What's your go-to meal when trying out a new restaurant?

[thestrangebrew1]

Say you're trying out a new Chinese restaurant. Anything specific you order as a litmus test to determine if you'll like the joint?

I can't really describe what I'm looking for when I order and decide if I like the place and will come back but here's what I order:

Chinese - chow mein
Mexican - al pastor. If not available, chili verde
Pizza - plain ol' pepperoni
Italian - hard to say since we don't have an italian place in town and there aren't really any within 50 miles. I guess chicken marsala?
Seafood - lame but usually try their clam chowder lol
Indian - no idea. I've been to an indian joint maybe once in my life. food was good but I don't remember what I ordered. assuming some kind of curry. Closest joint is 30 miles away and we try to avoid the town as much as possible.
Thai - not really any joints within 30 miles so I rarely eat it. I've had pad thai with chicken before and liked it.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Forgot a few more:

BBQ - tritip, ribs or brisket
Steakhouse: usually order a ribeye

Can't really think of any other types of food we have around here or that I've tried.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Say you're trying out a new Chinese restaurant. Anything specific you order as a litmus test to determine if you'll like the joint?

I can't really describe what I'm looking for when I order and decide if I like the place and will come back but here's what I order:

Chinese - chow mein
Mexican - al pastor. If not available, chili verde
Pizza - plain ol' pepperoni
Italian - hard to say since we don't have an italian place in town and there aren't really any within 50 miles. I guess chicken marsala?
Seafood - lame but usually try their clam chowder lol
Indian - no idea. I've been to an indian joint maybe once in my life. food was good but I don't remember what I ordered. assuming some kind of curry. Closest joint is 30 miles away and we try to avoid the town as much as possible.
Thai - not really any joints within 30 miles so I rarely eat it. I've had pad thai with chicken before and liked it.

Living in San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Houston I have never had good al pastor in the US. But even if I go to Tijuana or Nuevo Laredo much less nicer cities like Mexico City or Monterrey it's always outstanding from the street stalls where they have a giant spit of it cooking. Same experience with mole poblano. Sucks in the US whether hole in the wall or expensive place. Though I think that's because one of the main chiles in mole poblano (mulato chile) isn't as available as the other ones and I know a lot of places north of the border uses cheaper replacements.

To answer the original question:

Mexican: have to have good and hot salsa or it's a waste
Thai: spicy green curry (I always tell the waiter to pretend I'm Thai and asked for it extra hot)
Pizza: Pepperoni
Seafood: Snapper
Japanese: Vegetable Tempura
BBQ: Brisket
Diner: Hash browns
Steakhouse: Medium rare ribeye (though honestly that's the only thing I ever order anyways when I want a steak)

 

[nakedfrog]

Chinese - General's chicken
Mexican - fajitas or tacos, kinda depends
Pizza - generally pepperoni, maybe all meat, possibly calzone
Italian - IDK, not really a likely scenario, chicken parm?
Seafood - something that isn't seafood
Indian - chicken tikka
Thai - some kind of sweet-spicy battered chicken
BBQ - pulled pork or brisket... honestly, if they have a platter option that gives you a bit of everything, usually I'll go for that

 

[MrSquished]

I do it a bit different. There are so many options here I go to the places I know do the dishes I want very well. Al Pastor tacos? the little cart the Mexican immigrants run down the street, best Al Pastor, and in torta form too - one of the best sandwich bites I've ever eaten, ever. Down the other street, there's my Birria and chicken taco spot. This Chinese place a few minute walk has the best fried rice and a few other dishes. The other Chinese place a couple minutes further, has a few dishes I feel they do the best, etc...Sometimes I'd order from the one, get my favorite dish there, then on the walk back pick up the fried rice from the other. I know a lot of good places for excellent tonkotsu ramen. Of my favorites they are all a little different, so I go for what I'm in the mood for.

 

[nakedfrog]

I do it a bit different. There are so many options here I go to the places I know do the dishes I want very well. Al Pastor tacos? the little cart the Mexican immigrants run down the street, best Al Pastor, and in torta form too - one of the best sandwich bites I've ever eaten, ever. Down the other street, there's my Birria and chicken taco spot. This Chinese place a few minute walk has the best fried rice and a few other dishes. The other Chinese place a couple minutes further, has a few dishes I feel they do the best, etc...Sometimes I'd order from the one, get my favorite dish there, then on the walk back pick up the fried rice from the other. I know a lot of good places for excellent tonkotsu ramen. Of my favorites they are all a little different, so I go for what I'm in the mood for.

But OP is asking: if you're at a restaurant you haven't been to, what's your go-to dish to gauge their food?

 

[BoomerD]

Italian...lasagna
Mexican...steak milanesa if they have it
Chinese...chow mein and chop suey, bacon fried rice

 

[KMFJD]

Pizza - Pepperoni+Mushrooms
Italian - some type of veal dish
Mexican - tacos
bbq - brisket
steak - filet
Thai - Pad See Ew
Indian - some type of a creamy curry dish
Seafood - pan fried grouper filet with coconut sauce
Dominican - whatever meat guisado they have with rice+beans+salad

 

[biostud]

I haven't been to a restaurant in 7 years, since I got kids.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Chinese - hunan chicken, if it's too mild or spiced with just red pepper flakes, they suck.
Mexican - chips and salsa. If the salsa is trash/not spicy, if the chips are stale or store-bought, suck.
pizza - cheese or pepperoni. If it's not NY style, suck.
seafood - i don't get a lot of 'just seafood', but I guess I'll say any whitefish. Overcooked, suck. Oh and greasy crabcakes. I cannot abide greasy crabcakes.
indian - basic bitch tikka masala. mild, sucks. Oh and a mango lassi, you can tell if it's store made. If it isn't, suck.
thai - definitely pad thai, and spring rolls. Those two things will tell you everything about the restaurant.

 

[MrSquished]

But OP is asking: if you're at a restaurant you haven't been to, what's your go-to dish to gauge their food?

That flew over my shaved head.

Well again I do tend to seek out restaurants that do certain things very well even if I go for the first time, and get those things. Just because somewhere around here is Italian doesn't mean they'll even have all those traditional dishes. There's a great Italian restaurant I can walk to that makes all their pasta and everything from scratch and they don't have a single dish most people would recognize. So it's tough.

But if I was at those kinds of places

Steak will always be the ribeye.
Generic Italian I'll try the marsala.
Tacos, al pastor or carnitas
Chinese, some beef with vegetable or the moo shoo pork.
Breakfast, always eggs benedict
Seafood - Drunken Mussels and Octopus, but it's hard to find great octopus. Some sort of seafood sautee with shellfish and scallops.

 

[Embertron]

I usually pick something simple but easy to mess up, like fried rice or tacos, since you can tell fast if the place cares about flavor and fresh stuff.

 

[Muse]

Seafood - Drunken Mussels and Octopus, but it's hard to find great octopus. Some sort of seafood sautee with shellfish and scallops.

Regarding octopus, the locals in Hawaii call that tako. An authentic restaurant there that caters to locals should feature that.

 

[lxskllr]

Sub shop - Italian coldcut
Tex/Mex - Some kind of vegetarian platter
Chinese - General Tso's chicken
Indian - Vegetable jalfrezi or some other kind of chunky vegetable dish

That's it. Italian is whatever. I like it all, and am excited by none of it. I don't eat steak. Burgers are burgers. I pretty much only do sushi for Japanese, and it's either right or it isn't.

 

[WelshBloke]

I mean I'd be ordering something that looks interesting that I haven’t had before. Its not like its hard to work out if something is a working concept from the menu and its not difficult to tell if something is well cooked when its served to you!

 

[iRONic]

Chinese - Hot & Sour soup
Pizza - Crispy crust, Bacon & Black olives
Italian - Sausage in marinara, Meatballs in marinara
Mexican - Carnitas (I always ask for the crispy bits)
BBQ - Brisket, fried pickles
Steak - Prime rib
Seafood - Jumbo shrimp cocktail(horseradish), Catfish or Cod filet (must have cornbread coating)

 

[stargazr]

Chinese - Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables. I avoid certain other favorites like General Tso's chicken, and Kung Pao chicken until I get familiar with them because I am almost always disappointed.

Italian - Baked Ziti or Lasagna

Mexican - Usually a Chicken Fajita dish with peppers and onions

BBQ - Brisket

Pizza - Pepperoni

Seafood - Fried Shrimp

 

[KLin]

Italian - Baked Ziti or Lasagna

What if they don't have Baked ziti?

Do you channel your inner AJ Soprano and yell "So what? No fckn Ziti now?"