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Dishes that Should Just Go Away for Awhile?

post #1 of 80
3/10/08 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
I'm interested in knowing which dishes that, in your view, have become redundant, overdone, offered everywhere, ubiquitous and generally so tired that they should just go away for 10 years or so.

My favorites that I just cannot face anymore:
Crudite
Baked Brie
Penne alla Vodka
Caesar Salad (done terribly most of the time)
Grilled Chicken (Caesar) Salad (just an excuse to get rid of yesterday's overcooked chicken breast)

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post #2 of 80
3/10/08 at 6:58am
Foams, Liquid nitrogen, Processed cheese, etc... Keep it real then keep it forever.:chef:
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One time a guy pulled a knife on me. I could tell it wasn't a professional job; it had butter on it.- Rodney Dangerfield -


'We're ALL amateurs; It's just that some of us are more professional about it than others'. - George Carlin
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post #3 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:02am
Tilapia. Kobe boogers.
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post #4 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:26am
Agree on Penne alla Vodka -- last refuge of the pretentious "Continental" restaurant.

Agree on Kobe boogers -- kind of misses the point of burgers, neh?

Agree on Baked Brie

Agree on Caesar Salad with foreign objects and bad Caesar Salad

Disagree on Caesar done right -- (have great recipe and procedure if you want it)

Disagree on crudite -- it's only celery on ice, what did it ever do to you. Besides, in late middle age, I still like sticking the olives on my fingers.

Let me add:

'tinis -- look if you want a girlie drink, get one with lots of fruit and umbrellas and stuff. And more power to you. Somethings are sacred, the martini among them.

huge plates with lots of "negative space."

ABTs (but God help me, I love them)

Buffalo wings prepared in any other way than the right way (no breading - tossed in hot sauce), and Buffalo wings dipped directly in blue cheese dressing.

Wraps

Seared ahi with anything else -- especially salad

Portobello Mushrooms -- they're just regular ol' criminis gone wild, ferevvinz sake

Polenta -- when grits are indicated

Chicken breast instead of veal -- at least give me the thigh or learn to cook the breast without drying it out, dammit!

Weird rolls in sushi restaurants -- if you don't like Japanese food, don't go to Japanese restaurants.
What were we talking about?
 
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post #5 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:36am
Philadelphia rolls. Cream cheese?!??!? For goodness sake! There are some people who actually llke those? :D Guess it's like the cream cheese filled wonton, or "crab rangoons" right? Another thing that needs to just go away.
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post #6 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:53am
Thread Starter 
Love your posts guys
I'm so glad someone agrees with me on Penne alla Vodka

As far as crudite-having been a hotel chef and caterer it just seemed like every blessed party had to have that d****d raw veggies and some bland dip -often spinach dip made with nasty frozen spinach. Now, every gathering I go to has the same thing. Really, who eats raw broccoli, cauliflower and yellow squash? Yuck.
Besides, that dip always has a way of ending up on my shirt.

I love Caesar Salad, but only when I make it with fresh garlic, lemon, a coddled egg, anchovies EV olive oil, Reggiano and CRISP, COLD, DRY AND TORN ROMAINE lettuce. Done without any and all of the above it's just not worth eating-or even looking at.
BDL-I'd love to have your recipe.

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Liquored up and laquered down,
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post #7 of 80
3/10/08 at 9:13am
I agree with much of what is mentioned here. Though I will say that as an Italian chef, even though it is not a traditional Italian dish, Penne alla Vodka can be great. But it is VERY rarely done well, so I would not be weeping for its departure.

I cannot agree enough with the sentiments for foams and liquid nitrogen and so forth to go away. Along those lines, "dusts", "floaters" and "aromatherapies" also need to vanish.

But the thing that I am so sick of seeing everywhere right now is: truffles. Sure, they are nice, but i have actually seen restaurants that will add truffles to ANY dish for an extra charge. Doesn't matter if they go with what is on the plate, they are just willing to throw them on anywhere simply because they are en vogue right now. Just like sundried tomatoes were all the rage in the early 90's, truffles seem to be annoyingly ubiquitous right now, and I can't wait for them to fade back into their proper place in the culinary world.
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My Continuing Journey Into the Kitchen...
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post #8 of 80
3/10/08 at 9:40am
I too agree with all the above and would add "Chicken French", "artichokes French" etc. I thought that went out in the 70's but you see it on every freaking menu up here in Upstate, NY!
(Oh and Garbage plates!) Keep them in the garbage.
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post #9 of 80
3/10/08 at 10:13am
Spaghetti and meatballs
Spaghetti and meat sauce
Shrimp cocktail (they're always smelly)
French Onion Soup
Day old crusty bread (it breaks my crowns)
American Cheese
Processed foods of every type

doc
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post #10 of 80
3/10/08 at 12:12pm
I've also got to stick up for crudités. Sometimes that's the only edible thing on the table. Not interesting, not fun, but at least they don't have a zillion calories and do have some redeeming qualities, as opposed to, say Crab Rangoon (hey, Kuan, I typed that one before I saw your whole post. Great minds, eh? :crazy:).

And a GOOD shrimp cocktail -- head- and shell-on, perfectly fresh, and not overcooked -- can be a thing of beauty. In fact, many of the things people have mentioned can be. But not in their done-on-the-cheap versions. (Caesar yes; chicken Caesar :eek: )

boar_de_laze, I LOVE YOU.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, um, what does ABT stand for?
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #11 of 80
3/10/08 at 12:22pm
ABT = Atomic Buffalo T*rd = Jalapeno, wrapped with bacon, stuffed with cheese, and "barbecued" with indirect heat. Good, but done to death among a certain identity group.

BDL
What were we talking about?
 
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post #12 of 80
3/10/08 at 1:23pm
Huge drinks made with espresso, that are more like a sweet milk drink. I love an 8 oz. cup with a couple shots of espresso and some foamed milk.
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post #13 of 80
3/10/08 at 1:28pm
what about micro salads?or cress? everyone seems to be using them now and just getting boring, a could-be-better salad before, now with the micro leaves is kind of special,.
they r nice and full of flavour, dont get me wrong, but it has lost its point

at least thats whats happenin in london now
Shiny, Shiny... GO HOME!!!
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post #14 of 80
3/10/08 at 2:01pm

Now for the desserts...

Creme brulee
Tiramisu
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post #15 of 80
3/10/08 at 4:35pm
Any pasta with a slab of protien on top, Sliced or not. How rude.
http://www.frappr.com/chefsunited
One time a guy pulled a knife on me. I could tell it wasn't a professional job; it had butter on it.- Rodney Dangerfield -


'We're ALL amateurs; It's just that some of us are more professional about it than others'. - George Carlin
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post #16 of 80
3/10/08 at 4:54pm
Chrose.. i agree with cooking anything "french" style, i too myself am from rochester NY. But i do have to strongly dissagree about the garbage plate.. they are key to upstate "un-fine" dining lol... i love em and allways will.. i allready miss them and ive only moved down to NC for about a month now. shame.:cool:
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post #17 of 80
3/10/08 at 4:59pm
I agree with your disagreement. A Caesar done right is wonderful, and never goes out of style. Unfortunately, most Caesars today aren't even close to a real Caesar.

Would ove to see your recipe/technique.

Have you ever had JudyRodgers' Caesar @ Zuni? What do you thinkof it?

shel
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post #18 of 80
3/10/08 at 5:03pm
Whoa there! I think you'll need to expand on that one. I frankly don't see enough of it! We get no artisanal cheeses from you guys up here. Sad; there's such great stuff coming out ofthe US right now.




Poutine.
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post #19 of 80
3/10/08 at 5:17pm
I wish crisphead (iceberg) lettuce would go away for a while. I don't think it's bad, but other kinds of lettuce are much better imo.
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post #20 of 80
3/10/08 at 5:21pm
I sense a lot of serious food angst here. :lol:
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post #21 of 80
3/10/08 at 5:54pm
Ma facon...

I totally agree with the slab of protien on top of a pasta dish. Pasta is just that. Pasta with a good sauce is all you need. Though i do enjoy my father meat sauce, soley because i really, really do not like marinara. The type of food we cook in my house is pretty much only rustic italian style.

But for example, at work.. During prep we usually change the person who cooks lunch everyday, and my list is one of the longer ones so i almost always make some sort of pasta. its just so simple. But i always hear hooey about "dude.. wheres the protien, we gotta eat good, we got a dinne rush coming up tonight, c'mon man, i cant just load on carb" blah blah blah.. sorry, i guess its the italian in me that could live on pasta dishes for the rest of my life.(though i did give in a make a very delicous Chicken Marsala with penne. thick strips of chicken browned then finished in the reducing marsala wine, lots of butter, a touch of cream, and then just tossed the penne with everything.. came out bomb diggity)

Agree: with almost everything on here, except tiramisu, only because i love it so much, but yes, it is done A LOT. And tilapia, but again, only because i do get pretty creative with that simple fish.

Good topic i must say
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post #22 of 80
3/10/08 at 6:20pm
Chipotle anything. Among my peers, add a little bit of chipotle or adobo sauce and its gold. Worst yet cooked jalapeno passed off as chipotle. I blame Bobby Flay. Love the guy's work but I can't stand his "fans".
My blog: http://uptowncook.blogspot.com/
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post #23 of 80
3/10/08 at 6:50pm
Chipotle will never go out of style here :D I love 'em with over-easy eggs and with mac-n-cheese. But then I love hot chiles in general.

I have had the fake "chipotles" and they're a disappointment when I expected the real thing.
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post #24 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:08pm
Risotto. Kill it quick and kill it now.....its been so done to death.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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post #25 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:30pm
'Rooburgers
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post #26 of 80
3/10/08 at 7:57pm

Don't knock the roo

Oh :p:p:lol:
You just ain't had one cooked by an Aussie yet

It's the amount of Sunshine that goes into the dish when you char it on the barbie....can't cook it in those cold northern areas :lips:
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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post #27 of 80
3/10/08 at 8:05pm

Passe food

I would agree with all the list so far even though I think most of us would agree that done well all of these dishes are great, a real French onion soup is one of my favourites, however these dishes get bastardized and simplified to death to speed up service and make them more idiot resistant and of course the all mighty dollar, if we are sick and tired of them how far behind us are our customers? what shall we ruin next?.
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post #28 of 80
3/10/08 at 9:18pm
Let's ruin chicken next, by making chopped and formed chicken blobs deep fried. Use mostly chicken skin and pancreases, breaded and deep fried to perfection. Let's also add a lot of preservatives, but mostly grease to cover up the flavor. Grease sells.
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post #29 of 80
3/11/08 at 4:11am
Puy lentils.

I LOVED them.... until every restaurant seemed to use them as something on the menu as '..... served on a bed of puy lentils'. And the trend in certain Scots restaurants where they have decided that the PL are passe and they are serving foods 'on a bed of pearl barley'.
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post #30 of 80
3/11/08 at 4:43am
AH...I meant this pre-sliced (usually) yellow "stuff" called American Cheese, not cheeses in general made in America.

doc
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