Name a common food that most restaurants should get right; yet often don't

[srams21]

What common, fairly easy to make food do restaurants most often get wrong?

I'll start with chicken wings. Many bar and grills or even slightly upscale places have them as entrees or at least apps. I feel like many places put them on the apps just to have them. Many times they are meh to even very bad.

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Caviar.
Temperature is the key.

 

[JWolf74]

The amount of restaurants that use gross watery ranch is far too many.

 

[JWolf74]

A lot of places f*** up an old fashioned as well. It's like the simplest cocktail to make.

 

[mnole03]

Coleslaw will tell me everything I need to know about a restaurant.

 

[SeaPA]

You hit on the correct answer in the OP. Forty years ago at the frat house we made wings that were vastly superior to what most restaurants (including those who "specialize" in wings) make today.

 

[srams21]

Coleslaw will tell me everything I need to know about a restaurant.

Interesting. Tell me more.

 

[Bonerfarts]

Bread. So many hard and stale buns for sandwiches and burgers. Meat and ingredients could be great, but if the bread is bad it ruins the whole thing.

 

[SeaPA]

Coleslaw will tell me everything I need to know about a restaurant.

Coleslaw is simply gross.

 

[CerroGordoHawk]

A lot of places f*** up an old fashioned as well. It's like the simplest cocktail to make.

Same with a Tom Collins. You don’t put f*cking grenadine in a Tom Collins.

 

[Tom Paris]

What common, fairly easy to make food do restaurants most often get wrong?

I'll start with chicken wings. Many bar and grills or even slightly upscale places have them as entrees or at least apps. I feel like many places put them on the apps just to have them. Many times they are meh to even very bad.

Grits.

 

[DropitlikeitsHawk]

Blooming Onion.

 

[mnole03]

Interesting. Tell me more.

It requires fresh ingredients and doesn’t store well. It’s relatively easy to make, but you can get creative with it.

If you put out bad coleslaw you can’t cook or you don’t care about what you serve.

 

[jasonrann]

Fries. If a restaurant can't get fries crispy, they don't deserve to be open.

 

[mnole03]

Grits.

Another good one. Dead simple. Often done poorly.

 

[jdw10224405]

Amazes me how places can still screw up fries. Biggest thing for me is warm and crisp, but so often they get served cold, undercooked, or burnt.

 

[JWolf74]

Same with a Tom Collins. You don’t put f*cking grenadine in a Tom Collins.

At cool basil they topped my OF with a so much club soda it came in a 12oz cup. They also muddled a nasty cheap marichino cherry in it, although that was the least egregious thing.


Also I'll add any place that garnishes a whiskey cocktail with cheap cherries. Luxardo or GTFO.

 

[Tom Paris]

Another good one. Dead simple. Often done poorly.

Anytime I’m in the south I order them as a side at some point…or shrimp and grits. Paula Deen’s restaurant chain makes very good grits.

 

[FAUlty Gator]

Over easy eggs. Very few get it right.

 

[Tom Paris]

Amazes me how places can still screw up fries. Biggest thing for me is warm and crisp, but so often they get served cold, undercooked, or burnt.

The worst are at Cane’s. When we get it I throw all the fries in the air fryer first.

 

[Wendy79]

The amount of restaurants that use gross watery ranch is far too many.

Are you libeling runny ranch??

 

[Tom Paris]

Are you libeling runny ranch??

Mickey’s in IC makes their own runny ranch and it’s delicious.

 

[JWolf74]

Are you libeling runny ranch??

Cheap, watered down ranch?

 

[ihawk in FWB]

A lot of places f*** up an old fashioned as well. It's like the simplest cocktail to make.

I'm not a picky old fashioned guy, but it does include two alcohols, sugar/syrup and two kinds of fruit. It's not the simplest cocktail.

I like extra bitters in mine.

 

[Wendy79]

Cheap, watered down ranch?

Runny ranch /= watered down

 

[QChawks]

pizza

at least here in the quad cities

 

[JWolf74]

I'm not a picky old fashioned guy, but it does include two alcohols, sugar/syrup and two kinds of fruit. It's not the simplest cocktail.

I like extra bitters in mine.

Are you counting the bitters as alcohol?

A classic OF only uses orange peel and cherry as a garnish. I hate when people muddle them in.

Sugar (I like to make my own Demerara simple syrup)
Bitters
Spirit
Stir with ice, strain over fresh rock of ice. Express Orange Peel and garnish.

Simple and delicious.

 

[ZachJump]

A lot of places f*** up an old fashioned as well. It's like the simplest cocktail to make.

I watched a bartender put everything he had into making one....25 minutes later I finally got my beer.

 

[h-hawk]

Swiss Steak because no one makes it anymore?

 

[theiacowtipper]

Toast. I don’t know if I’ve had a decent piece of toast in a restaurant in 20 year. It tastes like it was roasted a week ago.

 

[JWolf74]

Runny ranch /= watered down

It's nasty.

 

[McLovin32]

Same with a Tom Collins. You don’t put f*cking grenadine in a Tom Collins.

 

[bluestarhwk]

Since someone brought up cocktails... It's hard to find a decent Bloody Mary. They can range from a 6 course meal in a cup with top shelf mixings, to watered down tomato juice with a splash of vodka and an olive.

 

[Scruddy]

Since old fashion was already named I will say mozzarella sticks and onion rings seem to both be very hit or miss

 

[TJ8869]

Baked potatoes

 

[damayason]

Biscuits and gravy.

 

[13thman]

Coffee

 

[jasonrann]

Interesting. Tell me more.

It's not soup.

 

[jasonrann]

Coleslaw is simply gross.

Not as gross as ranch.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

The amount of restaurants that use gross watery ranch is far too many.

THIS^^ It ought to be against the law!!!