Just to be clear, this is a guide to eating well, not a guide to finding the coolest restaurants or being seen. This is a field manual on how to differentiate good food from pretty window dressing and to differentiate hype from good eats. These are the notes that I have developed from a lifetime of walking up and down streets and finding a few good meals and a few terrible meals.
- There are no great dining experience in high rent areas. Stay away from tourist areas and central business districts. High rent forces the owner to compromise either on price or food quality. Plus, since there is so much foot traffic, that there is little incentive to make consistently outstanding food or go the extra mile.
- Coversely, it is a good sign if a restaurant off a main street or in a basement and has been open for a long time.
- Do not rule out chain restaurants. There is exists a false prejudice among city dwellers that see non-chain restaurants as superior or more authentic and chain restaurants as boring trash for less cultured suburban masses. This is wholly untrue, there are tons of delicious chain restaurants and I think city people are often fooled into eating over priced and overhyped mediocre food at non-chain restaurants.
- Read the menu and see if it make sense. Does it feel like you are paying to experience a novelty idea instead of a satisfying meal? Are there too many ‘takes’ on classic dishes? Is the chef trying to feed you or just fuck you in the mouth?
- The decorations do not feel forced or staged. If the decorations are excessively swanky or opulent, ownership is probably trying to recoup those costs by cutting corners in food production. Moreover, it is likely that the emphasis of the restaurant is the environment not the food.
- You will probably have more fun at the place across from the famous restaurant that relies on the runoff of the famous restaurant. The food is likely 98% the same, there is no lineup and it definitely costs less.
- Look for little touches of care – fresh coat of paint on the banister, fresh flowers, lack of dust in hard to reach places. Attention to detail in the dining room will often extend to the food.
- Trust your gut. You have developed some kind of intuition as to how to judge a restaurant. What makes a restaurant great is a mystery. But it can be felt. I have been pleasantly surprised by places that run counter to this guide. There is nothing better than a great meal when you are not expecting it.