Quote:
Originally Posted by stomachmonkey
I find a lot of restaurant Bearnaise to be watery/thin and bitter.
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Well, in that case, you need to fire the chef. It's not suposed to be either of those things.
The problem I have with foods that are not made from scratch is that they are always too sweet or too salty, usually have an overly homogeneous flavor and often the consistency/mouth feel is not right. I use exactly zero canned, "instant" ingredients in my cooking.
There's a reason that certain things are classic. The recipes have evolved over time to the point that you really can't improve upon them, unless you screw up the technique.
When I first started visiting California years ago, I couldn't stand the food. Too much "fusion" and not enough "original/authentic". Against my better judgement, I tried a Wolfgang Puck Bistro here in Tulsa yesterday. Hated it... Every deviation from the classics was in the wrong direction. My wife had a Shrimp Louie salad that had the worst Louie dressing we've ever had. Even she wouldn't eat it. They also deep-sixed the usual butter lettuce, in favor of curly endive that overpowered the other flavors. She asked for another dressing and got a vinaigrette and even that was screwed up. Rather than use a wine, sherry or champagne vinegar, they used a balsamic vinegar... ruined that too...
I had a meat loaf that was worse than what my mother made, and she was no great cook. Even the butternut squash soup sucked. The base soup was fine, but they added another puree to flavor it, which ruined it.
They know how to cook, they just can't leave well enough alone.
JR