Undiscovered Treasure or Deservedly Obscure

How can you tell the difference?

I've always been fond of seeking out small, unsung, usually ethnic restaurants and trying whatever odd things they have on the menu. Naturally, I was pleased to find this forum, which features a lot of people doing the same thing. However, my success record seems rather low when compared to some other posters. My intrepid menu-delving has rarely resulted in any spectacular finds, and in fact has occasionally resulted in some degree of stomach upset. So I'm curious: is there a method to sniffing out the really good, hidden places from establishments that are best bypassed? There have been fantastic-looking meals found at places I would have turned away from, based on appearances, so obviously that isn't a good test. Any wisdom to share?

I have no wisdom to share. I can, however, relate to your experience.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:There have been fantastic-looking meals found at places I would have turned away from, based on appearances, so obviously that isn't a good test. Any wisdom to share?

The best thing I can say about this is that appearance is irrelevant.

A great meal can be found in a slick place with a carefully thought out business plan like Smoque or a non-descript hole-in-a-strip-mall like Katy's. Both styles of places, for exactly opposite reasons, can offer up excellent food.

Best,
Michael

Once, I shared your problem.

Or maybe I still do. I think you get better over time at spotting telltale signs of potential-- or, more likely, lack of potential.

But part of the point of the forum is that nobody's individual odds are ever that great... so by sharing our few successes, the base of possibilities gets better for all of us.

SC – It’s a crapshoot any time that you are taking action based upon someone else’s sense of taste and preference.

This thread might increase your chances of success (whatever that is) by finding “a method to sniffing out the really good, hidden places from establishments that are best bypassed”. However, you will still be relying upon the opinions of others.

An alternate approach is to change the concept of “success” to be more aligned with the ancient Zen teachings: “He (or she) who does not have a bad restaurant experience in the past twelve months is not trying enough new restaurants”.

Enjoy the hunt. Relish the successes. Cast aside the places that result “in some degree of stomach upset”. You know, the Gospel Of Johnny (Mercer).

In terms of the appearance of a restaurant, the important thing I've learned is that my mother's opinion is not an indicator.

She'd never step into a place with ducks hanging in the window, with cracked formica tables, etc.
She's missing out on some great chow.

I also think it's a numbers game - the more places you try, the better your odds. I think the ratio seems skewed to "good" places here because people generally don't post about the dogs. You're right - just because a place is a hole in the wall, or frequented by the ethnic mix it's supposed to represent, is incredibly busy or the opposite of all or any of those things, none of those things guarantee you a good meal - you won't really know unless you eat there. Lots of frogs to kiss.

Hi,

I stop at a lot of places to grab the menu to get an orientation for a future visit.

If I am walking in with a friend, I ask them not to sit down until we've scanned the menu, seen what people are eating and perhaps ask a few questions. I don't want to be stuck someplace I am not interested in just to be polite, if I can help it.

When I scan the menu, I am always looking for stuff I don't know or heard about and hoped to try. If there are regional specialities, I try to focus on those.

Before I knew anything of Calvin Trillin, I had a strategy similar to his when out of town: I ask people where is the first place they'd want to go if they were gone for three months and just returned home. I emphasize not the place you take out-of-town guests, but where you want to be. I've ended up at bars eating BBQ, lobster shacks and all sorts of places my family would not be thrilled about, if they knew.

If I see a place advertising BBQ, I drive around the building looking for a smoke stack. I have a post from last winter that is half completed, about a BBQ joint in Pennsylvania who relies soley on their sauce. Yet, I still ate there. Why? "I then saw their side selections: BBQ baked beans, spaghetti salad, french fries, cole slaw, haluski, potato salad and baked potato. My eye stopped at haluski, a sauteed cabbage and noodle dish of Polish origins. I respected their inclusion of this regional favorite as a side for BBQ, solely on their haluski we shared a plate of food."

I also stop for eggs, meat chickens, pick-your-own-stuff to meet people to ask questions and learn about the region. My car will park on a dime for a community dinner, festival, county and state fair. At a mushroom festival, I learned all about LaSalle County as a fried chicken mecca long before we had jimswside enthusiastically confirm.

I am curious, respectful and demonstrate a real interest in learning about what they know.

And sure, there is always an element of surrendipity, adventure and dogged determination.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:And sure, there is always an element of surrendipity, adventure and dogged determination.

The word is "serendipity" -- but your spelling has an air of abandoning free will to destiny, I like it.