We don't talk about or review restaurants here at The Kitchn (we're all about the home cooking) — but that doesn't mean that we don't visit them or enjoy them! And we also get a lot of inspiration from restaurants, especially when we get stuck in a dinner rut. Why not turn to a restaurant menu for inspiration?
Sometimes as the seasons change I get stuck in a pattern of repeating myself with dinners. It's always interesting to turn to a favorite restaurant and see how they are reflecting the current season in their menu. It's always interesting, too, to see how a chef arranges a menu, and what side dishes are placed with main courses, and so on.
Now, do I cook like a chef at a restaurant, with formally presented dishes and copious amounts of butter? No. Do I have all the resources of a high-end restaurant at my disposal? Absolutely not. But it's interesting and sometimes educational to peruse a weekly or nightly restaurant menu — I am often struck by fresh combinations of ingredients I wouldn't have thought to put together, or by an ingredient I don't know anything about.
But why wouldn't you just read a cookbook, you ask. Well, sometimes the sheer unknown quality of a restaurant menu is the most interesting aspect. (So mysterious — those leeks with bottarga. Whatever are they doing with those two ingredients, I wonder? Etc.) You are free to imagine what that dish might actually be like.
A few restaurants I like to check for inspiration:
• Lucques - Especially the Sunday Supper menus. In Los Angeles.
• Chez Panisse - Always interesting yet fresh, and with the cookbooks to refer to, educational! In Berkeley.
• Rigsby's Kitchen - Local to me, and always comforting yet delicious.
I also keep up with quite a lot of restaurants via Twitter, which is one genuinely useful way to use Twitter. As restaurants and chefs tweet last-minute specials, inspired by the markets and the season, I often get inspired.
Do you ever check in with certain restaurants or chefs to refresh your cooking inspiration? If so, where do you like to look?
Related: Aperitif Cocktail: The Bittercup
(Images: Flickr member monkeycat! licensed for use under Creative Commons; Lucques website)
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There is a local restaurant called the 'North End Cafe' near my house that uses as much locally grown produce as possible. It's a great place to look for ideas because almost everything they use is in season.
I love looking at menus for inspiration - especially ones that focus on local foods, since they tend to have whatever is in season (meaning I can find it fairly eaily at the farmer's market!)
one of my favorites is lentorestaurant.com
I work in special events (i.e. taste and select from many fancy menus) and I do this all the time! I always take note of the flavor and ingredient combos and use them at home in my own creations.
(P.S. I Love Chez Panisse)
My dad was visiting over the weekend and I took him to some local places I had been wanting to try for "research" and got some great ideas for things to make at home. This post inspired me to check the menus for restaurants that our CSA supplies figuring that we'll have some of the same items in the fridge. I just found some awesome dishes to try to recreate!
oohhhh! this North End Cafe? great menu!
My husband and I honeymooned in Napa and our favorite meal was at one of Thomas Keller's restaurants, Ad Hoc. The menu changes daily and is unknown until 1:00 the same day it's served, at which time you can call to listen to a recording of what will be served. Sometimes we call just to find out what the menu is, even though we're back on the East Coast!
Never been to North End but it is owned and operated by a friend of a friend!
@syrupandhoney--you could subscribe to ad hoc's daily menu so it'll show up in your inbox everyday: http://www.adhocrestaurant.com/menu.php
My fave restaurant in SF - they have a new seasonal menu every week.
http://www.woodwardsgarden.com/menu.pdf
Chez Panisse online is particularly nice because they prepare seasonal menus and they publish the different ones for every day of the week, so it is a great source of ideas for THAT day. Even if you greatly simplify it will get your thoughts (and appetite) going.
Most restaurants are off-limits for us for family dining because we have children with life-threatening food allergies. Husband and I are not able to have dinner out by ourselves but once in a blue moon. Home food, although safe, can get repetitious and boring. I keep a stash of menus in the cupboard for inspiration and I will recreate what I can with foods that are allowed in the house. That way we can eat "out" at home and mixes it up a bit for both us and our kiddos. Just looking at the appetizers gives me ideas for new meals!