Food preferences are very subjective. The most helpful response would be to give a descriptive detail of a certain dish that one is inquiring or thinking of ordering.

Agreed with food tastes being subjective. If I'm ever in that kind of indecisive mood, I may ask the server, "Which am I going to enjoy more, the [special] or the [regular menu item]?", usually being careful to pick two items close to one another in price. They may pick my brains for "you in the mood for cheese/good beef/etc.?", but more often it's "Oh, [one item], definitely!"

It's always a good idea to ask your server for suggestions because they know which dishes on the menu are not as good as others. There are always a few clunkers, and the server will steer you clear of them, if given the opportunity.

I take it that, when I go to the Prime Rib, I should get prime rib, then?

"everything is done quite well... may I suggest you choose something you haven't had in a long time? or perhaps something you don't cook at home?

When was the last time you had good liver and onions?

Or a good broiled fish?

at this point I'm the hero for recommending the cheap (and tasty) out so my job is now selling them all on the expensive appy and another round of drinks.

be careful what you ask for folks.. you just might get it.

I have had some wonderful suggestions from waiters, not only what to order that night but also what other restaurants to try in town. In fact, last night in Charlestown, WV the wife went with the servers suggestion for the strip steak. It was a great call.

I have had some great suggestions from wait staff too. I see nothing wrong with asking them, I find them to usually be pretty honest and say if they've never had what I'm asking about. Even in that case they usually will tell me if something has been a huge failure and to steer clear. After all, no matter how much they may like their job, they work for tips and they want us to be happy!

RoCK, everytime you say Charlestown that commercial jingle "Charlestown races and slots" is playing in my head! Did you gamble and did you win?

Speaking of specials, the Cinghiale Enoteca Sunday supper menu tomorrow features Porchetta. Shall we all gather there, YumPo?

I used to have a fish lady at my supermarket who gave her honest opinion about the freshness of her fish. She once said, when I asked, "I have to display it, but I don't have to sell it."

Dahlink, I don't know if I'd say that porchetta is featured. It's just one of the items at the antipasti bar.

Okay, Hal, be a stickler!

I agree, when someone asks me "whats good" on the menu I have a whole story that I go into, I actually like that question mainly because I am proud of the food we serve and I will reccomend dishes that I actually guarantee to my customers 100%. I tell them "if you do not absolutely positively love this dish I will take it back and bring you something else as fast as I can". asking me "do you make a good margarita" is totally different, to me it sounds like there is a hint of disbelief on my ability on the guests part. of course I make a good margarita, hell, I make 4 versions and they are all great margarita's! it is also one of the TOP TEN questions and statements servers and bartenders hate to hear! like "hey bartender, I need another bottle of beer, this one had a hole in it". I hate that one. anyway when it comes to food, I want my guest to #1 try something they have never had and #2 absolutely love what they are eating. thankfully where I work I am backed by a great kitchen staff who helps me accomplish this. as far as working in a chain restaurant (I thought I never would for obvious reasons) we are #1 in the state and #20 in the country, from over 200 locations. I am proud of the food we serve and welcome all patrons asking me whats good so please belly up and see me, i'll prove it to you!

My daughter works for the Cheesecake Factory in Phoenix. She tells me the servers are told what items to push when asked the what's good question.

Going to a Restaurant and Asking whats good?..Is about the same thing as walking into a Car Dealership and asking the Sales person what Car you should Buy.

It depends on the type of restaurant and the staff. When I ate at Oceanaire, the waiter gave us his suggestions for what was good on the RW menu without us asking. He was right. I appreciated it.

In a corporate chain, Applebees level, I won't ask. I don't think they have staff supper, and they always recommend the most expensive things on the menu.

In a diner type place, with a waitress who's been there for 20+ years? You bet I'll ask, because she not only knows, but I'll probably get a story about how you should never ask this cook to make eggs over easy because that's how his 4th wife, the one who ran off with the preacher's wife, loved her eggs, then there was the major's son, who...

I don't like the question what's good, I think it's a lazy and cheap. However, I interpret it as if I were being asked what I like. So I just tell them every thing sucks and i would never dine at this joint. (Don't get mad at me EL, that was a joke)

Hmm...I didn't know that this was a problem for servers. I usually narrow my choices down to 2 or 3 and ask the server which is best, and they will almost always give me a detailed reason why they prefer one or the other to help me make my decision. I've never had anyone act like it was an imposition or anything. Many restaurants make their servers try all the dishes on the menu...which I figured was so they can answer such questions. Go figure.

Baltimoron, I gave up trying to get a good margarita because they were ALWAYS made with sour mix or some other vaguely lime-ish concoction--and no triple sec.

I once wrote down the amounts and ingredients: tequila, triple sec, lime juice (no Rose's!) and asked a bartender if he would make me that drink. He said, "That's a margarita." "Yes, it is, but if I ask for a margarita that is not what I'll get." He was annoyed because indeed that's not how he would've made it. So he agreed to give me the tequila and triple sec but I had to squeeze a bunch of lime slices myself because he had no real lime juice on hand and was not about to squeeze limes.

I often make margaritas at home but I never order them unless I'm in Mexico--and then I specify on the rocks because they think Americans always want the slushy ones.

I agree with narrowing your selection to 2 items. I was once in the mood for steak and asked the server which one she'd recommend. She couldn't gush fast enough about the strip steak, and it was the BEST piece of steak I have ever eaten.

The question I would ask is "What's good tonight?" One of the specials might be particularly good, or what is normally a pedestrian dish might be a real winner tonight because the chef finally got the top grade ingredients he or she always asks for but rarely has delivered. Or maybe it's Thursday and that fancy fish dish is still using Monday's fish. A good server should know these things as well as general information about menu items and how they are prepared.

Agreed Retired. Also, a good chef and kitchen staff will tell their wait staff to "sell me 3 more fish" (or other dishes), that may be specials and/or are product that they only have a certain amount of left. This helps to sell the specials and cut down on waste of food product. I'd rather have the fresh fish recommended today, than to order it 2 or 3 days later when maybe it should be in the can.

I sometimes ask something like: "What's your most popular sandwich?" and can obtain an objective, factual answer that often is helpful.

I was on an Italian Holiday and staying two days in Mila(o)
The concierge made rservations for us.
When we arrives at the restaurant we were greeted by
bells and whistles(literally).
The host took us downstairs and we were given a round of appplause by the seated diners.
We didn't get a menu, the waitstaf just starting bringing courses(ended up being about 12 courses).
Every time the bells and whistles went off and another party cme downstairs..they were given a round of applause.
Never had tho ask ..."What do you reccomend" it just kept coming out.
One of my enduring memories of Italy...
Molte Vino
I believe it was an Abuzzian restaurant..

>>>I never order them unless I'm in Mexico--and then I specify on the rocks because they think Americans always want the slushy ones.

I got deathly sick that way. We were in Acapulco, evidently the restaurant didn't use "clean" water to make their ice. That was 20 years ago, never been to Mexico since, and will never go again.

If it is a "new" restaurant I'm trying, I will pick a specific item that interests me and ask, for example, "Is your [fill in the blank] good?" If I get an "Uh..." then I know not to order it. Of course, this backfired when I asked about the shrimp salad (against my better judgment) at a chain at the Inner Harbor. The waitress raved about it, and I received a hot dog roll filled with cole slaw and canned shrimp.

I once went to a Vietnamese restaurant with a date who ordered fried rice. The server winced and told him, "No, that's not good." He insisted, and wasn't very happy with it. I liked that restaurant, in part because the servers usually made recommendations and remembered what frequent customers liked.

Jackzig, any number of things could make you sick in Mexico, but it probably wasn't the ice. No one makes ice in Mexico; it all comes in bags just as drinking water is all bottled. Only the poorest of the poor usually drink the tap water. Mexicans have some resistance to intestinal woes, but they get sick from dirty water and food just as we do.

I would tell you to try Mexico again--not Acapulco, there are much nicer places--but the drug violence and kidnappings are out of control. Mexifan that I am I have finally started to be afraid to go there. I always felt safe even traveling alone--not on the coasts or border areas but in the central part. Now even the lovely cities and towns in the central part are affected.

I will go again because I can't stay away. I will never feel as safe as I once did, but a delicious margarita on the rocks will help me believe that the narcotraficantes are far away, peacefully enjoying their margaritas in Acapulco or Chihuahua.

I agree with Eli. I'll narrow down to 2-3 items and say to the server, "I'm torn between (a), (b) and (c). What do you recommend"? Almost every time time s/he is honest, and I'm pleased with my meal. Only once or twice have I wished that I'd picked another dish.

flaquita, I totally agree with you, I hate to use sour mix and actually have tried to hide it with 3 drops of blue curacao making the drink sea foam green, but that is just a mask. we do however juice limes everyday for our signature marg, 2 oz patron, 1 oz organic agave nectar and fresh squeezed lime juice. I also recommend the blue agave on light st, and gecko's near canton.

mmm, all the sudden I'm in the mood for a margarita with lunch.

Speaking of real drink -- Does anyone have a recommendation for a place to get a real caipirinha? I make them at home, my husband showed me how, but he told me most places will make it from a mix, and if they do, not to bother.

Last time I went to buy cachaca, there was a brand bundled with a bottle of mix. I avoided that brand!

fogo de chao makes a mean caipirinha. you can get one at the bar to avoid waiting for a "special occasion dinner".

or go and eat lots of meat too.

Is a caipirinha the same thing as a mojito? Rum, mint, sugar...

similar. lose the mint, add mulled lime. lose the rum, add cachaca (very similar to light rum).

No, Joyce, totally different! At least, according to my Brazilian sister. Not rum...something else.

mulled lime-- as in the pulp smashed with a thick dow rod or pestle.

i wanted to make sure the undercase letters didn't confuse someone into thinking i meant mulling spices.

i was going for muddled.

i was going for muddled.

You probably got confused by your all lowercase typing.

A while back, Dionysus in Mt. Vernon had cachaca, had a pretty good caipirinha there. Other than that, I'm not sure. I've had some good ones in NYC, though.

Also, a key difference in the preparation of a caipirinha and a mojito is the absence of the sparkling water in a caipirinha. That's right, it's just cachaca, lime, and sugar. Oh, and no mint. Basically, it's sugary, citrusy booze. Delish!

Other takes on the capipirinha is the caipiroska, which uses vodka instead, and caipirissima, with rum, both also quite tasty.

you're probably right (as always). maybe using all bold italics will help going forward? lettuce give it a try!

Per Wikipedia:

"Cachaça differs from rum in that most rum is made from molasses. Use of molasses allows for the use of the byproduct of sugar production and a smaller still but has the taste affected by heating. Cachaca can be classified as a "rhum agricole" which is rum produced directly from cane juice."

"1.3 billion liters of cachaça are produced each year. Only 1% of this production is exported (mainly to Germany).[4] Outside Brazil, cachaça is used almost exclusively as an ingredient in tropical drinks, with the caipirinha being the most famous cocktail."

unbelievaboh, why didn't you underline as well? or heck, make it look like a link?

is the difference between light and dark rum the use of molasses?

brilliant idea, sean. i wouldn't want to annoy the regulars though.

Ah, right. That does seem like an easy thing to do lately, doesn't it?

Found:

Distillation
The use of sugar cane distinguishes rum from other liquors. The sweet juices from the sugar cane are turned into molasses and this syrup is then fermented into rum. Rum is then aged in casks, the type of cask used is the determining factor on the color of rum produced in the end.

Light Rum
Light-bodied rum is sometimes referred to as White or Silver and is a very subtle liquor, much like vodka with a sweet tooth. These rums are generally aged in stainless steel tanks for up to a year and filtered before bottling. This process gives light rums their clean, light flavor and makes this variety the most common rum for cocktails.

Gold Rum
Medium-bodied rums are often called Gold or Amber rum and are rich and smooth. This is a result of either the production of congeners (organic compounds produced during production) or the addition of caramel. Gold rums are often aged in oak casks which also contribute to their dark, smooth characteristics. Gold rums make a smooth sipper and can be used in place of light rum in some darker cocktails.

Dark Rum
Heavy-bodied or dark rums are typically used in rum punches and are combined with light rum in many cocktails such as a Hurricane. These are the richest rums that receive their flavor from being aged in charred oak casks. Besides adding a rich, sweet flavor to cocktails, dark rums are the preferred sipper of the rum family, especially Angostura 1824 and Barbanco 15 year.

While we're on the subject, I don't know how to provide a link - any easy guidelines???

NotableM, I know that's been discussed before, but I don't remember where/when. I'm wondering the same thing. I HATE not being able to embed the code through the usual a href= yadda yadda yadda thing, which seems to work on most other blogs.

Advice?

NotableM -
Look at the Categories on the right nav of the blog and choose the one entitled "Linking".

sean,

Doing the a href = thing works for me on this blog. Remember to put the link in quotes too. Sometimes I forget that.

jjk - YAY!! - thanks so much...

Ugh. Quotes.

QUOOOOOOOOTES!!!!!

Thanks.

D@L Field trip! Surely THIS would cure the grumpies, both the Sunday and Monday varieties.

sean,

No problemo! See, I even speak (Brazilian) Portuguese!

no, not really.