# Top 5 Dishes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502 "2012-11-29T19:11:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/1 "2012-11-29T19:11:13Z")
Say a famous Chef (or other person you really wanted to impress culinarily {is that a word??}) was coming to your house & wanted you to prepare your best five dishes for them. Representative of your cooking style and skill; desserts, appetizers, a whole menu, 5 main dishes, whatever. What would you make? (Inspired by resturant Impossible) ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/2 "2012-11-29T19:56:38Z")
I’m not much of a cook, but here goes. I’ve drafted my wife to help 😉 1. Standing rib roast 2. Mrs. R’s mashed potatoes 3. Hash browns / fried potatoes 4. Mrs R’s cheesecake 5. Boiled egg and anchovy sandwiches ---
**Author:** ![Bilbo1967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@Bilbo1967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bilbo1967)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/3 "2012-11-29T20:27:12Z")
I doubt anything I cook would impress a professional chef, but I do enjoy cooking, so my five would be; Mushroom risotto Potato Dauphinoise Moules Mariniere Courgette bake (I think that’s more commonly known as zucchini in the US) Chicken pakoras ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/4 "2012-11-29T20:42:22Z")
I like to pretend that I can cook some. 1. Bacon-chipotle mac 'n cheese 2. spicy split-pea and ham soup 3. roasted brussel sprouts 4. Asian peanut butter pork 5. blueberry bread pudding with lemon cream sauce ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/5 "2012-11-29T20:43:37Z")
Seafood paella Meat loaf and mashed potatoes Biscuits and sausage gravy Mussels _Provençale_ My mother’s “perushkes” ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/6 "2012-11-29T20:44:57Z")
I do not aspire to professional chefdom either but I can occasionally cook a meal. I would make: Chicken matzo ball soup with fresh herbs Wild mushroom risotto Pot roast with new potatoes and port Pomegranate and frise salad with Bulgarian feta Toasted walnut and pecan chocolate chip cookies or Pecan sweet potato pie ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/7 "2012-11-29T20:47:59Z")
Hamburger Helper - Tomato Basil Special K Almond Vanilla Cereal with Milk Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Marie Calendar’s Frozen Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo The phone number to Pat’s Pizza … you see, I’m not a very good cook … ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/8 "2012-11-29T20:55:26Z")
Meatloaf Cottage pie Cream of broccoli soup with onion Lomo saltado and definitely Cinnamon Crack Buns (actually peach dumplings, but they’ve been renamed by a former coworker) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/9 "2012-11-29T20:58:19Z")
My bolognese-style pasta sauce My chicken enchiladas My marmite/butter/5 year old cheddar/jalapeno summer sausage/poached egg/sundried tomato/onion/chipotle sauce breakfast sandwiches on a toasted english muffin My Hot and Sour soup My Barbeque Pork fried rice ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/10 "2012-11-29T21:51:00Z")
real chefs just want good food, you think ferran adria wants everyone and their mother to serve him their take on molecular gastronomy? my scratch chili bechamel mac n cheese potato leek soup braised collard greens chicken piccata ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/11 "2012-11-29T21:58:18Z")
Shrimp piccata Lasagna Slow cooked pork with garlic and thyme Salted caramel Nutella brownies Apple dumplings ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/12 "2012-11-29T22:02:48Z")
Mine would be: Meatloaf Simon & Garfunkel chicken Baked Chicken Syrian Chicken chicken parmesana What a fowl list! (lolz at **Jack B**.) ---
**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:** [November 29, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/13 "2012-11-29T22:07:36Z")
The one cuisine I feel I do particularly well and have a good handle on is Hungarian. I would do goulash (the soup), chicken paprikas with galuska (spaetzle), fresh Hungarian sausages (perhaps with lecsó, a pepper, tomato, onion dish, kind of like ratatouille), stuffed kohlrabi, and maybe Hortobágyi palacsinta (crepes stuffed with veal paprikash.) The last may be redundant with the chicken paprikash, so I might do something else. ---
**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:** [November 29, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/14 "2012-11-29T22:10:45Z")
Oh, actually, I’d probably throw in a Polish soup there: either żurek (a soup made with soured rye, sausages, and hard boiled eggs) or chłodnik, a cold beet-and-sour-cream soup ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/15 "2012-11-29T22:25:38Z")
lobster bisque charred beef slices on a bed of greens pasta shells stuffed with seafood, with pesto sauce, draped in whole fresh basil leaves baby spinach with pancetta, parmesan, and herbs chocolate ameretto mousse cake ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/16 "2012-11-29T22:34:45Z")
Mushroom Turnovers Twice Baked Potatoes Rib Eye Steaks Pan Roasted Asparagus w/ Toasted Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan Spice Cake ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/17 "2012-11-29T23:05:36Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Seafood paella > > Meat loaf and mashed potatoes > > Biscuits and sausage gravy > > Mussels _Provençale_ > > My mother’s “perushkes” On second thought, I 'd swap out the meat loaf with my meatballs and Sunday gravy on pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/18 "2012-11-29T23:09:36Z")
I’ll bite. What’s Simon and Garfunkel chicken? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/19 "2012-11-29T23:13:52Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > I’ll bite. What’s Simon and Garfunkel chicken? It’s only successful half the time? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502/20 "2012-11-29T23:37:41Z")
Most of what I cook aren’t my own recipes, but here’s my list of favorites to make: 1 Red and black bean chili 2 Latvian Rassols salad (a tangy potato, beet, apple, herring and pickle salad) 3 Slow cooked oxtail stew with rutabaga 4 Baked pork chops with garam masala rice 5 French Onion/Tomato soup The last is something I did come up with, although it does use Campbell’s condensed soups. Mix one can of French Onion with one can of Tomato soups with only one can of water. While heating add lemon juice, Worcester Sauce, Nuoc Mam Sauce, and Tabasco to taste. Adding a couple pats of butter also makes it yummier. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-5-dishes/642502.md?page=2)