Cheese boards and Brussels sprouts: The unexpected dishes chefs avoid at restaurants

Every now and then, we all feel the need to take a break from cooking and enjoy a meal at a restaurant. Dining out can be a delightful alternative, at least until the bill arrives reminding us of the current reality of inflation. When we decide to indulge, it's helpful to know what to order, or rather, what we definitely should not order.

A while back, Gordon Ramsay, a renowned chef, discussed which dishes he would never order at any restaurant. Now another distinguished, albeit less famous than Ramsay, figure in the culinary world, shares her recommendations on the appetizers she would avoid in a restaurant. Nik Fields, an American chef and restaurant owner based in Arizona, cites cheese boards as the top choice to avoid.

- I would refrain from ordering common simple cheese and cracker platters, as these are dishes are easy for me to prepare on my own - Fields explained in an interview with HuffPost

She added that paying for such dishes is simply not worthwhile. "Instead, I often prefer to explore more elaborate, chef-crafted offerings on a restaurant’s menu to experience unique flavours and techniques," the chef admitted.

HuffPost.com decided to compare Nik Fields' advice with that of other culinary experts. It turns out that each chef has a unique perspective on the appetizers they would avoid ordering at a restaurant. For instance, Randall Braud, the culinary maestro at Metropolitan Cafe in Dallas, Texas, listed Brussels sprouts. The chef highlighted that this vegetable is most flavorsome during the fall-winter season, and it may not be worth ordering at other times of the year.

Mary Kiernan, a professor of food studies at Syracuse University, recommended against ordering cheese sticks (whose quantity and quality often do not justify their price) and foie gras, a dish many consider extremely unethical.