) in a foreign country to be anathema. My take on it is that it’s not American tourists keeping a McDonald’s in Asakusa (for example) open, I badly need some calories and a quick break, and as long as I’m ordering something I can’t get in America it’s still something interesting to try. I had a tikka masala sub at a Subway once near the Tower of London and I still wish they’d bring something like that here. Sure, don’t do it all the time, but sometimes you just need a lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/147 "2025-02-20T04:53:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Don’t Tex-Mex burritos often have lettuce on them? When I was in Oklahoma, I had something called a Tex-Mex burrito and it was a rolled flower tortilla filled with Texas chili and topped with queso sauce. That’s it. It tasted good, but nothing I would associate with Mexican cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/148 "2025-02-20T05:54:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, New Mexico is its own (_very delicious_) thing. Years ago, I ate at the Coyote Cafe, a restaurant in Vegas owned by a well-known New Mexico chef named Mark Miller. It was one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever experienced. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/149 "2025-02-20T06:25:18Z")
This thread reminds me of the time that I went to a Chinese restaurant in my town that was known for serving authentic dishes, and asked for soy sauce. The server looked at me as if I had asked for maple syrup to pour on my rice and said, “We don’t have soy sauce.” ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/150 "2025-02-20T11:38:06Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I am still getting over the shock of no butter served with the waffles at Waffle House. Why would it surprise you that they serve margarine instead of butter? It’s not a high end dining experience. I don’t believe that their regular customer base cares about trans fats. 😺 ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/151 "2025-02-20T12:44:30Z")
You might want to talk to these folks: [Ken Albala | University of the Pacific](https://www.pacific.edu/campus-directory/ken-albala) [Sarah Lohman – Culinary Historian](https://sarahlohman.com/) [THE FOOD HISTORIAN - Home](https://www.thefoodhistorian.com/) [Tasting History with Max Miller - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TastingHistory) They seem to have different backgrounds; fine arts, history, and culinary experience. or maybe start your own blog or YouTube channel [Pineapples - The Most Expensive Fruit in History](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gphn0mDB5m0) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/152 "2025-02-20T13:16:04Z")
It would surprise me because I don’t know when was the last time I saw individual packets of “whipped spread” or margarine as the only option in any restaurant. When I saw “no butter” mentioned here, I though it means “no packets of yellow grease” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/153 "2025-02-20T13:24:29Z")
On the flip side, I have to mention that when I first returned to the Boston area circa 1990 I would be served Italian bread… …at Chinese restaurants. Yes, instead of rice as the standard starch, they’d serve little loaves of Italian bread. It was utterly bizarre, and it was at multiple unconnected restaurants. It freaked out Pepper Mill when she came to live with me, too. I finally figured that it was probably because they had so many Italian-American customers, to whom bread was considered “essential”, but rice wasn’t, so they made the change to appeal to their base. I used to order a side of rice and take the bead home to eat later. It’s not as if all Boston-area Chinese restaurants did this. I don’t recall it from the first time I lived in Boston. Joyce Chen’s never served Italian bread. But the place in predominantly Italian neighborhoods did. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/154 "2025-02-20T14:34:19Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > San Diego enchilada sauce, at least the kind they use at Berto’s style places, has a slightly gravy-like consistency and is only mildly spicy, but I’m almost 100% sure that (unlike most store-bought brands) there’s no tomato in it, just chilis and spices with probably a broth base. **'berto’s Enchilada Sauce** 15 guajillo peppers, dried 2 ancho peppers 5 chili de arbol 1 medium onion 6 cloves garlic Stem, seed, soak, and boil everything. Blend then strain. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/155 "2025-02-20T15:18:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > ’m sure it’s not uncommon, but I also don’t think it’s particularly Midwestern. Don’t Tex-Mex burritos often have lettuce on them? When I google up videos or pictures of burritos in Houston or Dallas, I see quite a few with lettuce on them. I have never seen a burrito served with lettuce inside in my entire life. I’ve occasionally seen one with lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese on top, but never inside. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/156 "2025-02-20T15:26:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m not sure I can find New Mexican cuisine here in Chicago other than my attempts at it. This place off I-90 serves Southwestern (supposedly New Mexican) cuisine. > **[Street View of Flo · Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rRJbHKzuekmcwBKf7)** > > 1434 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642 ---
**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:** [February 20, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/157 "2025-02-20T15:29:33Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I have never seen a burrito served with lettuce inside in my entire life. I’ve occasionally seen one with lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese on top, but never inside. It’s getting rather common around here. Del Taco has a couple of “combo” burritos that have lettuce. I often add it as an ingredient if I’m having lunch at a local joint. They are always happy to do so. The crunch adds texture. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/158 "2025-02-20T15:43:57Z")
Damn this thread. I was pondering trying to meet up with my half-brother this Spring to got to Santa Fe and visit Meow Wolf to take all of our minds (it we be us, my wife, and my sister in law) off the state of the nation and indulge in better New Mexican food than white-bread Colorado Springs manages, and this thread is making said pondering more certain. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/159 "2025-02-20T17:22:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I hate rice on my burritos, but some places here will put it on by default. Here in NorCal the standard burrito is usually the giant mission style burrito. They very often come with rice by default, but not always. My favorite place, [Chando’s](https://chandostacos.com/food/), does not include rice. I too prefer them that way; more often than not restaurants use rice as a cheap filler, allowing them to serve giant burritos while skimping on the other fillings. But getting back to the OP and what some people consider to be an “essential” part of a dish, from the looks of Chando’s Yelp reviews, some people seem to think rice is an essential part of a burrito. One reviewer even suggested that without rice it shouldn’t even be called a burrito, but rather a “taco wrap” or something. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I refer both to those and the ones in my picture as “spring rolls,” depending on whether I’m in an East Asian or Southeast Asian resturant. I’ve seen a few Vietnamese restaurants in these parts that have “fried spring rolls” (meaning the Chinese style) on the menu, in addition to the Southeast Asian style. I wonder if that’s to appease the customers who ordered spring rolls expecting the former, and were disappointed when they recieved the latter. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/160 "2025-02-20T17:30:33Z")
I too don’t like rice inside a burrito. Before moving to the UK I lived in Houston for a couple years and had some really good Tex-Mex burritos with rice as a side, not inside. Here in the UK Tex-Mex or Mexican places are really thin on the ground and when you find one the burritos are always the “California Style” with rice inside. To add to the spring/egg roll confusion, here they are often called pancake rolls. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451.md?page=9)