Menu pet peeves

Categories: Complaints

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I was on Mischke's show yesterday discussing this list of "9 Phrases to Ban from Restaurant Menus" from the Chicago Tribune.

--"Grilled to perfection"
--"World famous"
--"Kobe burger"
--"Shrimp Scampi"; "Eggplant alla melanzane"; "With au jus"
--"Garden Fresh"
--"Homemade [anything]"
--"Melt in your mouth"

There were several items that I don't see much when I'm dining out ("Grilled to perfection," "World famous"), maybe because I tend to avoid cheesier eateries. But I do think they make a good point that "Kobe" shouldn't be used unless the beef is imported from Japan (kind of like Champagne, if the beef comes from Wagyu cattle raised in the U.S., it should probably be called "Kobe-style"). The nitpicking on homemade seems unnecessary (The writer complains: "Whose home? The busboy's? Restaurant food should be made in the restaurant.")...I think house-made is fine, because restaurant-made sounds rather silly and I think it's important for diners to know whether, say, the corned beef in a Reuben is cured at the restaurant, imported from Carnegie Deli in NY, or ordered from an industrial/commercial food distributor. If your menu doesn't adequately describe a dish you're interested in ordering, then ask your server about it--that's why they're there.

What are your menu pet peeves?

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