The Chopping Blog

Last night my family and I went out to dinner for Sister’s birthday. We went to Mercat a la Planxa and I was reminded of one of my favorite parts of eating out—not having to order. I hate ordering from a menu, especially if that menu is long. With so many choices, it’s hard to tell what the chef does well or what is good that day. Often I’ll limit myself to the specials, or whatever the waiter recommends. Since it was a special occasion, we ordered the prix fixe menu. What ensued is exactly what I want from a restaurant. There was no ordering of separate dinners or arguing over what we would share—there was just food brought to the table, at varying intervals. Each time it was a complete surprise to everyone at the table and each time, it was a good surprise.

We started with a selection of olives, which none of us would have thought to order but which all of us enjoyed—even those who professed to “not like” olives. I say “not like” because I find it hard to believe that people have certain innate dislikes for particular foods. I think dislikes come from mental blocks, either from a negative association or a bad eating experience. One of my college roommates once told me that she didn’t like Ravioli. “You must not have had really good ravioli” I pompously suggested, to which she replied “I’ve had Chef Boyardee, isn’t that, like the best”. It was an eye opening conversation. With the canned version as your only exposure to ravioli, how could you be expected to like it?

As the dinner went on, we were surprised with a variety of other menu items: a giant platter lined with Serrano ham, cheese with a sherry-bacon caramel sauce, and a rack of lamb with Romesco sauce. The fact that we didn’t have to order and the food just kept coming in a logical progression made the meal all the more enjoyable.

Last winter, when my family came to visit me in Italy, we had a similar “off the menu” experience. On December 26th, the day after Christmas, we took a day trip to the island of Capri, despite the warnings of several local Italians that Capri è chiuso (Capri’s closed). We found it hard to imagine that a whole island was closed. We were wrong. When we got to the island we noticed that none of the islands famous stores and restaurants were open. We managed to find a bar that would serve us our daily ration of cappuccini e cornetti, and went on our way exploring the island. When it came time for lunch, we started to panic, we had yet to encounter an open restaurant and the next ferry wasn’t leaving until the evening. Just as we were getting desperate we met Maria, a Capri native, who marched us through the small, cobbled alleys of Capri to what appeared to be someone’s house. She told us to walk in and tell them “Maria sent us” (which, in hindsight, is probably a good way to get in anywhere in Italy).

We walked into the house and encountered a group of Italians, sitting in the living room, drinking wine and smoking cigarettes. Despite our best judgement we announced “Maria sent us” and before we knew it we were seated at the dining room table. A young man appeared, our waiter, translator, and presumably, the son of the family who lived there. He asked us what we would like and said “just to bring us lunch, whatever’s good”. There was no menu, no prices, just some haggard Americans sitting in someone’s dining room waiting for lunch.

What they brought us was incredible: Risotto Frutti di Mare, Paccheri con le Braciole, among other things. It was the best meal I’ve ever had and something I will never forget. We came to realize after our meal that there was an actual restaurant attached to the house, it was just closed for the winter. It even has a Name, é Divino… oltre al vino, which appears to mean something like: It’s divine… beside wine. I even found some information about it online, all in Italian, of course. From the Google translation, it says a lot about the “simple and homely setting” which is definitely an understatement.

From all of my experiences, I have learned that eating “off the menu” is a much more natural way to dine. Would you walk into your mother’s kitchen and order a steak medium-rare with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach? Probably not. You would probably come in and order one of whatever is being served. We, as a society, have become so finicky that we’ve limited ourselves. We’ve stuck to a few “safe” menu items that we know will be good and in turn, have stifled creativity. Fortunately it seems that the tides are changing and people are becoming much more open to trying new things and new ways of dining. I can only hope that this trend will continue.

So next time you’re at some fancy-pants restaurant considering ordering the “burger del casa” just tell the waiter to “Surprise me”.

Michael is an enthusiast of all things creative. He studied Graphic Design in Iowa and spent a semester wandering around Europe, looking for pretty churches and cheap wine. He grew up around food, helping his Mom with her catering business while other boys his age were building forts and setting off fireworks. Working as a Retail Sales Associate at the Chopping Block has allowed him to continue to explore his passion for food. He lives to try new things and will never say no to a free meal.

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