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When I go out to eat I always order something I know i'm not going to make at home, either because I dont know how or it's something different.
I'll go out with my Mom or Brother from time to time and he always orders a Burger, she often will order spaghetti.. It makes me kind of shake my head and think, why?
They are both items easily cooked at home at a fraction of the cost.. Here are somethings I wont order out.
1) Steak, I can cook it better and to proper temp, ordering steak out i'm always disappointed, and why pay more then double the cost?
2) Pasta, it costs pennies per serving to make at home, I refuse to pay 10 bucks for a bowl of spaghetti. (exceptions) Specialty items such as carbonara.
3) Burgers, Only if they are off the 99 cent menu at McD's.
4) Meatloaf, I like to know whats in mine.
There are more, just thought it would be interesting to see what others have to say.
Stews like Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Bolognese Ragu etc... things which I can do very easily and very well.
I tend to go to the restaurant to cook things which I cannot do as well at home. Like Steak , Fish and Seafood. Things with sauces as I am not as accomplished a sauce maker as the average chef in the kind of restaurants I enjoy. I find the restaurants I like tend to source mugh better ingredients than I ever can, their Langoustines always better than mine ( same with crab), their meat also tastes better. They can also achieve a much better level of searing than I can at home and generally their end dish will be far nicer than mine.
I know my limits so the restaurants fill my culinary gaps !
I tend to only order chicken if it is a really good restaurant as real proper chicken done properly can be a delight but done badly and it tastes of nothing and is bland and uninspiring.
I tend to only frequent restaurants which tell you about produce provenance and sustainability/humane rearing if I possibly can. I prefer short menus with less choice but more seasonal ingredients and a sense of knowing what I am eating.
I love to try different things so though I have favourites I am always looking for something new. I don't understand people who have the same thing every time.
Hubby and I often share a starter and main course ( and sometimes dessert) so that way we can taste two different dishes instead of one.
Spaghetti with meat gravy, as mine I make at home is far better.
Tuna Salad - I don't know why but I've got this weird skeevy thing about other people's tuna salad, like it's not safe or something. Weird I know!
Plus most people mush it up too much and put too much mayo.
My favorite restaurants are little diners and taco shops and Chinese or Thai food. I find the holier the wall the better the food.
They are both items easily cooked at home at a fraction of the cost.
Finding a good restaurant that makes a mean steak or burger is priceless. I live right next door to a restaurant that makes one of the best steaks I've ever had - well worth the cost! And however easy it is to cook at home, it's still saving me the effort (plus the clean up) so I don't mind paying for that convenience.
Yeah, to find a restaurant that makes these things really well, you have to "kiss a few frogs" and try places that don't live up to the standard. But that's part of the fun - exploring, testing, finding your favorite spots, etc.
What do you do when you go out for breakfast? I mean, breakfast foods are pretty quick and easy to whip together at home and naturally cheaper... so do you just refuse to eat out for breakfast?
Not just for the cost, but mainly for the quality of the ingredients and the overall dishes themselves, which honestly I have been cooking for years, Italian cuisine in general.
I have only thoroughly enjoyed eating Italian food in Italy, and even so, not everywhere. (Before you ask, it has nothing to do with going to upscale restaurants, my favorite ones are incredibly humble and the food is so good I cannot even describe it.)
Also, recipes which include ground beef. I just don't eat it out, period.
When I go out to eat I always order something I know i'm not going to make at home, either because I dont know how or it's something different.
I'll go out with my Mom or Brother from time to time and he always orders a Burger, she often will order spaghetti.. It makes me kind of shake my head and think, why?
They are both items easily cooked at home at a fraction of the cost.. Here are somethings I wont order out.
1) Steak, I can cook it better and to proper temp, ordering steak out i'm always disappointed, and why pay more then double the cost?
2) Pasta, it costs pennies per serving to make at home, I refuse to pay 10 bucks for a bowl of spaghetti. (exceptions) Specialty items such as carbonara.
3) Burgers, Only if they are off the 99 cent menu at McD's.
4) Meatloaf, I like to know whats in mine.
There are more, just thought it would be interesting to see what others have to say.
Right off the top of my head I would say:
Breakfast: cereal, why pay $$ for a simple bowl of oatmeal?
Juice the same
Lunch: grilled cheese: they usually use crappy cheese
soup: I only like my own soup or homemade by a family member
soda: I don't drink soda
Potato salad: it is one of the 3 things that can be made too many ways and everyone has his/her favorite
Cold slaw: for the same reason
Dinner: meatloaf. It is the 3rd thing that that can be made too many ways.
desserts: they cost too much unless it is something very special
and honestly we do not go out to eat often. I am not saying never, but I do love to cook, so it is just easier to do it myself for 1/2 the price or less and I know what I am eating.
What do you do when you go out for breakfast? I mean, breakfast foods are pretty quick and easy to whip together at home and naturally cheaper... so do you just refuse to eat out for breakfast?
I do love a good breakfast buffet, and I cant make biscuits and gravy to save my life. I very rarely eat breakfast unless I wake up starving.
I do go for breatfast if i'm on the road however, or if I have company visiting.
I really think the proof of a good restaurant is if they are able to cook simple things to perfection, like a hamburger, a steak, an egg over easy, or a piece of grilled fish. If they can't do that, then i don't trust them for anything more complicated.
To answer your question. I always think my spaghetti sauce is better than in a restaurant, so i don't order Italian very often.
I always order the most expensive ingredient (not dish) on the menu, usually beef or seafood. The more expensive the ingredient, the lower the profit margin for the restaurant, so I feel like I’m getting more for my money. Ingredients like pasta or chicken are always out, unless the restaurant specializes in pasta or chicken.
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