Chefs reveal the worst appetizers to order at restaurants: ‘It appalls me’
Are these actual crap-petizers or just the ravings of curmudgeonly chefs?
Appetizers can be the highlight of dining out, often boasting the most variety and unique ingredients on the establishment’s entire menu like a culinary cabaret.
However, with such a wealth of choices also comes a lot of potential pitfalls, according to industry insiders.
As a service to diners, a group of select chefs revealed to the Huffington Post several middling starters that one should steer clear of so they don’t needlessly spoil their appetite for the “main” event.
Bon appétit?
Cheese and cracker platters
While they may be the crown jewel of a “Lazy Girl Dinner,” cheese and cracker platters have no place on the restaurant table, according to Nik Fields, the founder of the Chic Chef company.
The epicurean says she refrains from this colossal canapé since it’s easy to prepare at home. “It’s more interesting to make your own board and choose the things you like instead of going with what’s already there,” she explained.
The only exceptions to the rule, according to Fields, are the “elaborate, chef-crafted offerings” that one presumably can’t simply cobble together during a trip to, say, upscale purveyor Whole Foods.
Fried mozzarella sticks
By a similar token, many experts advise forgoing popular mozzarella sticks. Chef Mary Kiernan, who teaches food studies at Syracuse University’s Falk College, says she passes on the dense dairy logs as the cheese isn’t worth the price tag.
“The quantity never seems to match the price you pay,” she said, adding that she’ll break her rule if the establishment is using “artisanal cheese” or whipping up mozzarella sticks from scratch.
In 2021, the maker of TGI Fridays’ frozen mozzarella sticks was sued because they didn’t actually contain any mozzarella.
Brussels sprouts
This might seem like a no-brainer for already veggie-reticent diners, but Randall Braud, executive chef at Metropolitan Cafe in Dallas, Texas, claimed that while Brussels sprouts can be delicious, they should be skipped. The reason: restaurants rarely serve them based on their appropriate serving seasons, namely fall and winter.
Instead, they offer them year-round and simply fry them up “99% of the time,” according to the chef.
Calamari
Battered and fried squid rings were one of the more divisive appetizers. Braud claimed that they’re overrated, as “the biggest difference from one place to the other is the dipping sauce.”
However, Kiernan said that she’ll order calamari over other apps provided that the establishment knows how to cook it.
Sweetbreads and foie gras
Kiernan’s more controversial opinion was that she doesn’t order foie gras, a French staple made from the fattened livers of force-fed ducks or geese.
“I’ve seen chefs gorge on those things and it appalls me,” she told the HuffPost. “A taste or two is sufficient.”
That runs counter to the opinions of many high-profile food world figures, who seem like they’d put the stuff in an IV drip if they could.
In the words of famed Spanish-American chef José Andrés, “I’m sorry for the ducks; I love foie gras.”
This past summer, New York City won a small victory in its long-simmering legal battle against the state over its campaign to ban foie gras sales in the five boroughs.
In August, an Albany judge rejected the state’s December 2022 order that put a halt to enforcement of the ban, finding state regulators had failed to properly study the city law before blocking it.
