Ever sat at a restaurant wondering what the chef would actually pick from the menu? Turns out, there’s a whole list of dishes that professionals avoid like the plague when they dine out. These industry insiders know exactly what happens behind those kitchen doors, from which ingredients get salvaged before they expire to which dishes are nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
Here’s the thing. Just because something sounds fancy on a menu doesn’t mean it’s worth your money. Chefs have spent years learning the tricks of the trade, understanding food costs, and spotting shortcuts from a mile away. Let’s dive into five items that make even seasoned culinary pros raise an eyebrow and reach for something else.
The Daily Special That’s Not So Special
According to executive chef Alberto Morreale of Farmer’s Bottega in San Diego, specials are often based on ingredients about to expire or items the restaurant is trying to move faster. Gordon Ramsay has been particularly vocal about avoiding soup of the day, noting that restaurants tend to serve the same soup several days in a row to decrease food waste, resulting in an expensive dish that’s neither special nor fresh. Both Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain never order from the specials menu, especially if it’s an extensive list. The red flag gets bigger when you see ten or more specials listed. Think about it: if everything is special, then nothing really is.
Chicken Dishes Across the Board
Ryan Ososky, executive chef at The Church Key in West Hollywood, admits he will order almost anything when dining out but never chicken because it tends to be overcooked at most restaurants. The Food Network notes that chefs avoid ordering chicken for many reasons, including overinflated price and lack of originality. Anthony Bourdain stated in a 1999 New Yorker article that chicken is simply a chore for cooks to make, questioning whether a dish will taste good if the chef can’t get passionate about it. Restaurants face a constant dilemma: cook it thoroughly to avoid salmonella or risk serving dry, rubbery meat. Most err on the side of safety, leaving you with a boring, overcooked plate.
Eggs Benedict and That Risky Hollandaise
Chef Clifton Dickerson of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts never orders eggs Benedict because hollandaise sauce is temperamental during a busy brunch rush, and if it’s not made to order or held just right, you can end up with a broken sauce or something that’s been sitting too long. Hollandaise poses health risks beyond excess calories because if left at the incorrect temperature, the raw egg yolks can go bad, potentially resulting in salmonella-related food poisoning. The hollandaise won’t be fresh and may well be packaged, and the eggs will be rubbery or a little too neat. Honestly, when you’re dealing with raw eggs sitting in a steam well during the Sunday brunch rush, it’s a gamble I wouldn’t take either.
Anything With Truffle Oil
Saura Kline, pastry chef at Local Jones in Denver’s Halcyon Hotel, advises never ordering anything with the word truffle in it because unless you’re at a high-class fine-dining restaurant, it usually means truffle oil, which is very rarely made with actual truffles and tends to be used aggressively while immediately increasing the price. Truffle oil doesn’t contain any truffles and is made in a laboratory with pungent chemicals, making it a universally hated condiment by chefs. Gordon Ramsay called it one of the most pungent, ridiculous ingredients ever known to chefs. That truffle mac and cheese you’re eyeing? It’s probably just drizzled with synthetic oil that costs the restaurant pennies while adding several dollars to your bill.
Soup of the Day
Chef Jon Davis, head chef at City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi, refuses to order soup du jour at restaurants, questioning whether it was really made today, how long it’s been in the steam well, and if the prep cook cooled it down properly. The soup of the day is one menu item Gordon Ramsay never orders, and he recommends asking your waiter what the soup du jour was yesterday to gauge how fresh and daily that soup special really is. Chef Michael DeLone of Nunzio in Collingswood, New Jersey, notes that ordering the soup of the day is code in the hospitality industry for the back of the house trying to get rid of walk-in inventory from the weekend before vendor deliveries come in. Soups can mask the taste of ingredients that are just shy of going bad, and the markup is ridiculous for what’s essentially leftover vegetables blended together.
Next time you’re scanning a menu, remember these insider tips. Your wallet will thank you, and your taste buds probably will too. What would you skip based on what you’ve learned here?
