Chefs tell which menu items they dread
I came across a story this week asking chefs in another city which dishes on their menus bored them to tears and why.
Of course, one of them said he wouldn't have an item on his menu that he didn't enjoy preparing, which is the proper response but probably not true. At least it wouldn't be true for most restaurants.
I'll never forget a chef from out of town who opened a restaurant here saying he was told you can't have a restaurant in Baltimore, particularly downtown, without having a crab cake on the menu.
That's just sad. ...
But restaurateurs do have to be practical. You have to have at least some dishes on your menu that people love and order over and over again, and therefore your chef could get bored fixing.
Anyway, here's the story. I wonder what Baltimore chefs would say. Maybe I'll steal this story idea sometime when Sarah KK needs a restaurant-oriented story for the Taste section. (And if any chefs want to answer this for us, please post below.)
(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)
Comments
Well I'll that we can't always have items in our menus that we are no fun of, but the area that you cook is what determin what you place in your menu the key is to find a way of those items become interesting to you and your crew and by doing that you will still make the profit and care about those items as they were your own
Posted by: Chef Henry Rodriguez | October 10, 2009 4:23 PM
I haven't made a chicken caesar in years.
Posted by: hmm | October 11, 2009 1:44 AM
EL, just a tangential point here: Why is it "just sad" that crab cakes are staples on Baltimore restaurant menus?
Crab Cakes are a fantastic Baltimore tradition. And even now, as many top restaurants around the country are adding "Maryland Crab Cakes" or crab cake sliders on their menus, it seems to me even our worst crab cake in Bmore is superior to those you find in other cities.
If your point is that it's uninspired to have so many restaurants offer the same style, I'd agree that it would be interesting to see more chefs offer their own twist on the classic--like Nancy Longo does with her smoked crab cakes.
Do we need smith island cake and chicken boxes on every menu in town, too? No. But Crab Cakes, IMHO, have been elevated to the level of local culinary institution--like Q in Memphis, or Lobster rolls in Maine, etc...
Back on-topic: if any of my chefs get dismayed that they have to prepare something they don't want to, it's usually a sign of an impending burn-out or misguided career choice. You sometimes find "chefs" who thought they were signing up to front-man a rock band and then get terribly disappointed that they actually have to work. And work hard.
There's a natural tension in the kitchen: artist vs craftsman. All chefs must balance the need to be creative with the need to "assembly-line" their creations.
And that's all well & good. But I can also tell you this: I don't know anyone who actually *enjoys* making wings or crab dip or any of the other bowling alley foods that seem to populate every casual menu I've ever seen. :)
I just don't think there should be any one dish every restaurant owner thinks HAS to be on the menu to succeed in Baltimore. EL
Posted by: MDMMS Restaurateur | October 11, 2009 2:33 PM