For breakfast, eggs benedict. For dinner, barbequed ribs. Spaetzle is always a good side dish.
Creme Brulee is up on my desert menu whenever I get a chance to order it - so simple, and yet so good.
Slight hijack - do most of you prefer onion rings because it’s less stuffy than french fries (or potatoes in general)? Whenever I eat out I tend to feel guilty about eating the potatoes since I feel the stomach can get more for it’s worth on something else.
Foie gras! Not because I like it, but because I hate geese.
Vietnamese restaurant? Pho.
With the brisket. And the meatballs. And the tripe. And the tendon.
The tendon and the tripe are very important.
There can be very few things on this Earth better than a huge bowl of Pho.
Well, a good chicken katsu, but I haven’t seen one of those in years.
And that’s Japanese, not Vietnamese.
If it has artichokes in it, chances are I’m ordering it.
Panera, right? I was in shock it was so awful.
What got me thinking about this was that I went out to dinner last night at a semi-upscale place, and when I ordered the French onion soup, the waiter said “It’s not actually French onion soup – it has croutons instead of bread, and the cheese is mixed in.” Truth in advertising! Yay! I ordered it anyway, and it was excellent – real beefy and real oniony.
(And, FTR, I ordered prime rib, not steak – and the waiter asked, “Would you like horseradish with that?” and when I said yes, followed up with “Raw or creamy?” swoon)
Fois gras. Not that many restaurants have it, and usually I’m on an expense account in those kinda places. So it’s pretty rare when I don’t get the appetizer with fois gras even though I may generally “like” other appetizers better.
Goat cheese has my name all over it. So it’s a major conundrum when there is a goat cheese and a fois gras appetizer.
I only order a salad if it’s ceasar. And it has to be a salad and not a chicken dish masquerading as salad or anything like that.
Baklava too. If it’s on the desert menu, it is mine. I almost never order dessert otherwise
For years, I’d order saurbraten every time I saw it on a menu, only to be woefully disappointed every single time. Does no one marinate their braten to make it sauer anymore? I was spoiled by my grandmother’s, I guess, which marinated for a whole week at least, and two if it was for Grandpa’s birthday. Nothing like fuzzy purple meat going into the oven. And the gravy at restaurants is always so bland and insipid. A good sauerbraten gravy should bite back! Ginger snaps for flavor and thickening, only way to go.
But I’m totally with you on the red cabbage. So much better than sauerkraut.
I’m also a french onion soup gal, unless they also have Boston clam chowder. Then I’m tortured and angsty until I flip a coin - sometimes literally.
I’ll often order oxtails, duck, goat or lamb - or other “weird” meat - when dining out, because my husband won’t eat it them at home, and it’s too much trouble to cook it just for myself.
At the risk of having to turn in my “married to a German Guy” card, can someone explain to me exactly what sauerbraten is? I’ve heard of it a gazillion times, but I don’t know what the hell it is. Also, is this something a good woman will learn how to make or should I back away slowly and forget I ever heard of it?
Veal. I eat out so rarely at anyplace higher in station than Panera, so I head straight for the veal section of the menu. If they don’t have veal, I look for a good steak, or seafood.
See now, I knew I shouldn’t have opened this, but I did.
Now, despite only recently having had breakfast, I’m hungry!
Oh, and count me in on the gnocchi. delicious.
It’s like a pot roast that’s been marinated in wine, vinegar, onions and other spices before cooking. It’s most likely what a German housefrau used to do to meat that was a little ripe to make it safe to eat and yummy. It’s, when done well, got a bit of a vinegar tang to it. It’s also tender like you wouldn’t believe. The marinade, along with the pan juices, is strained and made into a gravy which is thickened with crushed ginger snaps, making it a slightly sweet, slightly tangy gravy with a unique sheen and consistency - thicker than most meat gravies. Almost, dare I say it, gelatinous. Again, when done well. In most restaurants, it ends up being pale pot roast with blah gravy. If QtM’s German restaurants are better than ours, I may be heading north for a taste testing.
It sounds like an acquired taste, but actually everyone I’ve served it to has loved it, even if they didn’t grow up with it.
This is very much like my recipe, except, like Grandma, I marinate my meat for a week before cooking, flipping it once a day. AB only marinates his for three days. Wuss. 
The juniper berries are great, but can be left out if you can’t find them.
Okay…the vinegar thing I can deal with. That’s like Klepsa (sp?)…the meatballs in vinegar and tomato sauce thing that the MIL clued me in on. However…the gelatinous gravy…that’s making me throw up a little in my mouth. I need an alternate recipe for that.
The ultra-tender pot roast sounds positively dreamy! I love beef and wine gravy.
I substitute because I don’t really care for fries, but I like onion rings.
Does it help if I amend that to gelatinous like pulled pork is gelatinous, not like jell-o? It’s not clumpy or wriggly or anything, it’s just got a smoother richer texture than regular gravy - it’s relatively low fat, but gives the illusion of higher fat because of the meaty gelatin in it. But if you want something more familiar, just use less ginger snaps and thicken it however you like to thicken gravies. Maybe throw a dash of dried powdered ginger in there for flavor.
But now I totally need your recipe for Klepsa, 'cause I don’t know that one.
Okay, this is the recipe, as told to Kalhoun by the Ageing and Forgetful MIL Who Never Followed a Recipe In Her Life:
Make a bunch of large meatballs
Put a few inches of water in a pot. Add vinegar to taste (I took the SIL’s lead and put too much in. We almost died from it…less is more with the vinegar. I’d guess 1/2 cup or so) You’ll want to just cover the meatballs with the water.
Throw in some chopped onion.
Add a can of tomato sauce or two (you’ll know when it looks like gravy base consistency). I also toss in a little Kitchen Bouquet for color and flavor.
When the meatballs are done, take them out and thicken the gravy as you normally would (I use corn starch).
Serve over broad egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Very tasty every-day cooking!
P.S. Okay…the gravy sounds more do-able now that you’ve described it like that. I was picturing “canned meat slime”. That simply will not stand. 
Sounds like they must be.
Maders! They have two types of sauerbraten!
The ginger snaps are key, in both the marinade and the gravy.
I always get liver if they have it, and it’s almost always good. I don’t make it at home because no one else likes it and it’s so disgusting when it’s raw. Plus, even in a restaurant, I don’t encounter it that often, so it’s like a special treat!
Fortunately, I never see these on the same menu or else I’d really be conflicted!
Salmon, esp broiled or poached
Lamb chops
Gyros
Second on that. If they don’t have lamb and aren’t a Mexican place, chances are there is something with artichokes on the menu, and my decision is made.
Of course, whatever the artichokes are with varies, and I’ve had me some rubber chicken dishes, so I guess I’m pleased with that choice about two thirds of the time.