• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Chefs share which appetizers you should never order at restaurants

Home> News> Food & Drink

Published 16:23 28 Dec 2023 GMT

Chefs share which appetizers you should never order at restaurants

"Explore more elaborate, chef-crafted offerings."

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

Chefs have revealed what menu items you shouldn't bother ordering as appetizers.

It's all too tempting to get a bit carried away when ordering an array of starters before you tuck in to the main meal.

However, which appetizers are actually worth potentially not leaving enough room in your stomach?

Advert

If you're mad enough to prefer dessert over appetizers, well, then you know where the door is.

My personal weakness often takes the form of some squid and I regret to form any fellow fans that sadly, calamari has made the list.

Executive chef at Metropolitan Cafe in Texas Randall Braud argues fried calamari is 'the same' from restaurant to restaurant, so you shouldn't expect anything different.

Advert

"It’s always fried and the biggest difference from one place to the other is the dipping sauce," he tells Huffington Post.

Although, you could argue that's the whole point of choosing it - knowing it's consistent. And professor of food studies at Syracruse University's Falk College Mary Kiernan partly agrees.

She notes she wouldn't make fried calamari at home and so she'll often order it 'over other choices' - as long as she knows a restaurant 'knows how to prepare it properly' that is.

Fried calamari is still up for debate.
Getty Images/ Jonathan Wiggs/ The Boston Globe

Advert

The second item takes the form of fried mozzarella sticks, Kiernan arguing the 'quantity' you receive 'never seems to match the price you pay'.

"For me, it’s also a nutrition-based decision. I can be satisfied with one but will still eat them all," she says.

However, if a restaurant is making them with a special twist, then the chef notes it could be worth trying out if you have other people to 'share' the dish with.

Snails can rest a little easier with this one, with food lovers advised against ordering escargot as Kiernan urges people to not order something just because it's a delicacy when they actually 'only sort of' like it.

Advert

Foie gras and sweetbreads can also take a pass from being included in your next appetizer menu pick, the chef arguing 'a taste or two is sufficient' and there's no need to 'gorge' on them all the time.

Snails can rest a little easier.
Getty Images/ myLoupe/ Universal Images Group

Brussel sprouts aren't just taking a hit at Christmas either, but from the appetizer suggestion list too.

If you're a fan of the green, leafy balls and hoped to nab a bite post the autumn and winter season, Braud notes they're 'best served during those seasons' and when they're not, they're typically 'fried' - far less superior to when they're in a gratin or a galette.

Advert

And alas, if you're a cheese and cracker fan, chef Nik Fields thinks you're making a poor decision because the dish is 'easy' to prepare on your own if you order 'common simple cheese and cracker platters'.

She adds: "It’s more interesting to make your own board and choose the things you like instead of going with what’s already there.

"Instead, I often prefer to explore more elaborate, chef-crafted offerings on a restaurant’s menu to experience unique flavors and techniques."

Insert Chef's Kiss here.

Featured Image Credit: Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images / Michele Bella/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Topics: Food and Drink, World News, US News, Money

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    TSA issues warning as it bans passengers from taking nine bizarre items on planes

    If you're vacationing soon, you might want to double check that you don't have any of these items in your luggage

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Apple TV's 'excellent' new film was shot entirely on iPhone and is available to stream for free online

    British musician Stormzy stars in the new Apple TV short film

    Film & TV
  • 5 hours ago

    Pentagon shares details behind 'highly classified' strike on Iran and how stealth bombers traveled ‘without the world knowing’

    Operation Midnight Hammer included more than 125 aircraft, units from the Navy, and so-called 'bunker buster' bombs

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    People are divided after dentist reveals the proper way to brush your teeth

    Dr Victoria Sampson told Steven Bartlett all about oral hygiene on The Diary of a CEO podcast

    News
  • Flight attendants reveal the five items you should 'never' order on a plane
  • Gordon Ramsay warns you should never order from one specific part of a restaurant menu
  • Gordon Ramsay warns there is one part of a restaurant menu you should never order from
  • Expert reveals one meal you should never skip if you want to live a longer life