benchmark dishes

[M2d]

the numerous food threads here and some inane continuous improvement meetings at work got me to thinking about my restaurant habits. for certain cuisines, i have benchmark dishes that i order the first time i go to a restaurant.

as an example, for japanese, i'll order chicken katsu (chicken cutlets breaded with panko and fried) or tonkatsu (pork cutlets with the same treatment). if that's satisfactory and i return a second time, i'll go for the tempura. if that's good, i'll go with teriyaki beef the third time.

my reasoning is that katsu is fairly simple for a decent cook to make, so, if they screw that up (breading too thick, breading falling off, meat over cooked, breading soggy, etc) there's no point ordering anything else on their menu.

the second visit determines the real skill of the cook once the pretenders are weeded out. good tempura is light and not greasy. the shrimp or veggies are cooked perfectly (overcooking is a major flaw in many tempuras) and the batter has a nice golden color. Once past the second step, the restaurant's golden in my book and i'll probably return regardless of the result of the third test.

that one is mainly for informational purposes only and to fix a ranking in my mind. i'm not a huge fan of any teriyaki that i don't make myself, but i'll eat it to test it out. to me, good teriyaki sauce is light but not runny and not too sweet with a nice but not overpowering vinegar kick. also, if they use pineapple in it, they fail.

obviously, if you go to a new restaurant in a group, it's fairly simple to do these tests all at once, but the first two are pretty much dealbreakers for me anyway.

what are good benchmark dishes for other cuisines?

[zenfurni]

It seems like a fairly simple idea at first, but I like the levels of thought you've put into it, which brings me to the question: what are good benchmark dishes for an Italian restaurant?

I feel like the "classic" Italian dishes, spaghetti marinara and bolognese, don't qualify because I'll usually have those at home and not a restaurant (in contrast to say, pad thai for a Thai restaurant).
I nominate chicken parmigiana and lasagna. I feel that each of these dishes tests the ability of the Italian restaurant to combine cheese, sauce, and either pasta or breaded chicken, and I'm definitely motivated to reach for the parmesan as a first instinct at an Italian restaurant just because it strikes me as a complete meal. I would definitely like to hear what others' first choices are at Italian restaurants.

As a bonus: my first choice for lowbrow American/pub food is a patty melt. Discuss.

[edfurlong]

Italian: I'm thinking gnocchi.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
As a bonus: my first choice for lowbrow American/pub food is a patty melt. Discuss.

[/ QUOTE ] chicken friend steak w/ eggs.

[edfurlong]

Hashbrowns are the ultimate test of diner breakfasts.

[Golden_Rhino]

Zen

Chicken Parm is an excellent indicator of an Italian restaurant because if it is made well, it's amazing, and if it is sub-par, well it's still ok. Lasagna might be too high a bar to start with. I've had some really bad lasagna in my lifetime.

Ed,

Gnocchi is my favourite Italian dish, but it is too easy to mess up to keep in line with the OP's intentions.

[El Diablo]

M,

Very nice thread idea.

Thai restaurants I want to try yellow chicken curry, pad thai, and either fresh or fried spring rolls the first trip. If that all works, I want to try a spicy chicken curry, coconut chicken soup, and some meat like garlic pork. If that all works out, I'm gonna mix it up w/ some duck curry and maybe something random like a seafood dish on my calibration trip.

Sushi I'm trying maguro, sake, shiro maguro, and hamachi nigiri. Spider roll and some sort of spicy tuna roll and a basic fish roll like a rainbow roll. Next trip I'm gonna try some different nigiri and some more involved rolls.

[adsman]

The true test of an Italian restaurant is the risotto. I love it when I order the risotto and the waiter says, 'I'm sorry, that will take 30 minutes.'

Don't be sorry. That's what I was looking for. Now I can settle back and relax, knowing that my risotto is being prepared from scratch. Cooked to order. If your risotto comes out quicker than that, then they're cutting corners. And not just on the risotto.

[kidcolin]

[ QUOTE ]


Ed,

Gnocchi is my favourite Italian dish, but it is too easy to mess up to keep in line with the OP's intentions.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that's the point, no? If they get that right they're golden? Am I misunderstanding the OP?

And I agree with you, gnocchi is the best. Unfortunately I didn't discover it until I moved from Boston (and subsequently, the delicious north end). Sodini's in North Beach, SF has really awesome gnocchi if you get the chance.

As for what I order first when trying an Italian place, it's usually eggplant parmigiana.

[kidcolin]

Kind of a simple one that my grandma taught me. Whenever she went to a new restaraunt (american), she ordered a burger. If they messed that up then they weren't worth going back to. And I agree with her.