As we wrapped up bagels and coffee on the waterfront and began walking back to our respective public transportation stops, a few of my coworkers and I were busily discussing our favorite subject: other meals we’ve had. One of us had just visited one of the many hot new bakeries in New York, and said they came away slightly disappointed. But when it came time to assess the disappointment, they chose to blame themselves, rather than the bakery. “Oh well,” they shrugged, “maybe I just ordered wrong.”
I’ve heard it dozens of times before, the idea that having an unsatisfactory meal at a “good” restaurant is somehow one’s own fault for not accurately deciphering the menu. That there are good things and bad things and the restaurant is keeping this information secret from you. Which, when written out, sounds pretty silly right? No, it’s not your fault. The mark of a truly great restaurant is that there is no “wrong order.”
Of course there are many mediocre meals to be had in this world, no shortage of restaurants where the eggs are rubbery or the potatoes underdone. There are also restaurants that are on some objective level great but aren’t to your own tastes, or at least let’s hope that’s what happened when those two girls came for Semma. But in my profession I still often see people attempting to redeem mediocrity by insisting there is a trick to ordering that makes a restaurant better than it is. And that certain dishes on the menu, the ones that fall flat, somehow don’t count toward its reputation.
That’s just not true. You may have a great meal at a mediocre restaurant. But for the restaurant itself to be great, that means every meal, every combination of dishes, must be great, no matter the order. The steak must be good at a steakhouse for it to stay in business, but it cannot be a truly great restaurant unless the vegetarian pasta is good as well. A viral pastry may be amazing but you can’t say the bakery as a whole is good unless they’re nailing the regular croissants too. There may be certain dishes a restaurant is known for, but if five entrees are thrilling and three are bland and unimaginative, that’s not you ordering wrong, that’s statistics.
Maybe this is a factor of the increased push to “hack” things and come off as if you’ve discovered a secret no one else is privy to. Or it’s a symptom of the increasing need to add superlatives to every experience, for every meal to be gamed so that it is the best. It makes it easier to think that you did something wrong, rather than admit you tried something new and were let down.
The only “wrong” order is an order you don’t actually want. Many times I’ve pressured myself to order something viral or unique just because it seems like what I should be getting, when if I really listen to myself, I find I’m craving something different. Sometimes, yes, this results in me getting a disappointing salad or a sandwich I thought sounded good but just don’t like. But sometimes I actually do find a “hidden gem” menu item, one that hasn’t been hyped but is just as incredible as any others. And I discover that this good restaurant is actually great.
Not every meal will be the best. Not every restaurant is a great restaurant (not every restaurant should be a great restaurant, long live the neighborhood workhorse that is just good enough). Such is the risk of life — certain experiences may let you down even if somebody else told you you’d enjoy yourself. But next time you go out, you’ll know you’re at a truly great place when every dish is revelatory. Yes, even the vegetarian pasta.
