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Restaurants serve many purposes for the diner. A social setting away from home, the luxury of refined service, saving time by not having to cook or clean, and possibly enjoying food and drink which the diners themselves could not duplicate from home. As someone who began his career in the restaurant business both serving tables and cooking the food, I can certainly point out the difference between a good restaurant and a bad one.

The first and most important item I look for is the menu selection. I look for variety, originality and quality. For example, if a restaurant has only a couple of salads with the same greens and only the dressing and a few vegetables to distinguish them from one another, I tend to look elsewhere. I want a caprese salad with an olive tapenade, or a toasted goat cheese salad over spring greens with a champagne vinnagrette.
I have a soft spot for fresh seafood, so finding items like sea bass and ahi tuna tend to lure me in. Selections such as orange roughy and fried shrimp tend to mean that the fish is frozen prior to cooking, and be sure to steer clear of imitation anything. You wouldn't buckle your child in a carseat with an imitation seat belt or send them to an imitation college, right? So show your palette some courtesy and make sure the crab has a shell.
When looking for a good steak I always check for prime meat. You don't want to pay $30 for a filet and have to spend the evening chewing instead of talking to your company. The meat grades are as follows: select (chewy and fit for only long, slow cooked dishes), choice (acceptable in some forms, such as a ribeye due to its fat content), and prime (the only option when ordering filet mignon, strip steak, etc.) As a rule, the better grade the meat is, the more fat it has. I'm not referring to the edge of the meat, but rather the "marbleized" quality it attains from good breeding. The white specks in an uncooked piece of meat are fat cells that melt into the meat when cooked, adding flavor. The more fat, the more flavor.
When analyzing the menu, the last thing I look for is accompaniments, including side dishes, appetizers, sauces and dressings. I certainly enjoy creative side dishes, but some restaurants can overcharge for them, so be careful you don't end up ordering a ten dollar baked potato, unless that's what you're into. Instead, look for entrees that come with an enticing side dish, like a filet with roasted red pepper mashed potatoes, or pan seared sea bass with a potato pancake

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