# What would you order from this menu? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766 "2010-12-03T04:51:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/21 "2010-12-03T07:56:14Z")
Maybe it is just a matter of the style in which you wrote this menu… but much of it sounds generic and unappetizing. I’m sure some of it is good, but I am not hooked by the descriptions and I question the culinary background of some of these dishes… I do not want a bean pastry, I do not want crab empanadas with plum sauce or pepper fries with mayonaise . Might try your soup and salad. Fish and Chips is whitefish and potatoes, not salmon malarky. Noor taro or any of that other bullshit. I might do your spinach and chorizo scramble or the veggie burger. Love to try any/all of your dessert menu. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/22 "2010-12-03T08:01:10Z")
I’m a picky eater, so take this lightly. Savory Black Bean Pastry - black beans are best used very sparingly - pinto is better, I have no idea what poblano or pancetta are ,and not a big fan of cheese in a pastry. So not off to a good start. Avocado-Roasted Corn Salad - Except for the cheese part, very promising! Dumpling Soup - Apples in a soup seems kind of weird, but I’m fascinated, definitelywould give this a try. Chile Pepper Fries - So it’s not spicy fried, it’s battered peppers? I would try it. Crab Empanadas - not a fan of crab or cream cheese, although I’d be curious about the plum salsa. Fish and Chips - not a fan of pistachio or slaw. Not sure what blue potatoes are. Veggie Burger - putting cheese and mayo in a veggie burger kind of misses the whole point, doesn’t it? LOL. Still not sure what poblano or pancetta are. Also, in the vegetable world, lentils and split peas are not the optimum choices. Total loss here. If you’re going to bother to have a vegetarian option, you might as well make it vegan, and highlight more appealing vegetables. Roasted Chicken and Savory Cranberries - sounds fine. Not sure what tao roots taste like. Pineapple Braise - Just pineapple slices? Not some sort of meat dish in a pineapple sauce? Could be interesting, but it sounds like the bread is the only opportunity for fillingness. I like corn muffins, and sometimes cornbread, but what effect do the other vegetables have on it? Spinach-Chorizo Sauté - except for the yogurt part, NOMNOM! Cannoli - Cheese doesn’t belong in a dessert. And seriously, you seem a little bit overzealous with the cheese. If you made it some sort of sugary cream instead, then maybe. Milk and Cookies - NNNOOOOOOOOO, licorice is an abomination, doubly so in cookies and/or ice cream. Rose Mousse - Meh on the pistacho. And huh? On the flavor. What is rose flavored mousse? Plum Cobbler - have no idea. Nut flavored ice cream seems odd though. Habanero Tres Leches - it tastes like cigars?? Or is there some other meaning for habenero? And what is cajeta? VERDICT: Definitely a whole bunch of stuff that I’ve never heard of (and some that need translating). Most of which I’d be delighted to try if you took out the cheese/yogurt and pistachio. Have you actually prepared all of these at some time or another? IOW: Awesomely original. But, needs to subtract cheesiness and nuttiness for full on nomnom. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/23 "2010-12-03T08:08:02Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’m way out of your target demographic, I think. I like plain, simple food without exotic ingredients. [snip] I’d rather have the lunch special down at the bar by the courthouse, which is usually a meat and two veggies, with drink and maybe a piece of cake for about $8. The meat and all veggies will be things I recognize. The unusual ingredients will put off some but attract others. I’d like to attract enough customers to be profitable, but at the same time, if I try to make the restaurant all things to all people, it will end up being nothing. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/24 "2010-12-03T08:09:53Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > If I was presented with this menu, I’d lobby for leaving and going somewhere else. It seems like you’re trying too hard to give each dish a “twist,” all of which are unappealing. Why cashew ice cream? Why garnish the dumplings with scallions? These things don’t sound like they’d taste very good together… I understand this place is not for everyone. It’s never been put to me quite so clearly until now, but this is important to learn. I chose the cashew ice cream for the cobbler because I thought the plums and cashews would taste good together. As for the scallion garnish, a simple shallow choice - I thought the scallion blossoms would look pretty. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/25 "2010-12-03T08:12:42Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Fish and Chips is whitefish and potatoes, not salmon malarky. It usually is, but does it have to be? The fish and chips spots around here give you a choice - there’s the standard cod, maybe halibut or salmon. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/26 "2010-12-03T08:18:31Z")
What are your serving sizes? Are they foo-feu or realistic? Or massiv, even? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/27 "2010-12-03T08:21:21Z")
> [@OleOneEye](#): > > It usually is, but does it have to be? The fish and chips spots around here give you a choice - there’s the standard cod, maybe halibut or salmon. Not it doesn’t have to be , except there is only one unforgiveable culinary dissonance that I cannot forgive, per personal foibles, and that is _breaded, battered, and deep fried salmon_. It’s intolerable. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/28 "2010-12-03T08:25:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Habanero Tres Leches - it tastes like cigars?? Or is there some other meaning for habenero? A habanero is an extremely spicy pepper. It’s said to have a sweet, fruity flavor, but I’ve never had it in high enough concentrations to be able to comment on that. It’s usually used for either macho sauces (the kind that almost nobody actually enjoys, but which some folks eat to show off how tough they are) or in extreme dilution (since you can still have some heat coming through, but all the non-heat elements of the flavor are diluted away). ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/29 "2010-12-03T08:26:00Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > What are your serving sizes? Are they foo-feu or realistic? Or massiv, even? Small enough to be sensible (in other words, not Cheesecake Factory huge), but big enough for a meal. This isn’t nouvelle cuisine or elf food. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/30 "2010-12-03T08:27:43Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Not it doesn’t have to be , except there is only one unforgiveable culinary dissonance that I cannot forgive, per personal foibles, and that is _breaded, battered, and deep fried salmon_. It’s intolerable. Weird. When I do get fish and chips, I almost always get it with salmon. I’m not big on whitefish. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/31 "2010-12-03T08:30:25Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Habanero Tres Leches - it tastes like cigars?? Or is there some other meaning for habenero? And what is cajeta? Habanero is the chili habanos are Cuban cigars. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/32 "2010-12-03T08:32:52Z")
> [@OleOneEye](#): > > Weird. When I do get fish and chips, I almost always get it with salmon. I’m not big on whitefish. Oh, I am a big enough fan of salmon and potatoes, I am just picky about the cure and preperation. I think it has to do with the same reasons as why we don’t have wildly popular beef nuggets- we have chicken nuggets. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/33 "2010-12-03T08:33:31Z")
I’ve thought about this some more, and it’s likely that future iterations of this menu would have some additional items. This place is never going to be a trendy hotspot or an $8 lunch stand, but I may be able to incorporate things with a slightly broader appeal. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/34 "2010-12-03T08:37:17Z")
Been a chef for 25 years. Cooked in every capacity. I think the flavors are great. Nice work on the menu. I like the limited descriptions as well. The dumplings sounded great as well as everything else. I can hardly stand Bennigans style verbiage in menus discriptios. I can tell you know about food and that it is a hell of a dumpling. No restaurant should be for everyone. The ones that do suck. What city BTW. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/35 "2010-12-03T08:39:09Z")
Everything sounds too tortured into being a spin, take, or twist on a dish. I’d want \*some \*fairly straightforward fare. A nice gastropub I used to frequent had some similarly twisty items on their menu, but also had a great burger and fries. Sure it was a buffalo burger, but that’s not a twist that totally changes the basic idea of what a burger is. Where is the beef, by the way? ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/36 "2010-12-03T08:40:50Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > The dumplings sounded great as well as everything else. I can hardly stand Bennigans style verbiage in menus discriptios. I can tell you know about food and that it is a hell of a dumpling. No restaurant should be for everyone. The ones that do suck. What city BTW. Seattle area. The dumplings are an egg dough filled with minced roasted chicken and seared apples. Sweet and savory. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/37 "2010-12-03T08:42:47Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Where is the beef, by the way? There isn’t any, but that could change. It’s not one of my favorites, except in, say, a tartare or a carpaccio. I’ll think about it. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/38 "2010-12-03T09:01:06Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I have no idea what poblano or pancetta are [snip] > > Not sure what blue potatoes are. [snip] > > Not sure what tao roots taste like. [snip] > > And what is cajeta? [snip] A poblano is a pepper about the same size as the bell pepper but pointier; it’s got a small amount of heat, but it’s not as hot as, say, a jalapeno. Pancetta is an unsmoked bacon. Blue potatoes are simply potatoes that have a bluish pigment. Taro roots are a starchy root vegetable - they don’t have much taste on their own, but they have nice squiggly red lines and look prettier than plain potatoes. And cajeta is caramelized milk. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/39 "2010-12-03T09:44:42Z")
> [@OleOneEye](#): > > Blue potatoes are simply potatoes that have a bluish pigment. Taro roots are a starchy root vegetable - they don’t have much taste on their own… Then why are you using them? Is there something better you could do locally? Why be exotic over taste? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766/40 "2010-12-03T09:45:12Z")
> [@OleOneEye](#): > > The licorice is Pernod The main flavour in Pernod is Aniseed. :smack: Any way, I’m going to side with the “I’m not going to order anything” crowd. There’s nothing on the menu that pulls me in. There doesn’t appear to be any underlying theme to the dishes - who wants to eat at a Mexican - Middle Eastern - Ethiopian - American - Italian joint? There’s no obvious star dish. It almost reads like a list of things you’ve tried at dinner parties and everyone has said nice things about. Also, you’ve got no plain fall back dishes. If a party of four comes in, one will inevitably be a Joe Sixpack. When he sees that the best option (Fish and Chips) has neither fish nor chips, all four walk out the door. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-order-from-this-menu/562766.md?page=3)